Rustica Sourdough — Restaurant in Melbourne

I visited Rustica yesterday with my parents, who were visiting from overseas. It was our last day together, and I had been looking forward to sharing a special meal with them here, we’d heard such great things about this place.

We had a reservation for 11:30am and arrived 15 minutes early. We asked if a table was available, and although we were the first in line, a group behind us, who didn’t have a reservation, was seated before us. That already felt disorganized and unfair.

Once seated, it took quite a while for anyone to take our order. Then we noticed the table next to us, also a group of three who arrived after us, received their food well before we did.

After waiting over 40 minutes, I asked a staff member about our food. He went to check and came back to let us know the kitchen had never received our order due to a mistake. The issue was only discovered because I asked, no one noticed until then. He kindly offered to place the order again, but by that point we were too hungry and disappointed to stay.

I know these things happen, and the staff member who helped us was polite about the mistake, but unfortunately the overall experience still left us with a bad impression. What was meant to be a memorable farewell lunch ended up leaving us feeling overlooked...

I have been in this coffee shop many times and there were always constancy services and quality food. I even suggested to friends and took a few friends here a few times. For the first time, the service went down badly from my opinion. I was there around 1.30pm on Sunday. The place wasn't even half full and there were around 5-6 floor staffs. I got water and a menu by a male staff and he was lovely but my table wasn't stable (normally the staff will adjut the table leg if the table is not stable or shaking as it's a very normal service). I waited for 15 minutes since then and no one comes to ask for coffee or food. There were around 4 female staffs walking around without acknowledges and eye contact (floor staffs should be able to look out for customer who gave them a signal that they haven't been served). I waited for another 15 minutes and seem no one will come so I decided to leave. But those tables on my left and right all got food and drinks ( they should check on me when they brought food and drinks too those tables). Again, it was a disappointment experience that I shouldn't have as a repeating customer or just my unlucky day 😅. I hope everyone won't get this experience like this when come...

I don’t often go out for breakfast or brunch, but when I do, it HAS to be Rustica South Yarra. As locals, my partner and I have explored many cafes in the area over the years, and Rustica is the one we keep returning to for its exceptional food quality and service.

Our most recent visit last Sunday was so memorable that I felt compelled to write this review. From the moment we stepped inside, we were warmly greeted by the staff. While I wish I had caught their names to give them a proper shoutout, every team member we interacted with was genuinely friendly, welcoming, and chatty, setting a wonderful tone for our morning.

The food and coffee, as always, were outstanding. A particular highlight was the pumpkin sourdough that came with the chili scramble —an absolute delight. When we mentioned how much we loved the bread while paying the bill, the cashier surprised us with a complimentary loaf of pumpkin sourdough after hearing it was my partner’s birthday. This thoughtful gesture completely made our morning, and we’ve been enjoying it for breakfast all week.

Rustica South Yarra, thank you for being consistently amazing, even on a busy Sunday morning. We can’t wait to...