cumulus inc.

came here on a friday night and it did not disappoint!

dishes ordered: tuna tartare, slow roast lamb shoulder, kipfler potatoes, asparagus & egg yolk sauce, madeleines filled with lemon curd

totally enjoyed all of them, but personally feel that the portion for asparagus could be more generous! we asked for extra bread to go with the lamb shoulder sauce and it goes really well. and the madeleines are always a must order i’d say (do note that there’s a 15 minutes wait).

good service although it was a busy friday night, overall a pleasant experience.

what an experience! came here with one of my girlfriends and we got situated on their bar stand where we got to watch the kitchen work their magic.

ordered their beef tartare, foie gras parfait, jason iberico joselito, mussels, slow roast lamb shoulder, pork cutlet and asparagus. wow wow wow, can’t fault anything. the food was spectacular and the service was on point. i can see why this place has such good reviews. really amazing

a real “melbourne vibe” to this place with great coffee & food to match. had the smashed avo with smoked salmon & a poached egg.
this place is super popular & can gets really busy on weekends so you’ll want to get in early unless you don’t mind a short wait.

dropped by for a late lunch, nothing to complain food is good as usual, service was always friendly and prompt

extremely disappointing experience, especially from management and would not recommend to a couple or for a special occasion.

we made the reservation a month in advance to celebrate my one year anniversary with my partner. our reservation was at 4:45pm last night and though it was near empty, we were seated in only worst possible spot, on the bar of the kitchen, in the corner, next to the till. it was also very disruptive constantly hearing the kitchen staff being ordered around. due to this, we requested to be placed on a floor table made for two people as they had six tables visibly available. we were told by the manager on duty that night that we couldn't move as the seats were also reserved.

these six separate tables were left empty for 1 hour and 40mins till they finally began to rearrange seats for a group which hadn't still arrived. we left shortly after seeing this, as we then had to make payment to the manager (who didn't ask how our meals were) and gave her our feedback on our experience and suggestions for what she could have done better. she made poor excuses, changed her reasoning, contradicted herself whist being defensive, then finally admitted in the end that she was actually in the complete wrong, but then talked down to us as if she just wanted to get rid of us. at no point throughout all this was there any effort to compensate us which was also very disappointing and did not leave us feeling like valued guests.

our dinner was extremely underwhelming as well. we ordered the set menu, where the main lamb dish was overpowered with garlic making it extremely difficult to consume. not once during our entire dining experience were we asked about our meals or if we were okay. i highly recommend their staff to be re-trained on basic etiquette and review their internal processes for how to manage their reservations to avoid this level of customer disappointment.

i would also suggest adding the option for guests who book online to state what the occasion is (anniversary, birthday etc) as well as whether they are after a floor table or kitchen table to avoid any future disappointment. sadly, we have been left with the memory of this for anniversary. i really hope this feedback is taken on board.

one of my favourite restaurants in melbourne. the atmosphere, service and food is all a ++++++
cumulus is unassuming and not trying to be something its not. must try the artichokes with stuffed parmesan! the lamb shoulder is amazing too!

cumulus inc is a large restaurant with high ceilings and plenty of tables for small or large groups. the menu is designed for coffee, brekkie, lunch or dinner 7 days a week. we were there for dinner which is designed to share. we had oysters, charcuterie, wagyu with beetroot, pork and a seafood (mussels and prawn dish). all dishes were incredibly tasty and nicely presented, but on the small side for their price. they’d run out of house made bread. a huge wine list, as well as cocktails and coffee / tea. our waitress was efficient and good fun.

this is one of melbourne's great food institutions. packed for sunday lunch, we were greeted warmly and seated quickly. friendly service helped us choose from the menu of culinary delights.

soon we were enjoying every morsel of the fried green tomato with spanner crab, tender snapper and famous lamb shoulder. the chefs here make innovative use of ingredients an art form. the combination of flavours and textures was exciting but balanced, making every mouthful a taste sensation. the lamb shoulder is a generous portion, leaving no room for dessert.

