Esca - GLEBE

I felt unwelcome. I was solo, with my laptop, wanting to do work, like many people on the go nowadays. No wifi. Poor mobile reception for my hotspot. When I asked if there was wifi, an arrogant/rude no came back. To me it communicated, we don't want people working on laptops here. **** off kind of a response.

I lived in Glebe almost 20 years ago - this area was a walk down memory lane. The light lunch at Esca was fab as was the coffee which was fantastic.

My family's been coming here for brunch for many years, and I also have business meetings there as we live near by. There is a changed management in the past few years and happily the food remains high quality and the prices remain reasonable, with the added bonus of a very friendly owner manager who pays extra attention to its service and interested in client's feedback. I also noticed they regularly add new touches to enhance its decors and environment, like fresh flowers and new furnitures etc. Highly recommended.

As locals we tried this place once for dinner. Only had pizzas but they lacked substance. Should have read the reviews about the rude manager before going back a second time. Met a friend for coffee at 3.15pm. Advertised closure on the door was 4.30pm. At 3.25pm the bill was unceremoniously dumped on the table, we were told they were closing at 3.30pm and asked to leave. This was despite being only half way through our coffee and cake. When we questioned the time on the door, we were told “Not today”. Obviously as we were the only ones in the café, the owner thought it wasn’t worth his time staying open for another hour for us alone. The muffin was very dry, so we wouldn’t have finished it anyway. Rude manager? Will we return? Draw your own conclusion …

This is a cafe I have eaten breakfast in at least twice a week and yet I have never reviewed it. I have never had a bad coffee and there is a great choice of breakfasts on the menu. Jim the owner and his staff are always welcoming and friendly. I have also had some very good lunches at the cafe with friends. If you are a local you will know this cafe is one of the the best in Glebe for breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee.