Plus three more food spots to try in Melbourne’s heartland of “oat lattes and Bugaboos”.
It’s not that I don’t want to listen to you. It’s just that these spuds are crunching so loudly it’s hard to hear. Don’t you get distracted by potatoes, too? They’re so golden, deepening to brown at the edges, a rubbly treasure pile shown to gleaming advantage over a bright white swoosh of coconut yoghurt. Sorry. I’ll be back to you.
Meanwhile, look at those pomegranate arils, the way their ruby-red contrasts with the deeper hues of the sumac scattered here and there, and the silvery pale coconut shards showered on top. Oh, and that chimichurri, falling down potato cliffs like lazy waterfalls. Did you know this entire dish is vegan? Maybe you want to try some? But I’ll need some of your corn waffles in exchange.
We’re at bright and cheerful Arlo, where a smart brunch menu covers off the classics and fends off boredom with distractingly good dishes like those don’t-interrupt-me spuds.
Finally, I get a taste of the waffles you’re holding to ransom. Called the El-Mex Almuerzo, they’re a nod to the Mexican brunchy-lunch “almuerzo”, more substantial than the pastry and coffee that might be consumed first thing in the morning. The Arlo rendition is a painter’s palette of colour, backed up by bold flavours. Moist, springy corn and spinach waffles are layered over roasted and smashed pumpkin with shaved pumpkin chips around the perimeter. There’s guacamole, hidden under leaves, and a perfectly poached egg drizzled with balsamic glaze. It’s a bit Tex-Mex cornbread-n-fixings and very Melbourne mix-n-match. Most of all, it’s an extremely satisfying cafe meal.
Unless you purposely order something basic (no worries, your scrambled on multigrain with mushrooms is coming), you’ll find every dish has something a little extra. There’s the curry mayo and pickled fennel with a mile-high buttermilk-marinated fried chicken burger. The riotous brunch bowl has two textures of kale: some shredded, some chopped. Eggs benny with bacon doubles the cured pork content with a salami crumble; corn gazpacho with poached salmon leans a little Japanese with pickled ginger and nori.
It all happens in a long dining room, stretching past a garden atrium that floods the centre of the space with natural light on the way to a large open kitchen. If the distressed bricks, concrete floor and high-top tables near the drinks station feel a bit restaurant-y, that’s because this space was built as Dandelion, the still-lamented Geoff Lindsay-run Vietnamese destination which fed Elwood chilli crab and caramelised pork hock for a decade until 2021. It became Arlo in late 2023.
Owners Jack Franklyn, Bella Tzanidis and chef Mahesh Adhikari all schooled up at Only Hospitality, a one-time cafe group juggernaut (Elster in Elsternwick, Willim in McKinnon) but which now mostly owns pubs. The trio opened their first place, Leaps and Bounds, in 2022 in Albert Park, another village-like bayside suburb. But where Albert Park is more skinny flat-white and Land Rover, Elwood is oat latte and Bugaboo. There’s a liquor license here which means lunching ladies can spritz and rosé until mid-afternoon, and clocked-off tradies can grab a beer with their burger. The only drawback for a suburb where everyone has an oodle is that there are only a few pavement tables for leash-led outings.
Arlo is very good, but I’m not suggesting you cross town for it. It’s a local play, where customers know one another from Pilates, the dog park or Tuesday night pickleball, and staff are likely to know you by your coffee order – or actually, you’re chai with oat milk, am I right? If you do wander in from over yonder, be patient for a parking spot and get ready for conversation-stopping spuds.
Three more Elwood spots to try
Rosie’s Bar
The bar in the backyard of Johnny’s coffee stop and roastery is about as cruisy as Elwood gets. Put on a jumper, bring the dog, grab a tinnie, and enjoy the jazz. I’m still hoping they do food here one day (hint, hint) but in the meantime, it’s all tipples and good times.
157 Ormond Road, Elwood, instagram.com/_rosies_bar_
Repeat Offender
Coeliacs love this place because it’s completely free from gluten. Vegans are happy because it’s easy to avoid animal products. I’m more focused on mid-week two-for-one margaritas and Mexican-ish tiger prawn tostada with tarama and yellow capsicum.
201 Ormond Road, Elwood, repeatoffender.co
Elwood Bathers
Don’t forget about beachfront restaurants just because it’s winter. There’s little better than sitting snug while the weather rolls in, especially at easygoing Elwood Bathers, where you can come any day, anytime for wine, seafood, burgers and steak.
Elwood Foreshore Reserve, Elwood, elwoodbathers.com
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
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