Merchant & Maker

If you’re into coffee, Merchant & Maker is your best option in McCrae. Owner Sam Keck established the cafe in December 2015, to bring great coffee further south on the Peninsula.

Located across the road from the beach, it delivers a refined all-day breakfast and lunch menu, matched with beans roasted at sister cafe Commonfolk in Mornington. The seaside setting makes it an idyllic spot to relax with a coffee and a pastry or muffin made on site.

The modern menu uses produce from the Mornington Peninsula. It includes avo and herb smash; roasted heirloom tomatoes and herb polenta cake; and strawberry and cream pancakes with marinated strawberries and meringue crumble. Then there are standards such as scrambled or poached eggs, and egg and bacon rolls.

If you’re in for lunch, there’s The Big Merch beef burger; slow-roasted lamb shoulder; and beetroot fritters with house-cured ocean trout.

Mornington Brewery Pale Ale is served on tap; and Quealy Winemakers pinot noir and pinot grigio are available by the glass.

The timber beams and weathered floorboards from the original fit-out are still in place, combined with a skylight installed by Keck in the restaurant area.