Matilda Mont Albert — Restaurant in Melbourne

Edit: owner kindly offered me a second chance experience with free meal. This is most generous. I am going back here but not for free meal as I do not expect this! Will make full payment, I will update review once I have anonymously returned. I posted original review a couple of years ago now (!!) I have a new friend who suggested we go here! So I'll be attending with them in coming weeks/months, looking forward to it! Original: I had high hopes for this Matilda, based on so many glowing reviews from happy loyal customers here! Wow! My friend told me she tried to book a table but they said they don't take bookings, just rock up and take your chance, which we did. There were quite a few people waiting for takeaway orders when we got there, luckily, we secured a free table when we enquired. I ordered a toasted salmon bagel, turmeric latté and mineral water. They had some issues with their table service, you need to order from the counter and they bring it to you which is fine, but they never served my turmeric latté, so we had to prompt them twice. It took over twenty minutes to receive it. They said they forgot. It was a great latté admittedly. They also forgot to toast my bagel, the bagel itself was very dry, it seemed a few days old. We ordered another drink with the meal and lo, they also forgot to serve the mineral water I ordered so we had to chase it up too. I don't think it was that busy that it would cause staff to forget to bring two drinks for me as my friend received both her drinks perfectly and I couldn't justify the amount I paid with either our items or their service. They sell gift ware too which is convenient, however I'd be reluctant to attend again given this unfortunate first impression, which is a pity, because the location of this venue really is a great selling point, in an unexpected "oasis" of shops among the surrounding residential area and a large sporting/recreational venue close handy. Parking is fairly good, though the nearby residents must get mighty tired of all...

My friend and I arrived there at 10am and there is a queue. We were assigned a tiny coffee table when it was our turn . I realised it right away that it won’t be enough space for coffee and breakfast plates. I saw 2 bigger vacant tables available and I spoke to staff A that we need a bigger table for our meals. Staff A replied me that nothing that she can do. I returned to my table and my friend spoke to staff B to see if we can move to the vacant table. Staff B then went to speak to Staff A and came back to say nothing she can do. Then our coffee arrived together with the water and cutlery, the table was full. Please see how full of the table in the photo. Later our food arrived, staff B realised that it’s not possible to put our breakfast on the table. Then she started to move our drinks to the next table. The water n glasses n coffee plates are ours on the next tiny table. Later when there was 2 new customers came in, staff B moved our water to another side one the bar top and told us our water is there. The table has no space to put our cutlery after she placed the plates. I started to film and staff B was suddenly nice to offer me that she can move the customers who just set down. And she said she is not supposed to ask the customers to move.😂😂😂. I told staff B that we are upset and we don’t want you to upset another couple. Since the plate is not secure on the table due to not enough space, part of the plate is outside of the table, I can’t cut my food with knife then I used my hand and my mushrooms were falling everywhere. In the mid way, staff B came and offered to change table but we were in a mass and turned her down. We wanted to try their scones too but we really didn’t know where we can put it to enjoy it. There is no miscommunication or misunderstanding there at all. It’s just how the staffs neglect and ignore the customers needs. Or they are trained or...

Terrible service and shocking attitude – will never return!

We had one of the most unpleasant dining experiences at this cafe. The staff, particularly one young waitress with short hair, was shockingly rude and dismissive. From the start, we were made to feel unwelcome.

We were seated outside because there were supposedly no tables inside. Fair enough—but it was extremely windy, to the point where the umbrella was falling over and our menus literally blew away. We politely asked if we could move indoors once a few tables started freeing up. Instead of accommodating us (or even letting us wait inside), we were told in a very rude tone that there was “no room” to wait indoors—despite clearly visible space. It honestly felt like she was trying to push us out of the restaurant.

As we walked away, we got a call asking us to come back to pay for the coffee we ordered when we were sitting outdoor (that’s the only time we are allowed to stand inside their restaurant)—fine, but when we returned and asked again to be seated inside (as more customers had left), another staff member at the counter almost agreed, only to be overridden by the same unfriendly waitress. It felt incredibly petty and unprofessional.

This all happened around 1:45 pm, so the excuse that tables were "reserved" doesn't really hold water, especially with multiple empty tables and a constant flow of customers leaving.

To top it off, while we were sitting in our car trying to figure out where else to go, their umbrella flew off and hit our vehicle. The same waitress came over to pick it up—without so much as an apology or any acknowledgment of the situation. Clearly, customer service is not a priority here.

If you're looking for a welcoming, respectful place to enjoy your brunch or coffee—this is not it. We won’t...