Snow Pony Cafe

It’s been a while since I’ve visited snow pony and hadn’t been back since their renovations. The interior looked cosier than before with a glass display of goodies and croissants. The menu has also changed — notably the prices have gone up and also new additions to the menu. I’ve always gone for the giddy up but this time I decided to try their pea ricotta fritters with poached eggs. The fritters were a bit bland at first but the beetroot relish and combined with poached eggs made it a tasty combination. My bf ordered the burger with bacon which had French fries on the side. He did enjoy it but for me I felt the burger was a little dry. My piccolo coffee was also spot on.

Sat down in this dark area with not much lighting. Went on New Years Day and was busy. Didn’t receive service right away which was disappointing.
While they were busy it was disappointed to be ignored as we were in a dark area so easily forgotten. Definitely need to change the layout of the café to help with this problem.
After 15 minutes we finally got some service. I ordered the wagyu beef burger while my friend ordered the corn fritters and the truffled mushrooms
The wagyu beef burger came and no tomato sauce or any condiments with the shoestring fries so asked and said that they ran out. The strawberry milkshake I ordered was small and sub-​standard as well. The beef patty was undercooked/​raw and the flavour of the burger was very sub-​standard, many places that offer better burgers. The only thing which was good with the burger was the pickles. Even the relish had a salty taste, usually sweet and the bacon too crispy for a burger, needs to be softer so can bite through.
However in spite of all this the corn fritters partially saved this review. Good soft texture although could’ve had a bit more flavour with the sauce.
Even though we had to wait an extra 15 minutes for the mushrooms my friend got a free ginger beer on the house which was quite nice. The truffle mushrooms were the real saver with fantastic flavours and good texture of the mushrooms. Excellent dish and would come back just to have that.
Overall the experience was sub-​standard and definitely could’ve received much better service. Will not come back here even though there were good truffle mushrooms as this experience was just not good enough with disappointing food and drink and plenty of alternatives to choose from!

We arrived late afternoon and after checking out the menu and making our choice we were advised that those items weren’t available anymore. I suppose it’s a good idea not to arrive 15 minutes before the kitchen closes at 3pm.
Nevermind, my friend and I weren’t that famished and decided to share a chicken piadini with salad and a side of crispy roasted potatoes, all quite nice and a good share choice. The prices are pretty reasonable too.
They have an all day breakfast menu and if you like eggs you’ll be spoilt for choice. Next time I’ll come for breakfast. Still cash only, why???

Hugely disappointing. Went there on a Saturday about 1:30pm and although kitchen open, some menu items not available. Coffee arrived after 40 mins and asking three times. Companion had a side of potatoes and greasy. Had a piadini with chicken and bacon. Looked like ends of chicken meat used, and barely cooked through. Bacon greasy. Could not finish it. Some staff friendly but others seemed oblivious to customers. Not what I have come to expect. Café was not busy when we were there. Poor experience overall.

We love our Snow Pony, and know how lucky we are to have a café with an inner-​city feel (and menu) in the ‘burbs out here.
I’m sure there’s a lot to offer from their menu, but never got past the Giddy up or Bang Bang eggs — and anything and everything where smashed avo is involved. Portion sizes used to be HUGE and have down-​scaled a little since they had a bit of a re-​fit, but still enough to fill you up.
For a different SP experience pop round on a Friday night — last time we were there they had happy hour wine and antipasto specials before 6pm that kick-​started our evening nicely (even if you then move on somewhere else for din-​dins).
Joining in the chorus here: but being cash only is a bit of a downer. Could do without the panic of checking the wallet on a Sunday morning when I get to the register, fearing moths flying out (which is likely after a Sat night out). Sure, my bad for never remembering they’re cash only, but when paying with card is getting easier and easier with PayPass it seems pretty antiquated not to offer this.
There’s also usually a line on the weekend mornings, but just adds to the inner-​city café feel really. It’s one that’s worth the wait in my book.
Fun Bonus Fact: It took a South Australian to point out to us Balwyn locals that Snow Pony = White Horse (rd). We’re simple folk.

