Review James Street Bakery And Cafe - Geelong

Quite nice cafe considering taste, service and reasonable price. Well maintained for long time presuming by looking at classic style interior makes here unique Happily come back for quick, reasonable priced breakfast

Had a delicious breakfast here that was very reasonably priced. Good coffee, nice staff, and a great atmosphere!

Girls were very friendly , good breakfast! Coconut muffin was delicious not too sweet too .

We needed to have a hearty breakfast and quality coffee before a big day at the Great Australian Beer Festival. These guys did NOT disappoint. As soon as we walked in we were greeted with welcoming and friendly service. Minutes after we were seated, the rush hit but the attentiveness of the staff did not falter. We thoroughly enjoyed the Green Brekky and Corn Cakes - recommend to everyone and the coffee absolutely hit the spot! When we were leaving, we noticed the Portuguese tarts in window, and although we were full, knew we needed to try one... it could quite easily have been the best Portuguese tart we have ever had! Amazing! Recommend James Street to all!!

I tried the frittata, which is quite nice. The flourless orange almond cake was moist and perfectly balanced. However, the real showstopper was the brioche Nutella french toast that my friend ordered and was nice enough to let me try. It came with raspberries and crushed honeycomb chocolate and the toast was cooked perfectly. Easily the best french toast I have tried. So while the savoury treats at James St Bakery & Cafe are okay, the real pleasure is their sweets.

Absolutely great! Walk in and greeted by a warm welcome and a lovely atmosphere. I ordered a English breakfast tea and the cheesy toast with poached eggs and bacon. The tea cup was so fancy and adorable , and the meal came very quickly and tasted amazing ☺️ definitely will come back again!

Stopped over for a quick breakfast before heading to Twelve Apostles. It was a amazing discovery. The big breakfast was huge and definitely tasty. Dun miss out their cakes! we ordered carrot cake, blueberry muffin. Moist and not too sweet.. Love it. We also ordered chocchips cookie, macaroon and chicken avocado sandwich for take away along our drive. All tasted so good. Definitely a place for stopover if goin for GreatOceanRoad trip.

Cozy bakery, lunch, coffee shop in Geelong. Consistency of coffee here is great (even if you have different barrister's) and lunch food here is also super homey and very delicious. Staff are also super friendly. Will definitely be back for more!

Cute little shop with friendly service, the coffee was great and the deserts looked delicious. Unfortunately would not recommend for a meal as the food was ordinary and you definitely do not get enough bang for your buck.

Great ambiance, friendly staff and amazing cakes makes this bakery a must visit in Geelong. We came across this little gem not knowing what they had to offer yet decided to give it a go. <br/><br/>We grabbed a slice of banana bread, berry and yoghurt and carrot cake for takeaway. To our surprise they were all delicious as they were light, fluffy and not too sweet. The banana bread was a winner for us.<br/><br/>Can’t wait to return to try their various range of cakes, muffins, tarts, macaroons and pastries.

I found this cafe quite ordinary, not sure why the rating is so high. The corn cakes were fine but nothing outstanding. The curried pumpkin soup was really rather bland and the cauliflower salad was quite average as well. Service was absolutely fantastic tho. Overall.. Meh.

This cafe has a great ambiance, with old timber chairs and recycled timber tables inside and a cool reused garbage skip as their outdoor seating area. The service is friendly, efficient and patient as you choose from the many yummy looking cakes, muffins, brownies and cookies.<br/>We had the carrot cake which was well balanced and generous in serve, accompanied by a good coffee.<br/>We highly recommend James St Bakery.

James street bakery cafe is authentic. The cakes, slices and tarts you see behind the counter haven’t been mass produced offsite frozen then thawed like some of the big boys in Melbourne. <br/><br/>We came here for breakfast I choosing the cheesy toast, bacon & poachies while KD chose the classic avo feta combo, both with coffee. <br/><br/>Coffee was Genovese which has been one of my long time enduring favourites (used to buy beans direct from the factory on Moreland road) and was of a suitably strength for the mug sized serve I needed. A good thing for almond and soy milk drinkers too as I’ve found this blend doesn’t cause the separation/curdling that some more acidic blends of coffee (like Vittoria).<br/><br/>My cheesy toast was delicious and bacon was at the top end of quality too which made the meal all the more enjoyable.<br/><br/>Note this cafe has set breakfast and lunch times so early brunchers will need to choose off the breakfast menu (until 11am) and late brunchers the lunch menu (from 11am). I didn’t test how flexible this was.

