Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Western
Fusion
Breakfast
Australian
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. A glass-walled light-filled space in the old Pentridge Prison, with roses outside. In 2015 it added more vegan choices. Has vegan specials and smoothies as blackboard items in addition to the menu options like chia pudding, maple muesli and coconut hotcakes, vegan big breakfast. Chips and deep fried items such as mock meat & gochujang burger are fried in the same fryer and oil as non-vegan items. Check with staff as specials menu changes. Open Mon-Fri 7:00am-4:00pm, Sat-Sun 8:00am-4:00pm.


Venue map for The Glass Den
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18 Reviews

First Review by Aloo

meghr

Points +38

Vegetarian
29 Nov 2023

Lovely food and space

Loved The Glass Den. Excellent food, fresh ingredients, beautiful ambience. The staff were super friendly too! A few vegan options - please do more (vegan croissants, anyone??)

Updated from previous review on 2023-11-29

MadeleineCox

Points +156

Vegan
25 Nov 2023

Dirty and expensive

We got up and left. $35 for a weird vegan breakfast board. The menus had food all over them.

EmmaLundaahl

Points +27

Vegan
11 Mar 2023

Lacking options

Use to be better but now only have 3 vegan options which aren't that different

Pros: Avo on toast is nice , Cute setting and decor

Cons: Only 2 versions of avo on toast & a mushroom dish

KateAlexandra26

Points +16

Vegan
01 Mar 2023

It’s changed

This place was really good a few years ago but it’s changed ownership and isn’t good anymore. The location and setting is nice but the vegan food is really oily and doesn’t taste good.

Pros: Has vegan options

Cons: Expensive, Oily , Not what it used to be

arianer_

Points +100

Vegan
02 Feb 2023

Great coffee and food

A few different vegan options, a bit pricey but delicious. Coffee and matcha are also great

MontanaBahr

Points +18

Vegan
22 May 2022

Biggest rip off

Food was all super sugary that I couldn’t even eat half of it. Stupid expensive for what it is. Feel like such waste of money, despite the hype I fell into I would never recommend

Pros: Some vegan options , Instagram looking food if that’s what you’re into

Cons: Expensive , Too sweet , Dishes were super dirty

Pips

Points +1596

Vegan
20 Feb 2021

Great for Instagram- Not for tastebuds

If I ate with my eyes or was a food Instagramer this place would be awesome. But I’m not, and the taste was lacking. Ok for something different but I won’t be coming back.

danielsworld

Points +110

Vegan
18 Dec 2020

What happened?

Years ago this place was amazing. They use to make a big vegan breakfast, it was delicious. A big stack of pancakes. Now, the vegans options have dropped significantly, the serving sizes are smaller and the prices have increased. I gave it a few chances in last two years and only to leave more disappointed each time.

YohanⓋ

Points +6103

Vegan
23 Jun 2020

Used to be great

The food quality dropped and the vegan options were less tasty. I used to like the pancakes. The atmosphere is great and it’s a beautiful space. I was overcharged by $30 once, so be careful.

Pros: Nice space

Cons: The food isn’t that tasty anymore.

PiaMA

Points +86

Vegan
01 Feb 2020

High prices small serves

This place has a great vibe, the staff are friendly and they are accommodating for pets. They even have food/drink items for dogs which is lovely. However, we left unhappy and disappointed for a couple of keys reasons.

We were ignored by a waitress for a very long time after we arrived. She chatted away to another customer until I had to get up and ask her for menus. Then we ordered coffees and my mum’s coffee came out no joke 15 minutes after mine, luke warm.

I don’t know if this is a new thing but I’ve never seen it before, they charged us $6.5 on top of our meal to cover Saturday rates. They said on Sunday’s it’s even more. They told us it was on the menu when we asked about it while paying but it must have been really small because I didn’t see it. I already felt the food was overpriced ($5 for a small soy cap?!) but this on top was a bit much.

I got the mushroom bruschetta. It tasted amazing, such a great combination of flavours. However, they served it in a bowl which made it awkward to eat. The knife was so blunt it couldn’t even cut through my toast so was my mother’s. And for $21.50 (as well as the extra weekend surcharge I wasn’t even aware of) I left quite hungry.

Maybe I’m missing something, but for me this place isn’t worth it, we left feeling ripped off and won’t be returning.

Pros: Food/drink options for dogs, A few vegan options

Cons: Severely overpriced, Small serves, Slow service

NJ220

Points +715

Vegan
13 Mar 2019

Was great last time, this time disappointed

Last time I came they had great vegan options and we had a lovely lunch. The food was really beautiful. Today I wasn't super impressed and ended up with just a coffee. I think the menu must change a bit. Disappointed today.

