The Flavour Report: Views to die for & family-friendly but is menu up to scratch at Geraldton’s Dome Cafe?

I didn’t think when starting this Flavour Report journey that I would review a “chain” cafe so early on, but here we are.

Many people have told me how Dome is their favourite coffee haunt, and its family-friendly environment and position on the foreshore made it an obvious choice for inclusion.

Dome sits in a prominent position on our seafront, with fantastic views of the beach and the port, and there are not many establishments that can boast such an impressive vista.

Today we opted for waffles with syrup and strawberries, coffee and my old faithful strawberry milkshake.

Given I went at peak lunchtime on a Saturday I expected the place to be much busier and therefore the wait to be served to be longer, but this was far from the case. I managed to get my order in and it was at the table within 20 minutes — not bad for any cafe.

The service wasn’t exactly with a smile, more an automatic script that the server was following. But I guess with a chain cafe this is to be expected.

The coffee was fine, nothing special but certainly not bad. It doesn’t compare to Piper Lane, Beached Barrel or Jaffle Shack, but I have had worse.

Sadly the strawberry “thick shake” was neither particularly thick nor tasted much of strawberries. I am not sure what the recipe is, but I can only suggest they add more fruit to it.

The waffles were the highlight, fluffy and sweet with a nice crispy edge to them. The syrup and strawberries, a nice addition, and the portion size represented good value for money.

Dome is what it is, it’s familiar and comfortable, with ample seating and a view to envy. Its menu is its main selling point, with dishes for everyone in the family, young and old of all diet types.

I must admit being able to order brekkie, lunch and dinner dishes at the same time is a huge bonus for a dad. With the bill running at just under $25 it was right in the middle of the Geraldton cafe price range.

I hope this is not too critical — it is a review though after all — but I simply do not put Dome in the same league as our other family-run cafes in town.

It’s not bad, far from it — but when we have places like the Quiet Life and Piper Lane to chose from, I just don’t see much return appeal.