Review Elephant Boy Cafe - Bowral

A stunning cafe in the heart of Bowral, Elephant Boy Cafe delivered the goods. The old school office/library vibe of the place felt homely and warm. Service was friendly and prompt. The food was delicious and very well cooked. If anything, the beetroot in my dish was a bit too hard, but otherwise the salmon and other elements were spot on. The big breakfast was hearty and well cooked. Highly recommend to visit if you're in the Southern Highlands! Thanks for having us :)

Lovely café with very interesting interiors. Place is busy but friendly. The tomato soup of the day was truly comfort meal. The mushroom burger was good, too.

Lovely cafe with really friendly service, especially Ellie who was super proactive and kind. Highly recommend the Bowral Classic tea and cakes w/ icecream! We came at 3pm and the service was fast/efficient. Will be back soon

On a day out in Bowral we stumbled across the elephant cafe. Aesthetically beautiful with book shelves filled with books everywhere (my kind of cafe). My husband, son and my self were treated lovely and the staff are amazing. The food was lovely and had enough choices on the menu that didn’t bombard your mind. We will be back!

There was a minor error on the order that was probably due to my Yorkshire accent rather than a mistake by the waitress. Unexpectedly the owner pit this right at no additional cost. The gesture was greatly appreciated. The food was well cooked, hot and quite delicious. Highly recommended this cafe/restaurant.

The interior was great! Walls lined with books, antique pieces and great big lounges to curl up in from the cold! However, they must have been short staffed when we were visiting (Sunday morning) We were forgotten about for some time, so we ended up going to the front counter to order coffee ourselves.

I've been here twice now and both times the food has been amazing! The staff are very friendly and welcomed me at the door and were very attentive and polite. The food came out quickly and they have a food and drink item for everyone and its not expensive, would highly recommend!

We had breakfast here. Loved the ambience and feel of the place. The old books give it a very warm feel and we can imagine sitting down for a coffee on the lounge and spending an hour here. Only minus about the furniture are the use of the “directors chairs” at each table. They felt flimsy and more “camping” like, not quite in tune with the rest of the place. Also not very inviting for a longer sit down, they are not the most comfortable. I had the eggs Benedict with salmon and a side of bacon. All cooked very well and on one sliced of toasted ciabatta, perfect size for breakfast really. My wife had the French toast which was also well cooked. Plenty on the plate. Also the cream with honey was a nice toast, definitely a hit. Coffees were good, we both had almond lates. Service was good. The waitress that served us was a young girl with a shaved head (no judgment) and she was excellent. We’ll be back and would recommend.

My husband and I went to this cafe on recommendation from a friend who had gone a few years back. I wish we had read the reviews.<br/>It seems the management has changed and it is no longer the fun and quirky cafe it seems to once have been. We ordered the big breakfast and each element was well below the standard I would have expected. The eggs were poached in cups not straight into the water, and the sausage was like a cheap bbq sausage. It was truely one of the worst cafe meals I've ever had. It's so simple to not make bacon and eggs well. <br/>The coffee was drinkable and the cakes did look good, but I would not recommend the cafe to anyone.

For YEARS, we have eaten at this cafe whenever we came to Bowral, so we were very much looking forward to a yummy lunch... we didn't know the original owner sold the business, so we thought we'd give it a go all the same.<br/><br/>We arrived and several tables hadn't been cleared of cups and plates...<br/><br/>We placed our orders (beef pie & schnitzle burger), they'd sold out of the beef pie, but offered to "make the chicken pie". What arrived, was a jaffle-made chicken (curry) pie, and a burger... No schnitzle, but an over-cooked dry beef pattie.<br/><br/>Definately fell short of the delicious food that used to be served at this little gem of a cafe.<br/><br/>On top of that when I try the owner there was no toilet paper in the loo, she was annoyed that she had to replace it 3 times already!!! REALLY!!! Hahahaha... I just walked away laughing! <br/><br/>Hasta la vista baby! I won't be back.

The vibe was great as they got a lot used books for decoration and for customers to read . However the food was just average with less impressive plating. And my soy flat white tasted burnt which is such a shame cz I really liked their interior design.

