Alcove Cafe and Deli — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Been wanting to come here for a while and finally had a chance to visit today.

On arrival, we were greeted by this super friendly staff member, who showed us the way around and took us to a table. Shortly after we were seated, another welcoming staff member approached and explained their ordering system, which was really handy given it was our first time dining here.

We ordered a long black in a mug and a flat white on lactose free milk. The long black was sitting on the bitter side with no hint of sourness, which woke me up instantly. The flat white was creamy and delicious. Food wise, I grabbed their nourish bowl with halloumi and one poached egg and beef brisket on the side, while my partner ordered the pulled beef gnocchi. The nourish bowl came in a fairly decent size with a big variety of veggies. The highlight for me was the pumpkin. I thought it was straight up fabulous, with it being tender and infused with a combination of spices and multiple layers of flavors. The dish as a whole was great and very fulfilling. The only issue I had was with the beef brisket, which we both agreed was a bit too salty and saucy. It was still really delicious but could have used a bit less salt and sauce. But it is just a personal preference. The halloumi came with the dish as one of the four (correct me if I’m wrong) options, while the poached egg and beef brisket were add-ons. The pulled beef gnocchi to me was better in comparison. Everything was incorporated well and the ingredients really complimented each other. I loved how creamy and flavorful the whole dish was.

The whole place offered a very pleasant and homey vibe. All staff were very friendly and attentive. Everything came in a timely manner. 5 stars...

For a cafe with such a good reputation, we were really quite disappointed with our brunch here recently. My waffles were not very good at all - of the three waffle squares, the bottom one was quite burnt, and all three were dry and rather reminiscent of the ones you get in supermarkets. I didn't even eat two-thirds of them. The topping was very pretty, though not enough to cover three waffles, so maybe it's just as well there wasn't too much edible waffle. The staff were doing the best they could but seemed very overworked - my dish didn't even come out until my friend had almost finished hers. The water taps were both broken but there was no sign on them to indicate this, so people kept taking the water jugs that were left at the water point and the staff had to chase them to get the jugs back, as they were intended to be used to fill a glass rather than to be taken to a table. Between the traffic noise, the music and the cramped tables, it was difficult to hold a conversation. Unfortunately, I can't...

Came to Alcove on Saturday and was seated quickly! We ordered our food at the counter - the Alcove Breakfast and toast with poached eggs and salmon. Tables around us who sat down after us were receiving their food before us. No wait stuff checked to see if we were waiting for our food or have ordered yet or anything. I went up to a staff member and asked if our food was coming as it had been 40 minutes at this point. He walked past our table a few times and didn't say anything. I tried again with another staff member who went to check and did the same thing walked past a few times and didn't say anything. Finally, after 55 minutes our food came. My toast came out as warm bread and my partners bacon was hardly even cooked. No apology or communication from any staff member about our food taking close to an hour. It was extremely bad service from this aspect. Would have preferred to wait another 10 minutes to get a breakfast that was up to standard and presented better... Will not...