After reading these reviews I even checked to make sure I have the same place, I have been having coffee at Parlo and recently just started eating there. Obviously under new management, the new staff are always friendly, I have been going during the day time and although sometimes busy they always seem to get to me straight away, they always remember my coffee orders which always makes me smile. I really enjoy the look of the place.
Came here yesterday for Sunday lunch and they were reasonably busy, but not packed out. We found a seat inside and waited 20 minutes without anyone coming anywhere near our table. We tried to catch the eye a number of wait staff to get a menu but all were too busy standing around the counter talking.
To top it off another table of 6 came in and were given menus and service immediately, so we walked out. Almost every table appeared to be waiting for food and service in the inside seating area and very little food was coming out of the kitchen. Don't go there if you expect to get served. There are plenty of other cafes in Cronulla to choose from.
This cafe was awful. I would never return. They advertised 'coffee and cake special' for $7. When I enquired, I was told by the waitress, "we don't have cake, we have a dessert menu'. Everything on the dessert menu stated at $10. When my 'lemon and lime tart with a dollop of cream' arrived, it was frozen solid and did not have any cream. When I told the waitress that my tart was frozen solid, she said nothing and ignored my comment.
When I went to pay for my coffee and dessert I enquired about the coffee and cake special. The waitress told me that if I wanted the coffee and cake special, then I had to have ordered from the cake menu/display. I was annoyed as I had asked when I arrived at the cafe and told that they only had their dessert menu. I felt that I had been deliberately deceived and ripped off.
This was definitely one of the best cafes in Cronulla, but after a change of management this place has definitely gone down hill. It has gone from above average to mediocre. The 'homemade' hashbrown has been replaced with a out of the packet frozen one, the scambled eggs are orange and the smoothies are no longer worth paying for. It also wasn't pleasant sharing my meal with many flies.
This place was great and the service is still nice, but please bring back the original food that made this place different to all the other cafes in Cronulla!
Had lunch on a Monday with my 8 month pregnant wife as I'm on holidays for the week. We shared the mezze plate and then shared the Parlo burger.
The food was quite good, mezze plates always look smaller than they are and by the time we'd finished it we were quite full. It included very nice salt and pepper squid and prawns among other things. The burger was quite nice, as good as a burger can be I guess.
The service was extremely friendly with some very nice, genuine, helpful wait staff. No complaints, so we'll be back.
I have dined at the cafe on and off, however, of late I have been drawn back again. The food as ever is great and I have never had a bad meal. The service is where I am seeing a great improvement. Staff are extremely attentive and this has meant the experience has been really good.
Last week I took a local client there for lunch and we started with the tasting plate and ended with the steaks. The atmosphere was good and you can talk easily. My client was happy, so was I. I'll be back.
Have to say just moved into the area, tried the tasting plate with a girlfriend and found it to be really delicious great service, comfy settings all around I'll be back.
I have had a few enjoyable experiences at Parlo but the one I had on the weekend was pretty bad. I ordered the King Prawn and Scallop Linguine, I had ordered this before, months and months earlier and it was great (however, this was riding off the back of the Chopping Block airing). When it came out this time, it was a grey, oily tasteless mound of pasta with a few prawns and several scallops.
What really got me though was that on the menu it was described as being served with cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and baby spinach. They completely overdid the oil (there was a pool in the bottom of the bowl), there were no tomatoes or spinach whatsoever, but some chopped up capsicum and parsley. If I were a stronger person I would have complained but instead I just waited to do it online, such is life!
What bothers me most is that they treated me like an idiot, do I not know the difference between tomato/capsicum and spinach/parsley?
I went there for lunch on the weekend, the place has a really good vibe. All of the waitstaff seem really happy to be there and they are very quick and attentive. Coffee was great and nice and hot! We ordered the Seafood Chowder, Sicilian Risotto, Steak Sandwich and Chicken Breast, they came out extremely quickly even though they were very busy and all of the meals were delicious.
For dessert we had homemade mud cake (compliments to the chef!) and sticky date pudding, which were to die for. Owners are lovely. All round great place to go and excellent value for money!