Common Galaxia

Common Galaxia is located in Seddon, one of the hottest suburb in West right now and certainly one of the local favourite’s. Plenty of street parking space all around the café and reachable via train, 5 – 10 mins walking distances from Seddon Station. the coffee was decent and the place is warm

Coffee is pretty good. Yet they cant/​wont fry an egg instead of poaching it. Odd policy and would have gotten the extra stars if it wasn’t for something just comes down to bad customer service experience.

I’m a sucker for a well presented café. And if you use wooden features for the interior then I am there! *hipsters unite!*
Service here is great. You are always greeted with a smile and in all honesty, I’ve never waited very long to get a tip top table. My last outing to Common Galaxia was for a friend’s birthday breakfast where a large group of us arrived expecting to have to wait for some time for our food. We were delighted when coffees were on the table in 10 minutes and food wasn’t too far behind.
I ordered a variation of a ‘big breakfast’ since this was after a big night out and I need to refuel. Either way, I ordered the usual ‘poached eggs, tomato, spinach and mushrooms… oh, and just chuck on the bacon. May as well!’ dish. It all came out looking great however I had a bit of trouble actually eating the food.
A pet hate of mine is cafes that serve everything on crusty bread/​sourdough but don’t provide appropriate eating utensils to cut it all down. I know it sounds petty but nothing ruins your brekkie more than walking out with sore hands after an hour of cutting. After getting through 80% of the bread, I tried the mushrooms and they weren’t really my cup of tea. A bit too strong on the flavours for me so I put them aside for my friends to have a pick at.
The food overall was good, but when I go back, I might try something that isn’t on bread. The banana and coconut yoghurt looked unreal so I think I’ll be giving that a go.
The coffee — thumbs up, friends! I’m a one latte a day type of girl but I couldn’t resist round two… that’s how good it was!
Give Common Galaxia a go… it’s definitely worth it especially if you’d lucky enough to sit at that big wooden ‘communal’ table *insert love heart eyes here*

Came here to try the coffee that everyone raves about.
Was not disappointed.
Stayed for brunch and had the eggs benedict — it was a generous serve and full of flavour; we waited an unusually long time because of a mix up in the kitchen — however the waitress alerted us to the mix up, apologised profusely, and offered a free coffee (happily to accept as the beans here were indeed amazing).
It’s this type of service that leads customers to speak positively of a brand and organisation — what was potentially a bad experience turned into a promise to return and 5 star review.
Well done.

I came here with a slight hangover and dead excited to try out the Reuben sanga. Had the sads when I read the menu and that item was by available til 11:30 (we got there bout 10:50). But no matter I went for an eggs Benedict instead, and so did the other half. Heard good things about the coffee here. Unfortunately I am no longer an avid drinker of coffee (thanks juice cleanse) so I just went for an OJ. That was served freshly squeezed in a huge mason jar it was cute. My partner got the latte and from the smell of it it seemed top notch! Also he said it was pretty damn special — so take his word for it guys :)
So when hungover, time went by real slow for me. I was content sitting there spacing out and sipping on my OJ. Had I not been hungover though, I would have realized that 35 minutes went by and we didn’t have our food yet. During that 35 minutes my partners coffee was long gone and 2 times that a waitresses came over she never offered him another coffee.
One of the waitresses came over extremely apologetic and promised us it was 5 mins away and admittedly they forgot about our order. Dan was pretty dejected from this moment and wasn’t very impressed with the place!
They redeemed themselves though! Firstly they offered a second round of drinks on the house, and the food did come within 5 mins (notice that by the time we had our food we were now able to order the Reuben. Dag nammit!) but the food was deeeeeelicous. It was beautifully presented and eggs were poached to perfection! We left there happy customers!
So they had a rocky start, but we enjoyed the place and will come back (most likely after 1130 next time :))