Terrible service ! We ordered 1 coffee and 1 tea , plus 2 scones to share between my husband, my 2 yo daughter and myself. We waited 20 minutes for our drinks. After another 10 minutes, we were still waiting for our scones. I asked once for them, then twice. Seeing that nothing was happening I walked to the counter and asked again. Problem was: there was only one scone left - even though there were three when we ordered. At this point we decided to leave: we had been waiting that long only to see that they had basically given our order to someone else. Also I have never been to a cafe where it takes that much time to literally only boil water. Will be back in Bowral, but definitely not there.

My daughter and I wanted a quick lunch before seeing a movie. We ordered a Pork Sandwich with Fried Onions and 2 milkshakes. The milkshakes came quickly enough and we drank them slowly as we wanted to save some to have with our food. After 35 minutes I enquired of our waitress how much longer the food would take as we needed to leave to catch a movie. She said she would check and never came back. I then asked a lady who I assume is the owner, and she came back and told me it was in the process of being plated up. Ten minutes later food hadn't arrived, so I went to pay and asked to take our food away with us. The girl who processed my bill was our original waitress and she didn't bother to acknowledge the slowness of the food or never coming back to us. We ate our food in the darkness of the movie theatre, it was so average that between us we ate about a third of the sandwich, don't know what happened to the onion rings, got wedges instead. Kept the leftovers and fed it to the dog when we got home. Much as the place looks charming, as bookstore cafes do, I would never set foot in here again.

Great coffee, artistically made inside a warm library themed setting. I wish there was a similar cafe in Sydney. What else must I say to fill the minimum 140 characters?

Very average breakfast. All of the food is quite heavy and oily/butter. Great ambience but the menu doesn't have great variety or any healthier/lighter options.

I went here just for a coffee. The space is cute, a mix of tables and lounges, book shelves, antiques, and it was very busy. They sell breakfasts, lunch and some interesting options including curries. They also had lots of sweets. I ordered a latte and the lady serving happily responded to my request of an elephant in my latte art. Loved it. A nice drop too. I'll go back sometime for food.

The Elephant Boy café is filled with character. I first visited this place two years ago and I remembered how delicious the wagyu beef burger was.I was fortunate enough to visit Bowral again last week and could not resist to go back to enjoy more beautiful food.The coffee was to my liking with a bit of oomph. I had the lamb burger and my partner had the wagyu. They were both stunning.

Mmm... Not as good as it looks. The setting is cute and all and there's admittedly a nice vibe, but I did find quite a fault in the food. We ordered some banana bread which came out stale and dry, and some feta eggs and spinach on toast with a side of smoked salmon. There was hardly any feta at all, and the salmon came out after five minutes. I had to remind them that I had even ordered it. I then asked for some bacon. They asked if I wanted it crispy, to which I said yes. It came out, and it was anything BUT crispy. Good, but really not what I asked for...

Great atmosphere but incredibly overpriced and underwhelming food. I ordered a pie ($23!) and it was served half frozen on the inside The waitress apologised profusely, and said they had issues with the oven. She returned 15 minutes later with the wrong pie (it was half eaten and belonged to the table next to us). Again she apologised, and returned with the correct meal. Unfortunately at this point the pie was hot, but the onion gravy was stone cold and the side vegetables were soggy. The pie itself was the worst pie I have EVER eaten, and was a strange mixture of unflavoured mince meat and unflavoured gristly bits of steak. Needless to say I did not touch the pie and ate soggy vegetables for lunch instead. We were offered a complimentary coffee at the end of our meals, however were still charged the full price for the uneaten pie. The waitress was lovely, and the music and decor created a wonderful atmosphere, however I would rather eat a $3 pie from a petrol station than Elephant Boy's $23 grisly inedible mess.

Fabulous place unless you're unlucky enough to be served by the nasty witch who is the manager/owner (orange hair, glasses, broomstick. I assume she is the owner, she's rather imperious). I've been about 10 times and 3 of these times its been unpleasant - when the witch served us. She needs to retire or find her joy elsewhere, cos it ain't here.

