Axil Coffee Roasters, Hawthorn by Bureaucrat

Sometimes it's not only the food at a cafe that makes a great impression, it's also the ancillary aspects to dining.  Case in point, was my lunch with Ms G at Axil Coffee Roasters one busy weekend ago. Expecting that I'd have to circle around the side streets for a decent parking spot, I drove up to Axil Coffee Roasters and, voila, there was a fortuitous spot that became available right outside the cafe.  Even better, it was free parking and I wouldn't have to move my car during our lunch.

Axil Coffee Roasters is one of those too-cool-for-school sort of cafes - the ones where you can't make a booking.  But luckily, we only had to wait 15 minutes for a table.  Inside, it's packed full of people and there's an electric buzz in the air filled with chatter and clink of cutlery.


I had a delicious char-grilled squid salad.  Tender pieces of squid, cooked to perfection (not over-cooked but not under-cooked either).  I loved the fresh, generous amounts of coriander, pea shoots, squishy roasted eggplant and the fresh sweet pops of cherry tomatoes.


Ms G was equally happy with her rather generous serve of Middle Eastern baked eggs, spicy peperonata, dukkah, Meredith feta, chorizo and toast.

Verdict

We really liked it.

Overall

Really nice food here, and a great buzzy atmosphere.  Service was alright - our particular waitress seemed a bit scatty (she'd asked one of us if we'd like to order a drink, but then ignored the other one of us).

Find it at

Axil Coffee Roasters
322 Burwood Rd
Hawthorn VIC 3122
Phone: (03) 9819 0091