Review Rook : Sri Lankan Fusion - Geelong

We tried this place on the after seeing so many good reviews. It has a nice ambience and clean store. The Latte was pretty good and the staff are really friendly. Unfortunately, the food was terrible for the price tag. We were told that the chef was on leave so there was only a limited menu. I had the Sri Lankan Omelette which could only be described as home kitchen cooking masquerading as a upmarket cafe breakfast. It was so bland and tasteless and the presentation looked so messy. My wife had the String Hoppers and said it wasn't very good either. They shouldn't offer food if their chef is not around to deliver the best quality as they are just hurting their store reputation. If you're going to charge full cafe prices for your food, your patrons will have some expectations on the quality of the food. Great store and staff but unfortunately ruined by the bad food experience.

Had dinner here last night and it was absolutely amazing! Nothing to fault. This restaurant has a beautiful vibe, friendly staff, delicious food. Came here to get Hoppers and they were perfect. Also got the vegan lamprai and devilled chicken kotthu and the flavours were spot on. Thanks so much for a great dinner experience!😊

The owners were lovely. We knew little about Sri Lankan food and they were helpful with choosing appropriately for our tastes. I had a selection of vegetarian curries. My husband had chicken. We started by sharing a vegan pan roll and finished with an award winning desert, which was absolutely delicious.

Outstanding service and genuinely good Sri Lankan fusion food. Unlike other fusion restaurants that often focus on the bells and whistles, Rook's menu in rooted in genuine flavours and never sacrifices quality for spectacle. Will be coming back next time we're in Geelong.

Best breakfast ever! Staff was lovely and hoppers were perfection.

The Quintessential Fusion Sri Lankan restaurant is brilliant. Loved the food and is a credit to the owners who came up with the concept. Highly recommend anyone in the Geelong area to come or make it a day trip from Melbourne. You wont be disappointed. My wife and I enjoyed breakfast on our way to Port Campbell and had lunch on our way back. Make sure to taste the selection of teas on offer. Well done!!

This place is an absolute gem the food is traditional and it’s done to perfection. The staff are helpful and friendly lovely atmosphere. Love our lunch and we will definitely be back thank you 👌

What a great experience!! From the wonderful decor, to the fantastic table service there wasn’t anything to fault. The food- Hoppers and String hoppers, one with chicken curry and the other with lamb curry, were satisfying and soulful to eat!!! We also had the Ceylon tea experience- peach and Ceylon chai- both beautiful and cleansing with in-depth flavours and well presented. Price was very reasonable also considering the hike of eating out here in Geelong. I would highly recommend this place and I will be back again!!

We had our first Sri Lankan food experience at this Outstanding restaurant tonight. We were greeted and waited on by the lovely Yeti. I have to say that I have never experienced such amazing customer service. Yeti was warm, welcoming, and an absolute professional in the hospitality industry. Yeti then showcased an array of photography of some of their signature dishes. There were plenty of Gluten Free and Vegetarian options and our dishes were superb. So much passion was put in to everything from the aromatic spices, banana leaves, coffee, desert and even the crockery. They have a retail area for spices and Sri Lankan herbal teas as well as tea pots and Yeti was a real tea connoisseur. Thanks for a great experience and we have put this restaurant on top of our list as our new favourite. Love supporting local business owners who are passionate about what they do. Yeti had been working 7 days straight for months on end. Now that is passion.

My husband and I ate there for lunch yesterday our first time trying Sri Lankan food the staff were friendly our meal was delicious and so much for the cost of it we will definitely eat here again highly recommend

OMG Rook has just taken me back to my food heaven when I was in Sri Lanka. A simple menu with awesome flavors, a great ambiance and beautiful staff. Having been open for 19 months and having road works outside for most of that, if you haven’t discovered Rook - find it! Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to the wonderful flavors of Sri Lankan food. I will be back. Hope to see you there.

Highly recommend! The staff were great - friendly & informative & their recommendations were spot on. The food was fresh and very flavoursome. The restaurant was spacious & inviting. Loved everything about it!

Thanks for providing another place for coeliacs of Geelong to eat. You have a wide selection of gluten free foods on your menu and understand about cross contamination. My son particularly enjoyed your Nutella hoppers (so much he ate two of them) and was asking again today if we could come in for some. We will be back. Can't wait to try some main meals. Thanks Dee and Yeti

Rook, you are my favourite happy place! The food is delicious, the coffee is amazing, and I always love popping in for my lactose free dirty chai! � A big thank you to the lovely staff who are always fantastic, especially the gorgeous Gemma and Erin, those girls are too adorable and always make my day! �

Amazing food! Explosion of flavours in the food and friendly staff.. I’d drive from Melbourne to eat here again.

Love love love the food, the ambience and the beverages. Extremely friendly staff and the spice level varied so there were mild dishes that the kids enjoyed and spicy stuff for us. My son loved his food so much he asked if he could work there just so he could eat there daily � good luck team- keep up the good work �

Fantastic vegan food and the staff are so willing to please. Recommend the deserts and hoppers with veggies to accompany. Make sure to try the jasmine bud black tea and take your time.

I give this restaurant a 10 out of 10 because it was so excellent. I am a seasoned chef having worked and travelled around the world and found this delicious. Customer service was excellent too. Thank you Rook.

Thank you for your exceptional customer service. Customers are greeted as they walk in by friendly, smiling staff each time I've visited. The food not only looks inviting but tastes amazing. The Hot Chocolate with its special chocolate stirring spoon is every chocolate lovers delight. I look forward to each visit and trying something new from the menu to tantalise my taste buds. Thanks for bringing a touch of Sri Lanka to Geelong. The Rook you rock!!!!!

