Sitting just across the road from the McCrae beachfront, this award-winning cafe is a long-time favourite for locals and day trippers alike. Sporting a somewhat recent makeover, the Mornington Peninsula cafe is an inviting, light-filled spot.

When Nordie opened its doors in Red Hill in late 2017, Mornington Peninsula wine country scored a dose of Scandinavian cool. With its smart, minimalist design, this Danish-inspired cafe is the work of Tom Portet of Yarra Valley Winery.

Tucked away in an industrial pocket of the region, Commonfolk Coffee is one of the unassuming gems of the Mornington Peninsula’s cafe scene. Here, the house-roasted coffee is the hero, with specialty options to suit every palate. 

A contemporary cafe with an on-site cooking school, Georgie Bass is ideal for a weekend road trip down Mornington Peninsula. Sibling to The Flinders Hotel, it’s an inviting indoor-outdoor space, complete with dog-friendly seating and even a bike repair station. 

Sitting pretty on the main stretch of Mornington, Store Fifteen is full of coastal cafe charm. The space itself has a home-spun industrial feel, all polished concrete, reclaimed timber and foliage — a setting primed for laidback weekend visits. 

For a cracking Peninsula brunch matched with cracking views, Pelikan Société is a tried-and-true favourite. The cafe boasts a sunny deck overlooking the marina, while the dining room’s got floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

As the Mornington Peninsula’s first all-vegan cafe and food store, Wombat has big love for all things cruelty-free. Rebecca Ettridge launched the venue in 2016 with the aim of gently showing Dromana locals that eating vegan needn’t mean ditching flavour.