Just Open: Mavis the Grocer, Abbotsford

Mavis. It's a name you don't hear very often these days, but for co-owners Maurice Manno and Dan Zeidan it was the obvious choice.

"Mavis is old-fashioned but reminiscent of your local milk bar," Manno says. "This is our contemporary take on that."

Mavis the Grocer is Abbotsford's latest greengrocer-cafe hybrid, offering local, sustainable Melbourne produce. From citrus-cured salmon with beetroot, to omelettes with crushed potatoes for brunch, everything on their all-day breakfast and lunch menu is made on site. Let your childish side out and try the pikelets with sweet ricotta, strawberries and honeycomb. Coffee is by 7 Seeds with a permanent house blend and a single-origin blend.

Manno and Zeidan, who are behind Collingwood favourites Lazerpig and The Grace Darling Hotel, are serious about minimising the food miles on their dishes, with much of the menu featuring organic produce sourced as close to Melbourne as possible.

The cafe's rear courtyard has seasonal vegies growing year round (there's kale and spinach this month). Try your best to score a table here in summer.

Fresh take-home meals will be available from next week, for the truly busy or addicted. All the produce featured on Mavis's menu is available for purchase, so if you're hooked on their organic, free-range eggs you can pick up a dozen to take home. Organic milk, pastas and bread fill the shelves, alongside homemade jams and condiments.

"Pretty much we've got all the basics covered," Manno says. Newspapers are for sale, too.

Manno and Zeidan designed and constructed the homely interior themselves which boasts classic black and white tiled floors, ample shelving and neat timber tables. There's enough seating for 75 patrons but don't count out a queue for your Sunday morning brunch just yet.

Open daily 8am-8pm.

197 Vere Street, Abbotsford, 9419 3900, mavisthegrocer.com.au