Banjo’s Bakery Café - Mildura

Banjo's Bakery Café in Mildura is a franchise café-bakery that suits both a quick takeaway and a proper sit-down. Their line is "great food, made fresh each day", and the breads, savouries, donuts and sweets are baked on the premises. Everything is preservative-free, they say.

Pies are what people around Mildura tend to bring up first. There's a big range, from the pepper pie and beef and jalapeño to a cauliflower cheese pie that one visitor called a pleasant surprise. Sausage rolls, veg rolls, a cheese and spinach roll, a Hawaiian pizza slice and fresh sandwiches round out the savoury side, and we've heard they come out warm and ready to eat. If you've got a sweet tooth, the cabinet is well stocked with cakes, slices and donuts, and one person has mentioned the caramel donut.

The coffee gets plenty of praise too, along with an iced chai latte that one local reckons is worth trying. Dine-in is a bit different here: we hear table service with real crockery is a nice touch, rather than disposable cups and a name called across the room. There's seating inside and out, and staff are described as friendly and quick even when it's busy. The general feeling is it can be popular at weekends, so expect a short queue, though there are plenty of staff on to keep it moving.

Opinion is a little mixed on the cakes and croissants, and one visitor found a pie on the salty side, though prices are widely seen as fair for the quality. The overall picture is of a friendly, good-value stop that people return to.

Beyond the counter, they take custom cake orders, do catering, and offer delivery and in-store pick-up. There's a wheelchair-accessible entrance and car park, free parking close by, and card and mobile payments are accepted. Opening hours are long, but check the hours before you head in.