Café Chickpea
30A Pynsent Street
Horsham, Victoria
(03) 5382 3998
It’s 1.00 p.m. This cafe is very busy. Two rooms: a main one to the left as you walk in — about ten tables, and the main entry, a couple of tables here. We decide to sit in the quieter side, (main entry) and this too is where you order. Options are wide. Focaccia, falafel, sandwiches, rolls, pies and quiches. I see a nice looking quiche go out with a stack of golden chips on the side. I order a focaccia with chicken schnitzel, lettuce and lemon juice. And a long black for coffee.
There’s no music on and the cafe instead is full of chatter and working sounds, dishes, cups and saucers moving about. I find the lack of music a fresh change. The folk here seem to be those getting away from work for lunch and those who don’t have to work, but are here for lunch anyway. Tables are neat, wooden and study, as are the chairs. You order and pay at the counter, and are handed metal stalk with a table number perched on top. Service is quick and friendly.
The food is neatly presented and tasty. The focaccia is fresh, the schnitzel not to big, and it has a herby coating — quality is the key. The long black is hot and fairly strong. It hasn’t got the flavour and strength it could have, but it does fairly well.
We visited Horsham on a trip around the Grampians two weekends ago. We wondered around Horsham looking for some where to eat, it was 3pm on a Sunday afternoon, and nothing really was open. A big town like Horsham with nothing open seems a bit odd. What was going on?
We ordered two focaccia’s and they weren’t really all that exciting. It seems in the country that are into a style of chicken that is made into a roll. There is no breast fillet in a sandwich, just this random chicken roll stuff which really is horrible! The coffee we had was grey and wasn’t nice at all.
Cafe Chickpea has had some good write ups, but this place really lacks character, the staff aren’t really that helpful or pleasant, and it is slightly over priced.
Alice I don’t think you know what you are on about. I know that this Cafe definitely does not serve rolled Chicken and has the best coffee in town. It may not be Melbourne but I find the atmosphere walm and friendly and run by very dedicated staff. I have been a regular customer now for 14 Years and will continue to be. This cafe is open 7 Days a week and I find the staff very helpful and willing to go that extra mile to help.I have a child with multiple food allergies and they are always very helpful. I now that when I am in there that there is also a lot of other regulars which is telling me that people who keep coming back for a reason ( because the are obviously happy with the service).
Alice, please don’t make generalisations like ‘in the country’. If you spent any time there, you’d find that the people you encounter ‘in the country’ are as diverse, educated, socially and globally aware as you’d find anywhere. The quality of the chicken isn’t dictated by location – maybe you just came across a sub-standard foccacia that day.
On Sundays, people here tend to: play sport, attend church, spend time with family, hike, camp, garden, see movies, go clay target shooting, head to the gym. However, there are quite a few places to eat that are open all day Sunday.
I’m really suprised to see this negative comment. It’s completely the opposite to everything I’ve experienced when visiting for lunch (it’s the only thing I look forward to when I’m doing the Adelaide-Melbourne drive).
I can only think that perhaps it was, unfortunately, an exception to the usual delicious food and lovely service.