Common Galaxia looks like an ordinary café in the suburbs from the outside. The black and white sign isn’t that impressive but the inside is another story.
The interior and furniture is very hip, modern and architecturally appealing. There’s a wooden theme, influenced by Japanese and Scandinavian architecture throughout the café from wooden stools, wooden tables to the wooden ceilings. Think Muji and Aesop combined. Quite a statement compared to other cafes in the West. But upon closer look, the little things look quite worn (not in a good rustic way) such as the table, salt and pepper and coffee cup.
I had the Oat porridge with strawberries, mixed seeds, blueberries, goji berries, coconut brown sugar and roasted almonds. This dish looked vibrant, healthy, colourful and pretty to look at. As per my photo of this dish, there were plenty of berries, seeds and goji berries. It was actually quite a filling and healthy dish. Perfect for a filling breakfast or post work out meal.
In addition, I had the Seven Seeds Ethiopia Shebel Fana filter coffee. It was an average filter, with too much acidity note to it. Though they serve seed seeds coffee, their brewing isn’t on par as Seven Seeds and Brother Buda Budan.
Common Galaxia appears to be a popular café be frequent by the young, hip, people who worked or lived close by. It seems obvious that there were repeat customers and a lot of one on one catch up time coffee sessions type of visits. It’s probably one of the most «hip» cafes in the West, but has a long way to compete with the big coffee brewing guns in Melbourne.
Their service is good, but slow in a very typical Suburban kind of way.
The ambience was quiet at the time I was there. I think it’s a great place to catch up with friends or work colleague (if you work near by) or suitable for kids.
Overall, an average café in Melbourne’s great coffee culture. Common Galaxia has a great foundation with potential to improve and become a more outstanding café. This is one of the «to go» to cafes in the West. Things to improve is their coffee brewing and maintenance/​display on little things to make this place a tad more appealing and fresh.
I would go back again if I happen to be in the area. But if that day does comes, I hope their coffee brewing/​making improves.

We came here for a bite Saturday morning. When we arrived at 11:30 the place was packed, but we had no trouble getting a seat. The waitstaff are friendly and attentive. The caramel slice was bomb and rest of the sweets looked equally tempting. I had the brekkie special of slow cooked, Moroccan spiced lamb over toast with two poached eggs. If this is an indication of what the chef can do with flavours then I can’t wait to try their other items. The lamb was braised to perfection and was an amazing compliment to the eggs. Solid brunch spot for West siders.

So I ventured over the bridge to the west side to meet my Geelong residing best friend for a birthday breakfast — and I have to say, I am so glad I did because, aside from her awesome company, this café was delicious!
We both had the slow mushrooms with avocado, hummus, almond dukkah, rocket, goats curd and poached eggs on toast — hello yum!
I had a tea, she had a flat white and loved it — the crema was super glossy & delish. We both then had a Mork hot chocolate each — so good, not too sickly sweet, with the slightly dark chocolate bitter flavour I love! It was like breakfast dessert. Best.
I also bought her a birthday brownie to take away, of which she sent me a picture of the empty bag once she demolished it. All good signs!
All in all a great little café in Seddon that I would be happy to call my local if I lived West. We’ll be back (once we check out some of the other local places)!!

In the world of fabulous Melbourne cafes, this one is hit-​or-​miss for me. It receives great reviews, but I’m not so sure.
I love the dining space. It’s earthy with clean lines and a modern attitude. The bar separates the room in half, whilst the kitchen hides behind the food pass. There’s wooden share tables and benches and a table that runs the length of the window with miniature bar stool seating.
I’ve tried a few different menu items and whilst everything on the menu reads incredibly well, they haven’t all delivered on presentation and flavour. Some meals look exceptional when they leave the kitchen and others not so. And whilst some options look great and colourful on the plate, they don’t taste as good as they look. A bit ho-​hum depending on what you order. However, the Seven Seeds coffee is delicious and they also sell bags of beans if you can’t get enough of the stuff.
It’s not the warmest inside. The air-​con is always cranked and as a past hospitality employee I understand the need for it, but as a customer it doesn’t make for a cosy atmosphere, especially in the cooler months. Also, service has been very uninspiring during my last three visits. Floor staff seem to be in panic mode often, even when it’s not busy and it’s taken a good 10 minutes before food and drink menus were brought out. Food wait can be long sometimes too.
Nonetheless, a good café to check out if you’re in the area.