Yum! I love this place. Every time I travel south I always stop here for lunch or breakfast. The food is wonderful and the staff are friendly too. The curries are always good and the pies are to die for, get in early lunch though because they sell out quickly! Coffee and iced chocolates are beautiful. Would go as far as to say this is my favourite cafe in Australia

Mutton Dressed as Lamb in many ways...<br/><br/>Vulgar Service and Attitude...<br/><br/>Btw we only ordered Coffee and Chai!!!<br/><br/>Stay away unless you are a Masochist :P

The only good thing about this cafe is it's ambience and the coffee which was nice. Two hours wait for 4 very basic cafe meals is unacceptable particularly when there is a 1hr delay between the first and last meal and 3 were the same order.  The meals when they did arrive were overcooked and unappetising. At $18.50 for salmon patties and salad with no salmon in them this is a well overpriced cafe and I would expect something wholesome and delicious..  The staff were stressed, rude and incapable of handling a busy situation yet kept seating more customers.  The owners had a melt down and actually became abusive to customers, this is one very unprofessional operation!

Terrible. Dropped into the Elephant Boy Cafe today for breakfast. Loved the decor, really interesting and cosy but unfortunately that is where the charm abruptly ends. Staff seemed completely confused with one particular waitress extremely rude.<br/><br/>We ordered pear and coconut bread, poached eggs with bacon and the cracker (eggs, bacon and sausage). Coffees arrived after around 15 minutes (one in a cup very badly chipped around the rim) however we waited well over an hour for the three meals. At one point a waitress told us that our food was just being plated however more than 15 minutes went by before we received it.<br/><br/>When the food finally arrived the poached eggs more closely resembled bullets they were so hard and the bacon was cold. Further, their 'big breakfast' didn't even come with toast. We were then rudely informed by the waitress that we would have to order it separately. Given that we didn't want to wait another hour we just shared what was with the eggs and bacon order. <br/><br/>Very disappointing. Would recommend trying one of the other options in the area.

Too long for everything!!. 45 mins for coffee <br/>... Seriously

I haven't been here in years and was passing through and dropped in to meet a friend.<br/>Coffee is good and ambience is nice, but the menu was pricey so I asked just for a piece of toast, with a poached egg thinking it should be under $10 but when I went to pay it was $20 with a coffee! So $15 for an egg on toast with a scrape of butter. Felt so ripped off and the older lady just dismissed my questioning.<br/>Never going back, so disappointed. Should've spent my budget on up the road where Id get a lovely full meal for that.

Coffee today. I have been to this cafe a number of times over the years. Always enjoying the charter of the cafe and the food being okay. <br/>Today. I experienced one of the worst cafe service ever. Tattooed waitress with zero style and care took our order. Look like someone who should be working in a backpacker cafe, the other staff also presented poorly. <br/>Waitress pushed passed my partner to service another guest instead of using another access. <br/>The desert came quickly and the coffee took 20 minutes. When I queried the delay the staff response was simply uncaring. <br/>When paying the bill no apology was made about delays or thanks for visiting. <br/><br/>Never again !!!

Very disappointed! Our family came down for a lovely wedding that we attended on the Saturday. Sunday morning we gathered here. Our breakfast took 45 minutes to come out and all we orderd was 2 poached eggs on toast with a $3.20 tomato SO over priced its rediculous! The staff seemed quite rude and forgot several things that we asked for! We also came the day before and asked if we could have something to eat but they refused and said they only serve cake and coffee from 11 - 12pm.

Favourite Cafe in NSW. My wife and I travel from Hawkesbury every so often to check out the antiques and eat here. The set out is mellow and old school. The food is always amazing, had the lamb vindaloo yesterday from the specials menu and was not disappointed. Will be back soon for my next visit - B

A favourite place. This is one of my favourite cafes. I haven't been for a couple of years but really enjoyed the meal today. The service was attentive, the food excellent and the coffee 'artwork' is a pleasant touch. The chef delivered our meal to us and it would be hard to fault his quite excellent Buck Rarebit (though if I were to be really picky, perhaps a tad too salty for some people's taste). We bought a bottle of their famous own made curry! We will be back!

The lamb burger was really dry and the service was so so. This place is really over priced for the product they are producing.

