Tilley's

Name: Tilley's Devine Cafe
Type: Cafe
Location: Lyneham shops
Meal: Breakfast
Food et: Mushrooms on toast

Tilley's Devine Cafe is situated on the corner at Lyneham shops and is a staple of Canberra's weekend breakfast and brunch scene. It's a good, relaxing place to hang out on for hours, surrounded by the leafy trees of the Inner North.

The cafe is decorated in art-deco New York style, with dark and moody browns and maroons dominating the interior of the cafe. There is also an abundant outdoor area, where people with bikes and dogs while away the morning, sipping on lattes.

Tilley's is busy every time I come here. Getting to the bar to place your order is always a battle. As you take your drinks back to the table with you, people mull about the area.

We ordered Ice Coffees on this warm February morning and sat outside. Unfortunately the tables were sticky from past users and there were flies everywhere.

The iced coffees arrived quickly, but we had to wait 40 minutes for our meals.

We ordered two "The Lots" and I got the mushrooms on toast.


The mushrooms on toast was a huge disappointment - I'm sorry to say. The menu described the mushrooms are garlicky, but I could not taste even a smidge of garlic ... or any flavor at all, to be honest - no seasoning, just plain ole mushrooms. The mushrooms were served on baby spinach and some sourdough. The sourdough was crunchy and tasty - the only good thing about this dish. I also got a serve of hashbrowns on the side, which, thankfully, were crunchy and tasty.

In contrast, my brother (A) and his boyfriend (C) both ordered "The Lot" - eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, tomato and toast - and both were extremely happy with their meals. A was particularly excited about the hollandaise sauce which accompanied the dish.


The service at Tilley's is detached - you order at the bar and then they bring the meal out to you. In fact the only words you'll hear from staff after you've ordered is "who ordered the (insert meal here)". But if that's what you're after, then that's fine.

Verdict:I've always had a good meal at Tilley's, but I was disappointed today. It's a cool place, withn a great vibe but the food can be a bit hit and miss.

Rating: 3/*****