A Bite to Eat, A Drink as Well

3.8 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  3     

We have been previous fans of this cafe. Sunday morning, booked for eight. 930. Waited 20 minutes for service, required prompting. Coffee 20 minutes later, mediocre. Order wrong. Meals delivered an hour and ten minutes from seating. Was embarrassed as we had recommended location to friends. We won't be going back.

Mar 17, 2013 

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

If poor service and bring treated like a nuisance each and every time is what you are after them this is the cafe for you. I have given A Bite To Eat numerous chances over the last few years as my local cafe but today's dreadful experience took the cake. Unfriendly, unhelpful and vague staff and the absolute slowest service even for those with plenty of patience. This cafe couldn't be further from the fun and quirky image it portrays. A huge disappointment.

Feb 09, 2013 

3 Below Average

Ambience  5      Service  1     

The decor of this place is great. That's about the only positive thing I can say about it. Being a local I've been there many times and the staff are consistently unfriendly. When it changed owners we hoped that would change but it hasn't. As a customer I've been made to feel like I'm a nuisance. The guy (who I think manages it?) is particularly surly and cold. On a winters morning I was waiting outside 5 mins before they opened with a toddler and new born baby in the freezing cold. I noticed the door was open so went in so the kids would be warm. This guy looked at me an said, 'We don't open for 5 minutes' and I was shown the door. This kind of treatment is not uncommon. I would not recommend this place.

Feb 08, 2013 

4.8 Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  2      Value  5     

Evening menu only has pizzas, 3 salads, and a handful of sides on offer, not much variety. Food tastes nice though, different ideas too.

Takeaway coffees are expensive and take a long time to make, meanwhile you have nowhere to stand and wait and constantly have to move for other customers and waitstaff.

Worst thing is the waitstaff who are rude and seem to resent customers. I've been several times and the problem is persistent.

I meet there monthly with a group of people to discuss common interests, but we have new members each time and sometimes people arrive a bit late or decide to order a coffee after an hour. To make it easy we just order and pay at the counter individually as we need. This has never been a problem before tonight, when I was told 'no split bills' even though I didn't think ordering and paying individually at different times counted as a split bill. I thought it would be the same as serving any number of people at different tables, but it just happens that we're on the one table.

Anyway, it turns out some of the people on the table had been offered table service (which has never happened before, it seems there was a new waiter), so I was rudely told to get them to come and pay "right now as well, then", as if I should have known table service had been offered before I arrived.

The waiter argued that for 2 years the system had been table service only, wouldn't listen when I said it had never been on any of my prior visits for the last year. I don't expect or like to have to argue with a waiter. This is not my choice of venue, I wouldn't go back except my group meets here.

Jan 23, 2013 

4.8 Average

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  2      Value  3     

Great atmosphere but apalling service. I've persisted and been back 3 times lately but received dreadful service each time. Rude, slow, and fairly incompetent staff that display disdain for their customers. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Jul 23, 2012 

5.5 Average

Food  9      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  5     

I have now been there twice and both times they have let themselves down by their service.

Issues ranged from ordering garlic breads and them just not arriving, we ordered our meals but two of the meals that arrived were not what we ordered. Waiter took our drinks order once but did not come back again in the night to see if we wanted another round. One main meal came out 10 min after all the others, (this was blamed on new computer system) some people had already finished their meals.

Overall the food has been amazing, however, I can't get past the service, sorry to the kitchen staffs as we won't be coming back.

Jun 28, 2012 

4.5 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  6      Service  1      Value  5     

The quirky decoration was different and promised a relaxed atmosphere, however, that was not the case. The atmosphere was strained thanks to the rude and unfriendly wait staff. We had a booking for our significantly sized group, however, were told on arrival that we were under an hour time limit (This was not mentioned when we booked weeks in advance).

The food was prompt to arrive and portion size was decent, however, it lacked seasoning. The crockery was chipped badly. The coffee was luke warm and so milky that you could not taste the actual coffee. What was meant to be a lovely farewell was totally ruined by hostile staff and a rushed meal. I can not think of one thing good enough about our experience at this cafe that would redeem it enough to recommend it to anyone.

Jan 23, 2012 

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  6     

The quirky decor of this place was refreshing and can't think of another place in Canberra with the same feel. The menu is interesting, not your standard boring bacon-and-eggs style breakky. However, the coffee was lukewarm and reasonably expensive, and there's only one size (no mugs).

Breakky was quite good, but let down by the cold centers of my rice and lentil cakes. We were there reasonably early, but the service was slow for the number of tables, was fortunate we didn't want another coffee, because the waitress didn't come near us again after our breakfast arrived. Also got a bit cramped as more diners arrived, not a fan of other people's bottoms in my face as they squeeze past to their table.

If you want a quirky atmosphere, don't mind being close to other diners and you have time to spare, this place is worth a look.

Dec 17, 2011 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  7     

A bite to eat is the best cafe in Canberra and one of a kind. All this talk of terrible service is complete crap. The staff there are always friendly and helpful, not to mention fun to talk too.

The coffee is incredible, the food is loverly and I believe there is no place that has such a welcoming atmosphere. Sure it can get very busy on the weekends, but there is clearly a reason, it's because it's a great place! The best place to relax and have a good meal.

Nov 18, 2011 

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

I had real all the reviews so did not expect excellent service, and they did not surprise in that regard. What annoyed me is that with slow service etc we were given the bill about 10 minutes after last food item was served and told the next people for the table were waiting. We had booked for a Sunday brunch and was at no time told we would need to be out in an hour (as I would not have booked).

As per other people’s comments service was slow, but my other comments on the place include: cramped (we could only get into the table one way as the other ways other chairs and tables were in the way and then stuck as other people sat down and we could not get past there chairs), some things that were meant to be eclectic were just junk (eg old chair had the vinyl peeling in a number of places), parking hard for the little shops, limited menu (although cool names for the dishes), and on the expensive side ($4 for a cup (not a mug) of coffee, $7.92 (the 2 is not a typo) for a bacon, egg and cheese bagel (and just one piece of bacon) and mug of hot chocolate came in a small soup bowl, which was nice, although it had to be almost cold before you could pick it up as no handle.

And then there was the service (or lack thereof). Fifteen minutes to get menus (we ordered drink then), then when our drink arrived 20 minutes later we had to ask to order (as the waitress has already walked off) and as mentioned before shortly after getting our food we were given the bill and told the next party for our table was ready.

Suggest people who want something in the general Woden area turn Mawson (Bruno's) or Delissio’s in Curtin (who are open for Sunday breakfast). This was a great place years ago but has changed hands and now is just expensive and try hard with poor service. Avoid.

Aug 08, 2011