SteveR

Visited twice over three days and coffees were consistent. Here a magic is called a Slip but the result was the same. Great taste, good temp and nice drinking. Food options are good too and very tasty.

Possibly new owners and/or barista since last review as the coffees prepared for my family and I were all nicely prepared and tasted great. Coming off a week of northern Tasmanian coffee I even thanked the barista for preparing excellent coffees. To top it off my breakfast of ricotta pancakes with fruit, lemon curd and double cream was delicious.

First visit in a while and just before closing so atmosphere was quiet. No doubt much better earlier in the day. We ordered piccolos and they were the best coffees we have had in Melbourne and surrounds over the last two weeks. Presentation, preparation, temperature and taste were all spot on.

Have visited a few times over the last two weeks and coffee is great every time. They make the best magics we have had in Melbourne and their food is delicious - I loved the three cheese and ham toastie for lunch,

From the location and the fact that they are roasting Gioconda coffee it would appear that they have rebranded themselves as the Verona Restaurant. We had coffee there twice, with the first being excellent and the second mediocre. We asked for double shot 3/4 full lattes in a regular glass. Their regular glasses were large and this meant even more milk than we sought even with 3/4 full glasses. Service was abysmal with staff taking ages to take orders and baristas standing around chatting before filling orders. Taking 30 minutes to receive coffees in a half full restaurant was very ordinary!

Coffee was excellent but we needn’t have ordered double shot 3/4 full lattes as a single shot would have been strong enough. Coffee was very strong but the texture and temperature were spot on. Nice modern espresso bar with lots of seating to drink in. Staff were very friendly and service quick.

We came for coffee and breakfast after disembarking from the Spirit of Tasmania. Great to find a specialty cafe open at 6:30am. Both our breakfasts were excellent and were just two of several novel breakfast offerings. My piccolo on the other hand was ok but could have been better. The coffee did not have an espresso consistency and the head was too airey. All up drinkable but certainly not memorable.

CLOSED

A great day for magics! After our first good one this morning in Lorne we were served equally well prepared magics at Ebb & Flow. Smooth, strong and a nice temperature. They use Axil coffee and it certainly wasn’t bitter. Lunch was fantastic too - we had brioche turkey, chicken and bacon club sandwiches that were huge but wary to eat.

We ordered magics and had mixed reactions. I liked the taste and the coffee milk ratio was creamy and tasty. Temperature wise the coffee was warm and needed another 5-10 degrees. My partner was disappointed with hers, particularly as regards the strength of her coffee which she felt was just a single shot,

We both had magics and were impressed after a week of near misses usually as a result of failing to include a double shot. Our magics were very well prepared and based orotund double shots so they were strong and delicious.

They served Genoese coffee and I liked the taste. We both ordered Magics and we had mixed reactions. While I thought mine was pretty good in terms of taste and consistency my partner felt that they only poured a single shot and the coffer was only warm.

Called in for a magic before heading home. Service was excellent and quick, our magics were the right volume and tasted strong, but temperature could have been five degrees warmer.

Been a while since we had visited. Four of us came for Sunday breakfast. Our piccolos were good without being outstanding. Breakfasts were excellent and the buzzing crowd members were universally enjoying their dining experience.

Two years since we visited and we were disappointed. Piccolos were ordinary - warm, mild and poured badly. Coffee head was minuscule and as a result coffees spilled as I descended steps. It was a warm Sunday lunchtime but the atmosphere was very ordinary.

I really liked my magic, but my other half thought the taste and temperature of hers was not as good as when we last visited a year ago. COVID has changed the way the business operates and thus seems to have impacted on how the coffees were prepared.

Back in Adelaide for WOMAD concert after a year under lockdown. Four of us popped in late afternoon for a mix of coffee types and all were satisfied with what they got without the coffees standing out. My piccolo tasted good, was in a good sized glass, but again could have been closer to 65 degrees as it was warm.

Made our annual pilgrimage to Red Cacao for coffee and chocolate. Service was excellent, piccolos tasted very good and complemented our choice of accompanying chocolates. The place was buzzing with lots of customers on a Wednesday afternoon.

Popped in for a coffee as we were departing from Mildura. Service was good, the atmosphere was also good and the coffee, again warm rather than hot, otherwise was excellent .

First visit to Mildura in a year due to COVID and we breakfasted at Stefano’s. Service was ordinary, food was awful but our Magic’s were well made albeit like so many other coffee shops we visited lately, lucky to be 60 degrees. Perhaps more baristas should be using thermometers to get the temperature right?

Returned after several months and opted for piccolos and cakes. Piccolos were well made although they could have been hotter. Cakes were excellent but overall the cafe has lost some of its zing!

Now called Bean Machine. Coffee tasted nice but could have been hotter being served around 55 degrees. Service was quick and efficient.

Our piccolos were very strong and tasted pretty good. Served in small glasses and very dark in appearance. They accompanied our Caesar salad wraps which were delicious. However the venue seems to have lost its pizazz and seemed run down.

It’s been more than a year since we last visited and we were pleased to find that it’s still serving up great coffee and very tasty breakfasts. We ordered magics and received double ristrettos served in cups. They looked good and were spot on. A medium blend of coffee which went nicely with well prepared milk.

Great coffee, very nice breakfast and excellent service. Our magics were well prepared, looked good and tasted delicious.

B&B has a coffee tent at WOMAD again this year and it became our go to place for our Magic’s. Our swipe card after the four day event indicated that we had many Magic’s over the time we were there and every one was poured to perfection notwithstanding that they were served in cardboard cups. Service was first class and the tent set up contributed to a great atmosphere!

First time back in two years and pleased to find that great coffee is being prepared there once again. My partner and I had Magic’s which were well prepared and tasted excellent. Our friends had skinny lattes which looked milky but which was just what they were after. It’s a busy place and staff were friendly and very helpful.

First time back since they changed the layout to a more open style coffee shop come food joint. Service was ok but nothing memorable, atmosphere was lacking perhaps due to how it’s opened up to the street and coffee was ordinary, perhaps due in part to them getting ready to close for the day at 1:45pm. Our Magic’s were luke warm and tasted really strong. Overall really disappointing!

Lovely breakfast but really disappointed with our piccolos which were luke warm at best. We should have returned them but got distracted with meals arriving and just drank them. Taste was ok but could have been better.

It’s almost a year since Folkes opened and I did my review. Since then it’s become my regular and most recently my partner and I have changed from piccolos to magics and we are both loving them. Campos coffee served in small Huskee reusable cups.