Review Frudeli - Essendon

Awesome food. Great service. A great little spot. Cooked me what I asked for even though it was a variation to the menu. and excellent coffee!!!

The food was awesome the staff were very attentive to customer needs. If you're looking for something a little bit different with tasty food, I recommend this place...

Great coffee and friendly service! Food is always fresh and tastes fantastic

Awesome Italian styled food and fresh smoothie. Staff are friendly and welcoming and normally happy to cater for allergies where possible.

I discovered a gem!!! Lovely cofee!

A nice range of foods from deli style to full meals. Friendly staff. Good coffee.

Great place. Great coffee. Not a hipster crowd which is good.

Great food and the friendliest service

Terrible. Rude owners. They were blatantly discriminating myself and family. Came to have brunch, wasn’t very busy a few other tables. Waited 5 min, had to ask for service/menus. 15 minutes in and keeping our little ones busy. Owners walking around talking to “regulars” I asked to use the toilet and she said “toilets are for my customers only” wow this took me by surprise I had been there in plain sight the whole time, maybe it was the colour of my skin? She handed me the keys begrudgingly. Came back to our drinks and the messed up order, asked for the right order and they were obviously upset with this as they took it back and looked annoyed. The male owner came to take our cups after we finished and then without asking what we wanted to eat, took our menus away and walked away. As if to say please leave. We paid and left. Almost $30 for 4 drinks. Never coming back myself and my family felt disgusted. Particularly when we watched the lady owner chatting away to the “blue collar Caucasian family” next to us asking what they want to eat. Never spoke to us with any niceties or smiles. Racist or ?? Haven’t felt this discriminated against for a very long time. So sad to see it and for my small children as well. Appalling. Rant over.

People are too picky. This is literally the only non-hipster cafe in that strip that sells real food. Like real food, not dodgy croissants or pre-order from factories. Customer base is a mixed bag too - not too pretentious like the other cafes around.

I really like Frudeli despite a recent perceived drop in popularity. They offer great light and hearty lunch option where you can grab a quick cheap bite to eat that is fresh and tasty without commuting to a huge sit down meal. The light airy space lends itself to winding down and the variety has something for even the pickiest eater. I alway try and stop by if I'm in the area and wish there were more places around that were similar - healthy options are hard to come by!

I went to get a coffee this morning and was having trouble deciding which of the three cafes to go into as they were all very close. While I was looking at reviews on my phone a gentleman came out of Frudeli to check on a customer and offer additional service so I decided to go in there. I received the same great service while inside. The coffee was great, the atmosphere enjoyable and am now thinking I will go back for lunch.

We dined here for the first time and were lucky enough to do so after having one a voucher recently at a charity event. The owners couldn't have been more nicer. They took time to explain the food available, and boy there is a good choice. I had Moroccan chicken with salad, a delicious fresh juice and Mum had salmon cakes with salad. We both enjoyed our meals followed by nice cuppas. It was busy and it seemed familiar locals to the cafe were dining.

Disappointing. Visited a number of times. Has the possibility of being excellent. <br/>Inconsistent- ordered toast on the fifth visit. Got two pieces of the end of the laof- literally a quarter of the size of previous visits. Also, Frudeli family were on table next door and received HUGE portions- DOESNT look good. Coffees are consistently BAD. Having said this, the actual food is lovely. Sharpen your act- and perhaps get rid of the male owner as front of house, as he is rude and doesn't sell the business at all.

Great service. Delicious food, a lovely spot to eat. Rick was really helpful, and an absolute charmer.

Great breakfast. Frequent breakfast spot for us, and never disappointed. Love the poached eggs, salmon and spinach. And great coffee...

Diner from Sydney. Warm and generous hospitality to all diners whether take-away orders, table guests and families! <br/>Breakfast menu tantalising - my choice Frudeli made muesli with fresh fruit & yoghurt followed by avo smash on sourdough with poached egg & pepitas. <br/>The coffee was hot and also delicious. <br/>Recommended to all. <br/>And, then try the lemon muffins! A great morning.

Fabulous! Great Service!!!. I have often been into Frudeli for their beautiful coffee and eaten there on occasion, but last weekend I went in to get a take away coffee and sandwich, only to walk into a Mothers Day function. I was about to walk out when the owner came over, welcomed me, took me up to the counter, took my order, and was soooo lovely that it prompted me to write this review. The staff have always been really friendly whenever I've gone in there, but they really went above and beyond what is expected. Besides the great coffee and food, it has certainly made me want to return regularly :)

Looks like the talk of the town walk into a busy friendly staffed cafe , with great food at a very reasonable price ! Definitely rate this place ! Great freshly squeezed juice too !!!!

I love this place! The staff are always so pleasant! One waitress (I think maybe the owner?) is particularly sweet! Food is delish. Took home lasagna for dinner recently too and was yum!

