Morris Jones

Absolute ridiculous, overpriced and rude place!
Came for a friend’s birthday drinks at Happy Hour (6−8pm) and stood for 10 minutes at the bar before getting served (8.01pm). Told us that Happy Hour was over and that Espresso Martinis were now $ 20 a pop. Accepted the ‘poor timing’ and ordered two drinks after getting absolutely patronised by the ‘oh so cool’ bar keeper. When we were about to pay, another bar keeper handed over another order to two ladies next to us and spilled a whole drink on me and in my bag (great…). He didn’t seem to give a damn, slowly made his way around to grab me some old wash cloth to tap myself and my entire bag dry. No apology no nothing and only after the two ladies and my friend stepped in and demanded some kind of apology, he gave us two free drinks.
Not only is the staff incredibly rude and arrogant, the cocktails were also very average to what the price is. Not worth going here.

Moris Jones is not my favorite place. It has lovely and attentive wait staff and its design, interior and exterior spaces are comfortable and well spaced. But the crowd that comes there is not the best of what chapel st has to offer. Lots of yuppies who are rude, inconsiderate and pushy. I will have to go back at a different time and hopefully there will be a different crowd!

Morris Jones features a striking black and white décor style and paintings by Melbourne artist David Bromley. It looks swish, but still feels very comfortable and approachable, and it’s been on my ‘Try’ list for some time. The menu features very artistic dishes, and they strongly promote a tasting menu to sample a variety of dishes. We didn’t take that path, however, but ordered a la carte.
For starters, zucchini flowers (if I see these on the menu anywhere I AM going to order them) and chestnut gnocchi with ‘3 textures of parmesan’. That’s the kind of description that honestly makes me roll my eyes a little, but I do love cheese, and I do love pan fried gnocchi. I also loved the parmesan crisps. Unfortunately, there was something in the pumpkin purée (which was also on the zucchini flowers) that I really didn’t like. The roast pumpkin was delicious, but the purée tasted incredibly fishy. And it was hard to find any bits of gnocchi that hadn’t come into contact with it, due to the ‘artistic’ distribution of the pieces of food across the plate.
For mains, my friend had the pork belly with cloudy bay clams while I opted for the Robbins Island Wagyu. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the steak as it was a little too cooked for my taste, with no options to try it at a different rarity, and the flavour did not really live up to the potential of a Wagyu. However, the sauce and potatoes were nice. Throughout the meal the waiters described the dishes to the Nth degree, embellishing every component so that each one sounded like some kind of epic ordeal to put together, which was in some ways interesting and in some ways tedious. We were suggested that the broccoli side dish would be the best broccoli we had ever tried, so we gave it a go, but unfortunately a description like that does somewhat raise your hopes and honestly? It was just broccoli, with some slivered almonds on the top. It was also an enormous serve and two of us didn’t even eat half of it.
The star of the show was by far, the dessert of nitro violet crumble. It doesn’t matter how old you are, there’s something about your food sizzling, smoking or crackling that brings out the excitement in your inner child. Featuring violet ice cream, chocolate ganache, and fresh honeycomb set and shattered in dry ice, this was a beautiful and dramatic dish, and delicious. Very sweet, but not so much so that it made you feel ill. It was probably the best honeycomb I’ve had, shattering when you bit into it without then melting and sticking to your teeth as it sometimes can, probably due to the dry ice process. Definitely worth a try.

Morris Jones decided to partnered up with Moet Chandon to create to ultimate champagne lunch with an options of ²⁄₃ courses with a glass of wine for $ 35/​$ 45 available Friday-​Sunday. I do think it’s a very reasonable prices and perfect for a girls luncheon, elegant bridal shower, business meetings or even to celebrate mother’s day.

Morris Jones is our local go to spot. The food is always exceptional and the staff is friendly and reliable. The creativity that goes into each dish is phenomenal. It feels like your in the kitchen of a mad scientist who is always popping out amazing treats.
The menu is seasonal so there is alway a new favourite to be had. My current favourites are the tuna tartar entrée and the Wagyu main, but there have been many others along the way. I definitely recommend asking your server for their list of their favourites or if your lucky the manger, David will come around to give you some suggestions.
They have happy hour until 8 Whitt great pricing on wine, cocktails, and and array of cheeses. I defiantly recommend making reservations but if your in the area just pop in and see what they can do. Morris Jones is a definite need to go spot!

If you find yourself at Morris jones please do yourself a favor and have a few passionfruit white chocolate martinis! By far THE BEST MARTINI I have ever had! And if you know me you know I love passionfruit and not the artificial flavoring the fresh passionfruit which is what they use. It’s pretty pricey but my gosh it’s so worth it!

Great venue for your intimate party needs. There are two areas upstairs to choose from. With your own personal service you never have to leave and battle the bar for a drink. The selection of finger food keeps you going as well.
Just watch out if you are tall, the roof can hurt in the corner! :)

Its hard to visit Morris Jones and not be impressed. Head Chef Matthew Butcher’s style of food is original, quirky, fun contemporary Australian cuisine
Firstly — the service is impeccable. The staff are attentive without being overbearing & always friendly. I love the staff at Morris Jones.
The food was mind blowing. Honestly, both of my experiences at Morris Jones have been stand outs for me. Probably some of the best meals I have ever eaten!
On our last visit I was luck enough to start with a Lobster Taco then try the 12 hour Braised Lamb Shoulder with Apple Cider Glaze, Cauliflower 3 ways & a Lamb & Apple Crumble. It was absolutely brilliant. I can not say a bad word about these dishes. To accompany our mains we ordered the Truffled Mac & Cheese. This Mac & Cheese is a winner. Seriously do yourself a favour and get the Mac’n’Cheese.
Morris Jones is the perfect night out. Especially if you want amazing food and brilliant service. I love Morris Jones

