Sluurpy > Restaurants in Lismore > The Bank Cafe & Espresso

Review The Bank Cafe & Espresso - Lismore

YT Hung
Place is clean, tidy and food looks nice. Taste however just average and egg benedict is overdone.
Graham Leonarder
Was looking for somewhere to have breakfast.. in flood ravaged Lismore.. Tried these guys,they looked as though they had been open a short time after floods. The coffee was amazing so was their food & service. Must be a popular spot for coffee, lots of people waiting.. 2 Barista's on. Great Place,Good Vibe.. will go again when in Lismore. ♥️ Lismore
Ian Rankin
Wonderful on so many levels. Great food, superb coffee, lovely service. A terrific reopening after the floods. Bringing joy and comfort back to the heart of Lismore
Merlin Geikie
Easy to find this imposing building of Victorian aesthetics. Went for brekky, the huge single room was full of folk busily eating away the Winter hungers. I was immediately ushered to a small table, service arrived quickly. Very quickly a meal was put before me, I started eating only to find, my order was messed up, I was cheerfully offered a replacement. ..never mind, I thought,....this tastes fine. It's easy to mess up orders, the food is great and the service prompt, decor is nicely Spartan, huge high ceiling, must be 15 foot. A grand place with grand food, in a grand old part of historic river port city Lismore. Many thanks. PS..good coffee
madNESS Photography
Great atmosphere. Good food and coffee. Quick, friendly service. Bathrooms located in back left corner.
Melissa Flowers
Fantastic cafe...the best coffee in Lismore and delicious, wholesome food. Great old Bank, with lots of memorabilia and art work. Very efficient, friendly service. Relaxing atmosphere and seating available inside and outside. Will definitely be back when next in town.
Regina Siena (resatriel)
We are very satisfied and in love with the food. We ordered breakfast burrito and big brekkie. Taste perfect and yummy! Love the juice too.
Carla Edwards Fine Art Portraiture
Love the big old building that's been recommissioned as a cafe. It's open plan but want excessively noisy. The food was yay and nicely presented. Please note I don't do runny eggs so they accommodated my request as you can see. I loved the simplicity of the wall art too.
Jessica Gossner
Best breakfast I’ve had in ages. Staff was super friendly, served our family of 6 fast quickly-even on a busy morning. Ordered waffles, big breakfast and fritters-big portions, reasonably priced. Loved the fritters-so much flavour. Wish we were staying in Lismore longer to try more on the menu. Highly recommend.
Theo Seremetidis
On the up side, the food is delicious. On the downside the staff aren’t very efficient and a little disorganized. 3 sets of customers were seated after us and they all ordered and ate before us. Also food took a good 40 minute to arrive after we ordered. It was a very busy day I must admit. But it happened on 2 different occasions.
Melissa Louise
Public holiday, not much open it town so this place was busy. Staff managed to keep on top of everything, quickly clear tables, take orders and serve great food quickly. Try this place if you like flavoursome food. We had traditional cafe food (such as eggs on toast / BLAT) as well as delicious asian inspired salad and felafel plate and it was all fantastic. We'll be back.
Erin Mary Smith
I just came in for a takeaway smoothie after a ruff morning, the staff are so friendly and kind!! I really recommend Thank you � Also have had breakfast so good! �
Lyn Crosbie
Visiting from New Zealand we had the delight of visiting this cafe highly recommend it, service first class along with the food , well done guys
Stevie Walters
I have always loved breaky at The Bank but it was our first time there on a Friday night and wow! It was spectacular! Both my husband and sister agreed they were the best burgers we have ever eaten!! Super chilled vibe listening to Dylan Pinkerton play in the background too. Will be be regulars now! Thanks guys! I love our town when we have places like this to go :)
Cello Garcia
The Bank is on of my most favourite paces to eat ever. The food is always on point. The coffee is beautiful. To the chefs whoever you are I love your work it makes me so so happy to eat your food �����
Sandy Mead
What an amazing place for breakfast or lunch all you little league families a must visit. Big serves and great prices xx beautiful dirty chai's
Leanne Strong
Eggs on toast was very cold by the time my husband got his breakfast, the homemade Banana Bread was the same as u get from Macca but twice the price. Nice place but sorry I didn't go back to The arcade coffee shop was there yesterday and it was so nice and priced well.
