Zest Cafe & Bar

3.3 Below Average

Food  2      Ambience  1      Service  5      Value  5     

Stopped by and ordered a simple toasted cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch. They couldn't get this right, unfortunately, guys you're supposed to grill the cheese along with the tomato and bread, just don't add in sliced cheese after as it makes eating it a very dry experience. Coffee was pretty average also. The table I sat on was filthy and the place really smells of stale alcohol. Perhaps, this place is best left for the drunks.

Nov 24, 2009 

2.5 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  2     

Really wish I'd come across these reviews before eating here, service was ok, but the food was terrible. The mushroom bruschetta was bread sitting in a pool of sauce, making everything soggy, and with tapenade that resembled vomit. The only good things were the extras I ordered ($3.50) which was not worth it in my opinion. The only good thing was the smoothie.

Oct 31, 2009 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

The al fresco setting is lovely, the cafe itself is comfortable, service was immediate and friendly, the food was absolute yum and coffee was the best I have ever had. They are licensed too with excellent house wines. 6 of us ate and drank our fill for just over $150. A good value dining experience.

Oct 21, 2009 

1.3 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  1     

Just awful, forgot to bring our food until we asked why, then forgot to add bacon to bacon and eggs meal, meal was cold and extremely small (1egg) Flat white was burnt milk. Totally unenjoyable and unable to forget shocking meal, they charged the correct price though.

Jul 27, 2009 

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  2     

This was the worst cafe I have ever been to. The main thing was the wait staff were very unhelpful, and they were also downright rude. I have never been somewhere, where constructive feedback was responded to with the waitress saying "What do you want me to do about it?". Obviously the staff need training in customer service or at least to learn the very useful word "SORRY". Extremely bad experience and I will be telling everyone I know about my experience at this place.

Apr 12, 2009 

2 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  2      Service  2      Value  2     

My first time at Zest. Lazy Saturday afternoon with a lovely sun. Unfortunately, the food was bland and far too over priced. Calamari was greasy and soft accompanied by a limited rocket salad. The club sandwiches were well-sized but too bready and a tad dry. Pig tail curly fries were a novelty. Service was inexperienced and uninterested. A spoon with the coffee would have been nice. I’ll try elsewhere next time for brunch in Kingston.

Apr 12, 2009 

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  1     

Like another reviewer here, I have never written a review for a cafe before but the terrible experience I had here has driven me to write about it. I ordered the eggs benedict, the food arrived (looked and tasted terrible, the eggs were burnt, but that wasn't my biggest gripe), waitresses looked stressed constantly, had lots of attitude, my meal didn't come with hollandaise sauce as stated on the menu, when I asked for it waitress was very rude, basically came back and threw it down on my table without saying anything and storming off, gave constructive criticism to management, didn't seem to care much.

Don't bother with this cafe, food and service are terrible, overpriced and there are much better options around the corner.

Apr 11, 2009 

3.8 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  1      Value  2     

It looks like it would be a great place for breakfast in the Autumn, Canberra sun. Alas, the service was so slow that breakfast turned into lunch. The waitresses are very young, seemed directionless and stressed. A reflection of management it seems. Bacon rind was found in a vego breakfast- so beware if you are vegetarian. It took 20min for our bill to arrive, considered doing a runner because it was so awful but instead approached management for some constructive criticism. It all seemed too hard for mgmt. He couldn't operate the cash register and managed to total other bills onto our bill expecting us to pay $150 for breakfast for 3. At least the pot of tea was good.

Mar 16, 2009 

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  1     

I have never written a review for a cafe before. But this experience has driven me to comment - Zest is awful. Yes, it was a busy Sunday morning but that does not excuse a 50 minutes wait for breakfast. The poached eggs were cold, dry and inedible, the "toast" was a dry and cold piece of Turkish - no butter was provided to moisten the toast and the spinach was tasteless. My partner was served a "breakfast roll” that looked like it had been slopped on the plate from the local corner burger place. Having waited 50 minutes for this "meal" over tasteless luke warm lattes, we were given the bill for $45. This place gives Canberra a bad name.

Mar 15, 2009