Review Cafe 153 - Apollo Bay

The hot chocolate we got was absolutely delicious! Even on a busy day service was reasonably quick. Food tasted really good too but I wish the portion size was a little larger. The brunch we got for the price was tiny. It was not enough but whatever we had was tasty💖

Pleasantly surprised. Coffee was bang on. Not outstanding, but really good. Ordered the apple crumble pie. I liked it. Again, not incredible, but still good. Theres is a bucket tonne of seating here. You could honestly swing a number of cats in here with room to still hold a sit down lunch with granny. She’d be super stoked with the entertainment and service! Ill-be back!

Everything is “too hard” The only thing this cafe has going for it is excellent location and great coffee (ordered a mocha)… besides that, the customer service from the manager/owner woman is poor (rest of staff friendly) and food was very average. When ordering a big brekky, we were told sorry we’re out of sausages so do you want extra bacon. Yes no problem extra bacon is fine. Then when we say no tomato but just a few extra mushrooms instead (they’re the same price on the sides) but no of course that’s too hard that will be extra $$$ and too hard for kitchen to think about changing it. Strange considering it’s such a simple request and they’re the same price. Very disappointing. We were then still waiting for our breakfast to come out for a while and they are turning people away at 11.45am saying sorry we are closed despite their hours saying they are open until 2pm? Maybe due to them running out of ingredients…? Not very good business and very disorganised. Overall, a very disappointing visit to this cafe and for the remainder of our stay here in Apollo Bay I think we will try elsewhere for food.

The table was dirty when we first arrived (wasn't wiped down). Staff Disorganised, we had to ask for menu's, water, and cutlery. The drinks and decorations were decent. Fish and chips was not too bad, but the Meusli and Yogurt was too dry (needs more yogurt). The ice cream on the pancakes didnt taste good. The portion of the Salt and Pepper Squid was not satisfactory for the price we had to pay for it.

Of the five meals we ordered, two was great, the other three was very dissapointing. Covid plays a role, but when you go to a cafe you expect the food the match the price. This time around it was very dissapointing.

3.5 stars I got the 153 vegetarian breakfast and it was delicious! There were a few good vego options. The Cafe is quite overpriced and the drink sizes are underwhelming. It's a good cafe if you have the $$$ which is disappointing.

Really disappointed. Waited 20 minutes for the most DISGUSTING coffee I tossed in the bin. The cafe was quiet busy so a wait is understandable but please train your counter staff to tell people there is a long wait on takeaway coffee, generally people getting a takeaway are on the go and if I was told there was a long wait I would have gone somewhere else, even more disappointing that the coffee was burnt and horrible

Pretty good food and prices considering portion sizes. But when I went in (on a public holiday) and faced the 10% surcharge on a $17 item, I was charged $19. Although they only rounded up 30 cents, it still feels pretty egregious, and I wonder how many other people have they done similar things to.

Cheerful service. Food tasty. A touch pricey (like most of the Great Ocean Road). Coffee was the area for improvement. Almond milk flat white was split. Coffee taste was a touch bitter.

Great place for dinner. I had the best seafood chowder here - fresh seafood with generous serving. It comes with crispy garlic bread. The mussels were awesome as if they were just plucked from the bay. My partner had the Tasmania salmon and it was good too. Waitress did a great job and was attentive. Our best experience at Apollo Bay!

Staple breakfast joint. Pancakes weren’t super but everything else we had was edible. Seemed like a very busy place so the presence of the locals would probably attest to their quality!

The staff especially the cashier is not friendly. Ordered eggs florentine. We didn’t enjoy it since staff were not friendly. We will not definitely go back here next time 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

pleasant service. burger was tasty and very enjoyable. fries were crisp. able to sit in open and enjoy the main street vibe. open extended hours. Good scenery<br/>

Disappointing and perfect place to regret your spent dollars. <br/>Extremely expensive for tasteless and low quality food. Service was super slow. <br/>My stake sandwich had stockpile of caramelized onion, my partner burger was absolutely raw and smells like butchery fresh minced beef. <br/>& when we provide our feedback this was the response we received: "OK"

Went here for lunch today and left feeling a little disappointed. First of all our food took 41 mins when there was only 3 other tables; secondly, we ordered a seafood linguine pasta and a seafood risotto, whilst the risotto was brilliant, the linguine was rather tasteless; next, a majority of the chips were rather burnt (see photos), and finally this summated to a cost of $61 which I found rather expensive given the portion size and quality. I thought the risotto was brilliant but combining the wait time and price with the quality of the other dishes, I probably wouldn't return, which is disappointing given the great layout of the cafe.