Ellen Kronen
Love this place! The food is delicious, excellent coffee, great ambience and service. Highly recommend :)
Sunae Reilly
I'd like to thank Brad and the whole crew at The Bank for feeding me about 3/4 of the meals I eat and keeping me caffeinated for the good of all around me. Couldn't ask for better food, coffee and service than what you get here!
Lisa Williams
Love the atmosphere. Very nice food, extremely friendly service and prices to match. Highly recommended.
Lis Miller
This cafe's food was atrocious and expensive. The cakes were days old, not warmed to at least take the staleness off. The 'cream' was literally hard. The big breakfast was ok, but the curry-like mixture taking up most of the plate was awful and rest was a few items around the outside of the plate. Very pricey for what you get.<br/>Tea was cool, not hot and like most cafes these days....can't serve tea in a fine teacup. Thick rimmed coffee cups instead. Im sure plenty of ordinary diners would enjoy this place but I certainly did not.
Christopher Rayner
Great service and tasty menu, coffee is delicious. Atmosphere fun vibrant, decor is unique love the old signage posters and high ceilings. Good play list.
Does My Bomb Look Big In This
Lismore is a town still orientated towards a flood. Even nine months after the event, time here is still divided into before the flood and after the flood in people’s narratives. The Bank Café was one of the first venues to re-open after Cyclone Debbie, with owner Brad Rickard promising locals affected by the flood “a night to blow off a bit of steam”. The evening was an extension upon their regular Friday night series – Buns & Hops – where live music, craft beer and a clever list of burgers, attract in the crowds. With my dinners sewn up with bookings at the region’s extensive list of fine dining restaurants, I only had time to visit The Bank Café for breakfast... The venue itself is a curious mismatch of styles. Royal blue feature walls, a long orange banquette, and a retro television set in a wooden cabinet help to give it a homely vibe. At the same time, the high Edwardian ceiling and dangling art nouveau lights, give the large airspace space a sense of grandeur. At the rear you'll find wooden signboards for the treasury building it once was (hence the name). It’s a big space, and packed on the morning I visit, with just one poor waitress on the floor. She’s a little ray of sunshine despite...
Tahlia
Brilliant meal, just what we needed. Good size serving and really tasty. Service fantastic too. Will definitely visit again even though it's a log way from home.
Atreyu
To borrow one that is oft used, maybe a bit too much, this one is a nice find which is simply waiting out to be discovered by all sorts of willing diners. Word has been out for a few years about it, and praises all round are being said about the Bank Cafe in Lismore. Let's put it in a briefer sense of the words to begin with; you can expect the level of quality in food, coffee, and customer service that has become expected in the major cities.<br/><br/>One weekend, I was going down interstate to stay with my elder sister for some child-minding, and also that I hadn't seen the lot in a while. Going down on the Saturday, and staying until Monday morning. On the Sunday, somewhere in the middle part of morning, she, her daughter, her husband and I were going out to a breakfast place in which they had heard some good stuff about. Therefore, after a coffee at home the morning after arriving, it was off to here - and I went with an empty stomach, which was a wise choice in hindsight. The meals here are quite generous in the portion sizes, but that is for naught without them being great quality, tasty and well-balanced out. While I don't pretend to be well-versed in the layout of Lismore, it is with a good amount of confidence that I say they have a well and true winner on their hands - just how busy they were that day says enough on that front. <br/><br/>Using their old, historical landmarks in an effective way, as per the name of this place, it is situated within a pre-WWII bank building, completely made of limestone and everything. It has the old-style roominess to it, and the high ceilings and everything. They have kept quite a few of the old-school touches, including the old wooden carved board - unadulterated - giving the directions to where departments are. That is the touched I liked the most, as it kept the charm alive. Lots of posters around the perimeter of the wall in French - that was a quirky addition, something is definitely not around most other places. As well as that, lots of posters for performing and touring artists were strewn around the place. It is a mix of the old and new, with the exact same kind of decorations - if that makes any sense. <br/><br/>Service here is pretty good. At the time, they were quite busy so it is forgivable if they were doing just the basic stuff with taking orders, clearing plates and all that. Nearly every table was filled up, and more people were coming in so it was all about maintaining homeostasis in the cafe. For what it was worth, the waitstaff were still friendly and made the whole ordering process efficient. <br/><br/>Their menu