Orexi Cafe and Grill

Orexi Cafe and Grill
7/220 Melbourne St, West End



When you're in the final leg of exams during a uni year, you find yourself grappling at any excuse to have a party. I endured 2 exams last week and never mind the fact that I have another 4 or so to go... the end of 2 exams is cause for celebration.

I grabbed one of my foodie mates and rather than argue over what we wanted or be completely indecisive (as is usual), we were both in the mood for GREEK.

There are plenty of Greek restaurants in West End and so that's where we headed. The idea is that if nothing caught the eye, West End is chockas with other dining options anyway.

I'd heard bout this new place called Cafe Orexi that opened up where Cristos used to be. My friend and I had actually eaten at Cristos before so we thought - may as well give this new lot a go.




The atmosphere is quite casual but the staff are laid back and friendly. We scoured the menu for a bit and decided to make things simple and festive: 2 shared platters. One for entrees and one for mains.

Complimentary garlic bread

They're good at looking after people like us. We want to try everything and we hate narrowing down between good options! Platters are such a safe bet.

Orexi for more

There wasn't a huge wait for food at all. The entree platter came first.

We didn't get to chose a dip but whatever dip they chose for us (pretty sure it was the taramosalata i.e. fish roe dip) was freaking amazing. It was fishy and creamy and just great with the pita bread.

The haloumi was a win, as usual (I've never had bad haloumi). The octopus and salt and pepper squid were both crisp and tender. No stand-out flavors but just tasty all the same. We didn't particularly like the fried white bait though.

Mixed grill plata (their spelling, not mine)

Next came the platter of mains. This is meant to be for one very hungry individual to have on their own, I believe. We shared it and it was plenty for us.

All the components were quite tasty but again, nothing that really stood out. Besides, maybe the chips - they were done really well. Crunchy and a nice savory flavor.

Cakes on display

Cafe Orexi had a very impressive and cheap selection of cakes on display. Tempting. I pondered over the range for a while but the fact that they had a Freestyle nearby was just too distracting.

Otherwise, I think Cafe Orexi has decent food but nothing that's very different or superior to other Greek restaurants that I've been to. I'd go back to try their desserts though.