Lumiere Cafe. — Restaurant in Sydney

This is actually a really solid spot to eat. Situated at the top of Bourke Street just below Oxford, it’s a natural convergence between Surry Hills, Paddington, and Darlinghurst. There are always a lot of outdoor seats in the mini-square and along the sidewalk. Even on Mother’s Day we were able to get a table for two immediately without a reservation. In a way it might even be too much seating—didn’t totally feel like I had a comfortable amount of space so I docked one star for that.

It is certainly dog-friendly in that you can have your pup with you, but didn’t see much water bowls being offered out to the pups. And on more than one occasion we overheard or saw a dog at another table getting a little excited at the proximity of other dogs be it at neighboring tables or just passing close by on the street.

I went with the fried chicken burger with kimchi and chips and it was very satisfying. The fried chicken skin was satisfyingly crunchy, and the kimchi, while messy, was undoubtedly delicious, and I don’t even like kimchi that much (gasp!). Partner had a tuna Niçoise salad and I was surprised that it was served on a bed of beans, olives, potatoes, and something green like an olive with a stem. I’m not a fan of olives, but my partner found it to be quite good, and filling—we ended up taking some of it away with us.

And honorable mention for being adjacent to Lavie & Belle. The bakery right next door added the irresistible fragrance of freshly baked bread to our dining experience, and if I wasn’t so full after my burger I would have definitely picked up some croissants...

Be warned. This grubby cafe is Overrated and filthy. We went for lunch, ordered a side of bacon and got served white gristle that looked like it had been recycled from an earlier plate. We were refused a replacement via the chef. No refund, no bacon, no apology. Kitchen, chef and venue are verging on OHS concerning level of cleanliness and professionalism. Reply- I double checked to make sure I had the right venue and yes it is. Unfortunately all of this happened and the above is an accurate review. Too many sydney venues such as this one do not respect customers perspective and are reluctant to take responsibility for mistakes. You served me bacon fat and charged me 6 dollars for it without accepting my request for a redo pr refund. That's not OK. Reply to reply: good to know you replace meals that customers aren't happy with, I'll be in to get a full refund on my meal. I stand by my review, this actually happened they served chewed bacon fat as a side of bacon, I was refused a replacement and had to pay for your mistake. I saw your kitchen and the filthy environment where food is being prepared. Full refund please or ill be taking this to...

Since change of ownership last year, this place has gone from what was once an awesome regular place to somewhere I feel less and less inclined to go to. Returned yesterday to give it a go, I knew that historically this isn’t the fastest cafe and there generally is a bit of a wait. Was not even a fully busy day, put in our coffee orders and then our food orders several minutes later. Over half an hour passes by, and no coffee comes, noticed other tables starting to get their coffees before our table. Turned out our order was never put through, and had to re-order and wait again for the coffee. No apology made, or any real urgency made to get the coffee out faster. Food finally comes out somewhere between the 40-45 minute mark. I had asked the staff member upfront if my dish came with 1 egg or 2 eggs, and he said 1, so I ordered it with an extra egg. Dish comes with 3 eggs…which in and of itself is not an issue but of course I was charged for that. Prices have gone up (as they have with many cafes) but certainly the prices do not justify the service and experience that was...