This place has rustic and homely vibes with a menu to match, we loved the dishes we tried especially the shakshuka! The drip coffee was also excellent and they had a great selection of pastries and cakes. New favourite in the area.

I recently visited Cafe Zen Den in Eltham and unfortunately found it to be pretty average. We tried the 'Fritter Kahlo' and 'Bowl of Health', but both dishes were lacking in flavor and needed more sauce. The service was good however, and the staff were attentive and friendly. The atmosphere of the cafe was also pretty decent.

Dined for breakfast on Anzac day. I had the chilli crab scrambled eggs with a chai. Enjoyed both. Staff friendly. Will return to try the rest of the menu.

Tasty hot coffees. Looks small from the outside and opens up inside with 20 tables. Fantastic burgers on the menu. This one pulled brisket and homemade coleslaw. These ribbon fries complement it well. Lovely friendly crew too👌🙏

Super friendly staff. Good coffee and food. Quick service.

Lovely little place with an outdoor area where you can bring your doggos! 🐶 The good was amazing!! I had the poke bowl, all the ingredients are fresh and the sauce it to die for! I would definitely go again ❤️

We went for a breakfast for my partner birthday. Lovely outdoor setting - kind off Fitzroy vibe. Delicious food and very accommodating staff. We felt very welcome and already went back another time.

Great spot for a really good coffee and feed. Very dog friendly. Recommend Chili crab scramble.

Been here a fair few times so I feel I can give a well rounded review. The 3 stars is for the coffee which has always been great and super tasty. However unfortunately I’ve never enjoyed my dine in experience, today has promoted me to give this review. I find there’s nothing standing out about the wait staff, I wasn’t sure if I was being approached by a worker or another cafe patron. A little bit of professional or uniformed appearance goes a long way. An apron, note book, name tag, anything which tells the customer they work there! The waitress who served me today dressed extremely casual and untidy looking. Secondly, in a post pandemic era going into winter- the cramped tables are very uncomfortable. Especially if you’re seated in the middle part, you’ll have people and prams being squeezed past you as it’s the main thoroughfare to the front of the cafe. Very uncomfortable and felt like I was going to leave with the flu or Covid being so close to people. The dine in experience can be so much better if you put some $$$ into it. Will only get take away coffee from here now.

Very busy on weekends but a great selection of vego and vegan friendly meals, with witty names (my favourite was the Yolko Ono egg dish). Reasonable prices and generous servings. Friendly staff too. A great local find! Only downside is parking can be scarce as it is on the main road leading out of Eltham.

Great food, good coffee and exceptionally friendly staff

We walked around Eltham for lunch without anything really catching our eye. We arrived at 2.55pm and staff were happy to serve even though the kitchen was closing in 5 minutes. We ordered the beef bisket burger, gf crispy salmon salad, latte and a shiraz. Everything was delicious. Our 2 huskies loved it! They got a free puppercino, dog treat and may be featured in #doggosofzenden. We will definitely be back!

Amazing food and lovely staff.

This cafe is awesome! Delicious breakfast, fresh juice and sooo many gluten free treats, the raw snickers was a show stopper!

The cafe had a chill and relaxed vibe, which I really enjoyed. I had the grilled calamari salad. The texture of the calamari was not bad but under-seasoned. The salad dressing was nice but I think there was way too much of it, which made everything a bit soggy. Service was good - the staff were nice and friendly.

Came here for the first time last weekend and loved it so much we made a booking for this week too. Lovely staff, great latte and my crab and scrambled eggs was AMAZING!

Delicious food! I got the Benedict hash with brisket.. very tasty - but as my friend had his dog with him we had to sit out side - very dog friendly with water bowls etc and contained so that was sweet but if your looking for a peaceful brunch/ breakfast spot that was not it! Inside looked better if a bit squished in but the outside seating is right on the busymain road and they were playing 90's hits so loud we couldn't hear each other and when we asked if they could turn it off ( there was just us and one other table occupied by two ladies yelling to hear each other also) the woman serving us just gave us a flat almost aggressive "NO! The music won't be turned off"... she did turn it down a smidge but it kinda set a tone of grrr to the whole experience and made it hard for my sound sensitive friend to relax or enjoy his breakfast at all... so if you don't like talking over your yummy food and love 90's love songs... maybe this is the best place for you! But Im gonna keep looking for a more peaceful local!