Eat at other places. Eat at Raw and Wild, its fabulous.

"Where's my coffee? I'm getting old!" is all I could think of while sitting at the elephant boy cafe in Bowral. I didn't want to complain as the scary looking manager was likely to get her ruler out to punish me. It took one hour to get 3 coffees and our cake came out 30 mins before that. Totally disorganised, customers walked out every five mins who lost their patience, while the staff remain oblivious, it's a wonder how they stay in business. Won't be coming back here. What a joke.

Someone else's Chocolate. We were keen to try out this interesting little cafe that looked great through the window. We went in, sat down and were told that we were in the hour between the end of breakfast and the start of lunch so the only thing we could order were drinks and cake. No problem, 2 lattes and 2 pieces of pie. The coffee's arrived, but no pie. When we asked for the pie we were told it was on the way. As we were finishing our coffee, the owner delivered one of the pieces of pie to the table (unsure why we didn't get both) but the plate that the pie was on was clearly dirty, had not been washed or at least not washed in hot water. Exceptionally unimpressed, we brought it to her attention. She proceeded to tell us that it was only chocolate. When we told her it was someone else's chocolate, she proceeded to the front door of the cafe, opened the front door, came back to our table and told us she didn't want the money for the coffee, but she did want us to leave and there was the door! Unbelievable!! Here we were, expecting an apology for the dirty plate and for the first time ever got kicked out of an establishment! As we left, somewhat in shock, she told us that we had been very rude!!!!! Never going back. Amazing attitude for a business woman.

Should be renamed white elephant. We stopped by hoping to get some lunch. The young blonde who was clearing a table in front of us did not make eye contact, even when I asked if we could have a table for three. The older brunette stared me hard, then turned away. By this time, I was already at the counter. <br/>So I stormed out with my 88- year old mother. This is the worst non- eating experience.<br/>We went up the street and got much better, and for much less. Apparently others ended up in the same cafe as us because of the same lack of service.<br/>Don't bother!

This cafe had a nice decor. We stopped to check it out and were tempted by the last piece of a berry crumble. We ordered coffees and the last piece of berry crumble, plus a bowl of soup. We were told to give our waitress the nod after the soup so she could bring the cake. We did so, but it turns out they sold the cake to someone else in the meantime, despite the fact we had already ordered it. The staff did not seem at all concerned and just demanded to know what other cake we wanted. I know this seems like a small concern, but given the fact we chose the cafe for that cake and the waitress was the one who offered to stagger our order, I think that's terrible service. For that reason, we wouldn't go back. We get the feeling that having tourists as their primary income may give them less incentive for good service. Just a thought.

Don't bother, go where cafes want your business. This place used to be our favourite cafe to stop at when we headed to the Southern Highlands. It's been 10 months since our last visit and can't believe how every opportunity is given to drive people away from this once sought after place. We were told upon sitting down we could only order drinks and cakes as no orders were being taken from the menu with lunch orders starting in 45 minutes. It was 11.15am on a Saturday morning and people were getting up and leaving after hearing these rules. We opted for tea & 2 slices of cake - both were different so we asked if the cakes could both be cut so my companion and I could taste both cakes. The waitress said she'd need to ask the manager as the manager doesn't like to do this due to how it will present on the plate (I felt like saying ask the owner if they would like to sell 2 pieces of cake or none!) Sure enough we heard the owner say no, let them cut it themselves. The cakes were not nice at all. This cafe has lost it's shine and now we know why we were able to get a seat so easily. Everyone has gone to go to other cafes that want people's business without all these rules. We ended up having a wonderful lunch at Raw @ Wild cafe just down the road. My advice is don't bother this place it's not worth it!

Good at one time. Looking through the window we where attracted by the pleasant looking decor inside this cafe/ restaurant. However, as a previous reviewer mentioned (i unfortunately only found the review because i felt compelled to warn people and did some research of my own) The staff are unprofessional, rude and most of them inexperienced teenagers who havent got an ounce of customer service in them. The kitchen staff are of the same calibre and churn out tasteless, thrown together food that arrived at different times for each of our table of four. I complained and was told by a spotty kid "that its like that sometimes, but its there policy not to discount but would offer one free coffee" he then proceeded to laugh with his mate and tutted that i didnt want to take him up on his kind gesture. This probably used to be a unique place but its now a hang out for coach party tours! Its sad to say but this establishment smacks of a business that was opened many years ago by an inspired owner but is now riddled with complacency. Dont waste your money try one of the other places down he high street.