Just stopped in for a coffee which was pretty good but not great. The chocolate milk shake my son had was pretty good( I had to finish it as it was too big for him!)<br/>Friendly staff and a good atmosphere.<br/><br/>

Very disappointed! Waited for no reason for 25 min for tasteless pancakes and an inedible burger. Burger bread was so dry ducks wouldn't even eat it. Jalapeños Jam / salsa would have been nice if actually applied ..... stated on menu but required magnifying glass to find in the burger .<br/>Customer service? Non existent. <br/>Had to ask for glass with ice for a soft drink which was received with raised eyebrows. Will no go back or recommend!

Busy little cafe on the main strip. Ordered the 153 vegetarian. Looked really yum. The spinach was overly wilted and the toast was sadly very soggy. Poached eggs were not amazing unfortunately. On the positive service was speedy:)

Omelette was very tasty, ham was good quality and fresh. <br/>Toast ordered was was expensive for a couple of little sachets or peanut butter. Coffee was very good, we ordered two. Pleasant environment to eat breakfast on the way through town.

The pork belly wrap is amazing!! As well as all the other meals!! Clean and fresh foods. Staff lovely. Just proper cooked tasty food<br/><br/>Very happy and will return .

We ate here yesterday and I had the open chicken sandwich on sour dough with sweet potato chips, the chips were amazing, very crispy, the chicken filet was quite small but the salad was yum. Will go back.

Had breakie here this morning and I must say it was fantastic!! As a cook of a busy brunchy cafe I was impressed with the freshness and flavours of both our omelettes. I have the basil, toms etc and my partner had the ham, cheese and Tom. Ham was great quality thin off the bone ham. Coffee and hot choc were average though, way to milky and lacked flavour.

Fast service with friendly staff.<br/>Food was delicious poached pears in muesli are to die for<br/>Beautiful view of the beach from outdoor area perfect place to eat whether staying here for couple of days or just driving thru.

Came to Apollo Bay on a weekend away and found this place for a late breakfast. Had the 153 veggie breakfast and a latte. Ingredients were fresh, poached eggs cooked to perfection and left me very satisfied! <br/><br/>My partner ordered the new York cheesecake. unsure whether preparation of the desserts were on site but they all looked well presented and very fresh. The cheesecake was creamy and it's sweetness not too overpowering leading to a lovely end of a meal. <br/><br/>A must try when in Apollo Bay 😊

My husband and I go here for breakfast every time we are in the Bay. Have had good experiences all but one time. I believe the chef was on holiday or something and they had a replacement. Whatever it was, that one time was a disappointment. When regular chef was back the next time we were there, breakfasts were great once again.

Had the Sweet Potato wedges. Ok but nothing special and not worth a trip back. Pleasant outdoor seating with views of the hills and passing traffic.

Appalling! Didn't have one of the dishes we ordered and didn't realize to tell us until we'd ordered and sat down. Asked if we'd like something similar instead to which we agreed and then proceeded to charge us the difference even though they didn't have what we'd ordered in the first place. Absolutely disgusted at their audacity. Vile customer service.

Another pit stop along the Great Ocean Road and another opportunity to try another vanilla slice. The slice actually looked better in the cabinet, with each piece neatly wrapped in plastic, disguising its creamy rather than custardy insides. Don't get me wrong...the slice was quite nice; with crisp flaky pastry and a nicely textured icing on top. However the all- cream filling was a let down and did not satisfy my custard needs. Interesting that the cafe's supplier 'Gabriel's Gateaux' are in Preston, Melbourne. That's a long way for delivery...I wonder how fresh their cakes really are?

Really terrible food, avocado almost gone bad, coffee is too hot, regret experience,food are basically put together without thinking about how it will look like waitress attitude is impatient

Supervised to see so many negative reviews. We came in for breakfast. Great service with fantastic meal. Meals to cook as perfection with big portion. We will come tomorrow morning again before heading back to Melbourne

Went for brunch. Ordering at the counter in an empty caffe is not a great experience but whatever.... Food was ok. The toast had been cooked in a sandwich press so more rubber than toast?? The rest was ok. ... Overall forgettable.

Had to wait over 45 minutes for dips and wedges. It wasn't even a busy period, they tasted horrible and I don't think I've ever had worse dips/wedges in my life. Plus the kid at the counter forgot to give me change until I reminded him. Not impressed.

Had the most delicious beef & Guinness pie for lunch! Served with chips & salad. Couldn't get enough of it. The coffee, however, was prob the worst I've ever had. So bad, I didn't drink it, despite the need for caffeine. Nice enough service.

Nice Food, Good Service. We stopped here for dinner & really enjoyed the food. My partner had the fresh King fish with Greek Salad & Chips which was on special & he thought it was delicious. I had the Big Chicken Schnitzel Burger & Chips which was one of the best burgers I've ever had. The staff were friendly & the prices reasonable. Will definitely be back again when we're in Apollo Bay.

