Tucked away in the middle of a housing development, is the
Stadium Cafe Bar & Lounge. The cafe backs onto the Waverley Park Football Stadium, which boasts the Hawthorn Football Club training grounds. At various times, diners can eat a delicious meal, while watching the footy club train on the grounds or in the gym next door. There are both formal and casual dining areas, as well as a mezzanine area for corporate or social functions.
Photo courtesy of Stadium Cafe Bar & Restaurant
The
menu itself is quite varied and extensive, boasting a delicious breakfast menu. For those of you wanting to come for lunch, I particularly recommend the Bruschetta and the Salt and Pepper Squid. The prices themselves reflect the quality of the food, and although they are, in some cases, quite high. The food itself is worth the price. Alternatively, diners have the cheaper option of ordering a few dishes from the Grazing Menu, and sharing them.
The cafe also offers deals on various nights of the week, currently on
Monday and
Tuesday nights. These are, of course, subject to change as new specials are created.
The cafe operates 7 days a week - Monday to Friday (7am till late), and Saturdays and Sundays (8:30am till late). On weekends, they offer breakfast till 3pm.
If you're interested in a hosting a
function, the cafe boasts an exceptional service. I held a 21st birthday dinner for approximately 25 people there and the service and quality was outstanding, despite all the difficulties that some of the guests created.
The problems with the cafe are very minor - often the service is rather slow when the cafe is packed (as it usually is on most days). Furthermore, the online booking method doesn't translate to the cafe's computers or booking record, so it's treated as no booking was created. Finally, the cafe itself can get quite loud, due to the number of people, which makes it difficult to hear a conversation.
All in all, Stadium Cafe Bar & Restaurant is a good choice, whether it be for that organized catch up with friends, a casual dinner out with the family, hosting a function, or even just a lazy coffee after exercising at the gym.