more or less follows the basic formula. It starts off with an all-day breakfast - which is a range of the favourites, sometimes with a bit of a deviation from the norm, a lunch menu which consists of various salads, burgers and sandwiches, then there is the drinks menu. Of course there is the usual suspects of tea and coffee, along with the chai drinks, and hot chocolates. For something more on the cold side, there are several smoothies which are available in different sorts of milk when possible. As well as that, they also offer milkshakes, iced drinks, sodas, fruit juices, and iced teas. <br/><br/>Even more so with their coffees, the range is generous. As expected, and they also say it themselves, there is the usual range to be expected with the espresso-based drinks. Some other choices are bullet proof (with melted butter in it), a couple with condensed milk, cold brew and a couple of different versions of affogato. <br/><br/>Starting off the meal, it was the usual orders of coffee. There were quite a few good ones that looked tempting on the menu. What I settled on was called the "Barista breakfast" which was a blend of coffee in form of an espresso and a choice of a milk-based coffee - I went with the cappuccino. The coffee that they use comes from Veneziano. Albeit not one of the stronger blends, Veneziano is definitely one that is often reliable. Aside from the buzz oft associated with a strong blend, what this blend often has in it are other factors which are common among the stronger blends. This includes having a fairly rich body, if there are any hint and notes they are often of chocolate, toffee or something similar, and it is not quite smooth but will still go down easily. Still though, this is best if you like it strong and might be a bit stark if it is otherwise. That was the case with the coffee I had, though it was a lot smoother and calmer on the cappuccino - the milk there was fantastically frothed and textured. Thumbs up already, as a nice breakfast out almost hinges on a a good coffee to begin with. <br/><br/>I also got a sip of the bulletproof coffee in during the meantime. I definitely could sense the butter in there, which has a flavour that is difficult to pin down with words but it definitely cannot be mistaken. How it went with the coffee, it was interesting. Might add a bit of creaminess to it, getting the best of two worlds there. What was certainly present was the taste of coconut as well with the coconut oil and all. It was warm, it had a unique texture and palate. Maybe not my scene overall, though it is good for something else. This would really warm you up in winter with harsher climates. <br/><br/>Now is is getting onto the main part of the meal, the breakfast. The item that I ordered was the corn and chive pancakes. These came with poached egg (which I requested the yolk runny), some haloumi, a tomato kasundi, charred corn salsa, and a mixed salad of red onion, tomato and herbs. On top of that, I got an order of crispy bacon. This whole meal was very tasty. The corn fritters were solid, plus all the additions helped create a balanced dish that tasted somewhat healthy. The tomato kasundi was slightly smokey, the eggs were brilliant and soft (plus the yolks bled everywhere), and the mixed salad was not too bad. When asking for a bit of bacon on the side, they delivered in a generous quantity and it was pretty crispy as asked for. The only real gripe was maybe, even though it did taste good, the haloumi could have been seared a little better; it was soft. <br/><br/>As per usual, the brother-in-law and I swapped the missing items between plates - what I got from his were some sausage, mushroom, grilled tomato, and potato rosti. As well as switching stuff between the plates, the old switcheroo took place as well. Everyone got a bit of a try of everything. In saying that, my sister got waffles, and there was some of that left, plus bacon, plus poached pear, plus ice cream - that one albeit melted. The sausage was delicious and made with a good cut of pork, the mushroom was well cooked, the tomato decent, and the potato rosti was crispy outside and soft in the middle. Then getting onto the waffles, the actual waffle part was well cooked, the bacon was nice, and the ice cream was smooth and creamy. This was real quality ice cream, not the brand store stuff. Plus the pears were good and juicy. <br/><br/>This turned out to be better than expected, by quite a decent margin. While the food is not anything that differs too much from most of the cafes around other towns, what really made it stand out was the sheer size of the portions along with the attention to detail with the food - having some fresh additions here and there beefed up the meals. Additionally, credit is going to be given to the setting which is an unusual one, especially in the choice of design. <br/><br/>TL;DR: What we have hear is urban-levels of quality in dining, which is found in the middle of regional New South Wales. There is the charm of the northern region still present, the service does very well managing a large load of clients, and it is efficient as a choice. More of the same with the fare, more or less, and the food is quite a cut above the norm.