We tried the giddy up and lamb shoulder. the G up was nothing special. Rhimini’s do much better mushrooms. But I do have to say that the lamb shoulder… I like! Meat was tender and very flavoursome. The pomegranate was a gd touch. Atmosphere wise hmmmmm it could b better. The music is quite loud so if u want to have a decent conversation or a catchup over brekkie… this is not the place. WIR? yep to try out some of their other lunch menu items. Eyed some on other tables. They looked gooooood!!!

When did I first fall for the Snow Pony Café? Was it before even knowing what it was, looking down the street and just seeing a giant horse settled on top of a doorway? Could it be when I decided to go inside and was welcomed by the bustling and cheerful atmosphere? Or maybe it was when I sat down in a outdoorsy lane way and took in the beauty and décor of the place? It could’ve been when I looked upon the menu at every edible creation that they have and then receiving my brunch and having every single one of my taste buds pleased?
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when Snow Pony won me over, but I know that I can
always count on them to leave me like a school girl, just daydreaming about my next visit.

You can come to get very picky with all the amazing cafes around Melbourne, and you come to expect each one to do something slightly different to the next. Snow Pony definitely has some great elements! Food and coffee is great. The meals are both generously sized (I personally can’t stand stingy food portions), and tasty and even presented really well! Location too is good, plus the atmosphere is buzzing for those who like it that way.
For me though, that was perhaps the area where I was a little disappointed. I could barely hear the the people next to me talking, so whether that was a one-​off I don’t know, but it was definitely a put off. Price was reasonable, however definitely not as competitive as others around.

Such a great, great café!
Their outdoor area is beautiful and perfect for a long, lazy brunch on a sunny day. The café itself has a wonderful vibe — really laid back, yet attentive service. The food is always of a great quality and fair-​sized serves, and the coffee is always made to perfection.
My only complaint would be the lack of EFTPOS services; and the fact that banks and ATMs are extremely rare along that stretch of Whitehorse Road.
Otherwise, a fantastic café that I’m happy to visit again and again.

Below average, food overpriced, there are so many good coffee shops around, would not stop here ever again.

Having Berocca on the menu tells you a lot about the type of client a café thinks it will attract or wants to attract.
I would have thought that Berocca would be more in demand in an inner city café where Uni students and young singles are likely to emerge from a big night to recover for the day.
But Berocca on the menu at sleepy Balwyn? With its sensible family demographics? That’s a surprise. Or is it?
Weekends or weekdays the place is always full and I think that Snow Pony is a classic example of «build it and they will come». The kids of Balwyn 10 years ago are now students or young-​professional types still living at home. And the parents, now free of the cost of bringing up children, are spending more going out. And on top of all this, new families are moving in to keep the local Primary Schools full. (And after-​school drop-​off Mums through the doors at 9am)
Snow Pony is a menage of all demographics who all seem to feel at home here.
Friendly service and decent coffee (when it finally arrives). Snow Pony have a desperate need to invest in a second coffee machines to keep coffee order to delivery times to something reasonable (I waited 15m for a latte!). One machine just isn’t enough to cope. Poor Barista!
The food is good — but no porridge, which is a real shame as by the looks of the rest of the menu the Chefs at Snow Pony would do a really tasty porridge. Also, there is a bit too much use of Goats Cheese for my taste. Goats were put on earth to eat cans, and cross bridges guarded by Trolls, not produce cheese.
Snow Pony is also cash only, and I must say that I am not a fan. This is for two reasons. The first is that being a modern man I leave home with little more than my iPhone and a credit card in my pocket and I rarely carry cash. The second is that I always wonder if there is some type of money laundering going on. (Growing up watching Miami Vice might have influenced me here…).
Snow Pony is part of the growing Empire that includes Porgy & Mrs Jones in Auburn and Friends of Mine in Richmond. I hear they are all different and I look forward to giving them all ago.
Overall Snow Pony… A-​OK.

