Review Scintilla Cafe - Heidelberg

Nice Cafe in a great location. The coffee was beautiful, probably the best part! The menu choices are fun, and the Middle Eastern Breakfast was really nice. The big breakfast was pretty standard and a touch bland. Didn't like having to go up to the counter to order, and the service in general was lacking. Overall not a bad place. will go back!

Had lunch there today. The service and food was exceptional. I will definitely be returning and recommending to my friends. Thank you

Not bad here today. Food was good. Service was good. We’d come again on this experience.

From the outside, it looks a bland developer's aluminium idea, a glassy box attached to a supermarket. As you approach though, much comes to light. Lots of regulars. Seating options inside and out. Low cost meals. Fine coffee. Friendly greeting staff. Happy people. Sensible serving sizes. Some cirner cutting, like self serve water but overall it competes well on the strip. Recommended. Try the breakfast special.

Absolutely Fantastic Cafe with a wide variety of snacks or meals at a great price. Friendly efficient staff & a big shout out to the Chef SteFonzi. Indoor and outdoor Heated seating, highly recommended 👌

Bought a salmon focaccia. Salmon was dry around the edges and tasted old. Very little filling (see pic) yet cost $10. Also I didn't realise until after I ordered not a single worker was wearing a face mask even though it is currently the law. Regret buying my lunch here

Great coffee! Inside in air-conditioned comfort, or outside on the terrace. Exciting b'fast & lunch menu. Many steps upstairs to the bathrooms!

Love Scintilla! Food is always consistently good, has a good atmosphere, and staff do their best to please. Best coffee too.

Terrible customer service<br/>I went there last Thursday for lunch and I wasn't served by any of the waitresses that were too busy talking with each other and very entertained with their conversation<br/>I felt ignored and waited for few minutes even tried to get their attention with no luck <br/>so I walked out and went to Cafe MATO which I got great service

Have been to this cafe a couple of times and have enjoyed their breakfast dishes! I especially like their sweet options which are not only delicious but very reasonably priced! I have had the French Toast with berries and the pancakes with banana and walnuts which I both enjoyed. I don’t particularly love their coffee but it’s still nice and I generally order the chai which is pretty good.

It’s a flat 2.5 for me.<br/><br/>Cafe Scintilla is a big, bright airy cafe right on Burgundy Street. It’s spacious inside and out with a pleasant elevated outside area at the front. It’s a nice spot on a sunny day. They were doing ok business here at 11am when I wandered in. It was about a third full with coffee and breakfast seekers dotted around. The lunch crowd had yet to arrive. So far, so good.<br/><br/>A well known Melbourne cafe owner told me recently that service was the key to a great cafe. Obviously get the food and setting right but it can all be outdone by ordinary service so make sure he said that you have the right people working for you who are committed to warm and efficient customer service. Sadly, the service was a bit snappy on my arrival here. Just no warmth at all. Zilch. I was peremptorily directed to a table with coldly delivered instructions. It was the same when ordering at the counter. Exact same again when my long black was delivered to my table. Just zero human connection sought by the three servers I encountered. No smile or nice words. Not a cracker. Each server conveyed low energy, low warmth, perhaps even low interest. Not good enough for me.<br/><br/>The menu here looked ok albeit a bit conventional. There was enough there to spark some interest though. My all important coffee was nice. No complaints there, albeit that it was served in an oldish looking Merlo coffee mug on an ill fitting saucer. That’s not critical. The brew itself was good and enjoyable.<br/><br/>This place, both the cafe itself and the business model, struck me as needing some modernisation and renewal. The servers in particular need to assess if they want to excel in the hospitality field unless I just caught them all at a bad time.

We went in yesterday to have late breakfast. We were waived to a table with dirty cups on it.A waitress came and took the dirty cups after a while but did not speak to us. We then waited and waited and waited for service and then we walked out.

They have a great All Day Breakfast menu at this cafe, servings are generous and well priced and there are so many choices! staff have always been friendly too.

I had a well earned brekkie here after a visit to the hospital on Friday. I ordered the mushroom mania and a big coffee (can you believe it was 11am and I still had not had my morning coffee, I was desperate).<br/><br/>I was happy with my breakfast, I loved that they had more than enough mushrooms on the plate and they had been fried beautifully. Seeing how desperate I was for coffee, I should've asked for an extra shot of coffee as it was a bit on the weak side, but I know if you ask the staff are more than willing to meet your request.<br/><br/>Overall, very happy with my brekkie and this Mama is Hangry no more. Thanks guys!