Probably one of my fave places to eat in Geelong. The staff are so friendly it’s almost a crime, and the food is so worth every dollar.<br/><br/>The atmosphere is great, with the occasional mother’s club having their monthly discussion about the retirement newsletter, as well as the occasional middle aged man reading a Bryce Courtney novel.<br/><br/>Honestly, I highly recommend this cosy cafe.

What it lacks in atmosphere it more than makes up for in its food. Slightly hushed, revered environment (lots of wood and carpeted floors) so focus is on the eats rather than the clientele :)<br/>Slightly pricey but then large portions - doughy bread filled to capacity for sandwiches (door stops!) and the prosciutto, beetroot & feta salad delicious. And those cakes .... With a general avoidance of cream in the cakes, they taste as good as they look. That raspberry & white chocolate bread & butter pudding (top right in image) was light, fluffy, divine - and a large portion was very welcome!

Stopped here whilst in Geelong for some breakfast. Good coffee, friendly service and nice decor. <br/><br/>I ordered cheesey bread and my father ordered big breakfast. Both meals were very nice and well presented, I particularly enjoyed the bacon. Coffees were both very good and the range of cakes looked very nice. <br/><br/>I do recommend if your travelling through or live in Geelong. Thanks

Amazing, I had the Big Breakfast - loved it. Great mix of flavours all cooked well.. coffee was very well made too. Service was friendly and prompted and they have a nice set up inside. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!

My most favourite café in Geelong. I am in love with their Asian-style pulled pork burger. It is absolutely wonderful. The wait staff are great and the ambience is nice and homey.

Excellent place to have a catch up, to chill or just to have great breakfast.<br/><br/>The menu selection is relatively large for a small family managed place.<br/><br/>The bread is wonderful. Would definitely visit again if I am in Geelong next!

Spacious cafe with friendly staff. Huge selection of cakes and sandwiches to take away, and also dine in options. We tried the scrambled eggs with added tomato relish and bacon - delicious! Chili gave it a nice kick but was not too overwhelming. Green breaky was also delicious - light and healthy. Would go back!

Superb little hidden gem that just has to be visited on any trip between Geelong and Melbourne !<br/>Real goodness homemade delicious baked goods, best cakes, and simple (but delicious) menu offerings from home made pies / sausage rolls to premium steak sandwiches.  Reasonable $/value equation - fed two teenagers and my wife and I for lunch (inc soft drinks) on above mentioned items  <  $ 70  Go back whenever we get a chance.

Nice place to hang out for coffee and bites at one of the highest rated brunch places in town. Their corn fritters with avocado and local feta was the best I've ever had.

What can i say, expected too much i guess after reading all the good comments and also the high rating. Was very dissapointed with the food, pumpkin soup taste bland, with a little bit of sweet taste, little hint of curry powder, lots of lentil (it was super thick), not nice at all. The tuna melts taste like toasted canned tuna, added a bit of greens and cheese, very plain n boring. Corn fritters lacking in taste and as they dont play with herb & spices on this one. Ploughman platter was the worse, super salty chorizo, supermarket olives, pickles & sliced ham. Tasteless chickpea puree, normal & boring cheddar, just lucky it has double/triple brie and caramelized onion, if not my rating would be 2,5.<br/>Coffee and service was okay, cant expect much coz it was super busy, they were friendly though.

Great coffee and a nice place to hang out at. I came here with quite a full stomach and yet I still enjoyed the food. We ordered scrambled eggs on toast, one of them is spicy, and I like them especially the crunchy toast. Simple yet delicous. Oh and the guava juice isn't too shabby too.

Great coffee and amazing breakfast options! The corn fritters were light and fluffy and the roasted tomatoes were perfectly sweet and juicy, matching perfectly with the avo and feta. I was in heaven!