KelzFoodChronicle
Quite large on the inside with group and smaller tables available, limited outdoor seating. Smooth flavored coffee served quickly and a yummy selection of breakfast cooked beautifully, well presented food and large portions. The decor is trying, but doesn't quite hit the hipster mark it appears to be trying to achieve. Would recommend and visit again.
Damagemanagement
Eclectic feel. Staff were friendly and fast. Seemed easy to swap out menu items (swap eggs for mushrooms). Tea and Coffee was fast and nice. Food was superb. The Big Vege breakfast was best I've had in years...almost as good as i make at home! Definately one to come back to!!!!
Jloraine
Great place. Great and intetesting home cooked food and friendly staff. Well done highly recommended.
M Ant
The staff were friendly and prompt! The coffee was a little bit burnt, but I had the Big Vege Breaky and it was delicious!
Fudgeosaurus
Lismore's Best!. Go no further than The Bank Café! It took us years to discover the best eatery in Lismore – I know there’s lots of great competition for this University town, and we’ve tried most of them, but none come close to this iconic establishment.<br/><br/>All day breakfast 7 days a week, plus enough diversity on their lunch menu (11:30 until 3pm) to keep any ‘repetitive obsession overload’ at bay. I must confess I even carry both menu’s with me, in case we’re popping in! The entire menu is available for takeaway too! Barista services are city standard, David chooses Veneziano beans and great pride is demonstrated for all coffees created. <br/><br/>David is the central force here, and appears with a ‘Zebedee spring like action’ (that’s a ref to the ‘Magic Roundabout’ I’m talking about!) attending equally to everyone with incredible speed, warm friendliness and a dry wry wit. Engaging, professional and with a huge range of Sydney experience, David will always look after you, no matter what. His staff emulate his charm, and it’s always a positive, happy laid back friendly vibe in there.<br/><br/>The Bank Café occupies the old 1930’s Bank Building, a striking blue exterior entrance complete with pillars at 67 Molesworth Street, Lismore. In contrast the inside is equally impressive, the lofty ceilings, acres of wall space hung with retro art posters and an open plan atmosphere which allows you to claim your own space and feel its yours. There isn’t really a reason to leave during opening hours!
Atlantic Salmon with Sweet Potato Wedges Beef Burger Burrito Cakes Calamari Cheeseburger Cheesy fries Chocolate Ooze Mud Cake Churros Crab Curry Drunken Noodles with Chicken Basil Chilli Duck Dumplings Eggplant Eggs Benedict Falafel Fish Fish & Chips Fish Cake Fried rice Halloumi Honey Soy Chicken Ice Cream Juice & Smoothies Kabobs Lamb Shank Lamb Shoulder Nachos Noodle Onion rings Oyster Pad Thai Pasta Prawn Cutlets Prawns Red Curry Duck Curry Ribs Salad Salmon Sandwiches Scallops Schnitzel Sweet and Sour Pork Tandoori Chicken Tempura Toasts Waffles
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