Review Cafe Essen - Canberra

The menu at Cafe Essen is very large, mostly-Mediterranean-inspired and eclectic, with almost as many blackboard specials as well. There are soups, savory and sweet crepes, burgers, Lasagne, salads, curries, and all day breakfast. Our delicious food was slightly let down by slow service (only one cook on a Friday lunchtime!). My wife ordered the tofu salad, which was mildly spicy and delicious, and I ordered the vegetarian breakfast, which was pretty much perfect (see photos). One minor niggle: the hollandaise sauce I ordered as an extra (it's not normally part of the standard breakfast) came out as a pale white sauce that, by the cook's own admission, contained no egg yolks. I'm sure it was very nice, but it was NOT hollandaise - it tasted like inexpensive mayonnaise and simply didn't work with breakfast eggs. If I had ordered the eggs benedict and that anemic stuff had been poured all over it, it would have been pretty awful, so be warned. My attempt to explain to the cook what hollandaise sauce is usually made from was met with polite but stubborn refusal to admit error. Luckily it was served on the side and could be avoided. Apart from that one irritating encounter, and the slow service (which may have been a one off), oh - and the lack of air conditioning on a warm day, it was actually a very good meal. The food was fresh and delicious. I mostly recommend Cafe Essen.

Pretty average place. Early breakfast on the weekend in a group. Coffees were poorly made and took about 15 minutes to come out, despite there being only about 5 customers in the cafe. Large selection of different foods of all types and prices. Prices about right for breakfast cafés. Vego breakfast was fairly lack luster. Eat here if you want, but with grey city buildings and concrete all around, I think you could find better places to eat a 5 minute walk away on Lonsdale Street.

Really yummy, and always love a place that has a vegan menu. The coffee I had really hit the spot, smooth, but with enough of a kick to wake me up. My partner had the fresh orange juice which was also great. I had the bean & tofu scramble was was so flavourful and filling, and my partner had the eggs benedict with salmon which he really seemed to enjoy. Overall it was a really great breakfast, looking forward to eating here again!

Essen use to have such a cool vibe and quality food that felt artisan. I had breakfast here on a weekend. The cafe was pretty empty but it took quite a while. The breakfast was something you could cook at home. The staff were friendly.

Took 40 minutes to get 2 dry pancakes with military ration serving of syrup (at $15) and an hour for the other 2 meals which included olives when requested for none. Drinks took the same time with an orange juice that must have been at least 15% skin based on the taste and possible extra coffee was estimated to be over an hour. Coffee was okay though and the wait staff were doing their best but would be completely unsurprised if the chef suffered a recent lobotomy.

Tea at Essen can be one of life's joys. Sitting and watching as the world goes by, can be lovely particularly with the right company. The food is really good, particularly after a big night out. I have been there late in the evening for coffee and cake and early in the morning for breakfast - never disappointed.

Open late, usually quiet enough to have a chat. Perfectly adequate coffee with a few food options. I'm not saying it's the best place in Civic. But it's a reliable spot to meet someone or hang out.

Cheerful but uneven service. A curious wait even though quiet. Coffee was good with a nice range of beans. Menu not particularly unique. Breakfast wrap was tasty. A simple dish done well.

Incredibly slow service, took them over 10 minutes to recognise our existence, then the person who took our order neglected to put it into their ordering system. When our food eventually arrived, they managed to not bring everything that we had ordered. The food was passable at best, burned and incorrect at worst. I used to love Essen, but now I’d recommend that everyone avoid this place.

I normally don't like to leave negative reviews but after the experience my friend and I received here this afternoon, I felt I had no choice. It is hard to know where to start. The twenty minutes it took to clear the dirty dishes from the previous customers (only after repeatedly trying to get the waitstaff's attention), the shocking fact that you were expected to pay an extra $1.00 per egg if you wished to request a free range egg with your meal. I mean, in this day and age, what cafe doesn't as a matter of course use free range? Disgraceful. The fact that there was no bread selection and what did come out was stale and crusty, with no butter. The scrambled eggs were microwaved and I have never seen such overcooked, inedible bacon in my life. The quality of the meat was appalling. When the waitress saw my uneaten plate and enquired about my meal, I tried to explain that I could not eat it. She didn't seen particularly interested in my remarks but was more than happy to take my money. All I can say is that a hospitality business that puts profit before quality, customer service and taking pride in what they do, will not last in the long term. I used to enjoy my visits to Cafe Essen whenever I was in Canberra. I will now be telling everyone to avoid it and I will never return again.

Great staff and amazing blueberry muffin’s. Coffees are the best in Canberra

Café Essen is my favourite café in Canberra city now for many years. The owners and staff are always cheerful and engaging and what’s more they know how to make one of the best flat-whites in town.

From Melbourne. Service was slow, we were 1 of 4 tables, but considering the experience from around the area, it may have been considered fast. I wasn't stoked about having to pay extra for free range eggs and the descriptions about the beef in the cheesy fingers didn't indicate spice. So, my child was dissatisfied as well. My egg and bacon roll was lovely.

Really friendly people, the specials like the lamb shank were awesome, and the veggie bagel is always a great beeline.

It's been a couple of years since I went to Cafe Essen but I'm sad about how it is now. The woman who served us didn't seem to want to be there and we had to tell her a couple of times that we were ready to order food. We both ordered Eggs Benedict which were bland and not worth the cost. Sadly, the worst thing was the coffee. Neither of us could finish our coffees as they were not good. I first went to Essen almost 20 years ago and would love to be a regular again, but I just can't after this experience. Disappointing all around.

I loved the veggie mexi burger! Delicious vegan option.

Where to begin? Thickshake $7.50, $1.50 extra than the normal milkshake yet still the same thing! This place doesn’t have a commercial oven, he has a flat top where he can only cook 1 table at a time so I waited 40mins for this! Also no dishwasher, just like home done through the sink. It’s dark in here, probably to hide all the flies buzzing around. Pretty sure the coffee machines just broke so guess what, that’s right no coffee! Asked for hot sauce, got sweet chilli sauce, the only slice of bread was 2 inches thick with no butter & stale, 1 sausage cut in half & burnt to hell. The owner is on the flat top doing the worst he can & it’s the owners wife behind the counter doing nothing productive because she’s is holding her baby! Luckily I’ve enjoyed the rest of my time in Canberra. In the end I guess the $30 I paid, my phone is on a full charge now! Goodluck to the Future Essen, it won’t be long! �

This used to be my favourite cafe. Unfortunately, there has been a steady decline in the quality of everything i have ordered here, so i wont come back again after beig repeatedly disappointed. I really hope that you practice your coffee making skills and that you increase the quality of your food products.

From a Melbournian, now Sydney-sider. Canberra's best 'soy chai latte'

Delicious food and friendly services. Definitely will come back again.

Good vibe the last few times I went. Very relaxing view.

Really good coffee, very cute waitresses and the best bacon and egg roll in Canberra.

Excellent food excellent service great atmosphere!