The Navy Bear — Restaurant in Sydney

The enticing view is about all this place has to offer & I suppose that’s what the owners are hoping for; so, it might come as a surprise to them that some Sydneysiders have a higher level of discernment when it comes to cafés. Staff are so offhand, they make you feel like an inconvenience. No service to speak of – for Darling Point prices, table service should be the norm; especially during a pandemic – having to stand in a queue with minimal space definitely doesn’t form part of a safe COVID plan. Interestingly, the café was the subject of a COVID19 outbreak in late 2020!

In the time I’ve been waiting for my meal I’ve seen three patrons get up to take dirty plates inside. You’d be lucky if the staff clear the tables after you leave.

Patrons start to chat to one another at adjacent tables, but the only topic of conversation is the ridiculous length of time they have been waiting for either their meal or coffee, which is 30 minutes on Sun. 31 Jan.! Further, just-made coffees taken to tables are being returned to the bar. Order mistakes? Who knows!

Once my “green breakfast” arrives, it is (surprisingly) hot & tasty – even if the portion size is relatively meagre – although they have been very stingy with the green tahini, which I have to dig for on the bottom of the plate.

Last, but not least, if the owners employed competent & experienced wait staff, then tables could be turned over more quickly &, voilà, turnover would also increase & the queue for tables would disappear.

Navy Bear is doing a wonderful job of shooting itself...

Dined this morning 3.10.23 around 9am. My mother and I were greeted by a young girl with blonde hair behind the counter. My mother is Caucasian and I am Asian. This girl was so sweet, friendly and accommodating to my mother. When she saw me and when I was paying, there was no pleasantries. There was no thankyou, all she said was great. Just putting it out there, that she ignored any request from me and every request from my mother. My mother was shocked. She was going to say something but I said not to worry. It was plain to see that this young girl had some racial prejudice towards me. It's 2023 and a real shame that she would be front of house for this quaint little boatside cafe. The owners of this place need to revise your staff attitude and ignorance towards any person. The number one rule in any customer service role is to make the customer comfortable. The other staff members behaviour was appropriate and polite. This girls attitude was appalling and very disappointing I really hope that she is not the supervisor of this establishment. We/I weren't demanding we weren't rude. We just ordered our breakfasts and coffee and sat and chatted for a while. I grew up in the Eastern Suburbs went to one of the most elite schools just up the road and have never experienced such disgusting behaviour. She is not cut out to be in face to face...

I am a local who visits the park daily. I often visit this cafe. Today I witnessed some of the most unpleasant and unprofessional behaviour from what I can only assume is the management or owners. The park was busy and my wife and I were walking our little Pomeranian. A large group entered the Navy Bear cafe just in front of us and without us noticing the dog unwittingly followed them in. He has never done this before despite going to the park daily. What happened next was nothing short of disgusting. A woman from the cafe came out yelling venomously and got in my wife’s face. She was rude, aggressive and call intimidating. And all of this, in front of a massive group of Sunday customers. Is this how a hospitality professional behaves? My wife was shaken after the event. She went back there 15 mins later to tell about her experience, only to be told by another member of staff, a man, that she ‘deserved it l’. Wow. Sure the dog shouldn’t have wondered in there. It was a genuine mistake. He would have been there for less than a minute and he is a harmless little dog. The proprietors of this establishment behaved unnecessarily aggressively and abusively. We will not be going there again and warm others from these hostile, disrespectful people. There is also a lot better coffee and food at the other cafes in the park. These people...