Monkey Business

Made room for 10 of us even on Father's day. Friendly and attentive staff. Busy little Cafe, great place for people of all ages. Food was on our table within 30mins. I got the Benedict burger and the roast potatoes as a side. Tasty and filling! Would go again next time I'm in town.

After deciding on taking a scenic drive of the peninsula, hunger struck and brunch was quickly on the cards. Found MB's on maps and gave it a visit, we were not disappointed!

Door service on arrival, plenty of available tables, nice open bright floor layout, super friendly staff, water provided immediately. The menu was a breath of fresh air, open kitchen window providing transparency, passionate chef and wait staff, fantastic establishment. 🙏

The artwork at this venue is outstanding.

Chicken dish was a star!

Im not a desert person but for the first time I ate the entire portion of the Portuguese custard. Love the flavours.

Big thank you to the chefs and our server :)

Great venue, friendly staff, good food, do recommend.

Ordered the Chefs Tasting Plate and was presented with a three course meal of the chefs own design, he was even kind enough to come out to the table and talk us through the meals. Table service was wonderful also, the staff were very attentive.

4.5

We love Monkey Business. We’ve been here for breakfast, lunch and dinner - overall about half a dozen times - and loved it each time. For our latest visit we went with international visitors and absolutely loved the experience. The food was outstanding, particularly the fish which is beautifully presented with broth and broad beans. Such a pretty dish and utterly delicious, especially with sides of potatoes and salads. The starters were terrific too, especially the anchovies. The wine list offers tremendous quality too and great variety. Service was lovely throughout too. Dromana has a dearth if good quality mid priced restaurants. It’s either cheapie quick meals or expensive winery meals. Monkey Business is easily the place that best fills the gap. And, it’s a place that really works to maintain a high level of quality and it keeps improving too. Our international visitors loved it here. A very picky hipster I know is pretty clear about it. Monkey Business is our place of choice. Highly recommended.

A year ago

Good place that could become very, very good in time. It’s certainly the most interesting place I’ve discovered in this area so far.

First off, it delivered one of the best dishes I’ve had anywhere for the year. Leek, bacon, braised sliver beet, hollandaise and poached eggs with toast on the side. This dish had everything. It looked superb, it had beautiful flavour and a lovely delicate texture. I adored this dish. I found it so strikingly different from the usual brunch standards and I’d happily travel serious distance to have it again.

My companions had the chicken burger. They reported them as good but nowhere near my dish. Theirs looked unexciting on the plate, I’d have to say. They tasted ok apparently.

My great experience continued though. I was coming off an extended fast and needed more than the main. There was a limited choice of cakes and slices on offer. Just two, in fact. I chose superbly again. The banana bread here is the best I’ve had by some distance. Moist with a rich satisfying flavour. It was striking good with the caramalised banana on top.

I finished with an excellent long black. Rich, substantive and well made coffee. A very very good brew.

Now, let’s talk about a few of the odd things here. It’s a really good place but a bit hidden. We had never seen it on the street even when looking for it. The sign is so subtle. There is nothing on the front glass to announce a cafe or even to signal that’s its open when you pick where it is. It’s a bizarrely low key street presence. I couldn’t actually work out it was open until I went up to the front glass and peered in and spotted people at the very rear of the cafe. Crazy. It’d be different in the warmer months as there’d be people outside but not so when it’s cool like today.

It gets stranger. We couldn’t work out where the front door is. It’s up the left hand side of the place right at the end. We tried several other entry spots on the folding doors at the side. But, the front door is at the far end and has nothing to mark it as an entrance. But, the good news is we found it.

It’s a lovely place inside. Contemporary and nicely set out. Sound echoes a bit inside but it’s not too troubling. Strange music choice today though. 80s pop. We thought it needed softer stuff.

Service was generally good throughout.

I’ll be back to this place.

Found this amazing little cafe on our way home, staff where lovely! And the food was not what we where expecting, it was amazing! Honestly food was one of the best experiences iv had for breakfast in a long time!

As someone who has tried almost every breakfast location on the Peninsula I have to say Monkey Business is up there with some of the best. Beautiful light filled dining along with the quirky and bright wall art brought a smile to my face as soon as I walked inside. While the menu may be a little difficult to decipher for the "average joe", you will be delighted when you see the quality and technique the chefs at Monkey Business have to offer. Prices were not over the top and these guys know how to do a GREAT coffee.
Monkey Business is a fantastic location for a first date, breakfast with the family or even just taking grandma out for a coffee on the weekend.
If you love good food and coffee, I would highly recommend you give this place a try.

