Oliver Brown Bowral — Restaurant in Bowral

I used to come to Olivia Brown in Bowral for their Belgian hot chocolate, which I genuinely enjoyed. I even received their loyalty card for hot drinks. As is standard in most cafés and coffee shops, once you’ve collected a set number of stamps (usually 10), you get a free drink — whether it’s coffee or hot chocolate.

However, when I reached my free drink, I was told I could only get a coffee — not a hot chocolate — because it was “more expensive.” I don’t drink coffee. I had paid full price for hot chocolate every single time. Still, I was asked to pay part of the cost for what should have been a free drink. That felt unfair and disappointing. I’ve never experienced this at other Olivia Brown locations — for example, in Mittagong, where this has never been an issue.

On another occasion, my husband and I came for breakfast and ordered poached eggs on toast. The meal was extremely underwhelming — just toast with a cold poached egg and a few tiny sides. Yes — cold eggs. It honestly felt like they had just come out of the fridge. Not many people enjoy cold eggs for breakfast. We left disappointed.

But despite all this, I want to be very clear: my 1-star review is not primarily about the food or the loyalty policy.

As a parent of two teenagers, I feel strongly about what I learned from a young girl (15 or 16 years old) who worked at this café. She was a friend of my daughter’s. She told us that the man running the café repeatedly raised his voice at her, spoke in a harsh and intimidating tone, and made her feel very anxious at work. She once came home in tears. This was her first job. Eventually, she left because it was simply too distressing.

I also heard from my daughter that this wasn’t just a one-off incident — that this is how he treats most of his staff. According to what the girl shared, he is consistently rude, controlling, and speaks aggressively to employees — unless they are his family members. She said he’s only kind to his wife and relatives who work there, but treats others with disrespect. That’s why there’s such a high staff turnover — people come, then leave shortly after.

So if any local parents are reading this: please don’t send your teenagers to work there. It’s not a healthy or supportive environment for young people starting their first jobs.

I do not support businesses that behave this way. It doesn’t matter how good the food is or how nice the coffee might be. As a human being, and as a parent, I choose not to spend my money in places where young staff are treated with disrespect and emotional cruelty. That’s the reason I will never return to this café, and why I strongly encourage others to think twice before...

From the moment we (grp of 7 adults and 4 kids) arrived, the staff were very unaccommodating. We asked if we could join tables, they said no. We were told to sit separately, we did so over 3 tables. We ordered drinks and food and were constantly being told to move the chairs out of the way despite the fact there was ample room to pass through. Unfortunately one of the 3 year olds accidentally dropped a small saucer on the floor and broke. We immediately apologised and started to collect the broken pieces when the manager came and said she would clean it. We apologised a few times. Every 5 mins thereafter, the staff came to the table and started collecting drinks and food we were still consuming. We had to tell them numerous times that we were not finished the drinks and food that we purchased!! The icing on the cake was when the manager announced to the whole cafe they were closing in 15 mins and needed to wash the plates so “please leave”. This was approx 3.40pm we had been there 40mins and the closing time on the door was 6pm! An hour later we walked past and they were in fact not closed but very open and very full. I’m sure they told other patrons not to worry about leaving that in fact that comment was aimed just for us due to a broken saucer and they did not want us taking up space in the cafe. Absurd is an...

Overall a mixed experience — some things were enjoyable, while other aspects could have been better.

🍫 I had a hot chocolate and it was very enjoyable, rich and felt quite luxurious. Definitely the highlight of the visit.

🍽️ The food looked impressive on the plate and was presented well, though the flavours were fairly standard and nothing particularly memorable.

😊 Staff service was inconsistent — some team members were warm and friendly, while others seemed unhappy to be there, which affected the overall atmosphere.

🪑 The decor was modern and pleasant, but the constant movement of staff carrying bins through the café was distracting and unfortunately left some unpleasant smells.

📍 The location is central and very practical if you’re parking nearby, though the setting itself is less appealing, being right next to a car park rather than the main high street.

👶 Kid-friendliness was a plus, with plenty of highchairs and menu options for children. However, the lack of an on-site bathroom made things less convenient for families.

In summary, I’d return occasionally for the hot chocolate, but probably wouldn’t choose it as a...