Leura Garage

4.3 Below Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  4     

Bad service, rude waiters! Had the door almost shut in my sons face as we were trying to enter the shop, I was told by the waiter it was cold. Really? We were standing out in the cold because you wouldn't let us in! It's a shame really, we have been there previously and taken friends as the coffee and food is pretty good. The wait staff are slow and some of them can be quite rude. Disappointing.

May 13, 2012 

7.3 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  7     

Came here on Friday night with my girlfriend for her birthday after a recommendation from the owner of a vintage store down the road. We were visiting from Sydney and were happy to find such a well decorated and cool restaurant with lots of vegetarian options. We had the broccolini and asparagus which were perfectly cooked and crunchy and delicious.

We also had crispy kipfler potatoes, also fantastic with a delicious mildly spicy coating. They weren't too crispy but that didn't make them any less tasty! We also had a pizza and the chef was accommodating in making half without cheese due to dietary requirements. By far the best food I've had in the Blue Mountains.

The let down was the service. We were bailed up by an older, unfriendly male waiter several times for our order within 2 minutes of receiving menus. I ordered a glass of wine which took about 10 minutes to arrive while I watched 2 tables who had arrived after us receive their drink orders. When we finally were ready to order he was no where to be seen and we had to catch the eye of another waitress.

The food was Great but the waitstaff need to take a class in "How to be Friendly to Paying Customers."

May 07, 2012 

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  4      Value  7     

Driving through Leura on a Friday night we decided to trust the people who were filling Leura Garage, and so were glad to snag the last indoor table. Seating is tight, but this doesn't detract from a nice vibe.

Food is great and really enjoyable, although if you're not huge eaters you can probably get away with three tapas dishes between two people, rather than the suggested four.

Only downside was our waiter. Others seemed to be on the ball and friendly, but ours had an attitude and was too busy chatting to pay attention to his section. Poor form.

Apr 17, 2012 

6.5 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  6     

Went here last month for brunch, based on the recommendation of a Springwood local, as we're new to the area. The menu had recently been overhauled and I think takes itself a bit seriously. There will always be people who want to order bacon and eggs for brunch (but top quality ones), so it needs to be an option on the menu.

All of the experimental dishes looked great, but I was really just craving good ol' bacon and eggs. The place looks very impressive, even the bathrooms, but it doesn't have a lot of personality/soul. There is also some weird thing where they stop serving the breakfast menu at whatever time and then don't start serving the lunch one until half an hour later.

On reading the menu, it's quite confusing, and I'm sure the waiters have to deal with questions about this all the time.

Apr 12, 2012 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  8     

Went there today after being referred to the Garage by the owner of the Leura doggie store. Loved it from the moment I walked in, cool atmosphere and the decor was funky and relaxing.

Everyone looked to be enjoying themselves, and the dishes I saw looked great.
Ordered the Paella with seafood, chicken and Pork. Despite being a little bit oily, the flavour was there and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The spaghetti bolognese is also very yummy.

Highly recommend the Leura Garage, thanks for the great experience, I'll definitely be returning and telling all of my friends.

Mar 17, 2012 

5.3 Average

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  5     

The place is cool, some of the wait staff are lovely and the food is interesting and pretty good. I sat with an empty wine glass for an hour. An hour. I asked for a dessert menu and after 30 minutes when I wasn't asked for my order I decided to leave. I am a generous, ex hospitality worker who tips a minimum 20%. I don't tip when I'm invisible.

Mar 12, 2012 

4 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  1      Value  3      Drinks  8     

I was the first person to review Leura Garage because at the time I was delighted with this new addition to Leura. Sadly they have lost the fabulous staff that used to be outstanding and made it such a pleasant experience. We spend our time between Leura and Paddington and appreciate good food, service and ambience. We left Leura Garage today very disappointed. The staff today did not notice that we had been in the cafe for 15 minutes.

Others who arrived after us were given menus and water. I went up to their cashier and asked for 2 coffees explaining that no one had been near us. A brash new female waitress eventually put down menus on our table but I explained we had ordered coffee at the front desk and she rudely said "you have been looked after then"! the coffee had still not arrived 5 minutes later I asked another waiter to check on it when he did not return and there was still no coffee 10 minutes later.

We found a better option down the street. What a pity. Catering for the dropin tourist is not so wise. As locals we used to recommend this place frequently as well as patronise it ourselves for meals and coffee. These new staff need to lift their game to the same standard as the ones who were there when it first opened. What an unpleasant experience today!

Mar 10, 2012 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Had one of the most special steak burgers in this place, it goes into my memorable food experiences.

Mar 10, 2012 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  8     

My boyfriend and I visited Leura Garage for the second time last night. We first dined there in late 2011 and we were relieved to find that it was still the same delicious restaurant that we affectionately recalled.

Last night we opted for the tapas option, as we had on the previous occasion. I have to emphasise that my boyfriend and I usually shun the tapas option in Sydney as we always seem to leave tapas joints feeling unsatiated and impecunious. However, Leura Garage does not disappoint in this regard.

Last night, we shared the grissini, mussels, pork ribs, harissa spatchcock and heirloom veggies. The grissini were the perfect dipping accompaniment to the rich tomato and chorizo sauce of the mussels. My boyfriend, a self-professed spatchcock hater, lapped up the spatchcock, and we both gnawed the ribs down to periosteum. Even the roast veggies were surprisingly good. All this gastronomical love for around $35!

I take the point that the service isn't outstanding, but it is far from bad. The staff are busy folk, and they try their best. Ultimately, this is a moderately priced restaurant and the service is commensurate with the price range.

This is definitely one of the better options for dinner in Leura. Enjoy!

Feb 19, 2012 

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

Came here for my first time with boyfriend. We were recommended this restaurant by someone so we had high hopes. For entree we ordered the zucchini flowers with chevre which was just amazing! then we ordered 2 pizzas which were definitely one of the best pizzas we have ever had! I would definitely recommend this place to others especially the pumpkin goats cheese pizza!

Jan 31, 2012