WTF. There was a menu sitting on the table outside. A woman came out to clear the tables either side of me and said nothing.<br/>Waited 15 minutes for someone to come. Was I supposed to go inside to order? If that was the case why have menus on the table

Honest 3181 vote. Omlett 6/10<br/>poached egg and bacon 3/10<br/><br/>Bacon alert.... cold. We had to wait a bit. <br/>wasn't a great experience.

Not my cup of tea... No offence to this cafe, just an honest review.. There was nothing special about their food and beverages. Do not be deceived by the busy looking cafe, most of which are tourists who can't decide where to go for their stop in apollo bay (my partner and i were one of them :) never again)... don't get me wrong, the food isn't terrible.. it's just nothing special (Plenty of other options on hardy street) for that reason i am writing this review. For "passable/okay" food they charge pretty high.. close to $20 for fish n chips (believe me it aint worth the bang for your buck) that being said customer service was great, so perhaps lower your prices or upgrade your quality in order to justify the price.

We Loved It. The view was great, our service was generally good and the food really good. In particular the Brazilian Seafood Claypot, full of flavour and the seafood really treated with respect. The mussels were the best I've had, the texture of the prawns was perfect. I thought the dips were pretty good too, not too salty like they can be sometimes. I did say the service was generally good, it was fine from our perspective, but I think the owner might expect a little more effort and presence of mind from the casual staff member on duty who never offered us more drinks, and never seemed to take plates from tables on the same visit as a delivery to another table etc.

Terrible coffee, worse food. Coffee the worst I've had, anywhere. Tasted like warm water. Got eggs Benedict and all I could taste was vinegar from the poached eggs. Don't go, honestly.

Quite shocked at the aggressive display put on by the owner of this cafe when she was told quietly and politely that a diner had been served mouldy bread for which a refund had been offered by another waitress. It's probably the least of their worries as the outburst well and truly got the attention of other shocked diners. Last time for many eating here!

Poor form. The food was ok and the staff were too. We did wait about 10minutes between meals coming out and half the drinks never made it to the table. When a concern was raised it was really poorly handled. You can probably do better elsewhere.

Good coffee and good food! I had pancakes with maple syrup with ice cream. I added extra bacon (little pricey @$3 for 1x rasher) but was yummy AND restaurant acceptS EFTPOS, minimum $15. Can recommend

I don't know what others are complaining about, my wife & I just had the best breakfast/brunch we've had in a long time here. I had the eggs florentine, & for $19 it was very generous, with heaps of salmon & avocado, delicious! My wife's scrambled eggs were perfect also. The coffee wasn't outstanding but the service was pleasant even though they were absolutely flat out. I'd definitely come again.

$3 "side" of bacon = one rasher... That is the most disappointing thing.<br/><br/>Mango smoothie was quite nice.

Don't bother. Terrible service - they got the order wrong and no apology. Food very average and not cheap. Go somewhere else.

Staff completely ignored us.. I walked in on Sunday morning for breakfast. I stood behind a woman paying for her meal. The boy behind the counter saw me standing there, next in line. After completing the transaction with the woman, he looked at me, looked at the people who had walked in after me and were standing behind me, and served them instead of me.<br/><br/>I will NEVER be going here again.<br/><br/>On the bright side, we walked out and had a really nice breakfast at the organic cafe a few doors up.

Tea bag tea (seriously??). Had poached eggs and bacon though only 1 egg was cooked enough to eat. Kids pancakes was actually huge kids icecream with a tiny pikelet. Open bagel was ok. To be fair this place still looked the best on offer in town. Perhaps bring your weetbix.

The food is a joke!. Another major culinary disappointment in Apollo Bay! On the kids' menu a frozen margherita pizza is $10! I had two very upset-looking fried eggs, a sliver of crispy bacon and a piece of sourdough for $15. <br/>It was (confusingly) busy and the barista had a visible tantrum and slammed down two coffees when he couldn't get past a baby in his high chair! Extremely embarrassing to watch the poor parents trying to squeeze out of the way. Awful.

Flavorless coffee. I was expecting great things from the raisin toast for $8 - boy was I disappointed. It didn't even come with real butter, just margarine. Couldn't recommend.

Awesome cheesecake, good coffee, service..thumbs up!

Terribly overpriced!! $3 for one tiny rasher of bacon, are you kidding me? The hollandaise is bland, the service is bland and we won't waste our time coming here again.

Doughy. Unfortunately they use that Sourdough bread on their menu. It is tacky, underbaked and tasteless.<br/>Otherwise I enjoyed their food, just not their bread

Coffee good and dog friendly. This place is always reliable and dog friendly as well as there's a water bowl near the tables situated on the side street. Good menu selection, we tried the fish and chips and toastie and were ok but servings a little small. Fast service and friendly staff. Always worth a visit when in Apollo Bay.

Overpriced and surly service. Good coffee though.

