The new location is going be enjoyed for years to come
Following a recent move to a location in the old Target headquarters, barely 200 metres from the old their old location, Café Bear and Scoobs has reopened and if my experience there today is anything to go by, the new location seems to have been adopted quite well by their customers.
Having moved into the large facility that Target used to call home, Bear and Scoobs now has a much larger car park than it used to, which is entirely necessary, it was packed, full of life and lively conversation as staff walked table to table, collecting plates and serving dishes.
Owners Mark and David (nicknamed Bear and Scoobs respectively) have done as much as they can to create an experience that is more than the sum of its parts. There’s only so much you can change to a cafeteria to make it not a cafeteria.
Additionally, the café hosts an outdoor seating area, which despite my best efforts to will the rain away, any chance of sitting outside was quite literally washed away.
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Bear and Scoobs’ menu offers a wide variety of foods, including café classics such as avo on toast, eggs and bacon as well as larger lunch-time meals such as panini’s, pastries, and hamburgers. Combine that with sweet options like their range of homemade slices and pancakes and Bear and Scoobs’ menu is bringing a taste of higher-class café dining to Geelong’s northern suburbs.
As a bonus, Bear and Scoobs is a licensed venue, offering a selection of beers, premixed drinks, and wines, an offer I might have taken up had it not been 12.30 pm on a Tuesday.
As for food, I ordered an open souvlaki. Once it had finally arrived, I’d say it was worth the wait. In fairness, it was very busy when I visited, and I’d much rather it be busy than it be quiet, but it is still worth mentioning.
Regardless, my souvlaki was rather nice, offering all the usual ingredients one would expect, fresh lettuce and cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, cold tzatziki, and of course, the lamb, when I managed to wrap it all up I found the serving was rather generous and easily worth the $19 I paid. No one ingredient was any more overpowering than any other, and the tzatziki and cherry tomatoes were a refreshing way to cut through the muggy weather outside.
However, I had ordered a falafel wrap and had received lamb; I didn’t care to mention this due to the wait. Despite that, I was satisfied with the wrap, and the size of it was more than enough to make up for any issues.
I decided to round out my trip by grabbing a vanilla slice that Bear and Scoob have seemingly become known for. I took it with me, and upon unwrapping it, found that the slice was one of the largest I had ever seen. I can only imagine the depth of the tray they use to make it in. Impressively the custard centre had held up on the drive home and I was treated to an incredibly filling sweat-treat.
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Despite some shortcomings that could largely be put down to me coming in three days before Christmas, Bear and Scoobs move to their new facility has been a successful one, and a dedication to providing a varied menu and a community-focused experience will keep them a favourite in North Geelong for some time to come.
Check out Café Bear and Scoobs menu here. They can be found at 12-14 Thompson Rd, North Geelong, just walk through the Gateways foyer.
Café Bear and Scoob will be closed from Christmas Day to the 27th, then closed again from the first to the third of January.
