Chapter One | Café & Wine Room. — Restaurant in Sydney

Hi Chapter One,

I gave a two-star rating yesterday after my experience at your restaurant. You asked me to send an email with the reason, and I am happy to do so.

I arrived around 15u for a late lunch as you are open till 17u (which is very nice to start with as a lot of lunch places in Bondi close already at 15u). My friend was a bit late so when, at 15:15, she was there and we wanted to order we were told that the kitchen was closing soon and it was unsure whether we could still order all the options on the card (this was told quite rude and we felt a bit chased while you were supposed to be open for another 1,5 hours). We were “lucky” that the kitchen was still able to make our options? Whilst waiting for food and drinks you already started piling up chairs around us, which is not the nicest feeling.

We ordered the salmon salad, but the salmon was very dry and a bit cold, and the fish burger with sweet potato fries. The bun of the burger was very dry and old as well, and the fries were fried way too short as they were still very soft and not crispy at all (difficult to ruin fries I think..). But it all felt as if the food was made in a rush.

To finish it up, our drinks were already taken away even though they were still half full.

Closing up early can obviously happen sometimes but I would have liked it to be communicated at the start then we would have gone somewhere else.

I hope this helps for future customers.

Kind...

Had an amazing brunch at Chapter One Bondi! This place has been part of the Bondi Beach scene for over 10 years, and you can see why it’s still going strong. I tried their soft-boiled egg on buttered organic sourdough — it might sound simple, but it was seriously next-level delicious. The Salmon Superfood Bowl was another standout, packed with greens and a thick piece of perfectly cooked Tasmanian salmon — great if you’re after something healthy but still satisfying.

Their Trufflecado toast was a real treat too — classic avo toast elevated with a touch of truffle oil. And if you’re into açaí bowls, theirs are extra special because they hand-grind the açaí instead of using a machine, which makes a big difference in flavour and texture.

I also had the Antioxidant Juice with freshly pressed cranberries and green apple — super refreshing, and you can customise your own juice blend too. Great food, beachy vibes, and friendly staff. Definitely worth checking out if...

Poor HYGIENE!!! I’ve been here before and never had any issues. This morning, I ordered two lattes, and my boyfriend’s cup clearly had a black stain inside. I work in a café, so I understand that sometimes a cup might come out dirty — it can happen. That’s why I politely asked if they could make a new one.

The girl told me it was from the coffee and that all cups have it. Really? Does anyone else have a black stain in their latte? This is the first time I’ve seen something like this in Australia.

On top of that, her attitude was incredibly rude, refusing to acknowledge that the cup had a clump of dirt or residue. In the end, they replaced the drink, and that’s the only reason I’m even giving one star.

When they brought the new drink to the table, we said thank you, but no one apologized — not once. My boyfriend even tried to hand back the dirty cup, and the staff completely ignored him.

Terrible service and very...