Isn’t it just the best when you are surprised by a dinner that actually gives you a bit of a ‘wow’?
Well that is what we got from our amazing dinner at Morris Jones.
We chose to be seated in the front area of the restaurant so we could do a bit of people watching. The seating is comfortable, table set perfect and had great pieces of retro art to look at on the walls around us, although in my opinion didn’t suit the level of sophistication we experienced in the menu.
Our waiter, was very professional, throughly explained every dish on the menu and speaking of menus, its set out like a mind map. For instance I chose the New Zealand Salmon — lets call this the ‘frontal cortex’, this was with Beetroot Miso — lets call this the ‘emotion’, then Corn puffs — another ‘emotion’ & Celeriac — the last ‘emotion’.
My Partner had the Ottway Crispy Pork — ‘frontal cortex’ with Black Sausage, French Onion Consumme & Compressed Apple as the ‘emotions.
Then came the showstopper side of Truffle Mac & Cheese! Unbelievable to put it simply. I want it, I want it every day of my life!
We then chose to share our desert ‘My Strawberries & Cream’ — Musk, Cream Catalana Meringue. This was an experience. Every part of the desert mouthful was a surprise. You could even say it was molecular gastronomy. Micro mint, Popping Candy, Strawberry Toffee and fresh strawberries.
The food was absolutely the best I have experienced this year — all 4 days of it thus far…
I highly recommend that you experience the food created by Matthew Butcher here at Morris Jones. No really, you should.

We were told that there was table service, however after a 20 minute wait we still had not received water nor a menu despite it. It being busy at all! We then went to the bar and asked for service and only got an ‘oh shit’ before the guy walked away from us never to be seen again. When we finally did get attended to and ordered coffee and meals (being able to see the ticket we were fourth in line) we proceeded to wait another 40 minutes before we got our food.
While I will acknowledge the food was healthy and tasted good, the service received was not worth the effort.
Go to the super and make your own fish, cheaper faster and friendlier service.

The last few visits to Morris Jones for dinner have impressed me so much that I felt compelled to give them some Unilocal love!
Firstly — the service is impeccable. Whether in a large or small group, the staff are attentive without being overbearing & always friendly.
The food was amazing. Honestly, I think last nights dinner was one of the best meals I have ever eaten! Three of us (girls) shared a couple of entrees (scallops & zucchini flowers), then a rump steak (perfectly cooked) with all of the condiments you could possibly want on the side. We ordered a few additional sides, including a cauliflower/​macaroni dish (which was so full of flavour my description does not do it justice) & some green vegetables.
For dessert, I had the New York cheese cake & words cannot describe how happy that thing made me :) it was a flavour party in my mouth & all of the awesome was invited!
I can’t recommend this restaurant highly enough — can’t wait for my next visit.

Good coffee and cake. Try the pistachio one! I’ll go back to try the food as it looks like a good range.

Cool, older crowd. A touch of class.

Just like the other reviewers on here i was a little skeptical about this place. I mean can you really have a bar, a café and a restaurant all in the same venue?
Having been there now, i have to say that this place works well. While i do feel that service at the bar was at times very slow and you have to fight your way into a spot at the bar, the clientele was very easy on the eye.
I really enjoyed this place and will return there again. Perhaps this time to try out the food, perhaps even breakfast!

Great service here, fabulous cocktails and a great ambience.

On the way back from a day in the countryside, we were all hyped for our dinner at James Morris on Chapel Street. Thankfully, we stopped at home for a quick shower and change because when we arrived, we realised just how dressy everyone else was (fascinators included). And then it clicked, it was race weekend so everyone was decked out (and very tipsy).
Instead of the usual three courses, we all opted just to have mains this time and I have to say, with all the hype surrounding James Morris, I was a little disappointed.
Yes, it has a lovely interior, with a glammed up, restored warehouse feel. Yes the gingham booth seats that surround the perimeter of the dining hall are extremely comfy and the décor is smart, elegant and not over the top. But the food was just average.
My partner had the scotch fillet ($ 32) which was cooked well but wasn’t anything to scream about. I had the lamb which was very tender and cooked well but lacked flavour. Our other friends didn’t think much about their meals either and the general consensus was it was a lovely place but the food paled in comparison to some other places along Chapel Street. It was also a little pretentious for my liking.

I was so ready to hate this place. To me, it betrayed the calling card of the Melbourne café. Firstly, it tried to be everything — a café, a restaurant, a bar, a lounge — I’m a fan of specialization. Secondly, instead of creeping into ever-​smaller spaces like most new cafes, this place is absolutely enormous and it’s hard to feel the warmth and homeliness most customers look for in a café space.
And whilst the above does hinder it somewhat, particularly because it looks empty most of the time, I really enjoyed my visit here. When I first arrived I decided to take a little tour of the place. Your first port of call is the bar, centered in the middle of the restaurant, which serves to divide the space between bar, lounge and dining. The dining area is effortlessly casual, and there’s an undeniable air of a rich resort getaway. Then there’s the courtyard, framed by an enormous rusted iron gate that moves across the rustic exposed brick.
We decided to reject these options and opted for the alcove out of the front, designed for smokers. I ordered the poached eggs, which arrived perfectly cooked. They were exquisitely velvety. The coffee was also really good, it went down a smooth, rich treat.
All in all I was very satisfied with my experience and I would recommend this place to anyone. I haven’t been for dinner, but I can only expect the food to be just as good.