Ground Up Cafe — Restaurant in Toowoomba City

This has been a good place for coffee and food in the past. Maybe they were having an off day when I was there for lunch earlier this week. The food, in particular, was not up to the usual standards. However, the most off-putting thing was the cook and (lack of) hygiene. He was wearing a hoody— as opposed to attire suitable for working in a kitchen demonstrating that you were clean, tidy and professional—and when he came out to the front counter to serve me a little later I noticed that he had dirt underneath all his fingernails. That’s not acceptable, in my view, for someone who is preparing food. It was, however, unfortunately, reflected in the food itself on this occasion. I’ve looked for an email address or somewhere to privately notify the cafe but can’t find anything except Instagram or Facebook, so here we are. I really hope that you get your act together Ground Up Cafe, and I hope this was a once-off, because it’s otherwise a great venue and in the past has always served fantastic coffee and good food. Just not on this occasion...

My breakfast experience this morning is very different from that of other reviews I've read. Whilst service was initially good my breakfast failed to arrive until after my husband had been served and finished his meal.When we enquired after my meal the waiter came back and told us it had just gone into the pan. This seems to indicate that it had been forgotten. Either that or the systems in the kitchen are very lacking in terms of organising for all diners at any one table to be served together.

When the corn and carrot fritters arrived they were burnt - and I mean quite black. It seemed as if someone had chucked them into a pan of hot oil and forgot about them.I thought about sending them back and that's what I should have done but we were now running late, I was very hungry and didn't want to wait for them to start all over again. I did manage to cut off some of the burnt batter but this was a useless exercise and in any case the fritters were tasteless. I headed to the supermarket and bought a...

Fabulous cafe to visit if you want the best coffee & food with a Middle Eastern touch. I had breakfast there with my husband & thoroughly enjoyed the whole process. We just had a flat white but it was one of the best I have had. Our meals were to die for. I had Haloumi Pesto with bacon, tomatoes & mushrooms, & the pesto was soooo delicious. My husband had the big breakfast on sourdough with extra bacon & tomatoes. ....he didn't leave a skerrick! ! He loved it. They have outdoor seating as well as indoor. It is situated in a delightful laneway with a great ambience. Staff were prompt, courtious & very friendly. The kitchen is visible, which I like. It was very clean & an incredible lesson in recycling in a clever way to furnish/ furbish the cafe. Prices were very reasonable for the quality & quantity of the food supplied. Newspapers were provided for you to peruse. I can't wait to visit Toowoomba again....Ground Up Expresso is on our first up list....