pen just over a week, Pizza Farro owner Vince Lotito’s latest venture again specialises in spelt and gluten-free products. With Preston West Primary School standing opposite on humming Murray Road, Pomona is a child-friendly cafe fitted with wider aisles for prams and ample parking available out the back, or off-street on Murray Road. It’s not all for families at Pomona, though.

In fact, Pomona is quite a modish spot, with two light-filled spaces featuring dangling poker-style lamps for each table – ideal for couples chasing an intimate setting. The first room features a sizable communal bench complete with the Lotito-built hanging light sculpture made from children’s building blocks, as well as stunning, truck-tarp-sized mural designed by Lotito’s wife, Yvette Romanin.

Spread across the feature wall, the vast image pays homage to our agricultural history and the essence of Pomona (the Roman goddess of fruitful abundance), from whom the café takes its inspiration and name.

Wherever possible, Pomona’s ingredients are organic, sourced locally and in time will be pulled from the three, onsite vegetable and herb garden plots, grown on the premises out the back. With sophisticated, yet casual breakfast and lunch menu items to choose from, Suraj Lamichhaney the Nepalese chef from Pizza Farro, uses organic spelt and multigrain gluten-free tin-loaf, to prepare meals.

Both the Meat Patty sandwich (filled with a hybrid lean beef and pork burger, mayonnaise, rocket, tomato relish, caramelised onion, scamorza cheese and sliced tomato) and his Veg Patty alternative (made with vegetables and beans) are clear hits with customers. The notable lamb or salmon salads, plus a kiddies and budding breakfast menu adds to the deal.

Even Lotito’s Italian home-cooked-to-perfection gnocchi gets a run. Rumour has it that Pomona’s owner spent four days experimenting with 20 different versions and 27kgs of potatoes trying to perfect it.

Serving their own Pomona Coffee Roasters boutique coffee, Lotito’s business partner Michael O’Loughlin brings years of coffee bean roasting experience to the table. As such, Pomona presents a monthly single origin ranging from a Rain Forest Alliance Nicaraguan to a Sumatran Mandheling, and Brazilian to Honduras Fairtrade blends.

Situated on Murray Road and the intersection of Jessie Street, Preston, Pomona is nestled between Luigi Boyz pizza and the local Indian joint.

Pomona Cafe
474B Murray Road, Preston
(03) 9478 0026

Hours
Mon to Fri 7am–4pm
Sat & Sun 8am–4pm

pomonacafe.com.au