1809, Glen Waverley by Bureaucrat

I was rather excited to find out that there was a Glen Waverley cafe to try that wasn't located in the congested and (sadly) over-rated dining precinct in the Glen Waverley station/Kingsway area.  1809 is a little gem, hidden in an unassuming strip of local shops near the Glendale primary school. It's the only cafe in that strip so it has nicely cornered the market in this part of the world.

More than ever, nowadays, I look kindly upon any restaurant that allows bookings - especially on the weekends. I've never paid much attention to family-friendly dining options until now.  May the restaurant gods bestow plentiful customers upon restaurants who allow bookings, have spacious seating, quick and friendly service and good sound-proofing. 1809 achieved all of that except it could do with dialing down the volume of its background music and it did take a wee bit long for all our drinks to come out.

Bubba Chuck ordered a chicken teriyaki poke bowl (I think there was a smoked salmon version available too).  This was a very fresh and substantial meal.  A bowl of brown rice that had a ring of delectable goodies around it.  Chicken tenderloin strips, sliced avo with sesame seeds, mixed green veg (I think it was baby kale and sprouts), pickled ginger, a poached egg and a soy-based dressed.  She quite enjoyed it.    

Most of us wanted to order the wagyu steak sandwich but we were all really disappointed when the waitress said it was no longer on the menu (which begged the question why they didn't just delete that item off it).  So instead, we all went for the next best thing - soft shell crab burger.  This was pretty tasty and decent in size.  The crab was nicely seasoned albeit a bit oily.  But it went really well with the crisp shredded salad and the brioche bun.

Mr P went for the big breakfast.  This also looked very fresh and he seemed to enjoy it too.

We also got some drinks and these were the hot chocolate and latte.  While the food came out all at once, the drinks took some time to come out.  It was also a bit staggered, as half of us got drinks first while the other had to wait for a while for theirs. 

Soy chai latte

Prana chai

Verdict

We loved it.

Mid value.

Overall

A really nice cafe and definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.  Apparently 1809 is also owned by the same people that own Trei (which is located in nearby Blackburn Road).  Having eaten at both, I'd say that 1809 is far superior in terms of the quality of the food.  I also love the white spacious interior.

I'm definitely going back there again!

We dined at 1809 using a dining offer from the 2017-18 Entertainment Book (which we're promoting to fundraise for SecondBite - buy your book here).

Find it at

1809
34 Willow Ave
Glen Waverley VIC 3150
Phone: (03) 9886 4217