Cortille Café is a popular Bendigo CBD cafe – just look out for the queues in front of the colourful restored caravan jammed inside to become a coffee cart.
The cafe is split into several areas. The main dining room is bright and light and overlooked by a giant trumpet-toting monkey mural. The space with the retro caravan is strictly for takeaway, as it’s narrow and small.
There’s a tiny reading nook under the stairs, a large upstairs area mostly for functions and finally, a funky courtyard timber panelled courtyard which gives the cafe its (Spanish) name.
The all day breakfast and lunch menu veers from super-healthy scrambled tofu with braised kale ($18.50) to I-Don’t-Quit-Sugar ricotta hotcakes with berries and mascarpone ($19).
Although I normally have a sweet tooth of these two dishes I actually prefered the tofu as I liked the umami flavours of soy used to stir fry the mushrooms, tofu and kale. The nine-grain gluten-free toast was unexpectedly good too given I’m not normally much of a fan of gluten-free bread.
The kids menu has simple items from fruit and yoghurt ($6.50) to jaffles ($7) though we mostly let them attack the decadent Canadian waffles ($17.50).
In fact, the menu has a special section devoted to waffles with the cheeky ‘we dare you’! Well, these waffles are worth taking up the dare – American style crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and heaped with all sort of indulgent toppings. In our case, maple, thick shortcut bacon, caramel ice cream, banana, caramel popcorn.
The coffee is the best we’ve had in Bendigo (so far) thanks to the beans from Melbourne’s Axil Coffee. However, I thought my Bondi Chai was too sweet and not spicy enough.
Make Cortille Café a must-do on your next visit to Bendigo. It can get busy during peak times so it’s worth noting that they take reservations. Also there’s only one waffle machine so if you order at a busy time you could be waiting a while for your waffle.
Click here for more place to go with kids in Bendigo.
HOT Tips:
- Pram access;
- high chairs;
- kids menu;
- standard menu suitable for kids
- a few books and toys;
- free limited on-street parking;
- walking distance to Discovery Science Centre and Sun Loong playground at Hargreaves Mall.
Cortille Café, 322 Lyttleton Terrace 03 5444 3082
Mon-Fri 7am-4pm
Sat-Sun 8am-3pm