I went here today with a friend of mine. The night before I was googling good places in Geelong to heave breakfast or brunch. Stumbled across this place and it has some good reviews. <br/>Very impressive nice atmosphere and great set up inside. <br/>The menu was nice but a lot of goats cheese on everything. I had the bacon and egg roll was delicious with the extra avocado and spinach. But sadly one thing was missing, mushrooms! Would have been nice. <br/>Service was good staff were friendly and the coffee was nice. I'd come back.

Delivers on all fronts. Friendly, unassuming service. The interior is quite charming, with lots of timber and a bit of a Victorian feel. Finally last but no way in the least, the food is awesome. There’s always a enticing display of cakes, slices, biscuits but not the generic stuff you get accustomed to Geelong, presumably its all made on sight in their bakery. Meals are also delicious, the house- made granola is a favourite. Highly recommended!

I heard this cafe was good but had no idea how good. Eggs and corn cakes for breakfast and one of the best coffees I've had for a very long time. If you're visiting or a local this is a must stop.

Being a long way from home it's nice to find a place that is welcoming and comfy but modern as well. The decor is slightly dated and reminds me of Miss Maud. However despite this the food was very much on trend. Corn cakes and avocado, very much on trend and well made, totally delicious. Well worth a visit.

A wonderful cafe with a tasty selection of food, warm atmosphere and lovely attentive staff. Definitely one of the best cafe's in Geelong CBD, and a great place to start your day with hearty breakfast, or to escape the daily hustle for a break and light snack. Highly recommended, numerous visits and not once met with disappointment. The prices are more than reasonable for the portions given too.

A great stop off while visiting Geelong. Coffee and and a light lunch was hard to fault. The staff were the highlight, happy to have a chat but never slacked off. Very professional and welcoming.

We were going to have lunch here, unfortunately they were just closing so we grabbed a few macaroons (chocolate and salted caramel). The chocolate macaroons were a little too sweet but the salted caramel ones were yum! They have a great menu! Looking forward to go some other time. It's a really nice spot, great environment.

Had takeaway which was a mixed experience. Chicken & avocado sandwich was extremely bland. Lacked any seasoning, and the mayo was strangely lacking any flavour whatsoever. On the other hand the desserts were amazing, there was a cake with pineapple (???) in it and cream cheese frosting which I would come back for.

Great coffee, beautiful cakes and Geelong's best bread. This place is seriously worth a visit for the in house baked goods that are so hard to find these days. Staff are friendly and my favourite granola never disappoints.

Absolute love it! My favorite cafe in Geelong! <br/>Had the rueben sandwhich with ham, coleslaw, swiss cheese and pickles and my partner had the big breakfast. Homemade food with delicious bread! Always greeted with a smile, friendly and extremely helpful vibrant staff. Coffee is always hot and well made <br/>Highly recommend <br/>

I can't understand how this cafe is still in business.. They have no idea how to make a coffee - I love a flat white....the amount of times I went in there and received it with about 1.5 inches of froth at the top!!  they really have no idea on coffee and they should as they've got 2 awesome coffee places now to contend with (Cartel & Hucksters)I'm giving James Street Bakery 12 months unless they can fix the barista.

Great coffee with good food and friendly staff, there's a nice variety of freshly baked pastries too. Overall a good spot for brunch :) would recommend!

James Street Bakery Geelong is a french infused bakery-cafe right in the heart of Geelong. Ben works the coffee machine, alongside his mum Helen who is a part owner with Aunty Trish. It’s one of the original spots for coffee in James Street’s recent revival, opening in 2010. The inspiration comes from Uncle Laurent, a French pastry chef that’s responsible for the amazing array of cakes and treats on display as well as the regular menu. The theme extends to their decor which has an old world feel to it with directed mood lighting from French style lamps against dark stained timber.

