Cafe RacerPh: (03) 9534 9988 ; 15a Marine Pde, St Kilda 3182Cafe, $$ -, *** for Ambience Open 7 days 6am-4pm, Closed from Xmas Day-new year's Good Fri; Unlicensed; No Cards; No bookings |
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Photo Tony Knox
Mietta's Review
Summer or winter this cafe dispenses quality coffee and generous amounts of well-being even for those without the almost obligatory Ducatti or other powerful piece of two wheeled machinery. In the summer the footpath tables almost push the bikes back into the Marine Parade traffic but when the sea breeze turns icy one can thaw out on the stools in Danny Colls' pair of rooms. The two shop-fronts are separated by a generous bar/food service area, there's not a lot of room left for the high benches, stools and newspapers which, when held upright, act as moving room dividers.
Other published opinions
The Age Cheap Eats 2009 "Weekends at Cafe Racer are all about the beachside cycling brigade, which means acres of lycra (some aesthetic, some rather less so), clattering cleated shoes and dozens of ultraexpensive road bikes out front"
The Age Cheap Eats 2008 "Scoring the yellow jersey in the 'nab a table' race takes speed, especially at weekends when this cyclists' pit stop is humming"
The Age Cheap Eats 2007 "Please note: fluorescent lycra is not requisite Cafe Racer attire. But it's what you wear if you want to fit in at weekends, when breakaways and chasers regroup at this relaxed cyclists' institution."
The Age Cheap Eats 2006 You don't have to have a passion for coffee and velocipedes to visit Racer, but it helps. A regular pitstop on the Beach Road cycling circuit, Racer pulses with funky grooves, cycling banter, and the hiss of the coffee machine
The Age Cheap Eats 2005 "the food, service and slick decor at this ocean-view cafe are as fresh as a sprinter before the starter's pistol."
The Age Cheap Eats 2004 "Simple breakfast dishes such as croissants with jam, or racer eggs (ham, cheese, tomato and poached eggs on toasted pane toscano) are served until late afternoon"
The Age Cheap Eats 2004,Somewhere we highly recommend,Excellent breakfasts,'Simple breakfast dishes such as croissants with jam,or racer eggs are served until late afternoon'
The Foodies' Guide 2004,Allan Campion & Michelle Curtis,'Most people come here by bike,but there's no reason why you can't drive or walk for one of their fabulous coffees.'
Herald Sun, Sunday Magazine, 21/3/04, Jane Hutchinson,'Poached eggs on delicous pane toscano with Virginia ham, tomatoes and dutch cheese. From $6.50.'
The Age, Epciure, 7/10/03, Nikki Fisher,' poached egg perfection...the qualities that distinguish this cafe's effort from so many others.'
Cheap eat 2000, 2.5.00, Epicure, 'the cheap short list', Best coffee in Melbourne with the most distracting weekend clientele. you don't have to be a lycra clad racing cyclist to enjoy genovese coffee here. It tastes just as good even if you haven't clocked up 90km before breakfast.
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