Newly renovated, Joan’s Pantry is an icon for those who have grown up in the lower foothills around the Blackwood area, with the Hawthorndene cafe serving the community for what seems like forever. Reading through their history and they have indeed been here forever, since the 1920s to be exact!

Located in the ideal spot for families, across the road from the Hawthorndene Oval and right next to Apex Park (Fully fenced slice of paradise right here!), Joan’s offers a beautiful setting for families to grab a coffee as they head to the playground, or to sit in for a meal. Primarily a brunch/lunch cafe, it is also fully licensed and open for dinner on Friday nights and offers relaxing seating options indoors and out. For us, eating out with a toddler, we sat inside and found it to be actually genuinely relaxing, with our boys sitting on the bench looking out at the view through the fabulous new bifold windows and reading the selection of kids books on offer. Spacious and decorated with plenty of nods to the history of the cafe and the area, they have done very well to offer family friendly options to eat inside and out depending on the weather.

And it is outside where Joan’s surprised us! We are certainly no newbies here, having grabbed a coffee and a cookie on many occasions before a spin at the playground, but we had no idea about the incredible garden out the back! ‘Joan’s Patch’ is a community garden that has grown into a wonderful community, with memberships available to join and grow your own fruits, veggies and herbs. For us as visitors, the garden is open to wander and explore and adds a real tranquil vibe to finish off your visit following your meal. It also let our toddler walk off the infinite energy he seems to gain and offered nice distractions for him while the rest of the fam finished off their brunch (in peace!). Don’t forget they have a sandpit with toys and more tables too, with plenty of shade under the trees.

But all this is great, but is the food any good? Well we are pleased to report that everyone was well and truly satisfied with the offerings at Joans. Fabulous coffee for the parents and a good range of kids options at very reasonable prices ($7 is the average price for the kids meals for brunch and very well priced lunch options after 11:30, which we LOVED in these cozzie livs days)

Joan’s website allows online orders, a nice review of their history and is a very well put together resource for locals to engage with their local icon. A stone’s throw from Belair National Park, a trip up the hill is not complete without a pit top at this local icon!

Joan’s Pantry
Location: 7 Watahuna Avenue, Hawthorndene
Opening Hours: Mon-Thu 8:00am – 4:00pm | Fri 8:00am – 8:00pm | Sat – Sun 8:30am – 4:30 pm
Find them on Facebook or Instagram or Phone 8278 2091

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