Hibernia Cafe — Restaurant in Adelaide

I've been to Hibernia multiple times and the food is fantastic no doubt about it.

Now what did slightly bother me was the inconsistent service provided on the previous visit and today's visit. By the time I had arrived today it was not overly crazy in terms of business at midday. I had been seated for 10 minutes and generally the staff would come to take an order, but after the long wait and seeing another group of customers coming in I would have thought the staff would have provided service to those that had come in and waiting patiently. But for some reason the group that had just come in were promptly provided service and their orders taken although they had arrived afterwards. So then I had decided to go up and order and genuinely queried whether the normal procedure was to wait at the table for ordering or if we were required to come up and order. The answer that I had received was beyond me and the experience felt like I wasn't welcomed. Having previously worked in the retail industry that would definitely not be the kind of service I would have liked to had received and would put me off from returning.

Honestly the food is great with no doubt, but for the full experience it would have been great to have received genuine customer service than to feel the vibes of being talked down to. After this experience I would query whether I would still prefer to go and dine here, but I'm just hoping that this would have been just a "once-off" event and doesn't...

Coffee- good, food-standard brunch menu- average at best, CANNOT manage a group over 4 people. Have taken a month before writing this review so it is not knee-jerk reaction. Booked 8 people for brunch 5 days prior and confirmed that they could handle a larger group. Celebrating a casual birthday locally with our adult kids some of whom came from Melbourne. It was busy, we tried to make it easier by one-person puting in the drinks and food order for the group. Drinks came out fine and were good. Waited 40 minutes before checking with waitress about ETA for our food, having seen food taken out to couples who ordered after us, mood dampened when we got an eye-roll and advised to be patient they are busy. 3 orders came out 5 minutes later and we waited for the rest of the orders. After few minutes when checked if the rest of the orders were coming, made to feel very uncomfortable when we got second eye roll from same waitress. Rest of the orders came out over 10 minutes. Had to eat individually as we were served, with some finished before other had been served. Left feeling really upset that I had organized a really poor celebration. Definitely lower mood in the group leaving...

I visited this café and ordered the bacon Benedict. The coffee was excellent, food was good, and the front staff were very friendly and welcoming. ❣️

Unfortunately, halfway through my meal, I found a hair that looked like it was cooked in with the poached egg. The front staff handled it very politely and even offered me a replacement (which I declined since I had already eaten half). 🙂

What really RUINED the experience for me was when someone from the kitchen came out and said: “I’ve got grey hair, and the one on the plate is black. Are you sure it isn’t yours?”

I was wearing a cap that fully covered my hair, and the hair was clearly poached into the egg. Instead of questioning me, a simple acknowledgment and apology would have gone a long way. 😤😤😤 My suggestion for the kitchen team is: when situations like this happen, approach the customer with understanding and professionalism. Even if mistakes happen in the kitchen (which can happen anywhere), handling them gracefully is what leaves a lasting impression.😏

I truly appreciated the service from the front staff, but the way the kitchen responded unfortunately ruined what could have been an excellent...