The Merchants Guild

Not quite sure how this cafe has good reviews. Maybe we just got a bad day. Hubby and I got a coffee and juice then waited nearly 40 mins for simple eggs. No one bothered to take away my empty glass and I had to ask why the delay? She advised they are busy. Didn’t look overly busy but anyway. Then my husband wanted to finish up with a coffee. We waited 15 mins for a staff member to come our way and firstly take all the plates away then to ask if we need anything else! But no one did. So we got up to pay and went and had a coffee elsewhere. Definitely not going back there again!

Staff were friendly and coffee was decent.
Breakfast menu is seriously lacking.
Went there hungry for food but just ended up with a coffee.

Food was too expensive for the amount you are given. $38 for eggs on toast with bacon chorizo and a side of sauce

Merchant's Guild has a nice menu with several options for vegetarians like me. Usually I order avocado smash at Cafes but at $25 I couldn't bring myself to order it so had vegetarian toasted sandwich instead (pumpkin, pesto) while husband had their middle eastern breakfast (poached eggs, flatbread, kale) and he loved it! We also had coffees (flat white and soy latte). The decor at this place is impressive and there is lots of seating inside and out, however it is just that bit dearer than other Cafes.

Took my client here for a coffee which was great, I had a smoothie which was amazing. When I saw the food come out my eyes lit up and my taste buds were dancing with joy with the right balance of ingredients, I highly recommend having anything to drink hot or cold and definitely try the menu.

Food is good but the place is overpriced in my opinion. Paid $16.50 for an arguably small wrap and a can of coke. I think this is very overpriced considering how small the wrap was.

Below average taste, above average price. Decoration is better than the taste. More than half the menu is vegetarian and price is on the high side. We ordered corn fritter and prawn taco and both were off, too wet, weird sauce, just not our taste.

Food presented well and looks promising, but too many items on the plate lead to very confusing flavours. Overall not very tasty food.

Side note, an awful smell of cleaning chemical and a toilet like smell permeated the area we were sitting. Came and went often. We were no where near their toilet hmm….

Great food, pleasing presentation and great customer service. The place was super busy like a weekend but the service did not disappoint us.

Food was amazing. Had saffron hotcakes - trying it for the first time and it was amazing. Ordered few other dishes lamb bunny.prawn tacos and crab omelette.all tasted really good. Staff was friendly. Coffee was good too. Would definitely come again.

Perhaps got them on a bad day, but service was terrible, our orders were botched, 45 minutes waiting for food, and nothing offered by the staff to rectify the obviously terrible experience.

Chili Crab Scramble
Middle Eastern Brekkie
Prawn Tacos
Safron Rose Hot Cakes

The food was perfect.

Always emitting good vibes, say "malloc" and enter traveller, leave your troubles, worries behind, enjoy nose-tingling, throat-smoothing prana chai or heavenly coffee to jolt you up, both guaranteed to bring a big smile on your lovely face?
Food amazingly delicious as always prepared with love by chef artists, no spoilers here, please indulge and discover yourself, it is worth it.
Superb atmosphere as mentioned, just stay still for a minute when inside.
Never faltered, always kept a steady course even during hard waves (Covid), for 5 years to my knowledge and counting. Going Merry.

Crab chilli scramble out of the world! With crab chunks. Everything else we tried were so good too. Prawn tacos, saffron hot cakes and lamb Benny. I got hot choc which didn’t meet my expectations. But otherwise good customer service even with Christmas/summer short staffing. Kudos!

The food tasted great but four prawns on two small tacos for over $20 is very much a scam. My colleagues meals also looked quite skimpy for the prices.
Great taste but overpriced small portions.

Very lovely cafe with great service, friendly staff, amazing coffee and great selections of delicious breakfast and lunch menu! What a local gem!

Lovely staff, but the food well below standard. Zucchini fritters missing major ingredient Zucchini so hard inedible. Lamb salad was just mushed lamb like it had been through a blender. Over priced for the small serves. Even coffee not hot at all even after asking it to be hot. Bonus…. The water was cold as requested. Hopefully they will improve!

Finally got to visit this buzzing cafe in Bentleigh. Their safron rose hotcake is absolutely my fave and the salmon soba salad is another highlight. They also do amazing coffee and chai latte. If you are after a solid brunch spot, this is perfect for you

Great coffee, great service. Value for your money unlike some ripoffs in the locality.

My second review. As usual great coffee with just one little gripe. Normally the girls call out names for take away. Some of the new ones are a bit ignorant. Especially when so many are waiting for a coffee, you don’t go by description. Why is it so hard to call my name?

Excellent and visually pleasing food. Loads of vegetarian options which I liked the best. Order Merchant Avocado from the menu and trust me you won't be disappointed ️
Can be super busy on weekends. Kids friendly too. Our little kids were given drawing sheets and colours to keep them occupied. Small gesture but goes a long way in making parents at ease