Hawthorn Common

Nearly everything is grown or made on site. They are a sustainable restaurant and it is brilliant.
I attended an engagement party a few weeks back and everything appeared to be running smoothly, the staff werw polite and the food was incredible.

We sat and enquired innocently about the portion size before ordering. Well, was that a mistake. We got the life story of the owner and the history of his passion for the business and what he’s done in the industry and the chef’s history etc etc. and it wasn’t even so much what he said, it was how he delivered it. He was belligerent and aggressive and had no social skills at all. It made my partner nervous as we waited patiently for any resemblance of a pause so we could interject and order.
We ordered, and for all the talk and suffering we endured, the food was not in anyway anything to rave about. It was quite bland, horrendously small on a tiny plate that was smaller than my hand span!
We left hungry and went to buy some dumplings to fill up on.
Never again. Ive noticed there are a few comments about the owner and his aggressive nature. Not cool. Its a shame, because as a venue, it could be great with a bit of attention to the interior to lessen the cold feel.

Great place, super-​attentive waiting staff — loved them, and a great choice of breakfast dishes that are just the right side of different to the usual.

I really like this place, I have been here plenty of times and it continues to grow on me. Definitely time for a review.
I’m a little surprised to see people queuing at Axil when this paradise awaits upstairs next door, don’t get me wrong I love Axil, but this place is pretty stunning. But please don’t tell them, it’s rare to be able to get a seat outside on a gorgeous sunny deck under an umbrella surrounded by trees and a veggie garden in Melbourne without a queue.
The food has never disappointed. From the porridge and oats to the cooked breakfasts, I always enjoy my meal. Good specials on offer too, on the weekend I had corn and ricotta fritters with heirloom tomato salad and avocado cream, it was the goods and I’d love to see it on the menu. Their coffee offering is pretty solid, from the standard milky affair to the fancy filter stuff I don’t understand but order to impress our interstate guests with my Melbourneness. Their green smoothies are tasty too.
The staff are great with a sense of humour that I really enjoy, the owners in particular are cool (banter with them is a highlight for me), they’re friendly and it’s a family affair and they welcome families alike. But don’t worry this place isn’t overrun with yummy mummies, it’s not really overrun with any ‘type’ it’s just full of people who enjoy good food in breezy, relaxing surrounding.
They also do yoga on the deck on Saturday mornings.

I loved this place! The service was absolutely wonderful — friendly and laid back, while attentive. The décor was nice; a little bit of a mish-​mash if I’m honest — it seemed quite modern and upmarket inside, though the outside was gorgeously hipster-​chic; with planter boxes of succulents, and a vegie patch. We sat in the sunshine and it was glorious. The food was lovely; not a long menu, but my partner and I were both super satisfied with our dishes! I had the poached avocado with an egg on toast, and was so pleasantly surprised with the amount of flavour in such a simple dish! The toast was a dense, nutritious loaf, and I left incredibly satisfied with the amount of food I received, and the cost.
We both ordered iced long blacks (a request which was met with enthusiasm and a desire to please, instead of the usual blank stares) and were very happy with the coffee.
I think we’ll be back! It was an all-​round good experience!

I really wanted to like Hawthorn Common with it having a great fit out and nice menu but it didn’t meet my expectations.
I decided to give it a try yesterday and upon asking for a table, my friend and I were taken to a table by a rather abrupt staff member. We both mutually agreed that some customer service skills wouldn’t go astray. Not too bothered, we took a seat and lucky we had a lot to chat about as we waited for what seemed froever for both our coffee and food which were both OK but nothing amazing. But the real let down for me was the attitude of one particular staff member when I overheard a couple ask if they could get a seat in the shade as their table in the sun was quite hot. His response «There’s no table’s in the shade, what do you expect when you’re wearing black on a sunny day?» Seriously? Who says that to a paying customer. Just say you’ll try get them a table when one becomes available. Easy.
Hawthorn Common was good but a little over-​rated.

