Main Street

Chris Odrowaz (ex-Square and Compass, Mammoth) opened this sprightly driven-by-the-seasons cafe in late-2017, bringing white, wood and a flurry of plant life to Warragul.

When Odrowaz was growing up, his folks farmed tomatoes for 25 years. These days they run the specialty grocer Lean & Green just next door, sourcing fruit and vegetables direct from Gippsland farmers. So naturally Main Street’s menu benefits from the transparency with this trustworthy middle(wo)man.

Country Style Meats in Garfield supplies the cafe’s ethically farmed meat, and free-range eggs come from Hill Grove Farm. Neighbours bring in homegrown blueberries, and Odrowaz’s mum bakes all the cakes. Odrowaz even buys harvests direct from the young growers at nearby Ellinbank Primary School. The furniture, too, has been made by locals – completing the cafe’s as-local-as-possible goals.

The seasonal menu is dotted with house-made pickles, jams and ice-creams. Try the coconut and orange oats with poached pear and persimmon, or the gluten-free, vegan banana and buckwheat pancakes topped with strawberries, passionfruit, coyo and a drizzle of maple syrup.

The flat whites and single-origin filter coffees are brewed on Carlton-based Tin Man Coffee Roasters beans. By night the cafe transforms into the commercial kitchen of Odrowaz’s successful side hustle, Chai Boy (which you can sample in-house too).