I’ll admit, when I sat down and looked at the menu, I was a little put off. Most meals included something I thought I wouldn’t like, something that didn’t sound right, like grapefruit and radish in my avocado! But you know what, I tried it, and I loved it. And now I feel like I was missing out for all these years by just accepting lonely old avocado by itself. The menu definitely has some unusual combinations, but if the avocado meal is anything to go by, the chefs at Common Galaxia know what they’re doing! Trust them!!!
If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth stopping by for a delicious Mörk hot chocolate at the very least!

Some of the best coffee that I’ve had this side of the city.
Common Galaxia has been sitting on my to-​try list for probably half a year. Ever since I went to Dead Man Espresso, I’ve been itching to stroll over to the complete other side of the city and try the new one out. I tell you what, they’ve done themselves proud.
To me, the places are almost twins. They’ve got the same feel, same quality coffee and same delicious food. They’re not identical however as Galaxia has it’s own style to it. It really livens up an otherwise not-​too-​exciting Victoria Street.
Definitely get yourself something nice from the coffee menu. Go black, have a pour-​over. If it’s still there, go for the Columbia Las Delicias by Seven Seeds. It is a perfect, well-​rounded, smooth coffee that will liven up your day.

Whether or not you prefer the new iteration of Common Galaxia (which changed hands several months ago) or the erstwhile version hemmed by the Deadman espresso folk will depend on several things:
Do you prefer staff who are chatty and friendly or staff who greet you coldly and can’t be troubled to smile back at them when you give them your big toothy American grin? Well, than you’d be better off with the old Deadman Crew.
Do you prefer a hipster soundtrack of Rodriguez and Santogold or generic dance music?
Basically the place has lost it’s third wave hipsters pretentions and become another family friendly, rote by numbers Seddon café. I’m not saying bearded, tatted baristas and funky tunes and a menu featured around seasonal micro greens and cured salmon is better than a bacon and eggs/​loyalty card/​something for everyone joint. It’s not. But this isn’t Fitzroy and we need our one or two «cool» cafes where you can go and be surrounded by other youngish people without kids sometimes. At least I do. And I don’t think Common Galaxia is very cool anymore. Particularly uncool is the very cool (as in chilly) service.
HOWEVER, I’m giving it three stars, because even though I’ve stopped going there pretty much, they still sell seven seeds coffee beans to go. They have retained much of the menu of the previous establishment (and added more basics). They now have pay wave. And they have iced coffees. So it’s a decent place. It’s just no longer my beloved local.

What can I say went back there and what a surprise. This Place is a must they actual have a fantastic menu and are plenty of things that will make us come back for more.
Please, please try the Matt foster donut which is amazing and the milkshakes look amazing.

Our darling local Common Galaxia is under new management, but so far all seems much the same! They saved the day for me this morning after realising we were out of coffee at home. Mad dash down to the café and I had myself a bloody good caffeine fix.
For the most part I choose other places for brunch/​meals, but if it’s just a coffee I’ll always try to hit up CG. Friendly service, convenient location and my personal favourite, epic terrarium on the big share table. It’s just so cool! Has a little meerkat figurine in it at the moment. If that’s not attention to detail then I don’t know what is…
Anyway. I think the place still has a new feel to it, but I’m sensing it will get better with age, but it’s pretty damn good at the moment so I’m happy which that.
Best coffee in Seddon, hands down.

Well colour me impressed. The coffee was excellent, the food even more so.
The portions are ample, and more than enough for a good breakfast/​brunch.
Our party tried the baked eggs with sausage, the avocado on toast, and the eggs Benedict. I was a little miffed that the Hollandaise sauce on the Benedict was a tad cold, but my baked eggs were very very yummy. The potatoes made it way filling, and personally, I found the size of the potato chunks perfectly fine.
It’s a nice setting, with the interesting light fixtures, cutlery and menus already tucked away at each table, and the service was attentive.
Everything’s a wee bit on the pricey side, but generally I’d rate it as worth it.
I’d go back, no hesitation.

