I've been to this adorable cafe several times over the lady ten years. I adored the old gentleman and his beautiful wife who lovingly transformed this run down old chapel into the marvellous venue it is today. Upon my last visit approximately 3 years ago he sadly informed me that his beautiful wife is I'll and that they will be selling off the business. He was always accommodating friendly and explained the history of the picturesque setting. He allowed me to walk upstairs in the restaurant to look at the art gallery and sat with me telling me about the beauty parents his stunning wife and daughter had entered and won completed with albums to assist him. The albums are located in the restaurant fir anyone to look at . The food was delicious I loved the seafood platter. It's is very reasonably priced. This is not a fast paced restaurant. Is designed for relaxation and an appreciation of the beauty of the surroundings. It's a shame that some of these reviews seemed to have missed the intention of this lovely place. I adore this place and certainly hope the new owners keep it exactly the same.
Liz

I find the other reviews on Brother Johns very surprising. This restaurant is run by an extremely old couple who've owned it for years. I find them delightful! They make the scones on site fresh daily. They are so yum, it's lovely to go for a Devonshire tea with a friend to relax. They old couple let you walk around and see the property out the back - be sure to ask about their goat. Lovely couple and lovely experience.

Wow! How is this place still in business??? Very strange staff that are quite rude. In fact, there's no 'quite' about it. Upon walking in the door, you are made to feel very unwelcome. So much so, that we turned around and went elsewhere!!! From reports from friends, all have experienced similar experiences!

Brother Jon's restaurant - We were told there were no tables to accommodate us (2) and after a 15 minute wait we were reluctantly given a larger table (one of three that were empty, so we could have been accommodated without waiting). They also turned away a group of nine that also could have been accommodated. To be fair it was Easter and they were a bit short staffed so quite harrassed, however one staff member was very rude, all staff telling customers not to "cut the scones but break them", negative notices everywhere inside and out, don't do this, don't do that. We ordered two soups, two glasses of wine plus water. Waited 25 minutes before the soup arrived, the wine and water came after we'd finished the meal. One soup - potato and leek - was watery. We then ordered one serve of scones plus tea and coffee. Scones came and were finished before the tea/coffee arrived. Other customers were also waiting for a long time after they'd finished eating for their drinks to arrive. Very expensive for what we had. Upon paying we were told that Devonshire tea did not include the tea and "you don't go out much as that hasn't been around since GST came in." (Which is utter nonesense as many places offer Devonshire Tea complete). So $10 for one serve of two scones plus extra for tea/coffee. It's a converted church so interior is very nice and there is a hotel attached with a nice garden- but make sure you keep off the grass and don't jump the hedges.

Approximate cost: $10-$18 for lunch

My extended family celebrated a birthday by booking lunch at Brother Jon's. The decor is unusual and they obviously concentrate their attention to weddings and large functions and a small family lunch was not a priority for them. We were seated outside on a 35 degree day while the empty reception room had airconditioned comfort. The food was adequate but overpriced at about $25 per person.

Approximate cost: $25

This cafe is set in an old chapel in truly beautiful gardens in beautiful Sassafras. They serve afternoon teas with scones. I booked a small group of my friends in for an afternoon tea a few months ago. I was asked to make a deposit of $30 for my group. When a few of the ladies had to cancel I called and gave them 2 days notice. However when it came time to pay the bill the elderly owner refused to give me back my $30 deposit as he said I had not called. He would not listen to me when I told him that I had indeed called 2 days prior. Infact he was very roud to me. The cafe itself is lovely but the scones were very ordinary. The service was very poor. I will never go back.