Ophelia Westgarth

We visit Ophelia on a weekly basis, it has become our go to brunch/lunch spot in Melbourne. The space is beautiful, and the food is always delicious - whether ordering off the menu or picking something from the cabinet, we are never disappointed. Their menu is unique, with meals you won't find anywhere else! But the best thing about Ophelia is their wonderful staff. They go above and beyond to make you feel welcome and ensure you are looked after. Aaron and Heidi in particular have taken the time to get to know my son and I when we pop in on our regular visits, and to make sure my son (who has some strict dietary requirements) is looked after. Ophelia is an absolute gem in the Melbourne food scene!

I’m always on the lookout for a great deal as an excuse to try a new restaurant, and Ophelia’s $20 pasta night was the perfect reason to finally visit. Honestly, who doesn’t love a good pasta deal? I went on a Tuesday, and it was clear most diners were there for the same reason — the atmosphere was buzzing. The venue is much larger than it looks from the outside, with every table full both indoors and outdoors. If you’re planning to visit on pasta night, I’d definitely recommend booking. Despite how busy it was, the service was incredible. Menus arrived as soon as we sat down and our order was taken shortly after. We felt genuinely looked after the entire evening. We kicked things off with Negronis which were really good — strong, well-balanced, and perfect with our dishes. I ordered the risotto with Calabrian pesto, charred capsicum, and lemon ricotta, while my friend had the mafaldine with pork ragu bianco and pangrattato. Both were delicious, and surprisingly generous in portion size. I expected smaller servings given the price point, but Ophelia delivered in both quality and quantity. The same goes for the Negronis — they definitely didn’t hold back. To finish, our waiter recommended the Basque cheesecake. I’m not usually obsessed with cheesecake, but this one was next level. Creamy, rich, set atop caramel sauce and topped with cherries — unreal. Ophelia is genuinely the perfect spot for a casual catch-up or a hearty, comforting meal that won’t break the bank. I’ll absolutely be back.

The ambiance and vibes of Ophelia are so good, it feels retro with a classy modern touch and you can’t tell me that isn’t intriguing Had no complaints about food, but nothing particularly stood out as memorable to be honest. But that’s not to say any of it was bad or disappointing, so if you’re wanting to pick a place that’s safe, I’d choose Ophelia

We visited for their new after dark menu and was very impressed! What we ordered: 🌟 Pickled mussels toast, aioli, aleppo ($8 ea): started off with a bang, we loved this so much! The toast was perfectly buttered all around and was balanced well the pickled mussels & onions 🌟 Stracciatella, golden beetroot, sorrel, pistachio vinaigrette ($18): lots of flavours and textures going on which is up my alley, wish we ordered focaccia to pair with it though - Tuna tartare, goats curd, white anchovy, radish ($28): this wasn’t bad however we felt like the tuna was overwhelmed by the goats curd and we would’ve preferred some more herbs or citrus to add some freshness to the dish Rigatoni, vodka sauce, nduja, stracciatella ($26): Had a nice kick to it from the nduja and the pasta was perfectly al dente, personally would’ve preferred a bit more cheese though - Half roast chicken, confit turnips, salsa verde, jus ($38): the salsa verde and jus was delicioussss and the confit turnips were cooked well, but the breast was kinda on the dry side 🌟 Dark chocolate tart, cherry, crème fraiche ($14): so good!! The tart cherry cut through the very rich dark chocolate ganache, and the tart shell was done perfectly - crispy and slightly crumbly - Caramelised white chocolate cremeux, citrus, cardamom ($13): also very good and loved how the citrus fruits balanced the sweet cremeux. This was good to have to balance out the really rich chocolate tart

Awesome food and very friendly service! I love the vibe here; it's such a warm and cozy neighborhood cafe that makes you want to stay for hours. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a great spot!

Genuinely the most lovely experience I ever had. Food was amazing and perfectly portioned. Had the focaccia, Vodka sauce rigatoni and Baked pesto gnocchi (NUT FREE!!), and left very satisfied and happy. I really recommend what I ordered, and I will be back to try the rest of the menu. I love the $20 pasta days as well, great for me as a uni student. The service was amazing, genuinely lovely and friendly. The service felt personal and it makes me want to come back even more. Not to mention the super aesthetic atmosphere. I can’t wait to bring my friends and family. Thanks for the great experience guys!

Cool cafe ☕️🥛 They have a night restaurant for dinner too For entree, beautiful smoked trout rilletes with some crisps. Wine match was a pecorino 🐟🧅🌱 For pasta I got the mafaldine with a white pork ragu & pangrattato 🥕 The dessert was fun because they have a bruléed lemon tart with some creme fraiche 🍋🍦 Wine match for dessert was a very nice dessert wine from Beechworth which should have been served in a real dessert wine glass instead of this liqueur glass. Brand new looking restaurant with good decor, nice seating and the waitresses were very friendly. Of course you can get great coffee here too. The cocktails were a kind of fig flavoured old fashioned and their sour which was my favourite of the two 🍸

WOW!!! This place has morphed into an absolute gem. Food is excellent! The fit out is stylish and yet casual. The service and staff are all great especially Miller or Mila who served me. She immediately sensed I was in a bit of a rush and intuitively came and got my order. Her situational awareness is 10/10! So welcoming and professional!!! My new fave cafe!!