professional and attentive service throughout the visit with speedy turnover by the kitchen being appreciated. high ceilings compensated for the crowded floor, as every space is filled with people standing or sitting. casual in style but high quality gastronomic offerings make this a place worth returning.

one of the more memorable dining experiences i've had in recent times.

arriving a little early for lunch, my dining buddy and i were greeted warmly and seated at the bar for drinks. the bartender was extremely knowledgeable and provided good recommendations.

while waiting for our mains, we were served some amazing breads to tide us over. my gnocchi was superb, and the fish came with the most spectacular broth.

can't wait to return!

went to cumulus inc last night without a booking but we managed to get a seat upstairs at the bar overlooking the chefs. the vibe of this place was nice and cosy, dark, casual, and maybe romantic. to be honest the menu for me looked a bit small and nothing really appealed to me so we just went for it and ordered things, and i was definitely surprised. the food was amazing! we started off with the ‘fried green tomato and spanner crab’ which was my favourite, the tomato gives it the slight freshness and the mound of crab on top just was perfect. my friend’s favourite was the ‘beef tartare’ which seemed to be a very popular dish. we also ordered the ‘cauli fioretto, kalettes and aleppo pepper’, the fries, which were both nice.. and the bread which we didn’t end up receiving. the only negative i have is the bathroom is a small unisex room and in there are 3 toilets.. i walked in to a guy peeing in the girls cubicle with the door open.. i don’t think the restaurant can change the toilet situation to have a separate girls and guys bathroom though.

love this place, the sourdough was so delicious, the menu was interesting, the place was bit crowded so not recommended for large group.

booked a table for 2 weeks in advance to take my cousin there for her 40th b'day, arrived early and let them know we were there and then went upstairs after they offered for us to sit on two stools in the corner for pre dinner drinks.  upstairs was nice but very loud.  came down stairs at the booking time to be asked if we'd mind sitting at the bar, we said we did mind as we'd booked a table and they proceeding in telling us a table wasn't available.  after a lot of messing around they moved two people (probably the people in our seats, hopefully) to the bar and sat us.  the tables are way too close together and we were sat right up against a pole.
entree was average (artichoke hearts were dreadful), main was good but not amazing.
for the name this restaurant has i was so disappointed in this experience but cost did definitely not match the experience.  won't go back.

this is the perfect date night venue, it’s got a great vibe, atmosphere and lighting- there’s a buzz of conversation in the air without being too noisy and if you want an extra show, it’s actually great to sit at the bar and watch the kitchen staff do their thing.

service was on point, friendly and attentive enough; and the food and drinks were absolutely delicious. would definitely return to sample more of the menu

this is a review on the bar and service and not on the food. i was invited here by a friend who has been a regular for years. it was a wet melbourne evening and came in with raincoat, beanie, and brolly. i was definitely out of place but once i undressed to my normal attire, fitted right in.
we sat at the bar and conveniently there were little clothing/bag hooks in front of the bar stools. bingo!
behind us was buzzing with those dropping in for a drink, starting an early dinner and by the time i left, the first of the solid evening diners.
the waiter (wish i got his name) was so lovely and his customer service was outstanding as was anyone we interacted with.
a g&t plus a beer to start. impressed that the straw was metal - resueable. nice touch everyone. then we were enticed with a negroni because.....wait for it.....it’s negroni week. the waiter gave us a concise summary of what it is but frankly, after the word gin i was already in!
i watched him prepare one and wish i’d made a video. it’s quite the art to mix and blend the ingredients. the first sip is tantalising with the aroma of the citrus on the glass rim along with the smoky mix of alcohol. i can’t say it was brilliant but certainly appreciated the ‘experience’ of trying something new.
if the food is as food as the drinks service then i will return and rereview cumulus.
thank you to all the staff for a great few hours respite from the rain and warm ambience.
🍷 🍴 d e b i 🍽 🍾

have been here for breakfast, lunch and dinner. definitely worth checking out at least 3 times. do ask for the counter seats which over look the kitchen, the chefs are awesome!