Babka Bakery Cafe — Restaurant in Melbourne

I love the food here but the service leaves a lot to be desired! Seriously, they have so many young staff who just do not care. I have gone in there and waited a few minutes to be served while the girl out the front was texting next to the coffee machine. If there are no customers, maybe but don't keep a customer waiting so that you can text! I have also waited for some of the girls to finish their conversation for 5 minutes before they bother to serve me! So unprofessional. When I worked in hospitality, I never used my phone at work. If it was quiet, I would clean or do other things. And talking is fine, but you talk when there are no customers. Your conversation doesn't take priority over customer service when you are being paid to serve customers, not to chat. These people are just lazy and don't care and no one seems to be supervising them? The last time I went, the customer service was shocking. I just wanted a sausage roll to take away so I asked for one. I was told there was none left. That is fine, no worries. So I asked what they do have left. They pointed to the board and said "list of pies is on the board". I said ok but what out of the list is actually available and what is not (sausage rolls were still up there). Kept pointing at the board. From my perspective, I didn't want them to list all the pies, I just wanted to know if there were any other pies listed on the board that were not available. Otherwise, I could choose something else from the board only to find out it wasn't available like the sausage rolls. Eventually after asking about 4 times and the staff treating me like an idiot/getting annoyed with me for doing so I finally got the answer of: "everything on the board except for the sausage rolls is available" how hard was that? I just didn't want to have to chose things then be told they weren't available several times. I just wanted to know what was and wasn't available in the first place so I could make my decision! I love the food as I said, but I hope the manager realises what a big staff problem they have and fixes it soon! Even good food won't sustain a business long term if the customer...

Babka! What a wonderful time capsule but with all the Brunswick street vibe and modernity! Delicious bread, delectable pastries, to die for cakes and coffee [provided you order a strong one] and a delightful, homely feel, bursting with the tastes and scents of middle Europe, the most spectacular floral display on any day or at time of the year, and, indeed, the most agreeable, approachable and loveable owner, Sasha, who will always find a moment to chat with you, in spite of the hectic bustle, in this tiny but big-in-style-and-cosiness establishment. We cannot go through Winter without Babka's stunning "Borsh" or their unique pies and pasties, above all, just being there wrapped in the smells and sounds of the visually accessible kitchen-bakery just behind the serving counter and the alluring bread display. Apropos the staff, only a couple tend to be inclined to suggest a kind of aloofness which is nothing more than their youthful shyness and the intensity with which they conduct themselves as accomplished Babka girls. You have to give them a second chance and allow them to be themselves. And, anyway, the quality of the product on offer in this cafe/bakery speaks for itself, whether you get a smiling waitress or a grumpy one. It's the one place in Brunswick street where you go back for more and more and more... And what about the marmalades and jams and relishes and.. and.....

The Shoo-fly Bun has flown the coop and the Casalinga has floated away 😢. I’ve been visiting Babka since it opened in 1993 but not quite so often in the last ten years as so many wonderful bakeries and cafes have opened up closer to home. But today I was in Fitzroy and thought I would indulge in a couple of favourites to take away. I’m saddened to report that things are not as they were at Babka. After sampling my purchases I said to my partner “they must have changed hands” and within a few minutes he read me an online article confirming my theory. How could I tell? The distinctive perfume and delicate yet chewy crumb of the Shoo-fly bun was absent and so was its beautiful yellow tones that were imparted by whole oranges puréed and added to the dough in the original recipe. The Casalinga bread was lightweight with none of the delightful texture it used to have. The crust was dry and crumbly, too, like generic hot bread bakery bread. The Escargot looked wrong and the pastry was dry, like the bakers had skimped on butter. “Why meddle with perfection?” is my question to the new owners? I won’t even bother to try my other favourites like the Tarte Tatin, the Flourless Orange and Almond cake and the French Toast. Vale Babka, we’ll miss...