Deniliquin’s Café and Diner History

(Regularly updated with information)

Deniliquin has had a lot of Café’s and Diners over the years and we’re attempting to name them all which will take some time to do as we look over photographs and other images and records.

Some of these may be businesses that existed in the same place but had different names, this entry will be regularly updated as more details come to hand.

Some pictures have come directly from Deniliquin History in Photos and Deniliquin & District Historical Society.

Cafe de Paris

Opened in June 1866 opposite the Telegraph Office by Messrs Edwin and St. Vens.

The Cafe was closed in November 1866 with the trustees in the assigned estate of Edwin and St. Vens paid a first and final dividend of 4s. in the pound.

Broadway Café

The Broadway Café located across the road from the Union Bank which was also the site of the Town Hall Café and was in business for many years.

Locals and visitors in 1926 could get a hot lunch from the café at noon daily although other ads in 1926 also said 12:30 and their specialty was Coffee with Toast or Sandwiches as well as Asparagus while special dishes were to order.

The café had a sandwich service and they also sold Cooked Ham.

C. Lane DeBoos was recorded in ads as the proprietor in 1926.

IXL Ice Cream was offered to customers for purchase in 1926 and their phone number was 426.

Also existing in 1926 was the Broadway Refreshment Garden which was opposite the Union Bank with the entrance next to the cafe.

The cafe reopened on April 10, 1928, with new management.

Miss Marshall was announced in papers in at least 1928 that she had taken over the Café with hot suppers available until 10:30pm on weeknights with longer hours on Wednesday and Saturday nights.

Mr S. Rymer brought the Broadway Café in 1928 as ads were running in at least December that year.

A September 1929 report refers to “Mr Rymer, of the Broadway Café who provided supper for the Country Party Ball at Town Hall.”

A rumour was going around town in May 1930 that the cafe was going to be closed, the proprietors denied that this was going to be the case.

The Deniliquin and Hay Tennis teams had a luncheon at the Broadway in October 1931 with Hay winning the Hay-Deni Cup.

Ads for the Café in 1932 indicate the café was run by the Robertson brothers and by December 1932, the Panaretto brothers had taken over the business, they had experience running cafes in Leeton and Hay.

Thefts were reported in 1932, the theft resulted in the loss of Mutton, 14 meat pies and other foodstuff.

Trophies for the 1932 Deniliquin Show were displayed behind the windows of the café and ads advertised that fresh or cooked fish were available at the café.

The social for the Deniliquin Junior Football competition was held in October 1934.

The Café was altered in 1934 and was completed that same year.

Thieves stole £22 from the Café in April 1935 with £19 of that amount in cheques.

A children’s party for a dance school was held at the café in 1936 and at least 22 people were at the event.

In 1936 it was discovered that milk sold at the café contained 34% added water resulting in fines and hard labour for the accused.

In November 1937, Mr J. Panaretto handed over the business to the Condos (once mistakenly mentioned in The Independent as Convos) Brothers.

The café hosted many wedding receptions with The Independent regularly reporting on receptions held there.

Con Condos was fined in 1939 for having golden perch for sale during the prohibited season.

Constantinos (and Charlie?) Condos was running the café into the 1940’s and it was mentioned in 1941 that he brought a café in Napier Street (Mona Café) and provided Adams’ Cake to both locations.

Morgan-Keys had their January 1941 wedding reception at the Café before going on to the Federal Hotel lounge.

The cafe site was owned by Emilie Nathan and No. 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 Cressy Street was auctioned off on April 13, 1946, by Emilie’s estate.

A small kitchen fire erupted on May 17, 1954, the fire attracted 100 watchers and was quickly extinguished by firefighters

The cafe continued on in business for a couple more decades before closing.

An engraved tea pot from the cafe appeared on Deniliquin Old Stuff on June 13, 2023.

Mona Café

The Mona Café was located at 33 Napier Street and had operated for several decades.

The Mona Cafe may have started life as the Federal Cafe, it was owned Mr. J. McDonald who sold the Cafe to W. Hore in 1938.

W. Hore was then replaced by Constantine Condos in 1941, Constantine was also the owner of the Broadway Café.

The Ferrari family along with others ran the café from 1942, family members recall a story that a lot of effort had to be put in for scrubbing the lino and the stove.

In 1946, John Ferrari received a cheque that was proved to be valueless, the youth who gave the cheque received a suspended three-month sentence.

A list made in March 1946 indicates that the business lease of the Mona Café went from L. M Ferrari to R.R Whitehead, this event happened anytime in the previous 12 months.

Two girls were wanted to be hired by the Café in November 1946.

A man was found at the café in 1949 after jumping off the National Bridge, the man jumped off the bridge after his wife dared him to jump, the man was arrested at the Café.

