Zupano Espresso_Bar — Restaurant in Sydney

A bit of an unconventional review… After stumbling and rolling my ankle nearby, I went to Zupano to ask for a cold compress to help the swelling on my ankle. I was kindly met by the waitress who got me to sit down and poured me a water. The owners kindly made me an ice bag and I was sat foot up easing off the pain for the next hour. The staff were extremely friendly and made me feel like I wasn’t holding up any other customers or being an inconvenience. They showed great interest in where I was from and my current travels in Australia and even spoke about the football back home in the UK with the son of the business. An incredibly caring bunch, a proper family unit, I seriously recommend paying a visit just on the merit of their attitude towards customers, but would also recommend the baklava as it was 10/10 and helped distract me from the fact I had a silly accident. The calm atmosphere and other happy customers passing through made it an extremely pleasant experience. Massive thank you to all that helped, I’m extremely grateful - my visit turned out to be a lovely moment In my day out in Sydney and one I’ll remember throughout my travels (even if I had to...

My experience at the coffee shop this morning was quite disappointing. I ordered a specific dish from their menu, but when it arrived, it was completely different from what I expected based on my previous visits.

What frustrated me even more was the fact that I ended up spending a significant amount of money on a dish I didn't actually order and had no intention of eating. When I asked for the bill, the older woman who I believe is part of the restaurant's ownership was rather rude. She questioned my dissatisfaction with the dish, to which I calmly explained that it didn't match the usual recipe I had enjoyed in the past.

Her response was that the dish was supposed to be a breakfast option, even though it was almost lunchtime at around 11:40 am. This only added to my frustration, and I reluctantly paid for the entire dish. Leaving the establishment, I couldn't help but feel disheartened by the unpleasant encounter.

I must say, I cannot recommend this coffee shop at all. Sydney offers numerous other dining options, many of which are more consistent and accommodating. Don't waste your money and time here; you can easily find better choices...

Great food, great location, great prices. What else do you want from what is essentially a cafe? Although around the Walsh Bay area quite a lot and tried other places to eat down there before going to STC etc, this was a great discovery after a walk around Barangaroo at 8pm on a Sat. They have been open 13 years but only in the evenings for 2 or 3. We had the great Greek meatballs (3 big ones for $16 on rocket with tsatsiki & pitta) and grilled marinated octopus on rocket ($16) both were excellent. Lamb shoulder was also recommended, will try that next time. Amazing that they only charge $8 a glass for wine (nice Greek red but mainly Aussie selections) when you would expect a minimum $10 in Walsh Bay. Simple tables outside in a good location. We will certainly be back and recommend to others as superb value...