Via Porta prides itself on doing the simple things well: good coffee, good food, good service.
It’s a goal present in everything that happens at the venue, both as a daytime café and deli, and then at night when it transforms into an Italian pasta bar.
Run by sibling quartet Jonathan, Sarah, Simon, and Ryan Cosentino – who also operate Lucci Eatery in Ivanhoe and are preparing to open Via Porta Bakehouse in Northcote – it’s become a staple of the inner-east Melbourne café scene, known for its warm and natural-light filled interior, and relaxed, comfortable vibe.
Jonathan, who leads Via Porta’s front-of-house team, says the attractiveness of Via Porta is that it’s a venue – and a team – that prides itself on doing the basics well.
“It’s funny, I wouldn’t say there’s much particularly unique about Via Porta,” he says. “We offer coffee and tea, and similar food to a lot of other cafés.
“I think what makes us different is we look at the experience overall, people come to us because they want to be served, and they want a product – we focus on not isolating either of those aspects. We’re trying to make sure that people are coming in because they want to come here specifically, and they’re leaving and wanting to come back.”
Via Porta’s model of customer service is a throwback to what was once common practice in Melbourne but is now rarely seen around the city. It doesn’t take bookings for its day service.
Jonathan says it’s a decision that has stemmed from wanting to make Via Porta the most welcoming environment possible for all types of customers.
“It’s a model that means we’re not needing to hold tables for long periods of time to wait for bookings,” he says.
“Our tables turn over pretty quickly, the average is about 43 minutes, so if you multiply that with the number of tables we have in our venue – people don’t actually have to wait very long if we’re at capacity.
“It allows for a seamless experience for everybody when they come in for day service.”
Via Porta does take bookings for dinner, but Jonathan says the no-booking system works for the eastern Melbourne crowd that frequents the venue during the day.
“You can come here for a quick coffee, or for a three-course meal at any time. We don’t want people feeling like they can’t come here for a five-minute sit-down coffee to read the paper, and we also don’t want people to feel like they can’t stay for as long as they want,” he says.
“It’s worked well for us, and I think it’s the easiest way to keep it fair and consistent.”
Via Porta Deli and Eatery is one of two Via Porta venues in eastern Melbourne – the other of which is the VP Bakehouse on Glenferrie Road in Hawthorn – operated by the Cosentino clan, all of which stemmed from their first experience running a café, Balwyn’s Mr Hendricks.
Jonathan says some of the “can’t-miss” items on the menu hark back to the Mr Hendricks days, while others have been a staple of Via Porta since day dot.
“Our crispy eggs were part of the Mr Hendricks menu, and they’re still a favourite, and we have our French toast on the menu since day one,” says Jonathan. “That’s like a hybrid of a croissant brioche loaf that is made at our Hawthorn facility and finished here.
“The eggs in arrabiata has also been on the menu since we first opened.
“Our philosophy is classics with maybe a little bit of a twist, and those three dishes haven’t come off the menu because they’ve either meant something to us as a business, or they’re just a staple.”
Those staple menu items have been followed by a group of rusted on regulars, who Jonathan says he has been able to watch grow up in front of his very eyes.
“A lot of our regular customers have followed us from Mr Hendricks to here – you see them bring babies in prams, and now those babies are going into high school, or even working here,” he says. “That’s something that has been very special to see; I don’t think I can really put it into words.”
Via Porta Eatery-Deli
677 Whitehorse Road,
Mont Albert, Victoria, 3127
Open Monday to Wednesday 7am to 3pm, Thursday to Friday, 7am to 3pm,
5:30pm to 10pm, Saturday 8am to 3pm, 5:30pm to 10pm, Sunday 8am to 3pm.