Looks can be deceiving!. Looking in through the front window the place looks very appealing, nice ambience, old world style. And that’s where it ends.<br/><br/>Terrible, rude service.... Especially by the older woman that acted like the owner or manager. Completely oblivious on how to treat customers, but the other waitresses weren’t much better.<br/><br/>When we weren’t being ignored, we were being treated like we should be thanking them for being in their café. It really was that bad.<br/>Examples in order:<br/><br/>Waitresses incapable of taking more than one drink order at a time. My drink would come out, then my friend, then my other friend. By the time the time the last drink came out, the first coffee was finished.<br/><br/>During the ordering process, there’s no acknowledgment, no eye contact, no manners... no confirmation that anything else is required. And if you pause for even 1 moment, they run away before the order is complete.<br/><br/>We had to clear our own table. Trying to get the waitresses to do it after waiting patiently is impossible. They either don’t see the empty plates and cups, or simply don’t care. Either way, poor service. We stacked the empty plates in a neat pile on the table as there was no space for anything else, and even when the waitress came over to deliver a drink, she left empty handed. <br/><br/>My daughter had an iPad on low (the place was quite busy and loud and the device was on so quiet that my 2 friends and I couldn’t hear it at all while talking), and the older woman came over and without saying anything else or looking in our direction when putting coffee down, she snapped “you can turn that thing off, or you can turn it down”. And then promptly scurried away without a second glance.<br/><br/>No follow up! Would you like anything else? I finished my coffee and virtually had to beg for another.<br/><br/>One unisex toilet... and with a café full of women having to line up like that is ridiculous.<br/><br/>Lastly, not cheap.... Eggs benedict, 2 coffees, a milkshake, and a side of pancakes = $50.<br/><br/>Avoid!!! Avoid!!! Avoid!!! Don’t fall for what you see out the front, the inside is rotten.

Delish Pies. Have been to this place a few times, the last time we drove from Sydney for the day just to get pies here. Great ambience, friendly service.

The interior was really nice and cosy with a good atmosphere. The food was really overpriced- $18.95 for simple sandwhiches with no sides. The quality of the food was really good, we had a very nice steak and curried mushrooms which was part of the daily special, but the sandwich was not worth the price despite being nice. It was a pleasant experience and I would recommend this cafe.

Elephant boy cafe. Wendy here for breakfast - 1 hr for service, when we had the termerity at 50 mins to inquire "why" we're so busy. However we had notedthat food came to others who had been seated after us. When the food arrived, luke warm - salmon old, toast didn't arrive. All in all a disaster. Will never go there again!!!!.

Worst meal. $35 for 2 small sandwiches and 1 coffee. Stale bread on sandwiches and poor service in telling us of the few items that were available.

Eat and Run. I met a friend there for a late breakfast a while ago. Unfortunately we stayed too long talking. I love the decor of the place but the manager was rather snooty don't-you-know. No room for malingering. When we finally paid our bill the look of disdainful relief on her face was noticeable. I have never been back. I think perhaps my friend and I didn't suit the ambiance.

Good food and gorgeous cafe but a little bit pricey, service hit-and-miss and not ideal that between 11 and 12 you can only order coffee and cake. I would still come back though!

Stopped in for a late lunch and decided to have a sandwich each. Both were abysmally tasteless and outrageously overpriced, coffees didn't arrive until we reminded the waitress, and then were brought out cold. Only worthwhile mention was a half decent cheese cake. Do yourself a favour, stay away at all costs!

Avoid the Elephant Boy BOWRAL unless you're a local. Food interesting and OKAY<br/><br/>Service abysmmal bordering on non-existant - AND according to management the bad service will be your fault for being there!<br/><br/>Yes, it was my fault because they were so busy and didn't realise that Sundays are busy so why get extra staff!<br/><br/>And so greedy they won't turn your business away!<br/><br/>I think I saw Basil FAWLTY in the office!<br/><br/>Among the worst experiences of my existence topped by rude management that could only blame me for being there.

