A day at The Village Play Cafe

Monday rolls around, it is school holidays and a day where I really do not have anything planned. This is a mistake today, my children are in need of some entertainment and as I nurse a possible ear infection and cannot see a doctor until tomorrow I search my brain for an idea of what to do, ignoring my children and their heckles that I take them to soft play centre. The weather seems OK for the beginning of July but my idea of visiting a zoo is put aside by that fact it is almost 11 am it will take an hour to get there, I have no food in the house to pack a picnic and the budget conscious part of me poo poos that idea because I refuse to fork out money for food I know they won't eat and also I don't fancy offering them hot chips as a complete meal AGAIN.

Anyhoo I googled kid friendly places to have lunch and there was a great list of cafes to take your kids to, all of them as I scrolled down the list were just that bit too far for us to drive ( in other words I could't be stuffed with a longish drive). I scrolled on and saw The Little Village Play Cafe, not too far and I have heard of it and always wanted to check it out so today was the day! I called my mum and she was keen to come along too.

When we arrived it was pretty quiet although we discovered earlier in the day had been quite busy. Walking through the door you see a bright crisp space, lots of tables to sit at and beyond those, a little village for the children to play in. We were able to choose a table to sit at, although I would recommend booking as I think we were rather lucky it was a quiet moment.The children immediately made for the play village and I approached the counter to get some menus. There is a charge for the children over the age of 12 months to play at the cafe but compared to some play centres I have been to I found the cost fairly reasonable.

The menu is simple and sweet, the small kitchen at the front of the cafe has a display of various turkish bread sandwiches with meat and meat free options, and salad too. There is also an impressive selection of slices, cookies and muffins! The options for children are so good, still a bit of a treat menu but not a chip or chicken nugget in sight! My 2 both had a smoothie each consisting of milk, fruit and honey and they are served in cute little child size mason jars. The kids loved them, my wee man downed his almost in one go,  My daughter had a ham and cheese croissant and for the picky bird like eater she is, she ate the whole thing and further to my surprise used a knife and fork to do so. My son ordered the raisin toast as he was hungry before we left the house and had already eaten a banana and a peanut butter sandwich. He was more than happy to have a good play instead!

The set up at The Little Village Play Cafe is so wonderful that it encourages children to engage in imaginary play and opportunities for social engagement in a safe and very pleasant environment. The Village has it's own Fire Station which doubles as a fire truck with it's 2 steering wheels, a grocery store where you will find all you need to stock up your pantry and you will always have a very helpful cashier working the till even if they are quite short. There is a tool shop for the handy fixer upper types, a hospital for those who need looking after, human, doll or animal. There is a cake shop perfect for the avid baker and a generous selection of dress ups in the Boutique for the children to become whoever they wish to be. At the back is a quiet little nook for reading and at the front near the tables a spot for the small children to play on a mat with access to toy shelves and bead frames secured to the wall which was very cool.

The Little Village Play Cafe also has shopping opportunities beautifully displayed, baby items, pampering things like face masks and lip balms, jewellery, tea and childrens clothing. Some of the baby items were so cute I even contemplated adding to my brood. Mum talked me out of that one! But in all seriousness there are some really lovely gift ideas in there for mums and young children at great prices.

We spent nearly 2 hours in The Little Village Play Cafe, I got to chat with my Mum, have a yummy lunch, two hot beverages and play with my kids in an environment that was stress free and so different to the typical play centres that are high energy, there is a really calm vibe about the cafe. The staff were incredibly polite and were great to chat to as well.

We left feeling refreshed and relaxed which is not something I think I have EVER said or felt after taking my kids out to have some lunch, either they are having a ball in some noisy place or they are bored and whiny if it is somewhere I would prefer to go. The Little Village Play Cafe provided the best of both worlds.

So if you are in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne and you have little kids that need a play and you need a chill out I highly recommend The Little Village Play Cafe!

Facebook : The Little Village Play Cafe
Instagram: @thelittlevillageplaycafe
Opening Hours: Monday - Friday 9:30 - 3:30


Where are your fave places to take the kids out for a lunch date?

Fi xx