Pricey AND Unethical...... I walked in here and ordered a focaccia, chips (fries..the menu board said with shredded cheese on top & aioli) and weak cappuccino. All up cost was $19.40..EXPENSIVE!!!. The meal and coffee arrived.. BUT... the fries came WITHOUT the promised shredded cheese NOR aioli. I'm fed up with UNETHICAL, DISHONEST eatery staff who deliberately leave out promised items that I PAID FOR!!! If they're out of the cheese or aioli, then have the friggin decency to ADMIT it to me. The older waitress (beware the sinister types like this one who frequently say, "Honey" or "Sweetheart" or "Darling") SHOWED IT WAS A DELIBERATE ACT. She made NO mention about the missing items, yet somehow suggested tomato sauce out of the blue.. which came in a TINY amount as big as my thumbnail. TIGHT ARSES!!!! I had to cut out about 20 fries that were bruised blackish colour. But the point is, I felt CHEATED that the promised items from the menu board DIDNT appear in my meal. Based on this place's UNETHICAL customer service, I WON'T BE BACK. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!

We went here for mothers day brunch and could not fault it. The place was busy but the staff were friendly and attentive. Great sized meals for the prices. We were especially happy with the size and price of the kids meals! And it is so nice that there is a kids menu! My son loved the special marshmallows with the baby chino. We will definitely be back!

Food is yum. We especially love the focaccias. Down side is seriously overpriced coffee if you happen to want soy or decaf drinks.

Yuck!. Didnt enjoy my experience here..bad cup of tea and bad coffee . Ordered poached egg and it came served on soggy bread. Wet with water. waste of money. Rather go next door ..they seem to know what they are doing. At the rate the staff in Frudeli seem to be fawning over the footy players and ignoring other customers, its best for them to add pole dancers for the entertainment of the footy players . A bit sleazy to me...not family oriented.

Tasty breakfast and outstanding staff. Leisurely brunch with friends on a Sunday. Not busy, staff very attentive and friendly. Ordered vegetarian roti wrap which came with a tomato chutney, very delicious. A friend ordered the big breakfast, and it certainly was big! Nice atmosphere and good coffee. Did have to wait over half and hour for our meals which wasn't a problem for us girls chatting away but might be frustrating if you had little ones or were in a bit of a rush.

Delicious!!. Had a delicious brekkie at Frudeli this weekend. The lovely lady who took our order couldn't have been nicer or more attentive and the food arrived at our table very quickly. Our poached eggs were cooked perfectly. My freshly squeezed orange, pineapple and ginger juice was divine. Will definitely be going back again!

Bad coffee and food.... Too many pegs mums gossiping .... Get rid of them not good for ur business !!!!!

Overpriced.. Like MelbourneMiss below, BOTH meals on our table were forgotten, and we ended up sitting there for 50 mins before receiving breakfast. It was not that full inside either. Very very overpriced and quite ordinary food quality.

Deli has great options for dinner when you don't want to cook. My family love the lasagna.

Enjoyed Our Sunday lunch Thanks. Fell in by chance last Sunday - wanted to say great lunch! <br/>Husband and I ordered pasta and a Salmon Bagel with salad.<br/>cleaned our plates -tasty & fresh crisp salad. <br/>Coffee was excellent -ordered two more.<br/>Purchase take-away pasta for the kids .<br/>Old reviews on Urbanspoon -<br/>I understand this Frudeli is under new owners.<br/>Thanks for the friendly service & good vibes.<br/>Will be back for more.

Frudeli. The coffee here is great, the prices are a tad on the expensive side, and a few male babes work here

Best Coffee! Yummy Breakfast. Go the Chef Special...it's unique and you won't be dissapointed, it's big too. The coffee is perfect every time, I have been going there for 3 years!

Won't be back (thumb-down). You pay and order at the register (so before you even get to eat!)<br/><br/>I received my coffee within 5 minutes, but started to wonder where my meal was after waiting half an hour- which was only pancakes.<br/><br/>While I didn't mind waiting- I asked the waitress if the food was on its way. The only reason I asked was because, I had been there about a year ago and my order was not put through properly so I was worried the same thing had happened again. <br/>She was very rude about it and said "just wait its coming!" I thought that was very unprofessional and rude and that comment made me feel like a nuisance for being there.<br/> <br/>The pancakes were horrible and were hardly warm when they were brought out. Apart from the crappy food and unfriendly staff, the coffee was nice.<br/><br/>I was left feeling very unsatisfied and the food and attitude of the staff dampened my mood so much that I left right after eating without even bothering to look at their deli section. <br/><br/>I wont be back ever again.

