Kinsfolk Coffee — Restaurant in Queensland

We went to Kinsfolk Rockhampton for the first time and were seated promptly by a young man in a red shirt with shoulder-length blonde hair - absolute gem. Polite, personable, and genuinely good at his job. If I could rate just him, it’d be a solid 5 stars.

Things took a turn at the counter, though. The young blonde woman in plaid… how do I say this nicely? Her vibe screamed Glassons employee forced to work in hospitality. Very blasé, like every request was ruining her afternoon. I promise I’m not being dramatic - it was giving “I don’t dream of labour.”

Anyway, we soldiered on because it was our first time and we were excited. We knew the menu was meant to be fresh, locally sourced, and vegan-friendly - which is great in theory - but somehow everything tasted vegan (derogatory). The pancakes were giving protein sludge on a hot plate, the eggs benny could’ve used a pulse, the avo toast was eye-wateringly acidic, and the spiced beans tasted like something you’d throw together from a few tins and regret halfway through.

The saving grace? The drinks. The cold-pressed juices were crisp and refreshing, the matcha was genuinely excellent (one of the best in Rocky), and the latte was bang on.

Atmosphere-wise, though - they’ve nailed it. Stylish patrons, bohemian staff (most looked like they wanted to be there), chic decor, and an easy, sun-drenched ambience that makes you feel cooler than you actually are.

I’d come back for a casual Sunday coffee and a juice, maybe to pretend I read poetry. But for a full meal? The menu’s too hit-or-miss to...

Terrible management. Had an experience there where our food was taking a little longer than usual so I enquired about it. Was told 2 minutes, no problem. 5 minutes later my partner went to check, was told to go sit down and wait. So I went back in looking for an answer.

Got told I was being rude, go sit and wait. I said I've been told 2 minutes 10 minutes ago and I wanted to know what was going on. Manager escalated the situation. Finally told me there was a problem with the cooker in the kitchen and that things were taking longer. I said that's fine, why not tell me that upfront? Happy to wait if I know there's an issue.

Got told again I was being rude. Had enough by now, say I'll have my money back then please. Manager comes out with food and refund and proceeds to continue berating us. It was a horrible experience.

I managed a restaurant in Mullumbimby before covid, I know how not to deal with customers. This guy was beyond the pale. Take my advice and go find...

I was really pleasantly surprised by this cosy little hidden gem of a cafe. The staff were warm, polite and friendly. The menu says they have a heavy focus on inclusivity and this actually feels genuine. The atmosphere was comfortable and I didn't feel rushed to leave. There is a wonderful balance between plant based and non plant based options on the menu. I got the eggs on sourdough with bacon which was absolutely delicious, maybe even the nicest scrambled eggs I have ever had and it was also really good value. I also had the banana breakfast smoothie which was truly delicious, I love whole milk but this dairy free smoothie was creamy and delicious. I also absolutely love that the table had salt and a proper pepper grinder and a little jar of raw sugar so I could sweeten my coffee to my exact taste, it shows a great level of attention to detail by the owner. I can't wait...