In love with this gem of a place. Easily my new staple café and it’s hard to believe it’s a newbie in the area too. A must try is the savoury pancakes — bacon, lime crème fraîche, avo… so much yum in each bite!
Run by a lovely couple and their bub. Fantastic food and cool vibes. :)

I really wanted to try this place — the thought of house baked bread was tempting.
Good things:
— Coffee was great
— pork belly was tasty and melt in the mouth (albeit a little salty)
— venue nicely decked out
— deck is great and makes a good outdoor dining alternative in the area.
Bad things:
— service: could be teething problems but we were waiting got 10 minutes before even getting a menu. Had to ask to have table cleaned and water refilled. Waitress neglected to tell us the specials (lucky I noticed another patron with pork belly); I actually to ask is there any other specials besides pork belly which she sort of remembered.
— plates for coffee were dirty from dishwasher
— lovely brioche burger bun was very burnt and inedible. When mentioned to the waitress she said «I’ll tell the chef» but no offer for discount whatsoever even when asked.
Again could be teething problems, but won’t probably cross the river for it again unfortunately.

I adore this place. I’ve been wishing this venue success in every reinvention and this, I feel, it its best. The terrace is awash with blue and white striped umbrellas, busy with herbs and florals pouring out of wooden crates and terracotta pots scattered throughout. It feels like Greece to me, but boy partner didn’t agree so I’ll let you decide what their feel is!
The food is contemporary with a slight health spin, catering to the growing number of people aiming for cleaner eating, organic produce etc. Yoga on the deck on Saturday morning cements their focus on this clientele. There’s lots to like for everyone though. Their oats are freshly ground and come with seasonal fruit and all the nuts and chia you can possibly ask for. Boy partner wanted something with a little more grunt. He chose poached eggs with mushrooms, beetroot, spinach and bacon crumble. The difference between this breakfast and ‘big’ style breakfasts was their restraint with the butter (if they even used any) and their choice of crispy croutons of bacon, rather than greasy slabs of it. It’s refined, joyful and a pleasure to welcome to the neighbourhood!

We ventured out of Richmond to this Hawthorn newcomer for a leisurely Sunday lunch. Located on Burwood Road just down from Bunnings and next to Axil, Hawthorn Common is upstairs as the latest reincarnation of a space formerly known as Chester White & others before that.
The fit out is lovely with a gorgeous sunny terrace with umbrellas and potted succulents and greenery scattered around.
It’s a tricky space though, being upstairs off the street, so it may not get as much passing trade as the popular Axil next door on street level (hence the constant reinvention over the years).
We were greeted by a friendly waitress at the top of the stairs who sat us and took our drink order straight away before bringing water back to the table.
Both the husband and I ordered their «Red» smoothie as it was a warm sunny day. It had banana, strawberry, LSA, honey and yogurt and was delicious.
We then each ordered a sandwich. I had the pulled pork roll with pickled veg & cabbage from the lunch menu. He had a chicken and avocado baguette from the cabinet. Both were tasty and mine came with some thick cut chips on the side, which was a surprise as I didn’t notice this mentioned on the menu.
I thought my meal was acceptable value ($ 14) but my husbands was $ 12 (no chips) which I thought was a little bit steep for what it was. Also, I did notice that some of the breakfast menu appeared quite pricey too, but it may be worth it as we haven’t tried!
Overall, it was a nice Sunday lunch date in the sun! We might be back — but probably only if we are out & about nearby & feeling peckish.

Fight the lure of Axil and take the stairs to this gorgeous new comer. The coffee was perfection and made even more enjoyable on the sunny deck amongst the succulents.
Choosing a snack was difficult as everything looked delicious. The custard donut did not disappoint.
I’ll be back to try something from the breakfast menu or for yoga on the deck Saturdays!

These guys have balls! Opening right next to Axil Coffee Roasters, what are they thinking?! There is no way they can last. That’s what I thought before I payed them a visit.
It just so happens that a friend of mine is set to start working at this ambitious café bar. They only opening last Friday so we stopped by Saturday during the day for lunch. I was impressed. They’re on the first story about Burwood Road and literally right next door to Axil. They serve Genovese coffee which they roast on site and might I say, they do an excellent job of it.
The café is big, open, extremely minimalistic and has that nice wooden finish that is so very popular these days. The menu has a lot of white and is especially hard to read when the sun is out. I do recommend the scrambled eggs as I have been told that they are to die for. They also have a decent array of small snacks and nibbles to choose from. The savoury muffins are very nice.
Hawthorn Common is in for an exciting future.