River Cafe Parramatta Claim this business

Jen Chandleron Google

4 months ago

Stood waiting to order for a while and when approached the girl at the counter just looked at me, no hello how can I help you. I ordered drinks and food for 3. A short time later the drinks arrived, two of the drink were a hot chocolate and it was ok warm at best. Waited for 45 mins and tables that arrived after us were served their food. Another couple approached the counter who had been waiting an hour so I wasn't going to wait around longer as it was check out time from the hotel. I stood at the counter for another 5 mins waiting to be spoken to and then it took another 5 to get a refund just on the food. Not sure why this place was busy, poor customer service and quality. Can't comment on the food however.

Emmaon Google

2 weeks ago

We had a really disappointing experience at River Cave. We were told our food would take around 20 minutes, but we ended up waiting an hour and a half. During that time, we had to ask multiple times where our food was because no one came to update us. To make matters worse, they forgot one of our orders, which made the wait even longer. The service was extremely poor, and we felt like we were being overlooked the entire time. When we finally asked why it was taking so long, we were told it was because they had to blend the açai and because there was a large table ahead of us. However, that explanation didn't make sense, as the large table had received their food around 10 minutes after we arrived, while we were still left waiting for over an hour. Unfortunately, the food wasn't worth the wait either. I ordered the açai, and while the flavour was nice, the texture was awful. It had such an iced texture with chunks of frozen bits throughout, making it unpleasant to eat. Overall, the combination of the excessive wait time, forgotten order, poor communication, weak excuses, and disappointing food made for a very frustrating experience. We won't be returning and wouldn't recommend it based on our experience.

Chris Parkeron Google

4 months ago

We travelled by ferry to Parramatta and walked down to the riverside cafe. The food was cooked fresh and looked as amazing as it tasted. The staff were really friendly and they have a happy little dog that will wonder past and say hello. We even met the owner who was happy to chat. Once the river frontage landscaping is finished (building next door is getting close) the atmosphere will be 100%. Totally recommend this cafe and we will be back!

Aimeeon Google

2 weeks ago

This isn’t something I normally do. I’d much rather compliment a good café than criticise one, but our experience at River Cafe was so poor that I felt it was worth sharing. We ordered four breakfasts: avocado on toast, scrambled eggs, a breakfast wrap and an acai bowl. Only after we had paid were we told there would be a 30 minute wait because a large group had ordered before us. That was understandable, and we were happy to wait. Thirty minutes became an hour. By this stage, the large group we’d been told had caused the delay had finished their meals and left, while we were still waiting for any of ours. After waiting an hour, the first two meals finally arrived. The remaining two didn’t. By the time we’d finished eating, there was still no sign of them, so I asked the owner what had happened. He checked the docket and realised the breakfast wrap hadn’t been written down when he took our order. He then found the acai bowl sitting in the kitchen. When I questioned why the acai bowl had taken so long, the owner’s explanation was that it takes time because they have to blend it. An hour and fifteen minutes for an acai bowl is simply not acceptable. The owner then told me the breakfast wrap would be complimentary, as though he was doing me a favour. A few moments later he repeated, “just so you know, it’s complimentary.” The reality was that the wrap only needed to be made because he hadn’t entered it on the order in the first place. Calling it complimentary wasn’t generosity. It was simply correcting his own mistake. Despite that, the “complimentary” wrap never arrived, and after waiting long enough, we eventually gave up and left. The biggest disappointment wasn’t even the wait. It was the owner’s attitude. There was no genuine apology, no ownership of what had gone wrong and no real attempt to recover the experience. When you go out for breakfast, you expect to eat together. Instead, our meals arrived in dribs and drabs over more than an hour. By the time the last meal was finally being prepared, everyone else had finished eating. That completely defeats the purpose of going out for breakfast. After reading other reviews when we got home, we realised we should have done our homework. There appears to be a consistent pattern of similar complaints, and the owner’s responses suggest criticism is met with defensiveness rather than accountability. We won’t be back. If you value your time and expect everyone at your table to be served together, I’d recommend choosing one of the many other cafés in the area.

Melon Google

7 months ago

I have given this venue two stars because, while food was served and edible (and my chai latte was fine), the overall experience did not meet expectations for the price point or the additional surcharge applied. I was initially hesitant to visit due to mixed reviews, but as the venue was chosen by a friend, I decided to give it a fair chance. Our group of six spent over $150 on brunch. I ordered the eggs Benedict with salmon. Unfortunately, the eggs were overcooked, with firm yolks rather than the soft, runny consistency expected from this dish. For a classic item at this price point, this was disappointing. I did mention this to staff at the time and were told that this was how the dish is prepared. However, this did not align with the generally accepted preparation of eggs Benedict, where the yolks are typically soft and runny. More concerning was an unexpected surcharge of $23.59 (over 10%) added to the bill. We dined on a Saturday, the venue was quiet, it was not a public holiday, and our group was well under 10 people. Based on the information provided on the menu, none of the stated surcharge conditions appeared to apply. The surcharge was not disclosed during service or at the time of payment. We only became aware of it after payment, when reviewing the receipt while splitting costs among our group. When we later queried this, we were told the surcharge was to help pay employees. While I fully support fair wages, additional fees should be clearly and transparently communicated upfront through visible signage or menu notices. Discovering this charge after the fact left a poor impression. Overall, the food quality, lack of pricing transparency, and the way the surcharge was handled meant the experience did not align with expectations for the amount spent. Having read reviews beforehand, I was conscious of how previous concerns appeared to have been received and therefore chose not to raise multiple issues during the visit, aside from querying the $23.59 surcharge once it was discovered and asking about the eggs. Although this visit was some time ago, the lack of transparency around the surcharge has continued to bother me, which is why I felt it was important to leave an honest review. I hope the café will be more transparent about fees going forward.