Review Cafe Issus - Melbourne

An early morning breakfast with pancakes, Moroccan eggs meal and coffees. The Moroccan dish was superb for the cold morning as it was steaming hot and delicious, with mini meatballs. Crunchy bread and great eggs. The pancakes had great presentation, however were a bit hard and not very fluffy. The syrup and extra toppings made the meal good. For a donation of $3.50, this cafe serves more than 30 meals to the homeless. A little extra can make all the difference, will come again.

I ordered the pancakes and an iced chocolate and both were pretty good. Really enjoyed the food and the decorations were quite nice. There was a bit of a wait for our drinks and food because it was really busy, but overall i really enjoyed it.

Great food & customer service! Everything thing came reasonably within time. Portion sizes are decent for price which is good. Ordered the homemade porridge & big breakfast both were delicious.

Beautiful, soul warming, fresh soup (veg + lentil). Casual and comforting place to eat. They help feed many homeless people too with a voluntary Pay It Forward option.

Great food but we had a very average long black...... Their fresh juices are absolutely incredible and the beef burger is probably one of the best I had so far in Melbourne!!

Friendly service, delicious food and refreshing fresh juice. Love that this little café is found down one of the laneways in Melbourne’s CBD - Will definitely be returning!

Had lunch here. Food beyond my expectations! The homemade gnocchi was amazing. The meatball eggs hit home equity the strong tometoie flavour. Overall highly recommended. Will come again

I love the ambiance of the place and it looks cool. Staff are friendly and helpful. The coffee was good, but they put so much caramel syrup and just tasted way too sweet. The food was okay, good presentation but a bit too bland for me. Needs some seasoning on the scrambled eggs. The price was okay. All in all, it's good but has some room for improvements.

A sense of community ...

After 45 mins of desperately waiting for my order to arrive, I asked the staff about my order.. To which they replied that they have misplaced the docket. Its was really unprofessional for a restaurant staff to say that after making a consumer wait for that long! I hope you get more organised and care for a customer’s order next time. If you’ve misplaced the docket next time, take an initiative to go back and take the order again rather than making them wait. It was an awful experience.

I WAS HUNGRY.<br/>We placed an order for our food at 2:50pm and were desperately waiting for our food to arrive. <br/>Only got disappointed when we finally went to check in with the staff at 3:35pm about the status and realised that the kitchen order was just lying there. They did not process our order. I was so upset seeing how unorganised the staff and kitchen head/hand were. I was really looking forward to check out your food guys! <br/>Now, I AM HANGRY

Watching other people’s meals being served for breakfast was quite mouth-watering. Today I had the pulled pork, roasti and eggs with harissa hollandaise. Generous amount of pulled pork and the sauce at the base nicely spicy. <br/>Chai was good although I prefer it brewed in a pot. Still, it was hot and nice blend of spices. <br/>Menu is extensive with plenty of choices. Dietaries can be catered for - just let the staff know. <br/>This place is cosy and has a warm and inviting feel. Issus is licensed to if you’re after s Bloody Mary, Campari, Aperol or Mimosa then you’re in luck. <br/>There is one step into cafe and tables are tightly knitted together so doubt its wheelchair friendly. Kid friendly, in fact there were a half dozen kids with families while I dined. <br/>Playlist is nice and not too loud, enough to have me humming along. <br/>Staff are lovely and quick to seat you, take your order and serve you. <br/>Nice “pay it forward” jar at counter for those who’d like to donate.

Cute little place to have brunch. My beef ragu pasta was beautiful and hot, but my husband's big breakfast was a tad too oily. Wasn't a big fan of the brownie with fairy floss on top.

A classic little cafe in the cbd. Coffee is nice and food is good - scrambled eggs are always nice and fluffy. Service is good - they go out of their way to try and fit you in even when it’s packed. Food and drinks come out quickly. Great place to go during work!

Unfortunately we waited 45 minutes for cold bland meals. When you are the first diners of the day and the kitchen is quiet, this is not acceptable.

Good basic cafe food, lovely almond croissant, beautiful homemade banana bread and great coffee! It's hard to find a cafe is this part of the city as full of many italian eateries and baguette lunch outlets. This place like many is small and full of atmosphere as you watch hundreds of people stroll by, the most quintessential Melbourne experience is being 'in a cafe in a laneway.'

Amongst the busy cafes of Centre Place, we decided to try a random one and boy were we glad with our decision.<br/><br/>Nutella milkshake - this had surprised me the most as I was expecting a regular milkshake tasting like Nutella but never would I’ve imagined it would turn out to be a magnificent freak shake! It was like heaven to me given my sweet tooth cravings! 😍<br/><br/>Benny chan and smashed avocado - both dishes had similar elements such as bacon strips, avocado and poached eggs but it all tasted yummy and worked out well. Was pleased with the generous portion served for each plate! 😋<br/><br/>Was happy with the experience and would definitely go back to try their other dishes! 👄

This place is tucked in the busy centre place laneway amongst other bustling cafes. To me it's such a unique melbourne experience to have breakfast at any of this laneway cafes.<br/>We ordered the zucchini and halloumi fritters and the pulled pork.<br/>The fritter was a real treat. Everything on the plate complement each other nicely, the dish was light yet satisfying.<br/>The pulled pork was a bit on the bland side for us. But this was not a big issue since a sprinkle of salt and pepper fix this dish for us. Again it goes nicely with the potato cakes and the sriracha sauce.<br/>The only downside to this place is the ventilation. We were seated at the corner that's next to the kitchen and i can feel the smoke in the air as well as the smell that stick to our clothes.

