Peperoncino - Essendon

Had a business meeting here and it was a good venue - not too noisy. Really friendly and switched on staff - happy and positive. Had a superfood smoothie, which was very nice and priced well.

My wife and i have had a few morning coffees here over the past month or so, today we tried them for a coffee and brekkie, not disappointed, good value for money and the staff are very friendly. There are some indoor tables and some outside which are awesome. I good yet simple menu to choice from and their coffee is fantastic. This will be our new "go-to" coffee and brekkie cafe.

The old employees were wonderful. If I had of rated this place when they were here than it would be five star. The new employees make awful coffees and the worst hot chocolates. The staff are still nice and the restaurant looks lovely but I would pass on the drinks. The food is still nice.

The small businesses in Rose Street are modernising, and there is a competitive range of casual eating places. My companion and I chose Peperoncino because she wanted a substantial lunch and the cafe's menu had half a dozen offerings. We found this café fitted the need and looked to be doing a reasonable trade with locals. The atmosphere was pleasant. The décor is cheap and cheerful, with quite a lot of red plastic and a nod to the rustic-industrial fashion in the form of wallpaper representing rough-finished boards. Look past these recent cosmetic changes and you see an old-style, long-established local café with a bain marie, drinks fridge and such. Apparently new management took over in January 2014 and effort is going into updating the menu while not losing those customers who like offerings such as a can of cola and a bain marie item for $10. My friend had the lamb cous cous (a generous sized serving) and a freshly squeezed juice. I had a coffee and fruit salad. The people we dealt with (three women working behind the counter serving takeaways as well as looking after the tables) were all friendly and helpful when asked for something but a bit too preoccupied to keep watch for and anticipate seated customers' needs.The single toilet is awful: unhealthily close to the kitchen and front counter.

They say simple is best...for a quick lunch and a great coffee, or just sit and enjoy a coffee with great people