Go to Nautigals. Have been here several times and the service was usually so so. This morning I was served by rude teenagers who were incapable of smiling. When my breakfast arrived, straight away I could tell the mushrooms had been shrivelled and old when they were cooked. They had no flavour and were chewy. The poached eggs were on the outside of the whites and hidden by quantities hollandaise sauce. The only plus was it was displayed on the plate nicely. Try Nautigals down the road, cheaper and nicer food and atmosphere.

Good coffee, terrible breakfast. Cafe 153 is arguably the cutest cafe in Apollo Bay with its flower lined windows. The first time we visited we ordered a coffee for my husband and a tea for myself. The coffee was quite good but I was surprised to find that my tea just came with a tea bag instead of in a pot (no big deal though). We then returned a few days later for breakfast and were terribly disappointed with the food. Our poached eggs had ZERO flavour (seriously, I don't know how that's possible but it is!), the spinach seemed to be water logged and the sour dough wasn't completely cooked through so was very spongy tasting. On the upside, the hash brown was delicious! This is honestly one of the worst breakfasts that I've had in a long time. Very disappointed that the basics can't be cooked well. Nice staff though, just a pity the food isn't up to scratch. Hopefully they were just having a bad morning!

My boyfriend and i Had a pretty decent meal there, or so we thought; I had a bagel with cream cheese/avo/bacon, he the chicken focaccia with salad and chips. Then he finished his plate only to find a moth had been hidden under the salad. Staff were apologetic and refunded the price of the focaccia but the food hygiene standards in the kitchen are clearly lax; salad should be washed before eating for a reason, and it was a reasonably sized moth!

Delicious breakfasts and sandwiches for lunch. Good option for a quick meal. Love the vego breakfast!

Typical of a tourist trap - pretty poor. Inflexible chef/menu, food a tad cold, tables a bit grubby. Beans were nice, coffee ok. Disappointing for the price, but quite common in areas with a captive audience such a Apollo Bay...no need for effort, the customers just keep coming! :-)

Well worth the stop. Excellent coffee and the toasted sandwich was very tasty and filling too. Recommended.

Not worth it. Breakfast today. Left a lot to be desired. Pancakes clearly frozen and reheated and hard as a rock. Service inhospitable. They really could not be bothered. There are better options in Apollo Bay.

Ordered 2 hot chocolates. After 20 mins and seeing people who arrived after us were being served, went to enquire. Was told they had no clean mugs so our order had been pushed down the pile. Was offered take away mugs. Why couldn't they have told us up front. Restaurant busy but not full. Service awful. Chocolate half cold. Don't go there.

Big breakfast was awesome and service was actually ok.

Worst service ever . Spoken to like I was a naughty child for making a simple request . Terrible . Don't eat here ! Try sandy feet few doors up

I almost didn't dine hear bc of some reviews on urbanspoon. I'm glad I did. Food was value for money, staff friendly and although the food took a little while to arrive at our table it was DELICIOUS! 8/10

I've only been here once but yes my iced coffee was rediculously strong the berry cheesecake wad to DIE for! For some reason my husband said the coffee was 'different' so overall I liked it but I have not been here for breakfast... Yet.

Stuck for choice. As a long time Apollo Bay visitor I've been here a quite few times now for coffee but we went for breakfast the other day. Probably a wrong choice. Food was fine but nothing great. Ordered beans on toast and pretty sure they were out of a tin which is not what I'd expect in a cafe but the mix up went like this. Ordered beans on toast with extra toast and a well boiled poached egg (don't judge my order!). I got my beans on toast with my boyfriends side of hollandaise, and he got my well done eggs. I asked for the extra toast and the egg as I had ordered and double asked for it to be well cooked. Five minutes later I got my extra toast and a runny egg! Wasn't that bad but it was all a bit in shambles and made as laugh (but want to cry). Toast was really good quality though. I just wish some of the cafe's in AB would up the anti a bit. I'm happy to pay tourist prices if the food is worth it, but so far most places including here just disappoint.

Went here for Sunday morning breakfast after a wonderful walk on the beach. I wish it continued however the staff as we walked in to sit down ignored us. Then when we order we asked for our scrambled eggs running the waitress told us "there us no such thing." I told her that I'm a chef and there is such a thing. She was confused. Followed by this was the angry barista slamming down our coffees, rubber eggs and under seasoned sides. Very very disappointing after such a great weekend. Save your money go to Lorne for breakfast.

Meh maybe I am too used to south Yarra but really this place could we twice as bad and still busy. Big breakfast is generous helpings but remember to specify poached cos they will assume fried otherwise :)

On the corner of Hardy Street and the Great Ocean Road, in Apollo Bay Cafe 153 is at the northern (Lorne) end of the strip of cafes, shops and pubs. We headed there with some nervousness after reading some average reviews on urbanspoon, mainly focussed on the service, but also on value.