Red Door Corner Store

Red Door Corner Store: Culinary Ambiguity with a Bitter Sip – A 2-Star Experience.

The menu at Red Door Corner Store embarks on a somewhat pretentious "culinary" journey, unfortunately falling short of delivering consistent excellence. The food experience proves to be a hit-and-miss affair, leaving customers contemplating the worthiness of a return visit. Perhaps it was just an off day in the kitchen.

Adding to the culinary confusion, the coffee fails to meet Melbourne's high standards; small cups and never consistently on point. There have been moments of delight when a knowledgeable barista graced the machine, but today's long macchiato was a regrettable disappointment, resembling more of a watery soup than a coffee with substance or body. It's worth noting that a long macchiato traditionally comprises two shots of espresso, not one with extra water.

Equally disheartening is the service, marked by a cold demeanor from the waitress upon arrival – a noticeable absence of a warm greeting or smile. While it's plausible that it might have been an off day or night for the staff, the overall impression lingered. Notably, the waitress extended a considerate offer to redo the coffee, showcasing a commendable commitment to customer satisfaction. However, I opted to decline, as the disappointment from the initial brew persisted.

Beyond the waitress's efforts to make amends, the pervasive back chatting from both wait staff and the barista as I departed underscored the frequently criticised customer service at Red Door Corner Store. Perhaps it's a generational preference, but the atmosphere left something to be desired. Gen Zs do not like to be offended.

In conclusion, my recurrent experiences at Red Door Corner Store are too often marred by subpar coffees and culinary aspirations that miss the mark. When seasoned with a touch of indifferent customer service, the choice for discerning patrons becomes evident.

I’ve been gym and pooling here for a year. Great venue. Can get busy after school as a lot of the high schoolers use the venue. Plenty of classes which have a great online booking system.
Prices are very reasonable and a lot of membership options available for both short and long-term users.

The best go to!
Fantastic staff that help make great recommendations with such a difficult menu; because there is nothing you want to skip trying! -they've got everything you would want a menu to include and more!
Great options for seating both inside and out (with heaters)
The best long black coffee I've ever had
Shakshuka and Baked Semolina was also the best I've ever had!
The bar is set high!
Hope to come back and enjoy the space, food and drinks on offer here!

Bustling suburban cafe, I’m lucky enough to be a local here.
The food is great and the sweet treat cabinet is always tempting!

Nice atmosphere, nice service.
$22 egg and bacon roll, with 3x5cm strip of bacon.not so impressed. (chips included on the side, would have made it a bit more worth the price)
Partners toasted sandwich was more substantial.

We've visited this delightful place multiple times, and it has consistently exceeded our expectations. The chicken and egg toast was a delightful treat for our taste buds, and we savored every bite of the decadent and freshly baked citrus Swiss roll. Its heavenly taste and aroma made it feel like it had just come out of the oven. The coffee is also quite good. Highly recommended!

Top notch food and great coffee and pastries. All menu options are great but the fritters and dukka eggs (pictured) are particular favourites.

The place is gorgeous and food is yummy but HOLY HELL THE PRICES ARE WILD!
it's early 2023 and I just wasn't prepared for the prices to be around the $28-$30 mark for brunch items. Crazy town.

Don't get me wrong, the quality is up there and coffee very tasty but I just feel that the value wasn't there like other places nearby.

I'm still coming to terms with smashed avo breaking the $20 mark in other cafes. Let alone by another 8 bucks!

Coffee here is really good. I spilt mine once and almost cried. Would be 5 stars but their automatic swinging door is quite scary and has almost taken me out on several occasions. They get super busy on the weekend so I recommend booking ahead, even for outdoor tables.

I paid $25 for a slice of bread and a side of avocado, which I ordered for my baby. Upon questioning why this part or the bill was so expensive, I was told it was because I ordered gluten-free bread. I spent some time going back and forth with the staff before walking out. I have eaten at thousands of cafes in my lifetime and this was unheard of.

Review I
My friend of 50+/- years L Fred and I have decided, after x years, that Red Door is our lunch joint of choice. It has quiet outside tables for discussing the events of the last three weeks. It has Covid-free eating, an interesting menu, extra-pleasant wait staff and great coffee.
L Fred has grilled salmon if it’s not Friday, I have the brilliant shakshuka (but without chorizo because my Israeli-cook mate says chorizo is not authentic) or we both have corn fritters (served with a poached egg) just to break with tradition.
If it’s quiet we might have the chance to explore the Masters thesis of the wait-person.
First class!

review II
Red Door owners and staff have worked intelligently and spectacularly hard during the last 2.5 years: they have survived.
The menu: reliable and suits the range of customers – older people to young parents with a toddler or a dog. The coffee: never had a bung one. The range of teas: great. Sweet stuff: house-made carbohydrates I’d be proud to have made.
But the critical factor: staff selection.
Lunch for me at Red Door is a social event and the wait-staff are a critical reason why I keep coming back. Are they pleasant? Are they efficient? Do they know their menu? Do they know what’s going on at the tables? Do they have a sense of humour? Can they serve a dish (out), collect empties (in) and engage with a customer in one easy foray into the eating area?
Yes: many of them are undergrads doing interesting stuff.
In short, it’s really tough in this industry. So it seems staff are well-selected and well looked after. Red Door owners know what they are doing.

A great cozy cafe with indoor and covered heated outdoor seating at the front and back. Plenty of parking around as it’s a 5 minute walk from the busier High street. Good food and coffee, plus some yummy looking sweets. The grilled semolina was unique and extremely tasty. The staff were lovely, the place had such a chilled vibe that we ended up staying till closing time!

Food was ok but expensive for what you got. Similar quality food at neighbouring cafes at a more reasonable price. Was charged $3.50 for some butter to put on my toast despite there being enough butter on the toast (and therefore not touched). Poached eggs were $16.50 and sadly over cooked.

Great food and really friendly service. Lots of dogs around and is a good local vibe. It does get very busy but the wait is worth it. Coffee is top notch and the fritters are bangers.

Excellent food!
Quiet small Cafe.

Cold coffee wasn't great.
Short staffed, not all table open to service.

Improvements would be in terms of service.

Pretty cute. I kinda like it. The staff is really nice and the prices are pretty affordable. It’s also got plenty of parking nearby.

Lovely cafe. Delicious food and great service. I had the crumpets, they were amazing! Would definitely order them again.

Thank you to my friend who said meet me at Red Door, from the moment I arrived I loved this place. Delicious food, best chai and coffee yum plus sat in the food garden. Great time had

Excellent, smooth coffee and the Reuben Sandwich was great (I'm not a Reuben expert, but I really liked it!) Service was fast and friendly.

Nice coffee and delish food!
The cozy vibe of a suburban Cafe that you need to check.
The food looks beautiful, and after the first bite, you’re know that it’s not just about how it looks, but the deliciousness too.
Good coffee and friendly staff.
Love that place?