Great food great place

Leann. Great staff<br/>Great food<br/>Great service

Not great this time. I've been to this café for years. Quite liked it for coffee and breakfast. Nothing to rave about; nothing to complain about. Except this time...<br/>I wander in and explain to the young waiter I only have 30 minutes. Can I just have that sandwich there (pointing through the glass cabinet). I ask him what is in it. He says it's a club sandwich, with chicken, bacon and salad. It's not piled high, doesn't look like any other club sandwich I've ever seen. Just like a fairly flat looking sandwich in two slices of Vienna bread, cut in half. He tells me it's $17. Wha? $17 for a pre-made sandwich? <br/>No thanks, just on principle. <br/>This young waiter lectures me that all products are locally sourced, hence the price. I feel like saying "did you source them from Dubai?" but hold my tongue. He obviously has not been in hospitality for long.<br/>So the other thing they have ready made in the glass cabinet is a roll filled with pulled beef and caramelized onion. That's $13. Um, OK. Better than the $17 sandwich. The waiter asks me if I want it toasted. I say "no thank you". I hover over the cabinet happy to take it then and he says - sit down - he'll bring it over. 15 minutes later and I still haven't got my roll. Then it comes out - toasted. I say I didn't want it toasted. He apologizes and then 5 minutes after that I get my roll on a plate with a few sprigs of lettuce on the side. Bear in mind this roll was already made and sitting right there in the cabinet. 30 seconds of work to slap this roll on a plate and throw on a couple of gourmet lettuce leaves. Anyway, I take a couple of mouthfuls, which is all I had time for at this stage and the pulled beef roll was so incredibly tasteless I could have been eating pulled cardboard. <br/> <br/>I salted it, asked for chutney, then I waited at the kitchen door for in lieu of earlier wait times and the roll was still dull as the Styrofoam container I took the rest with, as my precious time there was now gone.<br/> <br/>$13 for two mouthfuls of very ordinary food and service.<br/> <br/>I've had some good breakfasts here but my roll experience is something I will not revisit.<br/> <br/>I presume the 90%+ rating here is not for the sandwiches or rolls.

Beautiful Breakfast.<br/>Beautiful coffee<br/>Beautiful staff.

First rocked up to this place in a rush, sat down one hour before closing time, the staff was really friendly and patience, latte was very smooth, i usually dont order seconds on coffee, but i did and still enjoyed it. <br/>The big breakfast has very tasty and filling, if u want a good tasty meal and a nice cozy environment, def recommend it .

Nail on the head. After years of coming here I thought it's about time I let them know how much of a fantastic job they are doing!! I hadn't been to James st in months and popped in late last week for some lunch, I was glad to see the same barista who has been there for ages was still pumping them out on the machine because his coffees are so yummy!! The girls on the floor were quick to seat me and take my order and when my food arrived ( veg tart) it looked, smelt and tasted amazing! It's reminded me that in Geelong we really are blessed with some amazing little spots. I can't wait to be back. Thank you guys. Thank you so much!!

A nice friendly environment. Good coffee. The champ though was the white chocolate and raspberry muffin! Without a doubt the best one I've ever had! Definitely coming back!! :)

Cosy and delicious. Lovely bakery, with good coffee. I had the Malteser brownie and it was amazing! Definitely wanted to risk diabetes and have another one.

Always great service, never had a bad meal here and macaroons are amazing. One of my favourite places for breakfast or lunch in greater geelong

Can't fault this place! Cof.... Can't fault this place!<br/>Coffee was fantastic!<br/>Had poached eggs with corn cakes and they were perfect.<br/>Friend had steak sandwich and it was delicious!<br/>Good for a stop-over from Melbourne!

Fantastic food, coffee and service - would be a regular if I lived in Geelong. Pesto, goats cheese and tomato on sourdough was delicious. Staff were friendly and efficient. Cute little place too.

Seriously good quality food, had the ploughman for 1, shaved ham, olives, cornichons, Meredith feta, oozing Brie, amazing cheddar, kasoundi, hummus, and caramelised onion with 3 types of bread!! Thank you...Best lunch for ages.

Best scrambled eggs, lovely coffee and efficient service. I always come here for breakfast and to buy sweet treats. Consistently good would definitely recommend

Consistently Good!. Loved James St Bakery ever since we first discovered it 2 years ago. Sadly, it doesn't open on Sundays, and we're usually pretty busy on Saturdays (plus, we don't live in Geelong) - as such, we hadn't been there for quite a while. Our recent visit last weekend proved that James St Bakery is consistently good, if not better! Will be back, again, and again.

Great bakery. Great little venue with a delicious offering of pastries and sandwiches. We ordered a cooked breakfast recently which took a long time to come to the table, but was good nonetheless. The coffee is mostly good, with the occasional bitter pour.