E. Halacas  also owned the Café and a tea pot from the Halacas era still exists with a picture of it posted in 2022.

Two men were fined after stealing four salt and pepper shakers in 1955.

Those who went to the Regent Theatre were known to use the lane beside the Regent to get to the café instead of walking down the rest of Edwardes Street, going along Cressy Street and turning right to go up Napier Street.

The café was considered popular and has been affectionately remembered many locals’ decades after it closed.

Locals recall buying Hot chips, two potato cakes plus black sauce all for the pre 1966 price of 1 shilling and 6 pence.

Fried Eggs and Bacon were also on offer and the place was known to be an excellent place to battle a hangover.

1973 signage included a red vertical “Café” as well as white front signage.

1976 signage included the red sign is now a black café sign with a large square Coca-Cola sign on top.

The café is remembered to have lasted into the video game cabinet era which would place it in the mid 1980’s as a photo from 1983 shows the Mona Café with green frontage.

Café Bakery 285

Was located at 285 Cressy Street.

Café Bakery 285 was in operation for twenty years and offered diners a range of food and drink from snacks to full meals plus a range of drinks.

The café attracted attention for having a Pinball Machine on the premises, this brought joy to people who missed having the machines so freely available in shops across town.

Management changed hands on December 29 2021 with the announcement made on the Café’s Facebook page.

The café was open from 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturday with the business being closed on Sundays.

Brontes Gourmet

Was located at 32 Napier Street and was open from 8am until 5pm every day apart from closing on 1pm on Saturday and was closed all Sunday.

Brontes updated its shop front in 2019 which was shown off on Facebook on May 5 2019, the work included a new paint job and the addition of flowers.

Brontes offered a range of food for customers and they include muffins, wraps, toasties and soups as well as Coffee and cool drinks.

The business rode out the 2019 redevelopment of the road and footpath that had taken place in front of their business that has denied customers from parking close to the establishment.

Bronte’s closed in 2022.

Their phone number is 03 5881 7827 to make queries or booking for dinner.

Scoop n Brew

The Scoop n Brew filled in a huge hole in Deniliquin Plaza when it opened for business, it occupied the shop that now is an extension of Coles.

It quickly gained a reputation as a high quality, dependable business and offered a whole range of food and drink.

Food that had been sold included Soup, Curried Sausages, Spaghetti Bol, Burgers, Chips, Ice Cream and more.

It had a Facebook rating of 5 out 5 after 33 reviews.

Scoop n Brew was open 7 days a week with 8am to 5pm hours Monday to Friday, 9 to 3pm on Saturday and 10am to 2pm on Sunday.

Probert’s Cafe, Globe Cafe & Primrose Café

Deniliquin Independent called the café “Probert’s Café” or “Globe Café” from at least 1920.

Patrons in 1925 could buy Herbert Adams’ celebrated Cake & Sponge Sandwich at the café and it was fresh twice weekly.

Peters’ Ice Cream was sold at the cafe from September 21, 1929.

The Café was renovated in 1934 and was considered the ‘most extensively stocked and equipped café in the district’.

In 1936, heavy rain damaged ‘a good deal of stock’, this rain also damaged several other businesses.

Patrons could buy “Strong Tomato Plants” from the café in 1936 and other plants and seedlings were available by calling 190 or 30.

A storm in February 1942 caused the floor of the cafe to flood, several homes and businesses also sustained damage.

In 1946, Harry Nash faced court after being charged with not paying his employees award rates and was fined 22 pounds.

The ceiling in the Kitchen collapsed during a storm in February 1948, R. K. Allen was proprietor at that time.

Permission to erect neon signs at the Cafe was granted by the council in June 1949.

R & J Allen ‘disposed’ of the Primrose in 1950 and thanked the people of Deniliquin in the Pastoral Times.

Harry Nash died on October 14, 1957, he had owned a Bakehouse in Deniliquin before owning the Primrose, his son Ray survived a 22,000-volt jolt in Temora after touching a high-tension wire.

Ray Allen died in May 1958 after falling ill while performing at a dance.

On September 11, 1999, the Cafe and Coffee Lounge was put up for auction, the auction included the Leasehold Business and the 3-bedroom residence.

The building is now occupied by Deniliquin Florist and Google Street View users can still see the Cafe’s markings as the area was photographed in 2008.

One roadside advertisement that was located 800m from the Primrose was saved and it still exists to this day in the hands of a collector.

Red Rose Diner (current)

The Red Rose Diner was damaged in 2018 when TLC Real Estate was set on fire.

Before the fire the diner was getting a reputation for being a great place with a FB rating of 5 out of 5 after 34 reviews.

Red Rose Diner has brought its range of goods to events with one example being the showing of movies at Waring Gardens in April 2019.