Jeff. Extremely bad on all counts

Coffee and cake Treat. Often stop in when in Bowral I like calling in for morning tea the cakes and coffee are a great treat. My Mother always liked the Fish cakes. Good atmosphere.

"The British Empire Re Visited" Centrally located on main St of delightful Bowral, Southern Highlands NSW. This is truly a step back in time, to British India. On arrival I was greeted and made to feel welcome, and found a very nice place to be comfortable seated. The visiting card reads; best coffee, breakfast, pancakes, soup curries, fishcakes, casseroles, pies, burgers, tarts, sandwiches, wraps, cakes. Well we could not choose all. But what we did choose was well presented and very tasty. Which I am sure includes the rest of the menu. The atmosphere was so relaxing we did not want to leave. A booking would be advisable, as this Cafe is extremely well known and recommended. By travelers between Sydney & Canberra. What a delight to find this Cafe. Have journalized for a return visit.

Amazing decor and ambiance. Good food and coffee but quite pricey.

Always good. We've been to Elephant Boy many times, for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. When it's packed, expect to wait a little for your order. This cafe is so warm, cozy, friendly and ambient, I never mind waiting for my order. Love the decor and the library keeps one from fidgeting. Once I ordered a buck rarebit and I didn't like the sauce on it. Still, that is not enough to elicit any complaint from me. Recommended!

4/5 stars for what it says it does on the tin.

Fantastic coffee with great atmosphere. What else can I say?

Love the atmosphere of this place. Good coffee. Tasty elephant boy beef curry. Deliciously huge serving of great cakes. Well worth a visit.

Not recommended!. There are plenty of wonderful places to eat in Bowral so I would not waste my time going to the Elephant Boy cafe for food. My wife ordered a club sandwich which was missing half the ingredients when it eventually arrived and my beef burger tasted like the patty had been sitting around in the kitchen all day. We actually sent our food back and just settled for a cup of tea which is all I can recommend about this place.

Heidi ho. ...The elephant is so low. And that's how the service was. It took 40 mins to get a steak sandwich after much of the menu was unavailable. The menu is a bit too try hard and cryptic - could not get what they were featuring, with heaps of spelling mistakes to boot.. A tizzy, dizzy blonde waitress cut cakes for patrons, and in front of them and us mangled a third of the cake and then placed it on a plate for her to eat for free later. Quirky decor and a destination point for locals. I'd consider other places in Bowral before.going there

Appalling Service, Hugely Over Priced, Rude Management and Not Child Friendly. I visited this cafe with my 4 yr old a few months ago. The manager laid into my daughter after she touched a model of a speedboat that was on a cabinet at kid eye level. Her attitude was offensive, but we thought fair enough, don't want kids here, we won't come back.<br/><br/>Well last week i was taking kids out for birthday treat before school and our fave cafes weren't open yet, so we went to Elephant Boy, a little pressed for time as school started 45min after we arrived. I asked for a menu, was told to sit down and they'd bring me one - 10 min later. Asked for eggs with sausages and toast with apple juices for the kids - small portion please. Adult portions turned up, almost a pint of apple juice. Most of it was left un eaten and un drunk. My Eggs Floentine turned up with utterly tasteless Hollandaise, Smoked Salmon still frosted from the freezer and burnt English Muffins. It took 30 min to arrive and I'd have complained but there was no time and the whole lot came to over $70.<br/><br/>I was going to ask how long it would be but it said on the manu it'd be ready when it was ready and they wouldn't be rushed. Though the place was pretty empty so I don't know why it took so long.<br/><br/>Definitely won't be going back again. Ever.

Good coffee, great cake and cool surroundings, nice little cafe.

Colonial British India!. Great breakfast and lunch food, and amazing ambience. This cafe is unique not only in it's amazing, step-back-in-time decor, but also for the hearty, quirky menu.<br/>If your in the Highlands, it's definitely worth a visit.

My friends said that they had amazing coffee and I do like their fancy French bowl option.