Cook & Archies — Restaurant in Sydney

This place is an experience for lovers of food, beautiful decor and great coffee - you may even be lucky enough to have some amazing 3D coffee art. Cook & Archies have breakfast and lunch options and we were lucky enough to sample both and it's a struggle to pick the best plate.

From the breakfast menu we tried the Spanish Baked Eggs, Eggs Bennie, Chilli Scrambled Eggs, Bircher, the Breakfast Bowl, and their French toast. Where to start with these options. Firstly, for a health kick that has amazing flavour and a serving size that will impress we loved the breakfast bowl - avo, miso kale, pickled veg and delicious poached eggs. This dish was massive and would get anyone energized for their upcoming day. If you are looking for a more traditional breakfast grab yourself the Eggs Bennie - the bacon is THICK CUT and the benedict sauce is light and refreshing. The dish is garnished with the most succulent maple bacon crumb, I almost wanted this as a side on its own. Spanish Eggs - who doesn’t love the aroma of baked eggs, tomato, spices and sauce. The Chilli Scrambled Eggs and the Bircher were also delicious and presented just as elegantly. Take your pick or cycle through each over a few visits - we know we will be.

Now to the the lunch menu - again where to start. We tried the house made potato gnocchi in truffle oil and a mushroom Ragu, homemade spinach and feta Spanakopita with a Greek salad, pan fried barramundi, lamb kofta and spiced cauliflower salad. If you are in the mood for a flavour sensation that hits all the senses do not go past the gnocchi. This dish was light, fluffy, generous in size and the combo with the mushroom ragu and truffle oil made this a definite highlight. The lamb kofta was delicious and matched with a brilliant sauce. The serving sizes are such that you will not be hungry afterwards, but, also you will never feel heavy either!

The front of house staff will look after you and if you are stuck between menu options they will be able to steer you in the right direction. Their barista has the patience of a saint and can make some pretty amazing 3D coffee art - check out the photos. The decor here is light and vibrant, just like the flavours of the food and the mood of the staff. Located in Surry Hills it is easy to get to and parking was not an...

This is a difficult review for me to write because I had such a great experience the first time I came to this restaurant back in 2024. I want to be clear that the atmosphere, food taste and quality, and the service mindedness of the lovely owner were all worthy of five stars.

However, the staff were surprisingly rude and aggressive. We arrived around 10:50, ordered our drinks at 10:55, then ordered our food at 11:05. The restaurant was bustling but slowly winding down.

By 11:30, we realized nothing had come out yet so I went inside to ask if everything was ok. The waitstaff went to check, then came outside to ask for our orders again because it seemed to have been misplaced in the kitchen. We told her our orders, she went back in (no real apology)..

At 11:40, she comes back out to ask / confirm our order again, and then heads back in. The first dish arrives around 11:50, then the second comes out at 11:55.

We finish our meal, which was delicious, but are left feeling disappointed in the lack of accountability or even apology for the inconvenience. When I head inside to pay, I literally asked, “do you believe it’s reasonable for us to pay full price, 10% weekend surcharge, and 1.5% card surcharge for a meal that took over 40 minutes to arrive?”. The woman at the till aggressively told me that “it was busy” and “everyone had to wait” (40+ minutes wait??) - yes, she said “that sounds about right”

The owner noticed our displeasure, comes out and tries to mediate while her staff try to talk over us and argue. I started to feel very uncomfortable being there from the angry looks on their faces and harsh tones.

The owner kindly offered us compensation as a future meal, but I honestly wouldn’t feel comfortable dining there again if that was the response and service her team were providing. I’m going to miss Cook & Archies and wish them the best as a...

This is probably one of the most over priced cafes I've been to.

Previously I have ordered the "spinach pie" from the front counter for takeaway which cost $12. Today, I asked for the same "spinach pie" but to eat in. The plate arrived with a salad which was nice although I didn't expect or ask for it. When it came to pay I was charged $23 but for a "spanakopita". When I queried the price difference, the barista explained that there are prices for takeaway and dine in. So essentially, I paid double the price for a name change and a few bits of cucumber and tomato on the side. On top of this, the spanakopita/spinach pie or whatever else they decide to brand it as, was clearly just microwaved to be warmed up and became a soggy mess.

I visited this cafe a few months ago and realised too long after paying that I was overcharged for my meal and didn't bother querying it, but I wish I had.

The service in nothing special although most of the staff are friendly enough. But honestly, their prices are absolutely not worth it. There is a difference between making a profit in difficult times and just plain ripping people...