VERY RUDE - first and last time there - and a shame too..... I'm a coffee and food freak, and I frequent various cafes/restaurants all over melbourne, and this is the first time I have felt the uRGE to actually go and review a cafe - and unfortunately it's in a NEGATIVE light.<br/><br/>Where to begin.. it was my first time at Frudeli's, and my partner and i were impressed with the array of deli foods and fresh produce you could buy in this half deli/half cafe, so I thought we'd give it a shot as the displays looked tasty, and we were going to buy some groceries after our brunch anyway, so why not? After wondering where all the waiter staff were, we asked if we could have a table and some menus, and it was dully pointed out that the menu was on the wall (on large sheets of paper, a nice touch i thought, but still inconvenient in my opinion, as I didn't have my glasses on me), and we could sit wherever we liked (the place was perhaps 1/5 full, if that).<br/><br/>After figuring out ourselves that we had to go up to the counter to order and pay first (which made me feel like i was eating in at McDonald's or something), we ordered a big breakfast with poached eggs and a veggie roti wrap... big mistake to pay first, because i would have walked out after the terrible service and average food we received!<br/><br/>It took just over 35mins in total to receive our meals, and in my opinion, that is NOT acceptable for a cafe that was NOT very busy at all, and especially without warning there would be a wait... After 25-30mins of waiting, i thought something may have been wrong as I saw other customers receive their food who had seated after us, and since there was no waiter staff patrolling, i went up and asked at the counter if it was going to be much longer, as it had been over 25 mins, and i thought something may have been wrong? The barista was kind enough to come out and explain that the chef makes everything from scratch, and i was happy with that explanation, and didn't mind. <br/><br/>However when the food was FINALLY brought out, the woman who brought it (who I presume was a senior staff member?) rudely asked me how long I said i had waited, to which i replied about 25mins (really, from the time i ordered it had been over 35mins by now, as I had received a text msg as soon as I sat, which told me i had been waiting longer than what i thought!), to which she smuggly snapped back "pfft... 25mins isn't a long time to wait. not in a cafe mate!" and rudely stormed off after basically quickly throwing the plates down. <br/><br/>Excuse me? I ordered poached eggs with couple of sides and a roti wrap in your not very busy cafe - not an arborio risotto or a well done 500g rump! From my experience I have never waited anywhere else more than 15-20 for that same meal- even in places that are busier! A polite explanation or warning when ordering that the chef "makes everything from scratch" would have been nice. Or even abit of attention from someone, as both my partner and I had finished our coffees promptly and I was considering ordering a fresh juice, but I didn't know what types they made because I didn't have an easy to read MENU, and I don't want to go up every time and order/ pay for each item! Besides the point, as I dont want to sound like I'm making a big deal for a couple of mins extra waiting, but am I not entitled to ask where my food was if I felt it was taking longer than usual? I was polite about it, and I thought the comment was extremely rude and uncalled for. Had I not already paid, I would have walked out as my partner and I were made to feel extremely uncomfortable.<br/><br/>To make matters worse, one of the eggs was runny and cold inside, whilst the other one was overcooked! The sausages were of poor quality and looked like they'd been reheated anyway, the tomatoes weren't seasoned at all, the bacon was made up only of middle rashers and was thick and very oily, and the toast was covered in so much butter it made me feel ill. I must say - the mixed field mushrooms and spinach were quite nice and cooked perfectly though. The roti wrap wasn't seasoned well, and was very oily too, but the scrambled egg inside had a good texture.<br/><br/>Overall - for something that was "made from scratch", (ie: trying to imply that the product would be of much better quality at the cost of efficiently making it) - it tasted VERY average compared to other various establishments that serve their big breakfasts much faster (and who most likely pre-prep their sides.) It was my first (and last) time there, so I didn't know what I'd be getting for my money's worth, but it wasn't worth it!<br/><br/>And I had ALMOST left my change as a pre-emptive tip when i paid at the counter - thank god I didn't! (and Im very generous with tipping, as I have worked in hospitality for years and i appreciate good service and food!) <br/>After that attitude and comment, and poor food, there was certainly no way they would be taking another cent from me, even though the deli salads and smoked salmon i was planning to buy was tempting as I walked out!<br/><br/>I could understand if they were busy, but they weren't. <br/>I could understand if they were understaffed, but they weren't.<br/>I could maybe understand if the food was AMAZING, but it certainly wasn't.<br/>I could understand if I was being rude, but I wasn't being.<br/><br/>Poor form. Take your money elsewhere where it is appreciated and where you at least have the opportunity to pay AFTER receiving your service and product!

Had breakfast. Hearty food done very well. Great juices and smoothies. Favorite haunt of essenden players :)

Timing is Everything. Great little place. Nice coffee and salads. Only down side is when the place is swarmed by footy players. They tend to get preferential treatment.

Frudeli have great coffee, great food and good service. Their breakfasts are delicious and fresh sandwiches and rolls etc are extremely good. A great set up inside with TV, music, a few large 8 seater tables with flat funky stools and plenty of space

Forgot my meal, no apology. I rarely write negative reviews. But really, a cafe's core business is to take an order and deliver the food. You have to go up to the counter to order, which is fine. The negative side of that is there are no staff walking the floor to check on things. So after half an hour, I walked up to the counter and asked about my meal. They had forgotten it and didn't even offer an apology. So I asked for my money back, which was duly given, and that was that. There were quite a few Essendon football players in the cafe at the time I was there. They were given heaps of attention...<br/><br/>Pity, because I like the concept. They have a little deli where you can buy smallgoods and cheeses, a little refridgerated area with fruit and veg, and also offer take-home food such as thai chicken balls, quiches, etc.