You need brunch in Mulgrave, not a spreadsheet of cafe names. Start with the place locals have actually bothered to review, then use the rest of this guide to dodge the wrong stop for your mood, timing, and side of Wellington Road.
The Verdict
Mr Grumpy’s Cafe is the safest first pick for brunch in Mulgrave because it has the strongest proof: 1,605 Google reviews, a 4.7 rating, and a mid-range price point on Springvale Road. If you only want one answer, go there. It is the obvious volume play, but in a suburb where a lot of strong listings sit in industrial pockets, tucked-away shopping strips, or just outside the suburb line, obvious is useful. You are not gambling on a five-review listing or driving across to Clayton for something that may feel more like lunch than brunch.
The next-best picks depend on what you mean by brunch. If coffee matters more than a full sit-down feed, The Bean Cartel Coffee Roasters on Duerdin Street and 20g Coffee Cafe on Brandon Park Drive are the smarter shortlist. If you want something with more personality than eggs and coffee, Lankan Manna Cafe & Restaurant and Dhamaka Indian Street Food pull the guide away from generic cafe territory. Two Rupees Brewing Company is the curveball if your brunch is sliding toward a longer afternoon. Don’t pick purely by the 5/5 score at the top of the table; K&K Kitchen Catering and skew&go rate perfectly, but their review counts are much smaller, so they are not the same kind of bet.
Local Reality
Mulgrave brunch is spread out, so your first decision is geography, not menu. Springvale Road gives you Mr Grumpy’s Cafe at 899 Springvale Road and Garden State Diner at 799 Springvale Road, which makes that strip the easiest if you are driving through and want a low-fuss choice. Wellington Road has K&K Kitchen Catering at Building C/211 Wellington Road, but that address reads more like a planned stop than a casual wander-in brunch. Duerdin Street in Notting Hill gives you The Bean Cartel Coffee Roasters and & LOCALS Cafe close enough to compare if you are already near the business parks.
Brandon Park Drive is the other practical pocket: 20g Coffee Cafe sits at 196 Brandon Park Drive, while Il Desiderio is at 4/192 Brandon Park Drive and Kofi Kofi is nearby at Shop 37/580 Ferntree Gully Road in Wheelers Hill. That cluster makes sense if you are south or east of central Mulgrave. If you are closer to Princes Highway, Dhamaka Indian Street Food in Clayton and Two Rupees Brewing Company on Renver Road become more realistic than crossing back for a standard cafe. Skip this if you want one walkable brunch village; Mulgrave is a driving suburb for food. If you are west of Springvale Road, you may be better off looking toward Clayton or Notting Hill rather than forcing a Mulgrave-only choice.
Who This Suits
If you are a first-timer who wants the least risky brunch, pick Mr Grumpy’s Cafe. If you are a coffee-first person, pick The Bean Cartel Coffee Roasters or 20g Coffee Cafe. If you are feeding someone who is bored of plain cafe menus, pick Lankan Manna Cafe & Restaurant or Dhamaka Indian Street Food. If you want a longer, social lunch-brunch, pick Two Rupees Brewing Company. If you are chasing a quieter local option with fewer reviews, look at Troublemaker Cafe, & LOCALS Cafe, Kofi Kofi, EPICUREX, Wanda Pizza, Garden State Diner, Il Desiderio, K&K Kitchen Catering, or skew&go depending on which address is closest.
Cost expectations are only partly visible from the source data. Mr Grumpy’s Cafe is the one listed with a mid-range price marker, so treat it as the benchmark rather than the bargain option. For the rest, check the latest menu before you go, especially for venues that are restaurants, catering businesses, diners, bars, or street-food spots rather than straight cafes. The ratings are useful, but they do not tell you whether your brunch will be a quick coffee, a full plate, or a bigger meal.
Timing matters. Cafe-style venues are the better morning play, especially The Bean Cartel Coffee Roasters, & LOCALS Cafe, 20g Coffee Cafe, Troublemaker Cafe, Kofi Kofi, and Mr Grumpy’s Cafe. Restaurant-style names such as Lankan Manna Cafe & Restaurant, EPICUREX, Dhamaka Indian Street Food, Garden State Diner, Il Desiderio, Wanda Pizza, and Two Rupees Brewing Company make more sense if brunch is drifting into lunch. On weekends, choose by parking and drive time first; a high rating is less useful if the place is on the wrong side of Mulgrave for you.
What to Do Next
Start with Mr Grumpy’s Cafe, then keep The Bean Cartel Coffee Roasters as your coffee backup if Springvale Road feels too busy. For a broader suburb read, use the Mulgrave suburb guide before you pick your next stop.
| Venue | Rating | Reviews | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| K&K Kitchen Catering | 5/5 | 66 | — |
| skew&go | 5/5 | 5 | — |
| Lankan Manna Cafe & Restaurant | 4.9/5 | 103 | — |
| The Bean Cartel Coffee Roasters | 4.9/5 | 74 | — |
| & LOCALS Cafe | 4.9/5 | 35 | — |
| Two Rupees Brewing Company | 4.8/5 | 321 | — |
| 20g Coffee Cafe | 4.8/5 | 250 | — |
| Troublemaker Cafe | 4.8/5 | 114 | — |
Verified venue data
K&K Kitchen Catering — Building C/211 Wellington Road, Mulgrave. Rating: 5/5 from 66 reviews.
skew&go — 6 Seaview Crescent, Mulgrave. Rating: 5/5 from 5 reviews.
Lankan Manna Cafe & Restaurant — 1 Glenvale Crescent, Mulgrave. Rating: 4.9/5 from 103 reviews.
The Bean Cartel Coffee Roasters — Unit 5/39/43 Duerdin Street, Notting Hill. Rating: 4.9/5 from 74 reviews.
& LOCALS Cafe — Shop 8/27-31 Duerdin Street, Notting Hill. Rating: 4.9/5 from 35 reviews.
Two Rupees Brewing Company — 1/69 Renver Road, Clayton. Rating: 4.8/5 from 321 reviews.
20g Coffee Cafe — 196 Brandon Park Drive, Wheelers Hill. Rating: 4.8/5 from 250 reviews.
Troublemaker Cafe — 66 Albany Drive, Mulgrave. Rating: 4.8/5 from 114 reviews.
Mr Grumpy’s Cafe — 899 Springvale Road, Mulgrave. Rating: 4.7/5 from 1,605 reviews. Price: Mid-range.
Wanda Pizza — 46 Wanda Street, Mulgrave. Rating: 4.7/5 from 283 reviews.
EPICUREX - Restaurant | Cafe | Bar | Reception | Catering — Unit 9/11 Miles Street, Mulgrave. Rating: 4.7/5 from 79 reviews.
Kofi Kofi — Shop 37/580 Ferntree Gully Road, Wheelers Hill. Rating: 4.7/5 from 46 reviews.
Garden State Diner — 799 Springvale Road, Mulgrave. Rating: 4.6/5 from 1,559 reviews.
Dhamaka Indian Street Food — 1924 Princes Highway, Clayton. Rating: 4.6/5 from 977 reviews.
Il Desiderio — 4/192 Brandon Park Drive, Wheelers Hill. Rating: 4.6/5 from 665 reviews.
About This Guide
Every venue in this guide is a verified, currently operating business sourced from Google Places API. Data last refreshed: 2026-03-31. If a venue has closed or moved, let us know.
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