The outdoor area at the back (past the middle outdoor area) is a great place to chill out and have their AMAZING lemonade scones, served in little cute jars. #getOnIt

Snow Pony has great service and great food to match. I was greeted by very friendly staff who were super attentive without being annoying — a fine art!
I love great breakfast places and I am happy to put this one on the regular list, I am not sure what the vibe is like inside but outside was fantastic. There are two options for outdoor seating one is on the street which is great on a sunny day or the other is more secluded out the back. We chose to sit out the back which made for a very nice experience.
The menu is delicious while being slightly unusual which makes for very visual appeasing food. Try the banana bread, it will not be what you expect! Can’t wait to go again.

Food good (when you can get a seat), but little pricey & beware — no EFTPOS or CREDIT CARDS. How silly!

Snow Pony is a great café in Balwyn perfect for a coffee, breakfast or lunch. Always delicious food with fantastic customer service. Just remember to have cash with you as they don’t have Eftpos!

Every time I come here I want to sit on the sunny yellow chairs out the front. They make me happy, as does the delicious mushroom, avo and goat fetta on grain toast. Jammed on weekends, it is best to make a visit here on a weekday when things are a little less manic and the staff have more than three seconds to pay attention to you. Even when they’re busy though, the staff are efficient, filling water glasses and doing their best to make sure you fed and caffienated as quickly as possible.
Have you worked out why it’s called Snow Pony? It’s on Whitehorse Road. Geddit?

Good, reliable food, much the same as at the other cafes under the same management. A bit pricey, but the quality is good. Especially the coffee and service.

I think I have a penchant for cute cafes smushed awkwardly into otherwise boring suburban surrounds. Maybe it makes it more of a welcome surprise when the food turns out to be UH-​mazing.
Such is the case with Snow Pony.
It shares a name with one of favourite restaurants at Mt Buller, so I really wanted it to to be good, and hurray, IT WAS!!!
I have only ever eaten breakfast/​brunch there thanks to the all-​day brekkie menu and outstanding quality of the food.
Last time I went I had eggs with goats cheese and pesto toast, which so so yummy. My friend had herb cheesy toast which gave me a serious case of stab-​in-​the-​eyeballs-​with-​a-​fork food envy.
Definitely drink the coffee too. It’s G-​REAT.
Be prepared to wait for a table though, especially on a weekend, and you might have to accommodate some yummy mummies and their prams. But it’s worth the occasional kick in the shins from a roaming toddler, trust me.

You can find this gorgeous café because of the large model of an appropriately white horse sticking out from above the awning.
It’s a cash only, reasonably priced, fairly traditional (for Melbourne) café serving all day breakfast and lunch fare. What distinguishes it from all the other Melbourne options with their eggs any which way with bacon and toast is the quality of ingredients that are used and the enthusiasm the staff have that you Will Enjoy The Food. You will, too, it’s not a threat.
They take great care to ensure that the source of the ingredients are mentioned. It’s not just chorizo, it’s casa iberica chorizo. They’ve taken great pains to source local artisan produce and the results are spectacular. The gluten-​free bread, in particular, is worth going for alone.
At about $ 25 per person, it’s not spare change food so plan ahead and grab some notes before you go. The cash thing is real.

Snow Pony is well worth a stop for breakfast or lunch at any time of the day.
Boasting brilliant coffee and delicious dishes the café is very popular with the locals, as well as the foodies. One of the best known Snow Pony staples is the ‘Smashed Avocado’: sourdough toast, smashed avocado, thyme buttered mushrooms, lemon, feta and optional poached egg.
Just the thing after a big night.
All the produce is sourced locally and there are plenty of options for those who aren’t a fan of eggs (the herb and cheesy toast hits the spot), or those with a sweet tooth (bircher muesli, or the famous banana bread with berry compote, banana, and maple syrup mascarpone).
Match these with a rich and creamy coffee at any point in the day and you are ready to roll.
The café gets crowded and is always busy so be prepared to sit outside or try to get in early.
Snow Pony suffers from table hoggers syndrome (people who just won’t leave and savour the last cup of coffee) but hey, it’s a happy place and trust me, you won’t want to leave either.