I went for lunch today to James St Bakery! :) I had a skinny latte & the poached eggs on multigrain toast with mushrooms! The toast and mushrooms were the best I've ever had! Poached eggs were fine, but I've had better. Overall, service was great and ambience was just lovely! I felt like I was in a little cafe down an alley way in Paris!! :) I will definitely be back again soon.

Best bakery. There is nothing to complain about at James St. Bakery. The coffee is great and made by people who actually know what they are doing, the breakfasts and lunches are always tasty, and the dessert..!!! They are all house made which is so much nicer than brought in stuff, the cakes are always amazing. <br/>Everything there is to die for!!

The big breakfast was great.so I think this is a great place to go for breakfast but it has bakery in the title so you would assume they have great cakes too right? Well I had the apple and pear cake after u got past the icing it was so dry very disappointing wouldn't buy cake from there ever.

Great little place busy, food was nice coffee great although our coffee order was forgotten staff apologised. Will be back

FINALLY!!!! A place in geelong with food worth going back for! Amen

A little gem!. This place is what cafe's are all about. I love the atmosphere, food, tea, service and everything about this place. I can be quite critical as I expect a restaurant or café to take pride in whatever they have on offer. I want to feel that they care about their food and their service to the customer, That they offer the best quality possible whether it is a cheap hamburger on the go or a more expensive carefully prepared sit down meal. James Street Bakery do just that. And their macarons are excellent. We will definitely be back!

Such a wonderful experience. Had a quaint seating area yet we were still welcomed with 2 prams in tow. The staff we're very friendly and helpful, now for the food, WOW!! I ordered the poached chicken sourdough sandwich and my friend, the club sandwich, it was absolutely beautiful. All the flavours complimented each other and left you with a lovely warm sensation once finished. We also couldn't help ourselves and had to try the carrot cake, AMAZING!! Nice and moist, didn't disappoint, and the perfect size to share after a filling lunch. I haven't been to a cafe like this in many years, nothing I could fault, next time I drive up from Melbourne I will definitely we popping in.

Very nice.... Great food, great coffee and the service was really friendly.

Great breakfast!. Really enjoyed my eggs with smashed avocado, hommus and dukkah. Great cafe that reminds me of my favourite Melbourne haunts.<br/><br/>Will be back for sure :)

Trip from Melbourne to Geelong as tourist - the highlight was James st bakery - steak sandwich should be called something else as it is so much more - egg& bacon pie so creamy off to buy my macaroons now

Goats cheese tart - spot on! Have also had many take away rolls that are always delicious and the staff are always happy to help!

Club sandwiches appear on a lot of hotel menus but I usually stick to old favourites. The friendly staff advised to give it a whirl and I wasn't disappointed, quickly served it was delicious and even I thought the portion size was large which is saying something. Nicely finished off with some macaroons this is a great little cafe to get your mind off work at lunch with it being nestled away nicely in the lane way.

Stopped in for lunch on a visit to Geelong due to good reviews and wasn't disappointed. Hubby had the steak sandwich and I had the goats cheese tart. Pastry was delightful, home made and crumbly like a good pastry should be. Plenty of goats cheese and veg in there also. Flavours worked beautifully together my only gripe was that the tart wasn't big enough but that's because I was enjoying it so much! <br/>Finished off with a perfectly made coffee and two macaroons....salted caramel you are delicious!! <br/>Very friendly and accommodating staff topped off a lovely lunch. We'll be back when next in the area.

So cute and inviting!. This is such a cute little place tucked away in an alley. Always busy, great friendly service. Wonderful coffee and cakes. Real cosy and inviting feel.

Generous sized meals. Great service. Small menu but I have tried a few things - All delicious. Best club sandwich I have ever had. Chocolate brownie - Oh my gosh! Macaroons - Beautiful.

Cosy and cute. The staff are nice, food is simple yet tasty, coffee is great, the macaroons are heaven.<br/><br/>8/10

Grea for Gluten Free and people with Allergies. I was extremely impressed with service, the food, presentation and the atmosphere. Also staff were very quick to provide me with dessert options which no other cafe or restaurant in Geelong has been able to do. If you go to James Street bakery and you are Gluten free, diary free and fructoses intolerant like me ordering is easy and try the Morang it’s delightful. The Coffee is smooth and creamy.

