Family friendly brunch place. Very friendly staff! Nice area to browse as well near the Maribyrnong River once your done eating

Great atmosphere, child & pet friendly, great outdoor space & toy's for kids, free range produce, gluten free options. Try the heuvos (mexican style chilli eggs) delicious ! An easy & relaxing place to be. Sometimes can be a bit of a wait to be served( usually when sitting outside ), so make yourself known upon arrival

Approximate cost: $10 -$23

Love coming here on a nice day as the kids can run amok on the lawn. Coffee is nice, perfect place for a mothers group. Main issue with the place is paid parking (only minimal free parking around).

On a sunny day what could be happier than a seat by the river and some good food? It's a relaxed kind of place where mums and kids can come (dogs too) but they also cater for the workers from businesses and schools around the area.

I came down here in a group and we were attended to promptly since they knew we had limited time. I think the food is a little high priced, but it is good and quite varied.

Parking is no problem at all as this isn't a "through road" to anywhere. So close to the heart of Footscray, it makes it a great place to meet friends.

Approximate cost: $15

Awesome little cafe that is perfect for families. We're always on the lookout for good places to eat with the kids in tow & this one is one of the best. There are heaps of things to keep the kids entertained and a large outdoor area where the kids can run & play while Mum & Dad have coffee at the tables. There is an excellent kids menu & plenty of toys & books to keep the kids busy :)
The staff & the food will definitely ensure this is one of our regular haunts :)

After being told how family friendly this place was, I went for lunch with a group of mums and their bubs. We were treated as an inconvenience and felt pushed to finish our lunch and get out so the business crowd could be tended to.
Thinking they may have been having an off day I decided to give the place another go and again felt the service was poor. We were left waiting for a long time to be served and again to pay our bill.
After that I never bothered to go back.

Happy River Cafe is a very child friendly cafe with great food, service and reasonable prices. For a more family friendly experience choose to sit outside where the kids can play and run around on the large lawn area while you enjoy a coffee and yummy food. The homemade baked beans are delicious. The cafe also provides toys, play mats and bikes to entertain the kids. There is ample space for larger groups - perfect for mothers groups or large families. Overall a nice little spot to spend a relaxing morning.

The thing I love most about the Happy River Cafe besides the flourless orange cake is the laid back way you can just hang out. It has a massive lawn where you can pull up a mat and sit under a tree with your dog. There are lots of toys to amuse kids and sunscreen for summertime.
There is a great kids menu and they do a yummy breakfast. There is seating inside as well and they have recently extended the verandah for extra shelter in the winter time.

Approximate cost: $16

Went with my sister and my 2 year old son for breakfast. We sat outside on the lawn and my son played with the toys provided. Most of the toys suit preschool aged children. The breakfast was nice and I especially liked that they did half serves of eggs as lots of places are inflexible about this. My son shared my breakfast and they cheerfully provided an extra plate for him. The lawn area where the children play is not fenced and I found this to be a positive as the parents all sat with and supervised their children unlike other cafes with play areas where parents often let their children go crazy while they sit with their backs turned. There are interesting things to see if you go for a walk after your meal, with some parklands out the back, the river, and a view of containers being loaded across the river and the goods railway bridge, all of which my son found very interesting. The only negative was that their was no gluten free bread or cakes available which was a problem for my sister and a suprise to me as I would have expected this option to be available at such an otherwise flexible and alternative style of place.

Approximate cost: $12

This is my usual breakfast place with my girlfriend... really friendly staff happy to let you sit around for hours on a single cup of coffee if its not to busy.. great food ok coffee (depending one who's made it)

Approximate cost: $15