I haven't been to Zen Den in a few years and was so thoroughly impressed by our experience over the weekend! The coffee was the best coffee, I've had (excluding my coffee from my main barista) in a long, long time! I would come back for the coffee alone, it was so good. The meals were delicious too. I can't wait to visit again soon.

Trippy tofu is the dish that transfered me from a meat lover to a vegan-dish hunter 👌🏻

Visited for brunch on a weekend. There is plenty on each dish. The taste was okay, nothing special. I had their big breakfast excluding becon and chorizo sausages, couldn't finish. I loved the coffee though, had a Latte, forgot to check the beans and grind!

This place is pretty good but to wait up to 35-40 mins for 1 coffee on a Saturday is lunacy. Learnt my lesson second time its happened, I only go after an appt in eltham. I'd be happy with being warned then at least I have the choice to not get a coffee because "wait times are over half an hour". Because I would feel like a Karen saying "I've waited too long cancel my order". This place doesn't work well for my needs, but the coffee and food are good... just try go mid week if your on a schedule.

Friendly staff, great coffee, very popular.

Terrific flat white based on the Proud Mary bean. Food and cakes always nice too. As such, always busy so not easy to pop in for a quick takeaway. However, worth the wait.

Awesome coffee, some amazing take-home meals and wonderful staff. Its a must when in Eltham.

My 2nd favorite place for a coffee in Eltham. Great staff, good food and Proud Mary Coffee. ☕

Awesome atmosphere, fantastic service, friendly staff, best coffee in Melbourne (Proud Mary) & delicious food.

Wife loves the coffee here. It’s reasonably well priced, even if you want fancy extras such as free range soy free almond milk.

Quirky sort of Cafe with an impressive kitchen staff that churn out an amazing quantity of food, and it all looks and tastes amazing. Good coffee too, and the vacuum sealed pies to go are also fabulous. Despite being about an hour away from home, I could imagine this becoming a regular haunt.

Best coffee I’ve had in a while! Great cafe, the cakes and treats looked amazing. We’ll be back!

Very busy and popular cafe among the locals and people from surrounding areas. They offer a variety of different brunch meals and burgers with many vegan and vegetarian options. Lots of choice for yummy muffins and sweet treats. The coffee and fresh juices are good. The cafe is filled with people and tables close together and if the weather is nice and you prefer fresh air, there is an outdoor eating area. Recommend you try it!

We've been here quite a few times now, breakfast, brunch and lunch! It gets crazy busy here on the weekend, so pull a sickie and have a chilled brunch 😉 Staff are always welcoming and friendly. Coffee is good and food is great.

Beautiful food, staff and atmosphere Staff were efficient and attentive, friendly and warm. The food was great value for money too - It was a difficult choice as there’s heaps of nutritionally dens food option but I chose the poke bowl and added chicken which came quickly and left me feeling satisfied. The cabinet has great cakes, sandwiches and sweets for takeaway too. I couldn’t leave without a protein cocoa bite. Have already told some friends about this place - I’ll definitely be back.

I went there on a nice day, food was nice and fresh squeezed juice, friendly service. definitely the best cafe in this suburb.

Nice ambiance. Professional staff. As soon as walked in someone greeted me which was nice even though it was in a monotone and robotic manner; still it was nice everyone was busy I did not expect that. Sandwiches and rolls looked fresh ; haven’t tried them myself. My order was 1 strong Latte takeaway; not impressed with the coffee ☕️. It was too hot as soon as I touched the cup. It usually says that someone Fd up. Given the good reputation that they have in the area I may try again and change this review.

Great cafe with some little things for improvement: -Love the food at this place and its my go to but I think the eggs benedict needs a revamp, its not very good. -Also I find the service sometimes can be a bit slow to take our order although that is hit and miss sometimes its fast. As I said it's great and definitely the best in Eltham (hence the 5 stars), coffee is exceptional too, this is just feedback for the owners for smalls improvements! 😊❤️

Had a stop for snack break, amazing crispy tofu and great coffee. I tried flat white and it was amazing. At the end desert was too tempting and museli slice stole the thunder above all dishes. The is additional surcharge 15% public holidays, 10 - weekends

Always love visiting Zen Den. They have such a great selection of food catering for all dietary requirements. The coffee is great too.

Always great food. Chai is the best

Best coffee, best staff, best everything 😊

Excellent coffee, food and staff. Super efficient during the morning rush. Great cafe for the Northern suburbs.

Lovely food top people

Liked it, Hash was perfect and am so happy with my choice of brunch, Hash Benedict. Thanks guys.

