River Baker Cafe

River Baker Cafe is the kind of bakery in Orbost that people plan a stop around. One local drives 56km just for the pies, pasties and carrot cake, and travellers heading through East Gippsland seem to leave with the same plan to come back.

Pies are the headline. We've heard the beef is packed with flavour, the pastry is good, and flavours like cheeseburger and pepper get a mention too. The pasties earn their own following, with one visitor going as far as calling it arguably the best this side of Cornwall. Sausage rolls, spinach and ricotta rolls, salad rolls and a bacon and egg roll round out the savoury side.

The sweet cabinet gets just as much talk. Vanilla slices are described as generous, and the custard pastries, chocolate eclairs and cream lamingtons all get praise for tasting freshly made. The carrot cake has its own fans, and a freshly made jam donut has turned up on one table. Fresh bread comes out soft and good, and some is baked on the premises.

It's a proper cafe as well as a bakery, with takeaway and dine-in both on offer. The coffee gets steady praise, including the iced caramel version, and the inside is described as clean and welcoming. Seating is wheelchair-accessible, there's free street parking nearby, and card and mobile payments are accepted. The business also identifies as women-owned.

The welcome is a big part of the appeal. People talk about welcoming staff behind the counter, one by the name of Donna, and the service is often called warm. To be fair, one visitor had a less friendly experience with a staff member, though they still praised the food and recommended the place. It's open seven days, and someone was glad to find it trading on a public holiday, but check the hours before you head in.

If you're driving through Orbost or exploring the alpine country nearby, this is a good place to stop for a pie and a coffee, with a vanilla slice or a slice of carrot cake to take along for the road.