Correction (3 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources between 2 October 2026 and 3 October 2026, and every price was copied from the page it was published on.
The best family restaurant is the one that tells you its kids’ arrangements before you drive there. This page lists six places in and around Mulgrave whose own sites or listings speak to families, with hours and prices exactly as published.
Pubs and clubs dominate the list: four of the six are a pub or a club with a bistro. Three of the six have a Mulgrave address, two are in Wheelers Hill and one is in Springvale, and each heading carries the place’s own suburb. We hold no high-chair, shade or toilet details for any of them, so confirm those directly before you book.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Order this | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A pub buffet with a listed free-kids age | Village Green Hotel | Feast buffet, Adults (Monday – Thursday) | $40 |
| A pub with a Family Bistro | The Vale Hotel | see below | not printed here |
| A Sri Lankan cafe with a kids menu | Lankan Manna Cafe & Restaurant | Rice and Curry, dine in | $18.99 |
| A kids playground in the dining area | Wheelers Hill Hotel | see below | not printed here |
| A restaurant, bistro and cafe with listed kids meals | IKEA Springvale Swedish Restaurant, Bistro and Cafe | cinnamon buns (regular price) | $2 |
| A club bistro with a children’s menu and cafe | Mulgrave Country Club | Latte, Cappuccino, Flat White | $5 |
Village Green Hotel — Cnr Springvale & Ferntree Gully Rd, Mulgrave VIC 3170
The hotel’s site lists “general opening hours Mon - Sun: 10:00am - 04:00am” and prints “Kids (3 years and under): FREE” next to its buffet prices. It describes the buffet as “better than ever, offering hot soups and hot entree options, fresh salads, succulent roasts with all the trimmings”. It also mentions a Beer Garden and a game of pool.
On price: Feast buffet, Adults (Monday – Thursday) is $40, and Feast buffet, Adults (Friday – Sunday) is $45. Feast buffet, Seniors is $27, and Feast buffet, Kids is $19.50. The site says a 10% surcharge applies on public holidays. The site gives the corner of Springvale and Ferntree Gully Roads and no street number.
On the menu (copied from thevillagegreen.com.au on 3 October 2026):
- Feast buffet, Adults (Monday – Thursday): $40
- Feast buffet, Seniors: $27
- Feast buffet, Kids: $19.50
- Feast buffet, Adults (Friday – Sunday): $45
Three things to confirm before you go: the kids’ age band for the $19.50 price, which days the buffet runs, and where the toilets and change facilities are.
The Vale Hotel — 2277 Dandenong Rd, Mulgrave VIC 3170
The Vale Hotel’s own site says “the Family Bistro at The Vale Hotel is the ideal place to settle in and tuck into a hearty meal with your nearest and dearest”. It lists “GENERAL OPENING HOURS Mon - Sun: 10:00am - 04:00am”.
The same site also describes “live sport broadcasting on our TVs, a pool table, plus full TAB, Trackside & Sportsbet facilities”, so expect a pub environment as well as a bistro. The pub’s site is valehotel.com.au; a similarly named site, thevale.com.au, is an unrelated business. We could not read any menu prices.
Three things to confirm before you go: the kids’ menu items and prices, whether the Family Bistro and the main bar are separate spaces, and high chair availability.
Lankan Manna Cafe & Restaurant — 1 Glenvale Crescent, Mulgrave VIC 3170
The restaurant’s site lists “Mon – Wed Café & Restaurant 8 am – 3 pm”, “Thu – Sat Café & Restaurant 8 am – 8 pm” and “Sunday Closed”, with “Breakfast 9 am – 3 pm” on the days it serves breakfast. Under its family heading it says “Family Friendly Kids menu & warm, welcoming atmosphere”, and it says “Vegan Options Plenty of plant-based choices available”.
Rice and Curry, dine in is $18.99, and Rice and Curry, take away is $16.99. Vegetable Fried Rice is $14, and String Hoppers with Curry is $20. String hoppers are steamed nests of rice-flour noodles, eaten with curry. The site also lists a Veg Curry Box at $10.00, and a Saturday Night Sri Lankan Buffet at $24.99 pp with bookings essential.
On the menu (copied from lankanmanna.com on 2 October 2026):
- Rice and Curry, dine in: $18.99
- Rice and Curry, take away: $16.99
- Vegetable Fried Rice: $14
- String Hoppers with Curry: $20
Three things to confirm before you go: what is on the kids menu and its prices, since we could not read them, whether you need to book for the Saturday buffet, and that Sunday is closed.
Wheelers Hill Hotel — 871-881 Ferntree Gully Road, Wheelers Hill VIC 3150
The hotel’s site says “families are always welcome”, and names a “Stadium 1 Kids Playground” in its dining area. It lists “GENERAL OPENING HOURS Mon - Sun: 10:00am - 04:00am”, and says you can “enjoy sweeping views of the Mount Dandenong Ranges through our floor-to-ceiling windows”.