Cafe Scintilla at Heidelberg. They call it the best coffee in Melbourne. Really nice coffee and rich flavour chai latte. Definitely a thumbs up recommend. Very nice.

We saw a packed place so we hop in. But we got dissapointed. Coffee came too hot, taste was OK. My vege breakfast was just as disspointing. It looks messy on plate. Vege didn't look fresh and not a good flavour on anything. Waste of money.

We had the Monday-Friday special - bacon, eggs, toast and a coffee for $10.  It was a huge serve and well cooked.  I had mine scrambled and they were yummy.  The food took a while coming out, but the place was packed so that was probably why.  Good coffee too. I noticed they had several versions of smash avo, but decided not to go with my 'regular' choice for a change!

Attended here for the first time yesterday, we sat outside in the reasonably spacious area they have there. Menus are available just inside the door and ordering is done at the counter. I had the Parisan Eggs which is done with salmon, cream cheese, hollandaise sauce, capers on a toasted panini which was very nice. Wait staff were pleasant and friendly. I would definitely go back.

Visited here this morning for breakfast and was hugely disappointed with every aspect of the experience. I asked for a smoothie and was brushed off by the young man who not only was rude but not bothered with his job. I was told to take a table and then was approached and TOLD TO MOVE to another table!!! I ordered an omelette and was interrogated when I asked for a plain one. It seemed most inconvenient. The omelette when it arrived was tasteless and inedible. This a place to avoid. Worse than disappointing.

Had a very weak coffee here but when you use one shot to fill a fish bowl that can happen. The all metal prison style tables combined with a large interior full of harsh surfaces make for a loud experience. Lots of staff about but you still have to order and pay at the counter - that's pretty slack really. At least Burgandy Street remains consistent. Will search again in 6 months when my car requires another service. If you need your Toyota serviced then I can strongly recommend Cannon Toyota. Perhaps they should build their own coffee shop?

Really enjoyed breakfast here. Food was amazing with premium ingredients. Heaps to choose from with a lot of Variants which is nice, normally priced. I had the Noosa breakfast, highly recommend.<br/>Agree with the previous review tho, quite sterile atmosphere could be nicer. <br/>Self serve water and order at counter etc but service is nice and staff are friendly. <br/>

Went here with the lady for brunch today and neither of us would complain about returning. <br/><br/>You find your own table, you order from the cashier and pay before you get your food and drinks, you get water for yourselves from a self-service counter. The layout of the dining area is relatively sterile, although very open with plenty of natural light and is comfortable without trying to be. <br/><br/>The lady at the counter was friendly and chatty, but otherwise the service was pretty dry and impersonal. <br/><br/>We ordered a mocha, chocolate milkshake, 'Anzac' breakfast and chicken risotto between us; the drinks came out quickly as we watched our food being freshly prepared from our seats. Both drinks were excellent; I'm not much of an expert on coffee, but had no problems inhaling the mocha. The food servings were generous, tasty and good value for money (It was a touch under $45 in total); nothing was particularly complicated about either dish, just simple food prepared well with fresh ingredients and we both didn't need to eat again for a fair while afterwards.<br/><br/>While the venue was busy, with a number of chatty conversations going on at once, it was not overly loud and reasonably relaxed.... we lingered for a little longer than we really needed to as the mood didn't take us to be in a hurry and we didn't feel pressured to move on.<br/><br/>There are 'flashier' cafes on Burgundy Street, but if you like a down-to-earth, no frills dining experience, this place won't let you down.

If I need to guarantee myself a good take away coffee I go here!<br/>Standard cafe fair with specials, and healthy servings off the menu. <br/>I recommend the coffee to all my friends as the best in HB probably Melbourne. Although disappointingly, like a lot of cafes we still can't pay pass for a coffee.

