Canteen Kitchen + Bar Coolum Beach — Restaurant in Sunshine Coast Regional

My husband and I are locals and went here for coffee and breakfast on a Sunday morn. We had sat down and wasn’t until we joined the queue to first order coffee we were met with was a sign on the counter saying there is 10% surcharge for a Sunday for their staff wages (put in a way that tries to ‘dignify’ this charge). Also notable there wasn’t much ‘service’. And slow delivery of coffee and food. And no “warmth”. This is the first place we have EVER been for breakfast on a Sunday that charges simply because it’s a Sunday. You believe when you are dining out that normal running cost of a business, such as staff wages, is ‘built in’ to the cost of the food and drinks you are paying for. (With the exception of public holiday surcharge we are all accustomed to paying for). When we got a menu we found the prices to be on the higher end of the scale compared with other cafes. Eg. $25 for corn fritters - being one egg and two small fried ‘blobs’ (actually shouldn’t be called a fritter - as they certainly were not!) with a handful of rocket. Add 10%! My husband found it less than satisfactory after paying $27.50 for a plate of food that left him hungry. We overheard the group on the table next to us also commenting (complaining) about this surcharge. The coffee was good. A bit of a wait considering there wasn’t overly a lot of people dining. I had the pancakes and they were underwhelming. The ice-cream was actually soup, and I asked for a fresh one. The waitress said she could “try”! But brought out another soupy mess. I know it’s humid, but surely ice-cream brought immediately to a table should have some form. It was like a foamy frothy melted consistency. Very weird. Somethings not right with that! It’s the second time we’ve have been. We like to give places second chances and didn’t leave a review last occasion. Unfortunately, after this time leaving $70 for 2 coffees and pancakes with a banana and soup and 2 blobs and an egg, we will not be back for...

Honestly, Coolum beach is not a beach that I particularly like but there is a nice strip of shops and cafes here which I do like. Perhaps one of the most popular of these places is Canteen Kitchen + Bar. Modern, classy decor is eye-catching and, along with the presence of other patrons doggos, was a major factor in convincing me to try this place over any of the others on the strip. It's definitely buzzing. They're open for brekky, lunch and dinner, but on this occasion I was there for what I guess was brunch? I despise the concept of brunch though (it's THREE square meals/day), so let's call it a late breakfast. Due to lack of a Full English on the menu, I settled for my second favourite - an eggs benedict + a hash brown and Halloumi. Everyone in our group got the same. I suppose the minds of hungry 20-something year old blokes think alike. My drink order was a berry smoothie. Grainy and not smooth. Perhaps that's on myself for ordering a berry smoothie, they never seem to be SMOOTH. Location is prime and atmosphere is great. Breezy, friendly, and smells of the ocean in the best way possible. Perfect setting for breakfast with mates and other people's dogs. We had to flag down wait staff in order to order which I hope is a reflection of just how busy they were and not the service. Also present in the outdoor area were dogs which were super cute and made me want to mingle with other patrons. That's a big thing for an introvert. Wait time on food was long but not long enough to warrant a complaint given how busy they were but still, long wait time. 45ish minutes. The crispy kale on the Benedict was a nice touch. Lovely bitter note which worked real good. Otherwise a well rounded Benedict. Nothing amazing but everything was good. Cider hollandaise was mild but tasty and enjoyable. Also did I mention dogs present? Gets...

Disappointed when we asked the waiter how many grams the lamb “large” plate was & he said 300g, checking again he was referring to the meat he said “yes it’s 300g”. 6 out of 8 of our guests ordered the lamb based off this information. What was brought to us were two very small squares of lamb weighing no more than 100g along with half a dozen baby potatoes & a few beans. This dish was $42. Which wouldn’t have been AS disappointing if one of our guests hadn’t specifically asked for the weight of the lamb on the plate. When the waiter came to check if the food was okay one of the guests mentioned this is not 300g of meat the waiter said the whole plate of food is 300g & when the guest expressed their disappointment again the waiter said nothing & walked away. He made no attempt to apologise for any misunderstanding or to rectify the issue. We all felt manipulated & disappointed at the lack of care for the experience of the customer.

Add this disappointment to the $19 ‘share plate’ of croquets which came with only two small balls about half the size of a golf ball each, and the two other guests who ordered the fish & chips were also served a small meal with two small fish pieces not much bigger than an adults finger each & a small basket of chips - what most places would probably consider the size of a child’s meal.

Overall, disappointed by the service & lack of care for returning customers. The quality & value for money is less than impressive. As locals who regularly support local cafes and restaurants it was a sad experience to know that we won’t be coming back to Canteen...