Dumbo is presumably named after the funky area in Brooklyn (short for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) rather than the big-eared elephant, and as such it’s the perfect name for a cafe that is part of the rapid gentrification in West Footscray.

The on-trend cafe transforms a building that is notorious for previously housing a clothing sweatshop. It’s in a prime position next to Footscray West Primary School so I guess it is just a matter of time before the outworkers are moved on and the coffee machine is brought in.

I try the avocado smash piled high with with heirloom tomatoes, goats cheese, red onion, watermelon radish and almond dukkah. It’s fresh, light and satisfying in its proportions. You generally can’t go wrong with a dish like that if you stick to simple and good quality ingredients.

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Doughnuts for breakfast are completely ok for breakfast if they come with fruit, right? These fried balls of ricotta dough are crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and dusted with cinnamon and sugar. There’s cocoa custard, caramelised banana, poach rhubarb, berries and ‘vanilla soil’ as frills. Completely instagrammable!

The kids menu is simple and reasonably priced between $8-12 for eggs, avo on toast or waffles. 

For parents the main drawcard of Dumbo is probably the coffee window. When full the cafe is really too small to fit a pram inside. If you’re happy to park your pram outside inside you will find high chairs, disabled toilets with a change table plus pencils and colouring-in sheets.

On my visit early in their opening week they are still working through issues with service and availability of menu items. Hopefully all those kinks have been ironed out now as my food is great and it’s worth returning for. 

HOT Tips:

• High chairs;
• Children’s menu;
• Standard menu suitable for kids;
• Disabled toilet with change table;
• Colouring-in;
• Next to West Footscray Primary School and close to playgrounds at Shorten Reserve and Johnston Reserve; and
• Free street parking.

Dumbo, 11 Argyle Street, West Footscray (03) 9078 2645

Monday – Friday 7:00am – 3pm

Saturday – Sunday 8am – 3pm