In late 2019 it was announced that its new premises was almost ready for public viewing with the public getting a good look on Facebook.

On November 13 2019 it was announced that the café was back in operation and its popularity continued on from the levels it enjoyed before the fire.

The café has supported many fundraisers over the last couple of years and in 2022 they extended its trading hours twice a week to remain open until to 7pm.

Deni Diner

Deni Diner only had a short existence thanks to a fire that severely damaged it and Green Pepper Pizza.

Unfortunately the café never reopened after the fire.

Not much is known about it online apart from the fact the Café achieved immortality by being in the opening seconds of a Big M ad, it is said that the Blue Sea was chosen by producers due to it being relatively free of ads of various brands.

At least one colour photo exists online of the café and the shops next to it which was a Pet Shop and the Saddlers.

The building was later demolished, and a new one built in its place with the Black Cat Café now in the spot where the Blue Sea was.

The Tarilta Café was opened next to Jane and Jane’s in Cressy Street in January 1916 and was run by J. H. (Bert) Donovan though it is said that the Cafe existed before then as an auction was held there in 1914.

It is believed that the cafe was located in the Tyrer’s Buildings.

The ads announcing that Mr. Donovan opened the Tarilta ran between 1916 and 1918.

Mr. Donovan would go on to take the license of the Edward River Hotel and died in 1921 at the age of forty-six.

Black Cat Café

A fixture in an always changing town, Black Cat has been around for since at least the 1940’s and currently the business sits comfortably among its takeaway competitors.

The Ferrari family purchased the Black Cat Café in 1940 and two years later the family had the Mona Café too.

The first online mention of the Black Cat Café we could find was an advertisement made in March 1941, a girl was wanted to be hired by the Café and applicants had to apply to Mrs. Ferrari.

Mrs Ferrari was fined in June 1942 for being open on Sunday April 26 as the Cafe was crowded as Saturday ended and the front door was unlocked, the fine was £1 with /8 costs.

A RAAF man was arrested in January 1946 for drunken behaviour and for breaking a table at the café.

Norman Francis Marshall and Fredrick Leo Barnes purchased the cafe in 1948, Fredrick’s share was purchased from Jessie Howard Marshall to give Fredrick a two-thirds share of the business.

A Pie Night was held at the cafe by the East End Football Club on May 27, 1949.

Gus Seymour taken over the Black Cat Café from Fred Barnes in 1955 and ran it for five years.

Steak Sandwiches in the Seymour era were 2 shillings and Pies with sauce were sold for 1 shilling.

The Black Cat Café has stayed in Cressy Street throughout its run, it occupied a building on the corner of Cressy and Napier Street before moving a short distance to 326 Cressy Street before moving to 343 Cressy Street as 326 Cressy Street was demolished for the construction of Centrelink.

2015 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Savellis family running the café.

Documents of the 1948 sale were revealed on Deniliquin Old Stuff on October 18, 2023.

Central Café

Was located in Cressy Street in the spot later made popular by O.B’s (261 Cressy Street) and their telephone number was 81 1644.

They offered Pizzas, Chicken, Cigarettes, Soft Drinks, Bread and Milk and were open 7 days a week from 10am to 11pm Sunday to Thursday and 10am to Midnight on Friday and Saturday.

In 1985, Theo and Vicky Mitropolous sold the business to Peter and Fay Efstathiou with the handover announced in the Pastoral Times.

The business later on moved to Hardinge Street before closing and the signage lasted for many years and was seen on Google Street View until very recently.

The image of the Central Cafe does remain on Google Maps version of Street View, the signage was replaced sometime between January and September 2008.

It was noticed on Google Street View in 2024 that if you look behind the service station on Cressy Street, you’ll see a hot bread sign in the distance, look at the side the awning of that building and you’ll see ‘Hot Bread’

Old Dublin Café

We’re still trying to find information on this one, but it was where the Dublin Hotel occupied the space until it was closed down in 1922.

F. Bishop’s Fruit Shop and Café

F. Bishop’s Fruit Shop and Café occupied the building that is now a chemist.

The café was damaged in January 1936 by heavy rain, the rain event caused damage to several other shops in town.

In the November 4, 1937, edition of the Deniliquin Independent, the Café was said to have been rebuilt and business was moved back to its original location after temporarily operating next to the Deniliquin Independent (aka The Independent).

Fred Bishop is said to have made the best ice cream in town.

The phone number for the café was 184.

The building later became occupied by Huddles and is now a Chemist after undergoing extensive renovations in 2022 which uncovered the cellar in the building, the cellar revealed no tunnel system.

Town Hall Café

The Town Hall Café was located to the left of Town Hall and can be seen in several postcards of Town Hall, the spot is now shrubs and lawn.

