Red Bird Cafe, Abbotsford

The Red Bird Cafe, now under new ownership, offers delicious food and excellent coffee made by the chef on site. Hayden, the new owner, is outstanding with a great personality. The cafe boasts funky, colorful decor and a cozy atmosphere. I enjoy visiting the Red Bird as Hayden, in just 6 weeks of ownership, has done a fantastic job and introduced new treats weekly. I especially love the freshly-made sausage rolls.

I don't usually visit this area often, especially during the week. As I was driving along Gipps Street, I spotted a charming café called Red Bird. The atmosphere was trendy, the decor was lovely, and they served lunch, breakfast, and plenty of takeout options. The coffee was excellently prepared and served piping hot. The Toasted Ham, Cheese, and Tomato sandwich was delicious, with perfectly melted cheese and a variety of ingredients. The staff was friendly and attentive. I plan on returning, hopefully soon to try their breakfast options.

This café, located near Collingwood Station and Hoddle Street, opened at the end of 2013. The interior features a cozy home decor with brown wood cladding, banquet seating, pillows, an inner room, and red ceramic birds, all handpicked by a family who runs the place - a couple and their son. Known for their delicious offerings from the kitchen, Red Bird was recommended to me by a friend for meetings. Despite their weekday closing time of 3.30 a.m., the owners graciously accommodated us when we arrived near closing. We enjoyed coffee (unusual blend), a slice of molasses fruit bread, and a serving of 'Persian pavlova' topped with yogurt seasoned with cumin. While I expected the pavlova to be light, it surprised me with its dense texture, which I actually liked and found to be a great value at $4. The staff mentioned that their most popular items were the daily soups and baguettes with fillings such as salmon and beef with caramelized onion, all of which offer great value. They also offer a variety of teas from Tea Tonic.

This neighbourhood cafe near Collingwood railway station and Hoddle Street opened in late 2013. It has a homely décor (brown wood panelling, banquettes, cushions, an inner room, and red ceramic birds) and it's run by a hands-on family, a couple and their son, with much of the cookery done on the premises. I was introduced to Red Bird by a friend who has found it a handy place for meet-ups. Closing time is 3.30pm on weekdays but the owners kindly stayed open for us as we had come in close to closing time. We had coffees (unexceptional), a slice of molasses fruit bread, and a piece of 'Persian pavlova' served with yoghurt spiced with cumin. I expected the 'pavlova' to be light but found it had a dense texture. I liked it a lot and thought it was good value for $4. We were told the best sellers are the daily soups and the baguettes with various fillings (e.g. salmon; beef with caramelised onion); each is well priced. The range of teas comes from Tea Tonic.