Lovely food, coffee and atmosphere. Always a winner! And they have great kids options too, and a doggie breakfast.

After explaining how allergic my daughter is to dairy and being assured they would take care when making her almond milk latte - after two sips my daughter is having an allergic reaction which I’m very much hoping doesn’t lead to Hospital. Beware Zen Den if you have allergies or are vegan.

Great breakfast

Great food and coffee. Fantastic staff.

Food, coffee and dessert are consistently delicious! Always met with a smile when you first walk in. I especially loved the lockdown dinner offering when Cafe Zenden partnered with Mr Miyagi for 1 night only.

Good coffee Friendly and trendy

Had a takeaway salad...awesome!!! Looking forward to eating in..

Great coffee and great atmosphere inside too. Had to wait a bit for the coffee (take-away) but was well worth it!

Coffee better be good, because their ability to make it efficiently in a decent amount of time is sorely lacking.... 20 min wait for a coffee and it’s not really busy....

Large servings. everything fresh! suits many likes/dislikes/food options.

I'm always here for a coffee but always walk out with a pastry, some breakfast or even dinner for the evening too. The team are all legends and so incredibly nice. Coffee rocks (I know this is important to mention) and the food range is bloody delicious!

Aaesome egg and bacon rolls ! Great coffee and friendly staff . The muffins and sweets are great too. This place is great for a takeaway or for a meeting with friends.

the miso tofu scramble is my favourite breakfast in Melbourne. thank-you for always being so consistent!

Nails it ... always a good coffee and smile

Best breaky burgers in Melbourne!! Thanks cafe zen den!!

Lovely feel and great food.

Very busy but so worth the wait. Lovely coffee and the cakes are superb.

Friendly local cafe with good coffee.

Placing muffins in plastic containers? Really? And just a general rubbish bin with no recycling bin? Paper bags and cardboard containers are dirt cheap. Please improve, and help keep eltham beautiful.

Good service. Friendly staff

My bf and I have been here a few times and it’s always great, specially today. The atmosphere is nice and the food was very yummy. Massive portions, I had scrambled eggs a hash, avo and mushrooms. My partner had the Fleetwood Mac burger with an egg and extra cheese, he said it was the best burger he’d had in ages and it came with heaps of waffle fries which are so good. We got extra because we didn’t expect so much so we could barely finish everything. We had iced chocolate and iced mocca, he liked his mine was a tiny bit bitter with not much chocolate but didn’t take away from anything else. The staff were nice and it was $68 for 2 massive meals, 2 drinks and extra fries. As my boyfriend said it left us ‘completely satisfied’

I’ve only managed to visit this cafe twice in 4 years as it’s normally closed during the xmas - new year period when I’m down visiting the siblings. Seems to be popular with the locals as the cafe was packed. The owner and staff were friendly. The service, food and coffee were very good.

Great coffee today but our muffin was dry like the Sahara desert.

Best coffee EVER. Lovely, always friendly staff, great food, just a fantastic place.

Wonderful food. Best seasoned waffle fries. Good coffee too. Plus it's always a bonus that you can take your fur kids.

Bad customer service.

great coffee and Cakes worth the wait my only negative is ive paid different amounts for the same items

Zen den is a lovely community hub, Spence and everyone working there create such an awesome vibe. Plus easily the best coffee in town, using proud Mary beans. Foods really good too and there are lots of delicious vegan/veg options. If you're in the area then get here.

Absolutely love this place to bits. Great Vegan and Veg options. Would recommend to anyone who is passing by or lives in the area to stop and eat.

Delicious muffins!

I'm in luv with my new local gem, always impressed. The only coffee speciality in the area by PM, legendary Spencer takes his coffee too seriously. Cheerful staff, very laid back service run by luvly Stacey and awesome girls. Anastasia the most Cheerful girl, lightens up the space with her smile I promise, everyone is amazing too. Great selection of veggies/vegan options too on the menu or to go. Hats off to the kitchen team. Not to forget about the freshly baked HM yummy. Spencer says carrot cake won't disappoint ....& it didn't :) Let's support a local family owned business. Keep up the good stuff guys :)

First time visiting Cafe Zen Den on the weekend. Unfortunately we were served mouldy bread. The moment I took I bite I felt like the food was off. The service was good though, they apologised and refunded my meal and offered a coffee. Update: my family member had food poisoning for 2 days after eating this food. Really disappointing.