Best High Tea Ever. What a treasure this place is. I heard from a friend about the High Tea and being a bandit for all things sweet I booked a table for two and dragged my favourite aunt off to High Tea at the James St Bakery. After being greeted and seated by Beth (could she be any nicer) we were waited on hand and foot and treated to the most delightful afternoon with an almost endless array of sweet and savoury goodies laid before us. It was nothing short of fabulous and everything from the macarons to the scones and bottomless cups of tea were just fantastic and all served to our table by an ever smiling Beth. I can't recommend High Tea at James St Bakery more highly but I do recommend you book ahead as there was not a spare seat in the house the day we went and I can certainly see why. This place is one of the real hidden treasures of Geelong.

Made my first visit at James st bakery, the main reason i wanted to visit this place was because of the macaroons. Ive been told that they make the most delicious macaroons ever. I was not dissapointed. I bought 7 macaroons home with me that day. I also had a french toast and a chai latte. <br/>The french toast was not bad, but the chai latte was abit of a dissapointment.<br/>Overal, good service, good food<br/>8/10<br/>:D

Very quaint. On the recommendation of a friend, had a really nice roasted vegetable and goat's cheese panini here for lunch the other day, followed by a well made coffee and a (shared!) slice of their carrot cake. It was hands down the best carrot cake I have ever had, would have loved to been indulgent enough to go the macaroon as well but thought I might save that for my next visit! What I liked most however, was that we were greeted with a genuine smile, some friendly conversation and looked after well by staff. All of the food that came out to other tables looked really inviting and fresh and I heard many a good comment coming from other diners in our vicinity. Will be back for sure.

What a lovely little bakery! The breakfast we had was delicious, the coffee yum & the service fault-less. Definitely will be back. Also grabbed a takeaway salted caramel macaron for morning tea & it was one of the best I've had.

The $14 Caesar salad is big, and the chocolate brownie, oh my god.

Christmas is over. At last the bakery is back open! That was the longest 2 weeks of my working life, no macaroons, no coffee from Sam, no smiles from Beth, and worst of all, no roast veg panini! Thank go they are back.

One of Geelong's best cafes. Great fresh food with a excellent specials. Can be busy at times - but there's good reason for that. Well worth a visit - regularly.

Very awesome bakery. I've walked past this place so many times and I didnt even know it was there! Cute little bakery hidden away in the middle of town. The coffee and the vege tart with goats cheese is excellent. This was the first place in Geelong I finally found macarons, and while the shells are perfect I feel like most of the flavours got too lost in the sweet buttercream fillings. The lemon one is by far the best. Overall a really great place for lunch or coffee with a nice cruisy atmosphere

Very pleasant lunch. Thoroughly enjoyed a chicken/avocado sandwich (probably the best I've had at a cafe). The coffee was excellent, and the apple tart was delicious.

The lemon macaroons and chocolate are delicious!! am addicted!

Macarons!!!!!. Can't recommend highly enough the cakes in this place! I used to delight in their super sweet cupcakes but having wavered from brown sugar meringues with berries and cream to raspberry slice I am now atrue macaron convert! They are the best ever!!!

Recently stopped at this cafe for the first time on the way through Geelong...perfect coffee and by far the best macaroons I've tasted!worth checking out

Delicious!. I have gone several times to this delightful little cafe.<br/><br/>as other reviews have said- the coffee is beautiful- apparently skilled and well trained baristas have been working when i came in.<br/><br/>all the bread is made in house, as is all the cakes, muffins, meringues, etc. A clever French baker is behind those goodies.<br/><br/>and the macarons are great too! they even have a book up the front which features a section on how to tell a good macaron from an average one, and these pass the test!<br/><br/>all the sandwiches hit the spot perfectly, and the produce is of a great quality. a good price point too, especially when compared to 'competitors' which dont seem to use product of the same quality but charge the same or higher.<br/><br/>and they offer beer or wine. great!

Pleasantly surprised. The coffee was excellent, and so was the crispy chicken roll. Very nice home-made mayonnaise too. All positive and I will definitely be going back there for more of that coffee..