L'espresso is a small, tight squeeze inside, but it's worth the trouble for the sourdough toast. Cindy's favourite bread outweighs the coffee and tea, which suffer from the hard local water. If you fit inside, they also have an eclectic wall of CDs to browse.

Not far down the road from L'espresso is a younger, more spacious establishment. Their $15 lunch special includes a choice of main course plus a glass of wine - enough to satiate that Texan appetite.

This little cafe is an ideal, well-lit stop for an afternoon coffee and cake. Custom foccacias and other treats for a reasonable price. You might also talk to Pauline about her specialty cakes.

We visited Europa Cafe last weekend (22 July 2006) as an alternative to L'espresso. Cindy was crushed when she realized she accidentally ordered their cappuccino (Coffex brand). The pide sandwich was quite good, however. A good lunch if you're not a coffee connoisseur.

Another one of the local favorites, the Olive Grove is just down the road from Ballarat & Clarendon College ... I think. Although the tables make walking around a bit difficult, this cafe has an excellent selection of food and drink. Take a look in the glass case on the way in - definitely something for everyone.

Frankly, I didn't find Assunta's as good as expected. If you're one of the women guests, you will likely frown that the toilets are relatively open-to-the-weather ... especially in the August cold! Despite all, the menu selection is quite good, and the family-style variety is affordable.

Our new favorite dinner location has an impressive wine list and excellent daily specials. The tapas are excellent, but don't plan to eat on a budget. Enough tapas for two, wine/beer, coffee, leaf tea: ~$85 AUD. Pricey, but we do look forward to doing it again. Maybe we'll do the $15 lunch (main w/ wine or coffee).