Nicola Donato was 19 when he came to Australia from Italy in 1949. In 1980, he moved to Mount Martha with his wife Lillianna and their four boys and bought an egg farm. It soon grew to include a convenience store, and later their eldest son Frank introduced hydroponic produce. Then grandson Nicolas transformed the shop into The Mornington Peninsula Hydroponic Café. Not content with that, in 2018 Nicholas set about realising his dream of something bigger and better. The result was Donato Est.1980. 

True to the Italians’ generosity of spirit, Donato Est.1980 is a café where everyone is welcome and made to feel at home – even your canine companion. During summer there’s live music every weekend – weather permitting – and the atmosphere is super-relaxed all year round. With mouthwatering all-day breakfast and lunch from noon, and BYO available, Donato Est.1980 has become a popular meeting place for the community and regular visitors to the Peninsula.

Open from 6.30am-4.30pm seven days, this bustling red brick café is the place to enjoy a coffee and delicious vanilla slice as the light streams in through the floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors. This is what summers are made of. 

DONATO EST.1980 
A: cnr Nepean Highway and Craigie Rd, Mount Martha
T: 5916 1374
W: www.donato1980.com.au
FB: donatocafe1980
INSTA: donatocafe1980