After returning from vacation my friends and I were looking to try a new brunch spot out as we were missing the «Melbourne brunch» scene. A friend found Common Galaxia on the internet and mentioned that it was related to the team at Deadman Espresso.
We made the journey across town to try this place out and I am happy to report that it was worth the journey. The coffee was really smooth and the food was delicious and extremely well presented. I had the baked eggs with the option of sausage. The only thing I found annoying was the size of the potato pieces in my meal but other than that everything was perfect and satisfied our craving for a «Melbourne brunch».

Common Galaxia looks like a cool café, but the lack of cool people in Seddon make the retro simulacrum interior kind of redundant. Nick wanted to go there because he is a coffee snob and granted the coffee is good. So are the retro looking bulbs with the orange wire that coils through on the inside. Someone has obviously paid particular attention to décor, but décor a hipster café alone does not make.
The service was erratic. The waiter took our empty coffee glasses without asking if we were ready to order food. When I got the waitresses attention and ordered my poached eggs with some relish on the side, she pointed out to me that the ‘special’ public holiday menu didn’t allow for any alterations to the meals. This included relish on the side. What about sauce? Aioli? Apparently they had no sauce, though she did kindly ask the chef if he could give me a side of aioli but he said no.
It seemed like the waitress was just as confused as I was, admitting that she was from New Zealand and she too liked to desecrate all her meals with the lycopene rich condiment. I told her that the lack of condiments was weird. When my poached eggs with avocado came they were well done like I asked. This food was edible but boring. The waitress was definitely overdoing it when I went to pay and we had a conversation about yoga during which she told me I looked great. However the fact that she knew how to deal with a difficult customer is the only thing that would draw me back to Common Galaxia.
Later when Luke Mutton of Common Galaxia read this review on another site he wrote some tweets about it. Then the dear gentrified denizens of Seddon came out in support of CG as well as the dynamism of the suburb in all it’s pram toting glory. While I’ll never agree with this point I should clarify that CG is a nice place to sit down and have a cup of coffee. Just avoid it on public holidays.

Much hype about Common Galaxia so as a long term Seddon local I thought I’d check out what the new neighbours are doing now they’ve had time to settle in a bit.
I admit Sunday breakfast is a hectic time to visit. I certainly acknowledge that, but the service from the delightful staff was slow, my tepid coffee arrived with half of it in the saucer with no comment or apology and I had to call a staff member over twice to order. Not a very good start.
Sourdough Kitchen bread is wonderful but was toasted to «brittle» on the richter scale. The perfectly poached egg was doing its best to soften the toast but only succeeded in part. The roof of my mouth was torn to pieces on the toast. Bacon was flavoursome but very leathery. Benefit was that between the toast and the bacon I took my time over breakfast chewing, chewing, chewing.
Known for its coffee, I found the coffee very average. Very weak and milky. One thing in favour was the perfectly poached egg. Perhaps to many this is a small thing, but being the queen of poached eggs I know all too well how disappointingly tricky this can be. So congratulations to CG for the perfectly poached egg. The other upside were the flavours. Great flavours, shame about the texture. As for pricing, it’s very exxy, especially for what you get.
Despite a few good aspects, all in all, the trendoids from the other side of town have lowered the local standard.

In desperate need of caffeine whilst helping friends move house, I stopped into Common Galaxia using it as the perfect opportunity to road-​test their coffee.
Staff are very friendly and the décor comfortable and of high ‘effortless’ standard.
The coffee was good but I nearly fell over at paying almost $ 15 for three take-​aways.
A gentle reminder to the lovely folk of CG. The western suburbs are still a far cry from the deeper, more unassuming pockets that Deadman Espresso attracts.
The competition along that strip is stiff and of much better value.
For that reason alone I had to give it three stars.

When the team at Deadman Espresso announced that café #2 was on the way, the hype and build up was inevitable. Instantly popular on a reputation well deserved.
The danger of course, is going in expecting Deadman mark II. The coffee and food is definitely the same calibre, but the aesthetic and atmosphere completely different. The warmth and welcoming cosiness of Deadman is missing, but maybe it just needs time to settle into itself.
If you’re in the area or looking for something a bit different, I would absolute recommend Common Galaxia.