We hold no fencing or age details for the playground. We could not read menu prices.
Three things to confirm before you go: the playground’s age range and rules, whether it is fenced, and the kids’ menu prices.
IKEA Springvale Swedish Restaurant, Bistro and Cafe — 917 Princes Highway (IKEA Springvale), Springvale VIC 3171
IKEA is in Springvale, not Mulgrave. The store page says “dine with us and enjoy all your IKEA food favourites, like meatballs, veggie balls, salmon, kids meals and more”, and lists a “chocolate mousse” on the dessert menu.
Its store page lists the restaurant at “Monday - Saturday 9:30 am - 8:30 pm” and “Sunday 9:30 am - 6:30 pm”, with “breakfast served until 11 am”, which suits an early brekkie. The bistro is listed at “Monday - Saturday 10:00 am - 9:00 pm” and “Sunday 10:00 am - 7:00 pm”. The cinnamon buns (regular price) are $2.
On the menu (copied from ikea.com on 3 October 2026):
- cinnamon buns (regular price): $2
Three things to confirm before you go: which kids meals are on the day’s menu and their prices, whether the page’s member price applies to you, and the hours for the day you plan to visit.
Mulgrave Country Club — 469 Wellington Road, Wheelers Hill VIC 3150
Despite the name, the club’s address is in Wheelers Hill. Its site lists “CHILDREN’S MENU” and says “the Terrace is the perfect spot for outdoor dining”. It lists lunch “Monday to Sunday 12 noon–2.30pm”, dinner “Sunday to Thursday 5.30pm – 8.30pm” and dinner “Friday and Saturday 5.30–9.00pm”, and offers “Coffee and cake? Light meal or sandwich?”.
From the June 2026 cafe menu PDF, Latte, Cappuccino, Flat White is $5, Banana Bread is $5, Assorted Muffins is $6.50 and Potato Cakes are 2.5 ea. Milk Shake is $9 and Our Seniors Main course is $19.50. The PDF says all items are subject to change. We have not checked whether the public can dine without membership, so ask the club first.
On the menu (copied from mulgravecc.com.au on 3 October 2026):
- Latte, Cappuccino, Flat White: $5
- Banana Bread: $5
- Assorted Muffins: $6.50
- Potato Cakes: 2.5 ea
Three things to confirm before you go: whether non-members can dine, what is on the children’s menu and its prices, and the shade and seating on the Terrace.
Quick answers
Which of these places list a kids’ menu?
Lankan Manna says “Kids menu” under its family heading, Mulgrave Country Club lists a “CHILDREN’S MENU”, and IKEA mentions “kids meals”. We could not read the items or prices for any of them, so ask before you go.
Which has a playground inside the restaurant?
The Wheelers Hill Hotel’s site names a “Stadium 1 Kids Playground” in its dining area. We hold no fencing detail for it.
Are any of these open for breakfast?
Lankan Manna lists “Breakfast 9 am – 3 pm” on the days it is open, and IKEA lists “breakfast served until 11 am”. The Mulgrave Country Club prints a cafe menu with coffee and baked goods, but we have not printed its cafe hours.
What do the family prices look like?
The Village Green Hotel’s Feast buffet, Kids is $19.50 and its adult Feast buffet is $40 Monday to Thursday. Lankan Manna’s Rice and Curry, dine in is $18.99. IKEA’s cinnamon buns (regular price) are $2.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources between 2 October 2026 and 3 October 2026: thevillagegreen.com.au, OpenStreetMap, the Australian Good Food Guide and the places’ own websites. Every price is copied exactly as printed on the page linked under Sources, between 2 October 2026 and 3 October 2026, the date given beside each menu. Menus, prices and opening hours change, so check with the venue before you go. The photos are illustrative, from Unsplash: they show the kind of food or place, not the places on this page.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Village Green Hotel: thevillagegreen.com.au, openstreetmap.org/98152953, agfg.com.au/village-green-hotel-45508
- The Vale Hotel: valehotel.com.au, openstreetmap.org/191507990, agfg.com.au/vale-hotel-71123
- Lankan Manna Cafe & Restaurant: openstreetmap.org/13661334377, lankanmanna.com
- Wheelers Hill Hotel: wheelershillhotel.com.au, openstreetmap.org/324206551, agfg.com.au/the-wheelers-hill-hotel-bistro-66116
- IKEA Springvale Swedish Restaurant, Bistro and Cafe: ikea.com/springvale, openstreetmap.org/3199596608, ikea.com/food-beverages-fb001
- Mulgrave Country Club: mulgravecc.com.au/eat-drink, agfg.com.au/the-bistro-at-mulgrave-country-club, mulgravecc.com.au menu PDF
