Location
Possibly one of the easiest cafes to find on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula, partly because it is on the main road in Port Elliot on the corner of The Strand, but mostly because it is 3 doors down from and in the same building complex as the renown Port Elliot Bakery, which invariably has a line of hungry customers snaking out its door and down the footpath.
Bike Parking
I saw only one small, lonely bike rail on the Strand side of the cafe, but this will only hold 2 bikes and will only be easily visible from seating on the western side of the cafe. Its far more practical to simply lean your bike up against (or hook your handlebars over) the wire railings on the footpath, and find a table just adjacent.
Food and Drink
We were in Port Elliot as part of a family summer holiday, and enjoyed breakfast here on two mornings. Our eggs were cooked to perfection, the hollandaise was delicious with just the right amount of tang, the smoked salmon was yummy and the bacon juicy. Servings were generous and quick to arrive with the cafe less than half full.
Coffee
Grinders coffee is splashed all over the market umbrellas, and turned out to be a dark nutty roast, just the way we like it. Our long blacks came with the perfect crema clinging to the cups. Our waitress took our coffee order quickly upon sitting down, so there was not long to wait for our caffeine hit.
Amenity
We really found this to be a lovely cafe in an ideal location. The majority of outdoor seats were plastic whicker and very comfortable, with a few outdoor tables serviced by simple metal stools instead. Indoors you have the choice of plush bench seats, or much less inviting metal wire chairs with thin mats for comfort. I found the vibe of the vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, and covered outdoor dining areas to be in perfect harmony.
Toilets
These are found by heading past the kitchen, behind the rear of the other shops in the complex, at the far end of the hallway. It would be quite a noisy hike in cleats on the hard floors. The toilets themselves were clean and well stocked but I did not notice any clothes hooks in the mens.
Service
On the two occasions we were there the cafe was well staffed, and did a good job of taking and serving our initial orders, However after that I did get a sense of staff moving around with eyes down, clearing tables and resetting very efficiently, but missing the opportunity to ask us for coffee refills, extra water etc. All staff were very friendly and accommodating when we had their attention.