Very old school. I'm of the opinion that this cafe has the potential to offer much more, but they appear to be satisfied offering little to no service. Service is incredibly poor; you have to order everything at the counter and pay for it up front. Should you be sitting down and require another coffee (for instance), it's expected that you head back to the counter and order another one. You'll receive no table service at all, apart from receiving your food. Mind you, some people prefer this, and if so, this cafe might be a good option. The food is reasonably priced and whilst not great, you could potentially justify it if you wanted to grab a cheap breakfast / lunch and not be regularly checked on by staff. The coffee is poor and probably one of the worst ones you'll have on Burgundy Street. Loads of potential, but traditionalist service is very much entrenched in their ways.

Im not a big fan of complaining about food. But i felt let down with what was dished up today. Bland food. Undersized and for the price i was expecting more for $22.50 check the pics and make up your own decision.

Food is okay but service and restaurant itself are lacking. The menu is nothing special, offering all the standard staples. I ordered the Popeyes breakfast - poached eggs, spinach and hollandaise on English muffins. The eggs were nicely cooked but the spinach was bland. Hollandaise was overpowered by lemon. Muffins were not toasted (?) and were a cold, soggy mess under the spianch. The $10 eggs, bacon and coffee is a big seller.<br/><br/>Service was non-existent with self serve water and ordering at the counter. We could hear every conversation in the kitchen and also the son of one of the chefs was hanging over the stairs screaming for his father. Not very relaxing.<br/><br/>Restaurant looks tired and unwelcoming.

Very disappointed with the breakfast that was cooked up. Food was bland, the excitement of going out for breakfast turned into regret and disappointment. Won't be returning.

Great coffee with its own signature flavours. Lime tart satisfies our insatiable sweet tooth. Quick service and friendly staff. Definitely recommend for family with kids.

Have tried the place out of convenience a few times, however I don't believe I will be back.<br/><br/>It feels like a canteen production line, the burger I had was bland and my wife's salad was unimaginative.

Great place to eat, good atmosphere and the service is quick and easy. Nice location too at Heidelburg a growing suburb in the north! Keep it up

A great cafe and well managed with friendly staff. Food has always been great, My only issue is that gets really loud in there and its hard to have a conversation. the place just echoes. Had a beautiful smashed avocado with eggs , ricotta and cherry tomatoes on sour dough the other day. Was beautiful.

Surly staff. Bad food dreadful coffee <br/>Cesar salad was drowned in dressing <br/>Bacon was fatty off cuts. Lettuce was old and wilted <br/>What more needs to be said. <br/>

My mom is visiting from overseas so we decided to have breakfast here as it has a nice patio area.<br/><br/>The breakfast was alright.<br/><br/>I ordered french toast with berries and instead received french toast with bacon. Usually I would've been a little annoyed at receiving a wrong order but I mean...bacon is always a welcomed food on my plate. The French Toast was ordinary, a little dry but fluffy.<br/><br/>My partner had the Port Douglas Benedict and said it was nice and light.<br/><br/>Mom had pancakes with berries which she enjoyed but felt it was extremely sweet as they put syrup all over rather than leaving it on the side as requested.<br/><br/>Overall it was a pleasant experience and I'm sure we'll go back but I doubt it would be our first choice.

Great place to have a lunch or afternoon coffee time, had the chicken focaccia with sun-dried tomatoes and lettuce with mayonnaise. It was delicious, large variety of sandwiches and fucaccia's and Burgers. Ordered my chi latte it was perfect. The service was quick and friendly great spot, seating inside and out. Reasonably priced. They also have a large variety of little cakes. Absolutely recommend.

In my opinion this is one of the best cafes in Melbourne. It is managed very well, the food is delicious and the staff are kind and efficient

Looks buzzing ....<br/><br/>No one can resist $10 breakfast up to 11 am, right? Bacon & Eggs on Toast with a small Soy Latte.<br/><br/>More on the Menu, but got no time, will try next time, Mushrooms on Bacon looks good.

One of my favourite places for Eggs Benedict in Melbourne and a regular stable on our Sunday brunch rotation. Pancakes and waffles are also a great choice off the breakfast menu. Coffee is ok, but nothing to write home about. Inside can be VERY noisy on a Sunday morning, but outside seating is plentiful, comfortable and dogs are always welcomed.

