I must admit I was a bit reluctant to eat at the Mockingbird Lounge because from the outside, it didn’t really look like a cafe, but more like a secondhand book store, which is predominantly is. To keep up with the times and the profit turning over, small businesses along Broadway have had to resort to selling food and beverages in order to make ends meet. As far as food goes, there are about a dozen options to choose from, many of which are fairly basic.

The secondhand bookstore and cafe is a maze of rooms that leads to a granny flat at the back. Each room has tables and chairs that are surrounded by shelves full of books. The use of space in this house turned cafe has been effectively utilised.

For lunch, I ordered the Veggie Burger. The dish was ready after a 10 minute wait and was average in presentation. I’ve seen to some fancy veggie burgers in my time, but this wasn’t one of them. The patty was firm, yet soft and delicate, and the cheese was nicely melted. The tomato was ripe and the lettuce was fresh and crisp. While it tasted good, it was all a little too basic for me.

The staff were friendly and the service was good. The atmosphere was relaxed and the pricing was reasonable. The cost of the Veggie Burger set me back $11 which is a fair price. Their other menu items range from $4-$12 which is not over the top by any means.

Certainly a place to come for a cheap meal, but from what I had, I thought it was nothing spectacular. You get what you pay for in this case.

WHERE: 63A Broadway, Glenelg South