Ambers Cafe & Restaurant — Restaurant in Wollongong City Council

Had high hopes… but they were eaten alive (literally).

I really wanted to love Amber’s Café. It’s super cute, has a lot of potential, and the vibes were giving “perfect brunch spot,” but the food? Not it.

The pancakes were rubbery (like chewing on a yoga mat), the waffles were dry and basic, and the Big Breakfast? I’ve had better at a servo and at least that comes with sauce and zero expectations.

I asked for table water three times and got nothing. Honestly, I was about to call in a water emergency and start rationing my spit.

Sat inside, thinking I’d escape the bugs, but nope! mosquitoes and flies decided I was their personal snack. Swatting them became part of my meal. Love that for me!

Some of the staff were super sweet, but others seemed like they were mentally clocked out. We’ve all been there, no judgment.

Amber’s Café could be great, but until they fix the food, stop treating me like a mosquito magnet, and figure out how to serve water, it’s a no from me and my itchy ankles.

Reply to Owner 🫶🏼

I appreciate you taking the time to respond, even if the tone spoke more to defending your reputation than engaging with the actual concerns I raised.

It’s unfortunate that rather than taking a moment to reflect on constructive feedback, you chose to respond with sarcasm and deflection. You’re clearly proud of your café and that’s fair but customer feedback isn’t a debate to win. It’s a tool to help you grow, not something to mock because it’s inconvenient to hear.

I’m not here to argue over pancakes or bugs. I shared a genuine experience. One that didn’t meet the expectations set by your space or by your reviews. You don’t have to agree with it, but undermining it with jokes doesn’t make it go away. It just reveals more about how you handle criticism than it does about the review itself.

I truly hope the next time someone offers feedback that challenges your perspective, you’ll meet it with a little less sarcasm and a little more...

Terrible service. Waited 10 mins to order, nobody came to the table. Went to counter to order, was told a bit busy and food would be about 20 mins. Waited ages. Went to counter to ask when food would come as "it is coming up to 40 minutes". Owner looked up time on iPad - it said ordered 35 minutes before. He said he would sort it out.

Manager came out to table a few minutes later to justify why food was delayed, and said it would be about 10 more minutes. I said OK, she tried to justify again why it was so long (we had ordered Brie and that takes 20 mins in the oven!!!), I said "just stop justifying", she started again to tell me. I asked if 50 mins was acceptable for food, she said "yes and I tell staff not to tell customers how long food takes as they complain". I say "OK, we won't be returning though"

A few mins later and the owner comes out to tell me that I am a liar for saying food takes 50 mins (we had been there over 50 mins at that point, had ordered 40 mins ago on his iPad, and were told "10 mins more" - so between 50 and 60 mins in reality)

He then proceeded to be aggressive, rude, talk over me, repeatedly tell me I was a liar and he has never had an unhappy customer in ten years (his reviews show many have exactly same complaints)

Eventually he said he would give a refund, I said we hadn't yet paid and would just leave, at which point he said I had to pay and he would call police if I didn't. I offered my name and address, but he declined.

As we left couples at two other tables expressed astonishment at the owners attitude, one said "he needs to go on a customer service course, I have never seen anything like that"

As the owner monitors these comments, I am sure he will reply like he has to lots of other negative reviews to say how great he is and how the customers are always in the wrong. Which of course demonstrates that he needs a course in...

The affability of our server notwithstanding, the overall dining experience at this establishment was less than satisfactory. The antiquated charm of the decor, specifically the antique chairs, belied functionality issues, as two broken chairs were encountered before finding a suitable seating arrangement.

An expenditure of approximately $60 for a meal intended for two individuals, encompassing burgers and chips, was accompanied by a protracted waiting period of 40 minutes. The observed disjunction between our order and the expeditious service rendered to subsequently arriving patrons prompted a contemplation of departure, leading to a partial payment for the coffee consumed. However, upon reaching the payment counter, we were assured of the imminent arrival of our ordered food, prompting a return to our seats.

The culinary offerings, upon eventual receipt, failed to meet expectations. The delayed preparation seemingly correlated with an excessively charred quality of the ingredients, notably evident in the case of the deep-fried chicken, which exhibited an unpalatable accumulation of burnt residues. The quality of the partner's dish paralleled this deficiency, with an overcooked and rubbery egg that could be deemed tantamount to culinary transgression.

The $10 allocation for a portion of chips proved disappointingly modest, containing approximately 10 units, an unexpectedly diminutive quantity. Moreover, the absence of basic condiments such as salt or seasoning as an inclusive component of the designated price was only discerned subsequent to the order.

While initial positive reviews may have engendered optimism, the encountered discrepancies suggest a potential aberration in the establishment's usual standards, thereby warranting consideration of a plausible...