Absolutely Love this place!! My number 1 go to when in Heidelberg! I regularly go their for lunch on the weekends and usually swing past for a coffee during the week! The boys on the coffee machine always take good care of me!! Love me a foccacia or steak sandwhich!! Always goes down a treat! :)

Probably the best cafe in Heidelberg! <br/>Been here multiple times for breakfast or lunch and the quality has always been the same.<br/><br/>The pastas are a must if you are there for lunch! The chicken with creamy mustard sauce is delectable (get some mushrooms added if you like) <br/>The chicken parmas are of a good size and cooked well.<br/>The vegetarian big breakfast never disappoints. <br/>I've been with people who have had the fish and chips, burgers, risotto and other pastas and had no complaints!<br/>The only thing I haven't enjoyed were the pancakes- the berry pancakes was just one pancake with the frozen berries on top which wasn't very tasty.<br/>Good coffee, good staff and quick service.<br/>A must try if you're in Heidelberg

Terrible Experience- avoid!. This cafe was an absolute disappointment from the moment we walked in until we walked out.<br/>No staff made any eye contact with us at all when we walked in. The waitress seemed disinterested and bored. The food was a joke- we ordered pancakes and what came out was a floury mess with a slight dish washing detergent taste! 10/10 would not recommend. Couldn't even finish 2 bites of my food.<br/>The kitchen is so noisy and close to the seating that it is near impossible to hear anyone who is not shouting. Never again.

One of Scintilla's stars is the Scintilla Grilled Cheese; two thick slices of bread topped with tomato and plenty of cheese, grilled untill melted and hot. Unless you're a big eater you probably wont be able to finish this baby, so I'd recommend you get it to share. But it doesn't end there, all their food looks and tastes fantastic! Our table also ordered everyone's favorite; wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce, a sure winner. We also had the bruschetta, which was mostly purple onion and tomato, sitting on sala

Haven't been to scintilla since I moved out of Heidelberg,was driving by on Saturday and decide to pop In for breakfast. So many changes to the menu since I was last there,has omega 3, smashed avo,Vegemite,poached eggs on sourdough loved it,my friend had port Douglas which she loved as well. Staff went out of there way to get us a table in the sun which appreciate. Coffee was great and the guy that took our order was very friendly,can't wait to go back great work

Steak Sanga Special. Don't know why they had a special if a different steak sanga is already on menu. Confused waiter processed the wrong one after i ordered one & then my friend pointed to it on the specials board yet got the menu one!<br/><br/><br/>-----12 Feb, 2015-----<br/><br/>Quick lunch. Good menu. The steak sanga special was ok. Friend had the lamb souvlaki. .. i had food envy.

Second time in one week.. Orderd exactly the same meal , chicken risotto with oj same quality , perhaps a tiny wee bit smaller than on the Saturday , bit still fabulous . good job ! nice friendly blonde Waitress today too.<br/><br/><br/>-----25 Aug, 2014-----<br/><br/>Tasty risotto would return. I came here with a gf recently , i usually go to mattos across the road but as this place was in the sun we gave it a shot . I ordered the chicken , Spinage and mushroom risotto . It was very pleasant , lots of chicken good amount of sauce and garlic and cheese , hence i would definately come back for this dish ! the male waiters were nice and accommodating helping people move tablets into the sun and smiley and polite . the oj was pretty nice too . Price is OK considering it was a decent size serving , overall very happy . <br/>I ofcource let the lady at the till know the feedback too and she was pleased :)

Terrible food and not worth it. We had 2 open lamb souvlaki. It was terrible, for $16 each I expected more than just a few pieces of lamb although it was packed full of lettuce and chips but then again I didn't order a lettuce and chips meal. I'd be better off going to a fish n chips shop to buy a souvlaki. There is a good variety of food on the menu but I'll never find out because I'm never going back there.

I have oat milk in my coffee as I am Breastfeeding and my baby is allergic to dairy and soy. When I arrived to order no one served me for quite some time and when the girl arrived she was very unfriendly. When passing my milk to the barista she made faces to him. When she saw me looking at her she barely reacted, let alone apologized for her incredibly rude behavioural. I then sat down and was delivered my coffee I a takeaway cup with no spoon. I had to go and ask for a spoon and drink my relaxing coffee out of plastic. Given the plethora of choice in Heidelberg they really need to pick up their game. I will not return.

No table service. Lady taking orders hated life. I had a port Douglas special (breaky) eggs were great but Turkish bread too toasted/hard to cut. Average.