We're staying at a winery in Red Hill and found this place by looking on Google maps. Photos looked good, so thought we'd try. IT'S INCREDIBLE. The food is simple concept and executed masterfully. Couldn't stop eating. And super friendly and confident service, too. Try the chickpeas.

A truly unique gastronomical experience. Every single dish we had met our expectations. As appetizers we had, the octopus balls, the anchovies, the olives, the chorizo chimichurri and also two tinnies. For the mains, we enjoyed; the King Dory, the squid ink linguini, the lamb BBQ chop and the rump steak. All bursting with exquisite flavours.

The owners/chefs were incredibly engaging and friendly. They took time to explain all the dishes. Would be back in a heartbeat if I lived there.

Great job guys! Thanks for the beautiful experience!!

Booked in advance for a brunch for a group of 10 via email. I did this about a month in advance - cautious as we had booked in Dec with a lot of getaways and holidays scheduled in. Luc was quick and accommodating. He noted to me in advance they couldn’t do a big table of 10, but could do two tables of five just next to each other. I said yes to this arrangement and it turned out mostly fine on the day. A bit difficult to converse with one another but overall it was fine.

I ordered the squid ink pasta, but was torn between that and the north QLD prawn (both pictured). My friends ordered the prawn so I have posted a photo of this as it just looked incredible. Based on feedback it tasted great. I can also vouch for the squid ink pasta being a good choice. Seasoned well - and something different for a brunch! All ingredients were so fresh, and presentation was impeccable.

Staff were incredibly friendly and personable. A few friends had asked to make changes to some of the meals - they are transparent in noting this is not allowed, but were kind enough to make alternative suggestions instead. They made jokes with us and were attentive - overall great.

The vibe was upscale, yet also relaxed. Very clean and modern. The monkey theme is embedded throughout the restaurant but not in a cheesy or gimmicky way. For example they had a wall of little stuffed monkeys near the cashier, and each staff member had a monkey hanging from their pocket. Just nice little touches which I found added to the charm.

Overall it was a pleasant experience and I’d come back when I’m in the area!

+ Parking is convenient as restaurant is situated near a mini shopping centre and in front of a beach.

Everything about Monkey Business is incredible. From the atmosphere, to the entire staff, the food and the location. I truly cannot fault this restaurant! Always an excellent experience!!!

The meals were absolutely delicious, we finished them up so fast. Every element of the food was flavoursome. The desserts were beyond expectations. The service was so friendly and hands on. The ambience is great as well. We will visit here again next time we are in Dromana.

Beautiful atmosphere and oh my goodness, it's been so long since we've had some really different and exciting flavours! Cannot recommend highly enough.

The quality of the food and service here is of the highest standard. Exceptionally friendly waiter catered for our every needs and would highly recommend this restaurant.

I found a Gem like a diamond in the rough. Absolutely 💯 % the place to eat in Dromana overlooking the bay. Get there and tantalise your taste buds.
Great Service with a smile 😊
Great Food made with love and passion. I'm coming back.

Such a great find! Chef's creative dishes with nothing to fault. Highly recommend. Well done monkey business! Will return!

AMAZING! I have a load of dietary requirements and always feel like such a burden when I go to cafes. The chef was SOOOO wonderful! Came out to chat and created the most amazing meal.
Also created a wonderful Vegan option for my friend 😊

We went for lunch not knowing what to expect!
WOW! WOW WOW!!
We were pleasantly surprised!
No toasties here, only high quality delicious chef prepared dishes!
The service was outstanding and matched our outstanding food!
4 dishes, the Salmon, lamb, chicken and prawn linguine all amazing!
The desserts were on another level and served with the best coffee, piping hot!
We we're definitely destined to find this place and are still raving about our delicious dining experience that we did not expect.
We will definitely be back!

Food and coffee both excellent and very friendly and efficient staff. New menu coming soon.

This is our go-to place for fabulous food and wonderful friendly service! Never disappoints and would recommend to anyone local or visitor. Loved it again tonight! The mushroom bruschetta was AMAZING!