Blackwood Cafe & Espresso Bar — Restaurant in Brisbane City

We decided to try somewhere different for a change. What a mistake!!!

The staff seemed to be nice/friendly but maybe new or not used to a busy rush of customers as communication & team work were non-existent.

We waited in line for what seemed like 15 minutes to order which was no problem for us as they were what seemed, slightly busy for a Saturday morning.

As the line was getting longer and the staff getting more flustered, the manager/owner decided to just grab her things and walk out right in the middle of busy service, maybe a wrong decision on her part.

We ordered 2 iced drinks & 2 breakfasts totaling just under $50, roughly $10 more than what we pay at our regular breakfast spot for the same thing.

We only had 1 request & that was to have hard poached eggs on 1 of the breakfasts, this also being confirmed with the server twice before going to take our seats.

Once we sat down the heat inside was unbearable, so we moved a couple of times closer to the door so we were just comfortable.

Whilst waiting for our drinks to arrive we looked around the cafe at some of the small things that im sure everyone does at one time or another. The cafe is in need of a good spring clean & the finishing touches are so close to be completed it lets the whole persona down of this funky/relaxed/urban/hipster/retro style cafe, its disappointing!

Within 10 minutes of placing the order our food arrived at our table before our beverages.

We were happy with this until the food was put in front of us.

Our beautifully describe fresh crusty bread was a slice of old looking cardboard (bread) that had been deep fried until soggy brown. You could squeeze oil out of it onto your plate. The small request we made for hard poached eggs somehow was translated into may I please have burnt dry fried eggs & seriously a side of old salad greens on a breakfast dish??

I will say that after pushing my breakfast salad to the side and removing the slice of oil toast, my eggs & bacon were delicious. My partners meal on the other hand, was just inedible! The combination of burnt eggs and deep fried cardboard with wilted lettuce just didn't do it for her. It was pushed to one side with hope that the iced beverage was going to make this situation all better.

I had just about finished eating & our drinks finally arrived, id say close to 10-15 mins after being ordered.

Atrocious! We ate the ice cream of the top & couldn't finish what ever attempted at making ice coffee that was.

We left what was not consumed on the table & walked out without asking for a refund or any compensation.

As I was walking out I couldn't help myself, I turned around & went back into the cafe to ask if there was anyone that i could share some feedback with. A lady behind the counter seemed like she was somewhat interested in helping me but was more persistent in wanting to get someone else to deal with the situation. At that point i just gave up and left.

For the past 3 days I have not been able to get this average at best scenario out of my head and this is why I felt the need to share my experience with others.

Blackwood Cafe & Espresso Bar we will...

Firstly, it is good to see a local cafe that stays open a bit longer than most. Some people like to have an afternoon coffee, and there is nowhere else in the vicinity that stays open. However, there is room for a bit of improvement. A gentleman in front of me ordered a coffee, and was asked whether he wanted a mug or a bowl. The default coffee size should always be a cup. A lot of cafes are going down the supersize road; this practice should be curbed. Similarly with meal portions - there ought to be a number of small meal options. It would be really nice to see sandwiches (apart from the large ciabatta bread available) on the menu - fresh or toasted, with various fillings. Another issue I have with this cafe is that if patrons order a cold drink to have in the cafe, it should not be served in a plastic takeaway cup. Cold drinks served to have at the table should always be in a glass - no exceptions. Disposable containers should be discouraged, anyway. So not too bad here, but could be better.

I must make an amendment to my review. This café was supposed to be open today (Friday) until 4.00pm. I arrived at 3.00pm to find it closed. This is very...

I dined in on Saturday morning (5 Oct) and I can safely say I will never be back. This spot has been a go-to for so long but this last visit has left me lost for words. Firstly the service is horrific - it takes about 1% of effort to just give the slightest amount of customer service. If your employees hate their job then get rid of them, it completely ruins the atmosphere and customer experience. Secondly, I don’t know who decided to cut portions but it was a terrible decision. As per the photo, I ordered the avocado bruschetta (Italians would be absolutely going off if they saw the monstrosity that Blackwood St call “bruschetta”). I paid $22 for one small piece of stale & chewy bread, smeared with a poor amount of browning avocado and 5 halves/2.5 whole cherry tomatoes. There were onions but the amount of onion was so little I don’t even think it should be mentioned.

just for comparison, Vito’s at Everton park have avocado feta and lemon on toast for $17 and you get two full slices of it! I would very happily pay $22+ for avo and tomato on toast but it has to actually be...