The Lilydale General

Someone from this business manages this listing.

#5 of 42 Restaurants in LilydaleCafe, Australian, $$ - $$$

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The Lilydale General

Review

At a glance

Open until 3:30 PM

, 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Website

+61 3 9739 7770Improve this listing

About

Lilydale’s local since 2013, the Lilydale General serves AXIL coffee and all day breakfast, brunch & lunch style menu. Our outdoor seating area is dog friendly and perfect for a sunny day. Plenty of parking and a great spot for a bite on your way to and from the Yarra Valley. Look out for our green and white stripes! We also offer evening functions, pick-up catering, phone orders & vouchers. - Mel & The Lilydale General Team

Features

CUISINES

Cafe, Australian

Meal types

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

FEATURES

Highchairs Available

Outdoor Seating

Parking Available

Reservations

Seating

Table Service

Takeout

Wheelchair Accessible

Location

110 Beresford Rd, Lilydale, Victoria 3140 Australia

Parking Available

Does this restaurant primarily serve Healthy cuisine?

Yes

Unsure

Save this restaurant

Hours

Suggest an edit

Open until 3:30 PM

Sunday

8:00 am - 3:00 pm

Monday

7:00 am - 3:30 pm

Tuesday

7:00 am - 3:30 pm

Wednesday

7:00 am - 3:30 pm

Thursday

7:00 am - 3:30 pm

Friday

7:00 am - 3:30 pm

Saturday

8:00 am - 3:00 pm

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4.0

161 reviews

Excellent

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Peter S

3 contributions

Not what it used to be

Jan 2025 • friends

The General used to offer fresh modern styled dishes, today mine was disappointing. I ordered the smashed Avo with “roasted”veg and an optional egg. The avocado was spread on to multigrain toasted bread. The pumpkin was definitely not roasted more barely boiled. The beetroot was cold cubed pieces likely out of a tin. It had no flavour, no dressing that I could discern. Just blah. On a brighter note the coffee (latte) was fine. The place was almost empty at 12:30 on a Wed. It’s obvious why. In times past there would be a queue out the door.

Written 21 January 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Geoff H

Melbourne108 contributions

We'll be back

Jan 2021 • friends

Always good to try a cafe you haven't been to before and this Sunday breakfast was a pleasant surprise. My friends and I were seated outside, under an umbrella on a warm summers morning. The staff were friendly and helpful and we enjoyed a very good Axil coffee while we went through the menu. I ordered the Middle-Eastern Feastin and my friends had: The Vegan General; Belly Benny and Scrambled Free Range Yarra Valley eggs. Everyone enjoyed their meals and scored a solid 4 out of 5 for taste and presentation. After our meals, I couldn't resist another coffee and even on the way out, I was tempted enough to buy a couple of cakes conveniently displayed at the register.

Written 23 January 2021

Kate

1 contribution

Great Cafe

Feb 2020 • couples

We had a great dining experience today. Our waiter was prompt in taking our orders, friendly and helpful. Our food was out after a short wait and the food and smoothies were delicious! This is one of our favourite cafes and we’re glad that their high standards are evident each and every visit. 😊

Written 1 February 2020

theLilydaleGeneral

Hi K8Sp13, We are really glad you enjoyed your visit to our cafe. Thank you so much for the awesome review and hope to see you back real soon! Regards Glenn and the team @ the Lilydale General

Written 2 February 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Evolution Time

Melbourne3205 contributions

Outside seating just wonderful

May 2021 • couples

Drove by this café many times and finally checked it out with my daughter. We sat outside at a sunny table. Service was friendly and efficient. Our selected food was great and arrived in no time. All in all very happy. There is easy street parking and this place can get busy…..try to book to not be disappointed.

Written 7 July 2021

theLilydaleGeneral

Thanks for the great review. We are really glad you enjoyed your visit with us. cheers Glenn and the Team at the Lilydale General

Written 8 July 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

dennismel

Melbourne1152 contributions

Great cafe

Oct 2020 • none

I'm not from the area, but this was highly rated, so I had to try it. I can see why it rates so well. The coffee is fantastic, the staff are super friendly and the food is delicious. I look forward to returning when I'm in the area. Well done!

Written 9 November 2020

Thread

Melbourne1252 contributions

Great little food and coffee spot

Feb 2021 • couples

Had lunch and Axil coffee here yesterday. Friendly helpful staff, good vibe, both indoor and outdoor seating. Food was beautifully presented, didn’t expect that standard. Tasted good. Recommend this place. I had the eggs benny on a rosti, yum!!

Written 5 February 2021

Garry B

Melbourne1670 contributions

On my quest for best coffee in Lilydale

Jan 2020 • none

Maybe 4th time lucky, beans from Axil, best I have had so far in Lilydale. I liked the industrial vibe and obviously popular. I was tempted to have a muffin as looked great but resisted the temptation.

Written 27 January 2020

theLilydaleGeneral

Hi Garry, Thanks for the great review on the coffee. Hope to see you back again soon and temp you to dine with some of our delicious food offerings. Cheers Glenn and the team at the Lilydale General

Written 2 February 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Lyndal M

1 contribution

Great atmosphere and food.

Jan 2025 • friends

Fantastic tasty food. Great atmosphere. Kid friendly food. Now have dinner available. New owners have done some great changes. Will be back.