The Cafe was in operation from at least 1925 as a December 1925 council report had H. Gillespie wanting to open the drain outside the cafe so a new drain could be laid.

Mr S. H. Rymer appeared to move on to the Town Hall Cafe in 1930 informing them he was catering for his numerous clients in all lines including meals.

Mentions of McCann’s Town Hall Café was changed to Town Hall Café sometime around 1930 with Miss D. Lane running the business.

In 1932, the café was mentioned in Town Hall Pictures advertisements as being “Adams’ Café” (Next Town Hall).

The Café existed into at least the 1930’s when advertisements stopped appearing.

One photo when looked at with a magnifying glass indicates that the Café sold Sweets and Old Gold chocolate which was made by MacRobertson’s before eventually becoming part of Cadbury.

Napier Café/Pacific Cafe

Ads for the Napier Café started appearing in The Independent no earlier than December 1925.

The Andronico Brothers purchased the business conducted by Mrs. Sharpe in 1925 and their ads offered patrons the following.

Best Fruit Procurable
Cool Fountain Drinks
Best Brands of Confectionery
Ice Cream
Big variety in Ice Cream Specials and Sundaes
Orders taken for Poultry
Specialty Cooked ‘Pineapple’ Hams
Fishing and Picnic Parties catered for
Meals at all hours

At all hours was no joke as the Napier Café was listed as being open as late as midnight, giving locals plenty of options.

It was reported in 1926 that Nicholas Andronico held the patent to ‘Ice Cream on a Stick’, it is entirely possible that Deniliquin was a testing ground for Australia after the invention was created in the United States.

It was reported in June 1926 that the cafe had been enlarged and renovated, the additions were said to cater for patrons more expeditiously.

In August 1926, a man was fined after using obscene language after being refused sandwiches when he called into the café after midnight.

The Andronico Brothers donated half the gross takings on December 11, 1926, and donated it to the hospital.

The Heaton-Evans wedding in January 1930 had their wedding breakfast at the café.

The Andronico Brothers sold the Napier Cafe to Mr. L. Rogers of Picola in Victoria in May 1930.

The Rogers family sold the Napier Cafe and moved to Deloraine, Tasmania in June 1937.

A man was fined £3 in November 1937 for using insulting language.

It became Harvey’s Cafe and after a couple of years in Napier Street, it moved to 83 Cressy Street.

Former owner George Harvey died on August 30, 1943, he was sixty-one years old and was working for Messrs. Miller & Co at the time.

The Cafe was later known as the Pacific Cafe and telephone number for the Café was 147.

Happy World Café

Happy World Café existed in Wellington Plaza.

Royal Cafe

The Royal Cafe was run by Mr. Ferrari in 1946, its location was in End Street.

Victoria Café?

Existed in Davidson Street in the 1920’s and 1930’s, mentioned in August 1932 as a place to vote at and again in 1934, it is possible that the Victoria Café was where the Victoria Hotel once operated, and that site later became Deniliquin Toyota.

The Cafe was run by the Crossley family.

O.B’s

O.B’s was fairly popular particularly in the early 2000’s and it existed next to Rockman’s.

As of November 2022, the business lives on thanks to Google taking their time in updating Street View giving users of Google Earth an opportunity to O.B’s as it was back in 2008.

Devour cafe and catering

Business was in operation at the former location of OB’s.

The business offered meals like Lasagna as well as Veggie Frittata, Chicken Parma, Chips, Soup, Rice Dishes and more.

The business had just over 700 follows on Facebook and was updated fairly regularly.

Crusin’ Diner (currently open)

One of Deniliquin’s most recent diners, this establishment at 162 Hardinge Street offers their full menu for takeaway.

It is the second Café or Diner to have a 1950’s theme in Deniliquin which is not a problem as there are room for both and both are spectacularly designed.

Over sixteen hundred people follow the Diner on Facebook, and it is updated regularly so people can get the latest.

McLarens

McLarens opened up at the former location of the Central Cafe, OB’s and Devour on Good Friday 2022.

McLarens had opening hours from 7am to 9pm every day of the week.

Breakfast was served from 7am to 10:30am and Dinner was from 5pm to 8:30pm.

McLarens was announced as closed on January 7, 2023.

The Bus Stop Cafe

Uncertain Historical Details

A confectionary and soft drink business was put up for sale in November 1929, it does not identify the business by name.

In 1937, owner Mr. C. McDonald was reported to be confined to his room, he owned a café in Napier Street, ownership may have transferred to another McDonald.

There’s an unknown café at the top of Napier Street, it was located next to N.S Jane’s menswear store, perhaps this café belonged to the two above, more research is being conducted could be before 1930 as there is a mix of Horses and Cars.