Matta Cafe

A cute Japanese cafe tucked away in Balwyn North. You won’t know unless you hear it from other people or living near the area.

I really enjoyed their creamy carbonara udon. It was the right flavour and the mushrooms were slightly salty and tossed in the creamy carbonara sauce. Udon was well cooked, slurping at each bite.

The Yuzu soba noodles were yummy too. Very refreshing for a summer day.

Houjicha was nice but didn’t have the wow factor as some other cafes do. It was good to get my fix.

We also ordered a banana smoothie. And my partner enjoyed that too.

They were able to accomodate us with a pram on a busy holiday period. The space they gave us was spacious too. Thank you!

The only thing was the ambience was a bit loud in the cafe if you don’t like loud, your ears may be ringing after you leave. 🤣

Lovely little cafe, It was a busy weekend and the service was still friendly and efficient.
I had the fried chicken poke bowl which was very big!
The coffee was delicious

I've been here many times and have tried almost everything on the menu.
It's a brunch that's worth visiting again and again!

Must-try:
Prawn nori taco 🦐
Creamy udon carbonara🫶🏻
Ebi sando🥪 (with umami fries, you'll love it)
Curry omelette🍛 (with chicken karaage )

Recommended Drinks:
Osmanthus dirty latte
Hojicha latte
Iced Matcha Latte (it's better with ice cream)🍵
Yuzu orange ade🍹

Matta was a splendid little cafe we've driven past. Such cute decor inside, rustic vibes, there is so much more to the cafe inside than out, we went for a weekend brunch so it was a little busy.

We ordered the omurice and the prawn tacos with a side of very generous fries. Service was a little slow but incredibly kind and professional. The prawn tacos came out exquisitely presented, on a fried seaweed shell and a fresh salad bed, I really enjoyed this dish but you can't leave the prawns out for too long as the fry batter got soggy really quickly. However, those prawns were most definitely jumbo and so so fresh.
My partner had the omelette curry rice, which was a hearty meal, the ebi katsu was very fresh also, the prawns were juicy, and serving size was immensely generous. The fries came a little bit late to the table so we were already quite full when it came, and they were fresh fries, thats it, nothing special, just a solid serving of fries. Would definitely come back to try more options!

Coffee was a bit of a miss in this instance, my cold brew was lovely but the Matta coffee black was a bit off with the fizz.

Walk-in at 11.30am and there are plenty of seats and no queue.
We had Ebi Katsu Sando and Creamy Udon Carbonara, we enjoyed it so much!
Also ordered Hojicha latte but I’ll stick with my normal coffee next time, it tastes more like tea than coffee - it’s worth trying if you’ve never had it before though .

Had the Curry Omelette Rice with Ebi Katsu, Ebi Katsu Sando and matcha lattes. Lovely Japanese cafe with friendly staff.

Updated - visited again. Tried the Carbonara udon, Takoyaki balls and Iced Matcha latte

Asian fusion brunch is one of my favourite cuisines and I love how it’s rapidly growing in the Melbourne food scene — and Matta Cafe does not disappoint!

We tried the:
▪️Ebi Kastu Sando ($17) Panko crumbled ebi, Miso Mayo crab meat, Lettus, Homemade thousand island mayo, shokupan Sandwich with extra Umami French Fries ($4.50)
▪️Matta Curry Omelette Rice ($20) Omelette w Japanese vegetable curry on rice w Fried enoki mushroom, Fried Shallot, Fukujin zuke pickle Kizami nori w Mushroom cream with extra Ebi Katsu ($6.00)
▪️HOJICHA LATTE ($7)
▪️OSMANTHUS DIRTY LATTE ($8)

We really liked everything we tried, the ebi sando was tasty, really liked all the individual elements and together it was an excellent, well balanced, flavourful sando. The omelette in the curry rice was cooked to perfection and also an overall great dish. Unfortunately we found the hojicha to be quite weak, diluted and milky, and we preferred the osmanthus dirty latte more.

This Japanese cafe’s menu has a great abundance of tasty options on their menu which is giving me an incentive to revisit

The food was pretty good and delicious. We got the wagyu burger which was well cooked and the chips had umami seasoning. Overall not bad. The coffee was smooth and not too strong, the matcha was nice but not the best. The little babycino was really good and just nice for our little one. Staff were very friendly and service was good.

Super hidden gem at Balwyn! Staffs were lovely and served coffee and food very shortly. Japanese chicken Karaage curry and pork Sando were outstanding. Flat white was definitely rock 👍🏻 Thanks for quality food with reasonable prices. 🍛☕️ highly recommended who loves Japanese cuisine and the best coffee at Balwyn area.

Received one of the best service at this cafe - staff were super attentive. From the moment of booking over the call, staff ensured that our request for window seat was taken into account. During our meal, staff checked in on us a few times and even offered us a small oven mitt to ensure we didn’t burn ourselves when we were holding the pot.

Wonderful portion size and great food for both brunch and dinner - have dined in for both. Will come back again! Also a nicely decorated cozy cafe vibe. Local gem in Balwyn.

4.5 stars. So happy to find this place. This cafe runs like a well oiled machine. The service is friendly, warm and efficient. The atmosphere is wonderful, natural light, lots of people bustling and a constant food flowing out from the kitchen.

The food was good quality and the matcha latte was good too. Took half a star off as the Wagyu burger patty was described as dry, which is a shame for the Wagyu. Juicy patty is what would be great. The matcha latte was nice but wasn't as creamy as I was hoping. The ebi Sando was nice. The fries were good but would have been better crispier. So just a few minor tweaks and the food can be fantastic.

Overall everyone enjoyed their meals. The udon carbonara was described as really good and the sauce went well. And the new seafood ramen was very good too.

Can't wait to try out more food and the coffee.

Pleasant cafe to eat and meet up with friends. Friendly staff and wide selection of food for breakfast and lunch. A rare cafe that serves Hojicha latte, a must try, delicious roasted tea.

We ordered the Curry Omelette Rice with Chicken Karaage, Mushroom Risotto, Pork Katsu Sando, Prawn Nori Taco and the Heavenly Taiyaki Bingsu. Curry Omelette Rice and Mushroom Risotto hit the spot for us! Would definitely recommend. Sando was pretty standard. Prawn taco was yummy until you get to the bottom, the left over sauce was overpowering. I'm not a fan of really sweet desserts but the Heavenly Bingsu was just that... Heavenly! - Mr Picky Eater

What a gem of a place. Monday lunch and the place was full. Could not fault the food. All excellent. Must have were the Prawn Nori Tacos, Risotto with mushrooms and the Curry omelette. Also had the Chicken Karaage which was very nice but the dishes above were superb. Will have to come back and try the other dishes. Staff were very obliging and friendly. Decor was tasteful and atmosphere was welcoming. Will be back again.