Seriously love this place. Authentic Sri Lanken food has me coming back for more every time. Great location and such a great atmosphere with such friendly staff catering to your every need. Super accomodating to my vegan needs too :) 10/10

Friendly service and amazing food with so much flavor. Well done guys. You are on a winner there �

First time eating Sri Lankan food was awesome will be back. Great food great service.Big thumbs up.

Innovative menu. Best � food ever tried. Great Variety of Tea. A Must Visit place in Geelong. Good Luck!!!

Fantastic service and food! I'm so happy that amazing Sri Lankan food has been brought to Geelong. Will definitely be back and recommending to family and friends.

What an amazing surprise, amazing food and friendly service. Wish it was open every night! Congratulations to the owners and staff.

Amazing food, and great service. We'd never tried Sri Lankan cuisine before, but we're now huge fans! Thanks!!

The foods are delicious! From the Mains down to Desserts & Coffee. Prices are reasonable for what you get and excellent service by the friendly staff. Will definitely be back! ♡

The food was fresh, tasty and plenty of it. Good value and helpful friendly staff. We will return

Yum! Delicious Sri Lankan food with excellent service. Generous serving sizes and a nice, family friendly atmosphere. Loved it and would return again.

We had the String Hoppers and Lambrais. The string hoppers were good and the curry, sambal and gravy complemented them well. I particularly liked the curry because the meat was tender and the curry was flavourful and spicy.<br/>The Lambrais was also tasty and a bit spicy.

AND even better coffee. <br/><br/>Seriously the food and service here is amazing . . . BUT then you have the coffee. It’s GREAT EVERY TIME! <br/><br/>Lunch specials rock in taste and price, did one of their cooking classes and learnt a few simple tricks for cooking at home and Dee’s spices make my home cooked food taste WAY better than it had in the past! <br/><br/>All round a GREAT place to be!

My husband and i were visiting Geelong and found this gem. great decor. great friendly service and the food was very nice. now i cant remember the name of what we got but they only serve it on weekends and it came wrapped in banana leaf: it was delicious. spicy if you want it that way. they found a table for us even though we did not book. we were stuffed to the eyeballs with deep fried tuna patties entree and 2 mains that we shared all for about $50.00. go early.

What can I say about Rook, other than do yourself a favor and go.  The owners of this little wonder are so friendly and welcoming.  They go out of their way to make you feel welcome.  This is one of my go to places, the food is always delish,  coffee and hot chocolates are great.

The best Sri Lankan food I've eaten in Australia since I visited the country almost 20 years ago. Outstanding food and service. Highly recommended.

If you want a different experience in Geelong- then this is a must try. Food- ambience and service is great. They have a variety of tea selection and the whole tea preparation at the table with the fancy flasks is amazing. The entrees are great. The main dishes are well proportioned. And they have authentic deserts too. The service is great. The only let down is that the place closes at 3pm on weekdays, so working people can only go in for dinner on weekends. However- worth the wait.

Sri Lankan cuisine the way it should be, consistently high quality food. I’ve been waiting for a decent Lankan restaurant in Geelong for years and Rook is it!

Amazing food, GREAT coffee.. Genuine cuisine and people. We had the traditional fermented rice and coconut dish with currys. And that's 140 words. Enjoy.

Late last year I had the chance to meet Isaac from Gluten Free by Isaac. Since the family are Geelong locals, I left it up to them to choose a venue for lunch. Michelle happily recommended Rook, a restaurant that I know they absolutely love going to in the Geelong CBD. Rook is a Sri Lankan Fusion restaurant located at 92-94 Malop Street in Geelong. You’ll easily recognize the large Rook chess piece logo on the front window.

Such delicious food, ordered rice hoppers with chicken curry and it was so yummy, the waitress explained how to eat the hoppers and I can’t wait to order them again. Also ordered iced coffees and I think it’s the best one I’ve had in Geelong!

Omg, this place is absolutely amazing!!! The service, the atmosphere, the food- everything was glorious! We had the Hopper Set, Lamb Kottu and Chickpea entree, so great to try something so different and be pleasantly surprised at the delicious flavours. Would recommend in a heartbeat!

Amazing food followed by exceptional service. Food was flavorful and delicious. Service was spot on from very accommodating and smiling staff. Highly recommended!

Amazing food and service, every time. Definitely give it a go. We love the Hoppers and try out another dish every time. Good coffee too! Haven't tried a bad thing yet

Delicious food that took me straight back to my Sri Lankan holiday. Friendly owner, warm building and quick service. I can't wait to return.

We were passing through Geelong on Good Friday. Everything was closed and Rook was the only one working. It turned out to be a very nice place - delicious dishes, amazing service, warm atmosphere.

Went here for lunch during weekday. Food came out quick even though the place is a bit crowded. Ordered the Hoppers and Rice with Curry, and both are great. Spent $10-$15 per person so not bad. Also love the extra chilli sauce, so worth trying that if you're game!

Very good food <br/>Friendly staff<br/>Beautiful atmosphere<br/>Prices are bit on the high side but totally worth it <br/>Authentic Sri Lankan as well as fusion <br/>

This place is my new favourite restaurant in Geelong. Staff are really friendly and the food is so different to anything we have in town. The hoppers are a standout meal, so tasty and fresh (I had hoppers with fish curry).The only thing they could improve on is the flat whites, they need at least a little bit of froth on top (taste is quite nice though) I hope everyone embraces this new cuisine and has a go! :)