Gastronome European Deli — Restaurant in Greater Brisbane

Have been here before on a few occasions without issue, today I was unable to place my order with the person I was with as once there order was taken the server walked away, I then waited a short wait and when a different server came I explained I was on the same table number as my friend and ordered some breakfast and a coffee, sitting at the table my friends order arrived and I noticed there was a latte on the tray which I said to the man I think that’s my latte and he replied it was someone else’s and took it away, 10mins later my friend has finished her cake and nearly finished her coffee and a server walked past and asked if I’m still waiting, I responded that I am however I would like a refund as my friend was almost finished , immediately I was confronted by then man who was frustrated saying I gave no time for the order to be made I tried explaining that it would be good for the order to come out together and he responded you ordered separately which I said that’s because the lady walked away after my friends order, a different lady then came and tried to explain the breakfast takes more time then the ready made cake which I said I understand but why has my coffee not been made, as soon as I said that she realised I was a mistake, she was apologetic and turns out my coffee was given to a different table, they brought it to me and apologised which was nice that they realised what had happened, as my coffee was at the wrong table for 10mins it was just warm and no longer hot, having already had a negative experience and not wanting any more disagreement I decided to just have it the way it was, I feel it would have been nice if they had made me a fresh coffee without having to ask and if they at least asked at some point if everything was ok, the food was ok and I’m willing to put it down to a once off and try again another time as every other time I have been there I have had...

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN! My husband and I usually come here and love the authenticity of the entire place including the food. However, I was super shocked with the treatment received today by one particular female staff member. Obviously, it’s Christmas season and everything gets abit crazy with people bustling about. So naturally after shopping with my two toddlers and mum visiting from overseas, exhausted, I head here to get a couple slices of cake. Trying to best to watch both kids, my 20month old grabs a pickled jar displayed on the bottom shelf below the cash register and drops it. It smashes and the glass and liquid goes everywhere and I am immediately shocked. I apologise straight away saying I’ll pay for it. This particular staff member calls out to someone else stating I’ll be paying for to get the register ready and doesn’t even ask if my child and the rest of us are ok (only one male worker asked which I appreciated) It almost looked like she was huffing and puffing while cleaning up the mess which I was super apologetic for. As I went to pay for it she directed me to the other register. As I walked away after paying, I apologised to her again and she didn’t even respond to look at me. WOW! That just made me feel worse than I already did. I just wanted to say that accidents happen and if you work in a place that involves customer service you need to be able to show empathy for your customers. I was an overwhelmed mum, taking my kids out without knowing what was going to happen and abit of sensitivity or understanding of the situation would’ve gone a long way. I don’t usually write negative reviews because I see the best in people but today made me like crap. So hopefully they see this as constructive criticism...

I am genuinely disappointed to write this review. Many times I have been to this cafe for their Slavic cuisine, coffee and cakes which I thoroughly enjoyed. I purchased my favourite cake, a Napoleon torte for my 30th birthday two years ago and it was amazing, everyone loved it. I decided to order the same cake again for my birthday yesterday and it was not the same. The cake was dry, had twice as much pastry as it needed and half the amount of cream filling. The cake was difficult to cut through because there was not enough cream to soften the layers of pastry. This cake is meant to be soft, light and flavourful, instead it was like eating a mouthful of pastry, my mother-in-law remarking it was like eating cornflakes. This is not what a Napoleon torte should be. I thought I would try the cake again this morning to see if it had more time to soak in the flavours but it was still the same dry cake. The cake was not cheap at $115, no one could eat it. What was most disappointing is the unnecessary comment made to my father-in-law upon returning the cake for a refund, the woman told him not to order anything from her shop again. A poor way to handle a customer complaint. I understand this cake takes time to make, but the what good is it if it is unedible? We did get a full refund and I would have considered going back as I have had many positive experiences here but after hearing her comment, I won’t be back....