Old Green Bean

Zoe and Chris Waddington are the energetic young couple behind Old Green Bean – a micro-roastery and cafe they opened in 2010. Chris used to be a stockbroker. Zoe studied nature tourism. They met travelling in the UK, and returned to Bendigo to chase the cafe dream.

There’s a wonderful community feel about their bustling joint – the kind of heartfelt calls of “good morning!” and first-name greetings that make you wish this was your morning coffee stop every day.

The cafe is in the old YMCA dance hall building – meaning older residents often come in and tell stories of how they wooed each other in a particular corner back in the day.

The menu is an extensive breakfast-through-lunch affair, featuring healthy, flavourful dishes such as smashed peas with ricotta, mint, dukkah and eggs on sourdough. There’s also the heartier sweet-corn-and-bacon hash with avocado, spring onions and a poached egg on corn bread.

Remember to check the specials before you order – there could be pork-belly banh mi with homemade pate, pickled carrot, cucumber, chillies and coriander.

Roasting is done in small batches on-site and there’s a vintage clothing shop out the back.

Explore Bendigo further using our detailed Out of Town to Bendigo guide.