Caesar Salad is ALL lettuce. Scintilla's quality and quantity of food has been in steady decline for several years now. After about two years I decided to give them another go. I felt utterly ripped off. Their interpretation of a Caesar Salad is a bowl of lettuce sprinkled with a few bits of bacon and croutons, and an egg. Worst and most scanty Caesar Salad ever. Didn't even bother to complain to them - if this is their MO, why bother, I just won't go back.

Lose the attitude. The miserable woman who takes our orders each time we visit should get over herself. You work in a cafe love,if you don't like it leave. Just a smile would be nice. Maybe that's what is making the coffee sour.<br/>Great potential for a good local but please ditch the bitch

That yuppie wannabe with the blue glasses behind the counter, needs to remove that fork from her behind.

Average breakfast in Heidelberg. Very busy on weekends. Coffee not great, but breakfast was nice. Very large serves, the eggs benedict were yummy. My sides of avocado and mushrooms were fresh and well seasoned. My partners' Santorini omlette was average.

I like this place, it's hard to find a decent place for breaky in the burbs but here it is. Wait times are good and meals are honest. The staff however need to "get over it" and leave your problems at home. Try smiling even if it's fake! If you dont like working there try applying at Leo's instead. I'll go back because of this floor show.

Rude rude rude!!! The lady who takes your order at the front counter is rude!! She isn't even discret about it!! And the food, plain, bland and boring!!

Best ice-coffees! Great breakfast menu. Could be a little quieter inside. But still a really nice place. I'd recommend it.

Pleasant Cafe in the heart . Offers a great range of food, probably better known for it's breakfast. Coffee is generally good and us made to specific requests. Smiles from staff wouldn't go astray, customer service could be a little better.

Meal from Hell. Today I had the worst meal I have had in over 10 years at this cafe, I can still taste it and am very upset. I am very unhappy that I did not complain, but I was in a great hurry and the staff were all so surly that I did not expect a complaint would end well. <br/><br/>I ordered a special - a chicken and mango salad. The menu said the chicken was marinated in Hoisin sauce, which it was. Fair enough. What the menu DIDN'T say was that the salad was also drowned in sweet chilli sauce, and the combination of flavours was absolutely disgusting. The dish was also badly presented, with a flabby pile of grey chicken dropped from a great height onto a pile of wilting salad bits.<br/><br/>I don't believe this was a one-off either, as my husband ordered penne pasta with tuna and was given a microwaved mess of oily tinned tuna, he was also terribly upset.<br/><br/>We're not fussy people but this was completely out of order.

Charmless service. Waitress (short blonde hair) sour and off-hand

Absolutely shocking coffee! lukewarm watery coffee. if the coffee was that bad, I wouldn't bother trying the food.

Heidelberg's best. What I really like about this place is that it doesn't have the same bland options for breakfast like everywhere else. It really does have a unique menu. I usually get the Mediterranean breakfast which tastes fantastic. I will not order the coffee there since like most places it is pretty poor. It is definitely the best place in Heidelberg and would be the best place in many other suburbs.

So-so. The coffee was burnt and the toast were simply massive slabs of bread with not enough condiments. Very average. The floor wass very dirty and even though there was plenty of staff, a few tables had dirty dishes just sitting there. On the upside food is reasonably priced.

I love it. We go there every weekend. It's great value for money and the service is excellent. They have am extensive menu and everything tastes great. My only complaint would be that occasionally the chef is a bit stingy with the berry compote on my French toast, but not often. We travel from Doreen for breakfast because Scintilla is the best around.

Hit and miss. Scintilla Carfe is a nice enough cafe; probably Heidelberg's best.<br/>The coffee is hit and miss. Sometimes burnt, and potentially the machine not always properly cleaned, hense bad flavour at times.<br/>Scintilla used to have the tastiest bacon in town, but that all changed last year when the new chef did away with the flame-fired bbq grill, replacing it with a hotplate. Disappointing.<br/>Their cheese on toast is the best I've had. Two big, thick slices of toast doused with three types of cheese on top of fresh tomatoes, then grilled. They've taken months off my potential lifespan, but delicious.

Excellent food options. Excellent range of food options whether its breakfast, lunch or a snack. If we are going out for breakfast this is the place we go. Coffee quality is inconsistent, last time I went the coffee was horribly burnt tasting.

Great coffee and good service. Always glad i chose to go there instead of next door!