MelP

Points +46

Vegan
27 Sep 2018

Nice coffee

Pleasant cafe. Nothing vegan on the menu is particularly mind blowing. Nice spot to pop in for a coffee but wouldn’t go out of my way.

PotatoesTho

Points +13574

Vegan
30 Apr 2017

Invest in a second fryer please.

Recently learned that several items labelled vegan on the menu are cooked in the same oil/fryer as flesh items. Disappointed as we were assured by staff on a previous visit that the chips were vegan.

This venue is always extremely busy to the point of waiting lists; surely a second fryer would be an ethical investment.



Updated from previous review on 2016-05-01

Cons: Not all foods marked vegan are vegan.

DebbieFinlay

Points +17

Vegetarian
16 Sep 2016

Coffee and cake

A friend took me for a bonsoy coffee and vegan cake. It was delicious. Can't wait to go back and try a meal.

beancurdled

Points +1657

Vegan
19 Mar 2016

new favourite

Coburg is killing it in the vegan-friendly cafe stakes lately. This is the second time I've been sitting somewhere, mid-meal, and been inspired to write a glowing review for HC right away!

The Glass Den goes way beyond most cafes listed "vegan friendly" on HC. They really deserve the label. I'd guess about 1/4 menu items are vegan with a further 1/4 vegan optional. And it's a really creative menu! First visit I had the breakfast soba and it has to be one of the best vegan dishes I've eaten out, imo. Had everything I love. Perfect balance of fresh and green (piles of fresh kale) crunchy and fried (polenta crusted oyster mushroom) and crispy (smoked coconut and kale chips) and silky, slippery soba noodles. Second time I started with an espresso frappe featuring almond milk and coconut ice cream. I love that this is a standard menu item, not a veganised version. I rarely order a raw dish but this time I was tempted by the raw pizza special. I think it was the beetroot mousse, olive soil, and pickled cabbage that sold me. It's delicious. They kitchen have actually done an amazing job of creating a "pizza" flavour but with freshness and variety of textures.

It ain't cheap but I believe it's good value. I've started treating myself to a meal here every other Saturday after a yoga class and really feel like it's worth it as a treat. Look forward to trying everything on the menu but also find it hard to go past that soba. If HC let you rate veg friendly places 5 stars, I'd definitely give Glass Den full marks.

Amanda Panda

Points +376

Vegan
02 Mar 2016

Went for Coffee, Stayed for Lunch.

We wanted to check out this cafe and intended to have a coffee, however, after looking at the menu, we decided to stay for lunch and were so glad we did. There is quite an interesting and comprehensive range of vegan dishes to choose from, in fact most of the menu items can be made vegan. The serves are reasonably sized for the price with fresh ingredients attractively presented. We ordered the Portobello Burger and Mushroom Taco, both very flavoursome and enjoyable (the coffee was good too). Equally impressive was the service we received from our waitress who brought the food. We told her we were sharing and she asked if we wanted plates and if we wanted the Burger cut in half in the kitchen, whilst also replenishing our water bottle. As she left she also said "if you need anything else, please let me know". The Glass Den, in our opinion, is a first class establishment and we will definitely return. It's a shame we are only allowed to give a maximum of 4 stars as it is not fully vegetarian/vegan.

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Excellent service

Cons: Not open at night.

KayleighDixon

Points +81

Vegan
28 Nov 2015

good vegan hot cakes

We have only been here once and had the coconut hot cakes which were great. They serve meat but have a lot of vegan options which I think is quite rare in the coburg area for cafes so it's great. Will definitely be going back to try more things. Big space with lots of tables which is good

Pros: big space, lots of vegan options

Cons: serves meat

Aloo

Points +7231

Vegan
05 Nov 2015

Not prison food

In the old Pentridge Prison complex, sits this humble looking cafe. It's lovely inside, with outdoor seating at the back and front. Beautiful garden surrounds and great service.

It is both vegan friendly and suitable for those on gluten free diets as well. Everything is clearly marked on the menu, and there is quite a range. I enjoyed a wanton salad - all vegan. It was tasty, with all the intricacies of Asian flavours.

Drink-wise, they have smoothies, crushes, great coffee and choice of milks, including coconut milk and almond.

Prices are reasonable too.

Pros: Surrounds, Service, Choices

Cons: Can be a little noisy




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