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Second Empire Cafe has recently opened in the beautiful Hawthorn Arts Centre on Burwood Road in Hawthorn. It’s a large dining space with high ceilings…
Chronicles Of Nardia
Second Empire Cafe
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We were invited to Second Empire on the weekend which was located in the lovely Hawthorn town hall with plenty of characters dining amongst us includi…
Good Food Good Mood
Second Empire Cafe
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Second Empire Cafe is open for Cafe. Second Empire Cafe serves Cafe and Coffee and Tea dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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takeaway availableindoor seatingpet friendlyoutdoor seatingReviews
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2 Reviews on “Second Empire Cafe”
Second Empire Cafe has recently opened in the beautiful Hawthorn Arts Centre on Burwood Road in Hawthorn. It’s a large dining space with high ceilings & plenty of light & were invited to check it out. This place prides itself on its coffee & they have a great range of blends. I opted for my standard skinny latte & impressed with the coffee art. My friend had the single origin & again the presentation was lovely. The Big Ben was a tasty breakfast option, pulled pork on sourdough with candied maple bacon, apple slaw, poached eggs & hollandaise. The freshness of the apple worked well with the rich hollandaise & pulled pork. The Red Hot Chilli Eggs sounded fantastic but unfortunately the croissant base was missing & just served on toast. Just a delivery issue but felt the croissant would have improved the dish. The Stairway to Heaven was a very pretty dish, crunchy granola clusters, fresh fruit, açai sorbet & coconut foam. The flavours worked well & while milk was provided it lacked a bit of balance. The staff at Second Empire were friendly & helpful & while it was quiet when we arrived, it was absolutely packed by the time we left. Located in such a lovely building, I’m sure this cafe will fine tune their dishes & I’ll be interested in visiting again to see how things are improving. Thanks so much for having us.
We were invited to Second Empire on the weekend which was located in the lovely Hawthorn town hall with plenty of characters dining amongst us including members of the local orchestra no doubt posed to play post brunch.Hubby ordered his typical chilli scrambled. This is generally served on a croissant which sounded heavenly but in a vain attempt to be healthier he swapped this for multigrain. I was harbouring no such allusions and went straight for the rocky road waffles. These were seriously impressive. I enjoyed all of the textures and flavours which definitely delivered on rocky road and the presentation was stunning.The meringue accompaniment was exceptionally well made and I loved how they had toasted vanilla and raspberry marshmallows in between the waffles so you got the dual gooey deliciousness and a slightly smokey taste reminiscent of campfire s’mores. As for my savoury dish the smashed avocado I loved the addition of the vine tomatoes which brought a lovely sweetness to it however I found the poached eggs quite watery which wasn’t ideal. I liked the saltiness from the feta though. Overall a cute little spot and the novelty charm of its location made it’s quite unique.