Blackboard Varsity

Varsity Lakes café, Blackboard may have started out as a tiny espresso bar but it’s now an impressive 180+ seat venue on Varsity Parade across from Lake Orr.

With its latest make-over, the new owners have given Blackboard a contemporary feel but with industrial highlights—note the wooden-panelled walls with polished concrete floors. Spacious yet cosy, thanks to the back-wall booths with everybody loves. Outside, there’s also a scattering of mod white seating curbside, making sure they take advantage of their proximity to Lake Orr and keep your pooch happy.

As soon as you step in to Blackboard, you’ll be transported by the aromas of the killer coffee, even before you spot the counter full of sleek Blackboard bags of beans and blends on offer. With Nick’s background as a Melbourne-based Barista, he could always seek out a good cup of coffee. 

Keen to learn more about coffee, its origins, and the process it had to go through, Nick decided to learn how to roast. After drinking way too much coffee, he eventually perfected the skill and Blackboard Coffee was born. Needless to say, the beans and blends he's perfected draw hordes of caffeine lovers to his cafe for their daily fix.

To complement the cracking coffee, Blackboard’s menu has also come of age, with vibrant breakfast options like Truffle Scrambled eggs, Miso pumpkin toast and Dragonfruit Granola. Inspired lunch options include delights including the Fig and Goats Cheese Salad, the Grilled Chicken Poke Bowl, or the Brekkie Bowl with crispy spiced chickpeas and all the add-ons.

There is also a clever kid’s menu, but everything else about Blackboard has come of age, including the introduction of cocktails, natural wines and craft beer to the cold-pressed juices, blended smoothies, and chilled Kombucha on the beverage menu. 

Regulars already know Blackboard is a triple threat—killer coffee and quality cuisine in a cracking venue. Isn’t it time you pay attention to the Blackboard notes and make this ‘breath of fresh air’ in Varsity your regular pitstop?

By Michaela Lyons