The Riverbank Cafe: Jo Hughes & Tess Morrisey

Eat & Drink

Oct 26

“The People. We have a close connection to our regular customers, which has helped us understand what people want in the way of coffee, food and service. We also value the relationships we have established with local suppliers, we have great access to amazing produce, such as Blakes Estate Winery and Apostle Whey cheese.”

-Tess Morrisey, Co-owner The Riverbank Cafe

The Riverbank Café is a small, family run, Lorne business by Jo Hughes and Tess Morrisey. Located in an idyllic vine covered lane, alongside Erskine River, the café sits in a small strip of shops with Pizza Pizza restaurant, Dudley Moss barber shop and In The Skies Art gallery.

Opened in 2016, it is a popular coffee spot, serving Seven Miles coffee and delicious house made scones. The breakfast and lunch menu includes poached eggs, gourmet toasted sandwiches and Jo's popular Bahn Mi. They have recently added a bar, which opened on September 18th, when COVID restrictions eased. This new addition takes the café from a day venue, into the evening with cocktails, beers and wine. “We have always wanted to do the bar and nights at the shop because it has always had a nice atmosphere as the sun goes down” says Tess, “we felt Lorne was missing something like that. It was during the COVID restrictions, that we had the opportunity to get the bar built and complete the renovations.”

Jo and Tess met in Lorne, both having moved there to work for a season and then staying on. Jo had worked in the shop when it was the Erskine Tea House for a few years and felt a strong connection to that part of town. When the little shop by the river became available, it was an opportunity they could not refuse and took on the challenge of opening their own café. Along the way, they have become a family of three, with son, 1 year old Oliver, a regular visitor.

Tell me one thing that might surprise people about your business.

“Jo has done most of the renovations and the fit outs in the shop since we have been open and he custom built the tables.”

Name another business you connect and collaborate with?

“Being so close to Pizza Pizza, we often share and bounce ideas off each other.”

What can people expect from your new bar?

“We offer a range of drinks, from wine, beer to cocktails. In regards to food, we currently do a cheese board using Apostle Whey cheeses and pate platter using City Larder pate. We use Blake’s Estate wine, which is local to Deans Marsh and moving forward would like to use as much local as we can. We felt that Lorne had been missing the before dinner drinks for a number of years. With so many fantastic restaurants it good to be able to cater to customers as they make their way out for the evening.”