Written 5 January 2025

Mr. Bushtracker

Melbourne78 contributions

nice venue

Feb 2022 • none

always a very good brew....lets say 4.2/5 - food is quality , although at time bit fiddleed with for my liking.

Written 16 December 2022

Garry B

Melbourne1670 contributions

One of the better coffees in Lilydale

Apr 2021 • none

Would come here more often but a bit of detour from work and with current road works not so appealing detour. Again coffee is good and muffins are great.

Written 1 August 2021

Milligate

Croydon298 contributions

over priced, over rated

Jan 2021 • none

ordered french toast, was dry not custard like at all, got a smear of mousse & a drizzle of coulis, 1 strawberry (cut in 1/4's), 1 black berry (cut in 1/2), 2 tiny raspberries, 6 flowers. Would prefer a jug of coulis, maple or a dish of mousse instead of flowers.

Written 1 January 2021

Kathy B

1 contribution

Lovely food, nice coffee

Sept 2019 • friends

Have not been for a couple of years but decided to go back. We had a lovely lunch..had beautiful Eggs Benedict with pulled pork and Banana waffles which was amazing. Lovely coffee and good service. Place gets noisy but so many places do now.

Written 8 October 2019

theLilydaleGeneral

Hey there! Thanks so much for this awesome feedback! So glad to hear you enjoyed the benny and waffles. We have a new menu coming soon so you'll have to come back in to try some new dishes out! 😁 Thanks again, Thomas & the Lilydale General team

Written 9 October 2019

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Peter W

Melbourne107 contributions

Food disappointing

Sept 2019 • none

Service and coffee very good but today's food was very disappointing. I had the omelette which was very dry and very thin. It was described as an omelette with cheese and bacon. The bacon was not in the omelette (as I had expected) but was with the omelette on the toast - this leaves for a very unfulfilling omelette dish. When I mentioned to my wife later that breakfast was not so good she also commented that her corn fritters were dry and unappealing. I can't say that the cafe was overwhelmed with patrons and that the kitchen couldn't cope as meals came out relatively quickly after ordering. Therefore my rating is lower than I would have hoped based on the lack of quality of the food. We have been here before (maybe 12 months ago) and I recall it was a good meal with friends.

Written 14 September 2019

theLilydaleGeneral

Hi Peter, I'm really disappointed to hear that your food wasn't up to standard during your last visit. The bacon should have definitely been in omelette as that's how it is served. I spoke to the kitchen team on that day as to why this happened and they said an omelette order came through asking for the bacon on the side. So whether your dish was mixed up with this one or it was a miscommunication with the wait staff I'm not sure. Either way that's a mistake on us. Our fritters are one of our favourite dishes amongst our guests, and it's disappointing again that they weren't up to our usual standard. I've reiterated to the kitchen team to keep an eye on the fritters/cooking times to make sure they are not overcooking them. As you said you previously had a good meal with friends which sounds much more like us, and unfortunately we missed the mark this time around. I hope you do give us another go and I'd like to offer a round of complimentary coffees/other drinks for you and any guests to make up for your experience the other day. If you'd be keen to come back in, send us an e-mail at thelilydalegeneral@gmail.com and I can organise this for you. Thanks heaps for the feedback Peter, Thomas & the Lilydale General team

Written 19 September 2019

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Simon W

Melbourne162 contributions

Coffee tasted good but ....

Aug 2019 • family

Pretty disappointed and feel like the service has gone down hill. Ordered 3 coffees on arrival, took 20 minutes to get the first one, the second came 5 mins later, I cancelled the 3rd as the rest of the group had finished their drinks before I was served. Was told they were slammed for coffee orders but the restaurant wasn’t even half full and they had 3 baristas. I am a barista and I’m confident with better systems they could have easily served our table of 3 our coffees at the same time.

Written 23 August 2019

theLilydaleGeneral

Hi Simon, I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed with the service you received at our cafe. I do recall your visit and I was the person that spoke to you on the day/apologised about the delay. Our coffee standards are very high and our baristas take time making sure each coffee that is served is up to that standard, especially our long blacks and other black coffees. This can cause our wait times to be a bit longer for those single origin coffees, and although the cafe was half full, we did have a lot of takeaway orders on top of our dine-in ones. That being said, 20 minutes+ is a unusually long wait for coffees, especially if you only came to have coffees and/or not stay too long. I'm still disappointed that you didn't get to have your cuppa on that day, and I would like to offer you a round of coffees on the house to make up for your last visit. If you could message us on tripadvisor or email us at thelilydalegeneral@gmail.com I can organise this for you. As a fellow barista I would love to have you back in to try our amazing coffee! Hope I hear back from you soon, Thomas & the Lilydale General team

Written 2 September 2019

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

tildix2016

Melbourne114 contributions

Scrumptious salmon

Aug 2019 • none

My friend and I revisited and again loved our meal. The salmon was cooked to perfection, the sweet and sour chickpeas, avocado smash and roasted pineapple made for an interesting and delicious combination. I had the carrot, ginger and lime freshly made juice and finished off with the hot chocolate with a dash of Baileys. Perfect. We'll be back. Excellent service.

Written 13 August 2019

theLilydaleGeneral

Hey Tilly! Thanks for much for this review. That salmon is an absolute treat and I'm glad you enjoyed it! The Bailey's Winter Warmer will be making its return again next year over winter, but we can make one up especially for you next time you come in if you like! Thanks again, Thomas & the Lilydale General team

Written 2 September 2019

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.