The Place Next Door

This is a good place for a quick meal/​drink after «doing» waterfall gully. The deck is comfy and heated in winter. I have been here and enjoyed it many times, the bruschetta is the best in the surrounding suburbs, the staff are very friendly, the juices, cakes, macaroons etc very good. I don’t know what previous reviewers mean by The Burnside Set, every time I’ve been there the place is full of walkers, and perfectly normal unpretentious patrons like me. The noise from the pokies is too loud for me inside, but the deck is fine, sometimes the service is a bit slow. However all in all, most comfortable, ungentrified place for a light lunch and a wine or two after shopping or a walk.

The food was competitive — not brilliant, but reasonable for the price. The customer service is good. The design of the floor (bit like an outdoor patio. wood with gaps in them) seemed to reduce the noise — which was pleasant. Good location, and the service was reasonably quick.

They use Griffith’s coffee and I don’t know if their grinds had been sitting there a while or what, but all I tasted was soy milk and the chocolate sprinkles on my cappuccino. I live just down the road from this place and often it’s the only place where I can get a late night coffee without resorting to C coffee at on the run (which is looking like an option).
My first complaint about this place is the service. I’m not gonna lump them all into the same basket but I’ve had some snooty people serve me several times. Not gonna call anyone specificout but they seem like supervisors by the way they boss people around.
I like the outdoor decking, though I’m yet to use it. Don’t like the pokie vibe as another Unilocaler mentioned. Weak coffee. I have a ‘loyalty’ key chain, but who knows if I’ll make it to my 9^th coffee to redeem my free one…
Overall, meh…

Good service but a bit overpriced for families just like a pizza bar but with waiters, use your entertainment voucher

The previous reviews of this place aren’t that great really but I didn’t mind it. I only had a drink here, which was reasonably priced. If you want a bigger choice of beer on tap though, go next door to Feathers (their pub bit) because here they only have Pale Ale.
Service was very friendly and they have a nice terrace too. We also had a quick peak into their gaming area, which is fairly big — around 20 machines — and nice and modern. Although it wouldn’t be my first choice in terms of pubs in the area, I wouldn’t mind going back for a drink.

The Place Next Door is indeed very popular with the Burnside ‘Set’ — not just the ladies, there’s a good range of somewhat pretentious men going there, too — which does still amaze me a little, there are so many places to choose from that do an excellent job with the same kind of menu, and atmosphere.
That said, there’s nothing really bad here — the noise from the gaming machines can be intrusive if you’re at the wrong end of the restaurant, but there are plenty of areas further away from them. The service is ok, staff are friendly enough but you do get an air of ‘just doing my job’. The food is — I’m going to be nice, and stick with — average. I do like the garlic aoli they serve with a bowl of chips, that’s a bit of a bonus :)
There’s plenty of parking, as long as you don’t need to ‘be seen’ — lots of the aforementioned Burnside Ladies and Gents have to ensure their Beemer, Merc, or gigantic four wheel drive that’s never seen dirt are parked in those prime spots around the restaurant — park in the huge carpark behind Feathers and you’ll have no issues.

This place is tacked onto Feathers Hotel as a café for some fine dining and quality meals.
Didn’t experience a great quality, it was reasonable for some light café dishes. The TPND Burger had delicious prime beef but lacked some flavour all round. My friend had the salt and pepper squid that was described as ‘okay’. He isn’t good with descriptive language (neither am I) but I assume he meant that it was cooked to an average level with mediocre flavours.
Nothing to raise an eyebrow at, or lower an eyebrow too (if that’s even possible)

I read that this café was a big deal with the Burnside ladies who lunch set, so I made an effort to wear shoes, and not be too drunk. Disappointingly, this café isn’t posh at all! In fact, it’s attached to a gaming room which isn’t completely closed off. While we were eating dinner we could see the poor old buggers feeding their pensions into those machines like Pacmen. It’s enough to put you off your food, no? I hate the gambling industry so for me, this ruined the dining experience. We also had to explain to my daughter why she couldn’t go in there and play the machines, which led to a long talk about why gambling is wrong. ‘So it’s like smoking?’ she said, succinctly.
The food is reasonably priced Italian, and they have a kids menu with a good range. The kid’s cheeseburger has lettuce and rocket, as well as a side salad: good to see! The service here is excellent, very sunny, attentive staff. They have a nice covered outside area to dine in facing Glynburn road, and I can see why this place is so popular: great service, hearty Italian fare, and out front has a nice relaxed atmosphere. What doesn’t make sense to me is why the Feathers Hotel pokie room is attached to this café, and not properly hidden. Due to my desire to blow up the pokies, I won’t be back to The Place Next Door.