The much-loved lunch venue has moved in a different direction with new opening hours and a varied menu, events manager Ben Chapman said.

The cafe/restaurant and gallery spaces are open 9am - 9pm on Friday and Saturday, and 9am - 6pm on Sunday. It will be closed to the public from Monday to Thursday.

"Overwhelmingly [Friday to Sunday] are when people come to Benedict House. We also wanted to start an afternoon/evening offering to compliment the art and design aspects and activities here," Mr Chapman said.

"The grounds of Benedict House are absolutely beautiful in spring and summer in the afternoon and for us, it would seem a shame for it to close at 3pm.

"Particularly with the school across the road, lots of people picking children up ... 3pm seems like a good time for a cafe to be open."

The cafe/restaurant menu has been scaled down to include charcuterie-style share platters, side dishes, as well as a few brunch and dessert options.

The venue can seat about 150 people across the cafe, board room and courtyard spaces and the owners are currently seeking a liquor licence.

"Our focus is on simple, seasonal food that's designed to be shared," Mr Chapman said.

"We would like food to be part of the design elements of Benedict House going forward. We'd like to combine chefs with artists to create very interesting experiences."

Mr Chapman and his partner Bobby Cerini were existing tenants, basing the workshop for their business, the Lost and Found Office, at Benedict House.

However, they took ownership of the cafe about a month ago after former managers Rory and Jessica Markham pulled out for family reasons.

The cafe was shut for about four weeks and reopened its doors on Sunday, November 9 in time for a fundraiser for 2XX community radio station.

It also coincided with a visit by the owner and former custodian of Benedict House, Kate Shelton, who is now based in Melbourne.

"Kate's very supportive of the restaurant continuing; obviously it was her passion," Mr Chapman said.

"What I would like to see for Benedict House is that it remains a focus for the community and different creative enterprises. I think that would be a fantastic thing to happen here."

The refreshed cafe is just one of several changes at the former girls boarding school with the recent introduction of a Friday Night Film Club as well as the addition of a piano, which was donated to Benedict House.