No, you aren’t seeing things. There really is three train carriages on top of this building in Collingwood. One of them just happens to be converted into a restaurant and owned by Easey’s Burgers. Their train carriage is a Hitachi 153M, which began operating in Melbourne in 1978, before it retired and was superseded by carriages with air conditioning. Easey’s transformed the inside but kept some of the carriage’s original elements, which definitely adds to the restaurant’s character.
These carriages were always being “prettified” by graffiti artists back in the day. So Easey’s decided to keep with the graffiti theme throughout the restaurant. Easey’s is four floors (which they call zones) of wonder. The cafe-slash-bar at the entrance is Zone 1. It includes old arcade games as tables and booths with train seats. Customers can take an elevator directly to the top, but we suggest checking out the stairwell instead. Zone 2 is the colourfully decorated Gallery and Dining Room, which is the perfect space for your next function.
Continue up passed Level 3 and you have made it to the top and Level 4. This is where you will find the restaurant, which is aptly named The Yard. The day we visited was beautifully sunny Melbourne morning, so we decided to sit outside in the patio. The small area was positioned between two of the train carriages and included pretty views of Collingwood.
Now, onto the food, because that’s why we are all here, right? Easey’s menu resembled those of its North American counterparts. Think fried chicken, chilli fries, Mac n Cheese, jalapeños and pickles. Some of the burgers just looked insane, including the Melbourne Madness: double beef patty, triple American cheddar, bacon, jalapeños, a potato cake, pickles, onion and dim sim.
We chose Changaz Chicken Sanga, which included fried chicken, cheese, bacon, lettuce and mayonnaise. The burger was excellent and the fried chicken was cooked perfectly – crispy on the outside whilst still being tender on the inside. The Easey’s team also happily made the same burger gluten-free (without the bun) for our dining companion. Customers can choose to get a combo with their burgers, which includes chips and a drink. The chips were excellently crispy and definitely didn’t resemble the thin shape of their American counterpart, fries.
The servers at Easey’s were attentive and friendly, showing us through the closed Zone 2 and answering our questions about the unique property. Feast recommends a visit to Easey’s at any time of the day. During the morning, customers can get a free pop tart with their coffee and the restaurant also enjoys doing a lunch special or two during the week.
If you dare to devour the Melbourne Madness, perhaps don’t consume anything for 24 hours beforehand.
EASEY’S
48 Easey St, Collingwood
PH: 9079 5940
easeys.com.au
facebook.com/easeys