Not the quickest or most efficient service, nor the cheapest in this area, but nice fresh ingredients, well cooked food at a still reasonable price, in a busy, lively, tour-group-people watching setting. Amazing how many tourists walk through Centre place! After a few tour groups had passed though, I started to feel uncomfortable.. like an animal in a zoo exhibit might with all the photos people take of Melbournians in their natural habitat.. Anyway.. back to the food.. A very generous serve of smoked salmon, my fritters were delicious and the meal a very substantial size without making you too sick, my meal was a flavour explosion in my mouth! The chips were delicious and I am told the burger was just okay. Cleanser juice was refreshing on such a hot day! No complaints about my food.

The burgers are better at Hungry Jacks. What a disgrace! When it’s black it’s cooked! Hahaha! The Wagyu burger pattie served to me was not just burnt, it had a thick bitter black crust on one side. Tried to cover it up with the melted cheese and other condiments. Staff members who served this up should be sacked.

The food was amazing! We had the eggs Benedict and the pancakes. The coffee was also top quality. The only thing that let them down was lack of smiles!

A busy Resteraunt is the first good sign the food is promising. Our last day in the city of Melbourne after a awesome weekend. Time for a tasty cooked breakfast. The food was tasty fresh and creative. The service was average. They seemed to busy to spend much time answering any questions we had. Would come back for the food.

My favourite brunch cafe every time i meet up with friends in the city - very nice food .. place can get very busy at lunch ... recommended ...

Situated in a busy lane way, i let my nose do the choosing and found ourselves seated in Issus Cafe. Nearing 12pm, I went for the Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder Pappardelle topped with Gramolata and some 'cheese'. The ricotta -like cheese made it ever so tasty. I swallowed the whole thing even though the Pappardelle was abit hard. We also had Eggplant chips to share. It was really nice and crispy!

This place is nothing special. The menu has some interesting descriptions, but the results aren't anything amazing in flavour or execution. This place is more about high speed than high quality food. Also a little on the small side for servings. Fast, no fuss service.

Ordered the big breakfast... noticed that 'fried' was the only option for egg (not poached or scrambled), wasn't asked to swap. Potato rosti had a sour taste. Place is really dear for what what it's worth. Wouldn't go back here for brunch.

Food and service is consistently amazing. I bring all my friends here when visiting Melbourne and they all love it. There are always specials and the drinks are great too.

Very disappointing. It was not busy at all, but the food took ages. When it arrived, the chicken salad was just swimming in balsamic vinegar. No other taste at all.

The menu here suggests a great deal of promise, but in the end it's a falsehood. The big flavours noted in each menu item are negligible at best. For example, a dish boasting Atlantic salmon and quinoa is as dry as it is bland.

Service was good but the food was average. I had the Eggs Issus and found it was closer to a Smashed Avo as I could barely taste the Hollandaise sauce. I also had a Raspberry Hot Chocolate and while I enjoyed It, it was very expensive for what I got.

Issus has Issues. Meatballs came out cold with stale cold toast and poached eggs way over cooked. Coffee mediocre and service disjointed. Go elsewhere.

I went here a few weeks ago in a bid to go somewhere I hadn't before on Degraves street. I ordered the pulled pork with poached eggs and hollandaise which was absolutely amazing! I would definitely recommend it to anyone thinking of going here. However, I was quite disappointed with the coffee despite high standards for this area. Maybe on return I would order a hot chocolate or something else instead.

Terrible service with the waiter forgetting about our only order, matcha latte. Upon waiting for more than twenty minutes, the matcha latte tasted horrible and still very powdery. I don't think I would ever come back to this place.

My family came for an early breakfast and it was amazing! We had the Nutella French toast which was delicious. The fritters were also a really good dish, especially for avocado lovers. There is also a specials menu. The only thing I could fault would be the cleanliness of floor.

Well the coffee was ok but the rest of this experience was decidedly average. We chose Smashed avocado with refried black beans, sautéed spinach, feta and poached eggs. The Avocado was watery and lacked any discernible seasoning, the Sour dough was not well toasted, and seemed slightly tough and stale, and while the eggs themselves were nicely cooked the combination just didn't really work.

Great coffee used, though their flat white was made to be more of a latte. Cheapest breakfast is the $4 egg and bacon muffin and we had no complaints among the family. Bircher muesli was generous in size and tasted great though not like your average Bircher as it had no crunch to it though as the mixture was quite wet. <br/>Good for coffee on the go.

Situated in the hustling bustling street in CBD. One of our friend introduced us to this place and believe me that the place was just average. We loved their hot chocolate. I had ordered for a fried chicken with rice from their special menu and the dish lacked taste. The chicken wasn't good at all. The house falafels were good. The mushroom risotto was not that great. Overall, a decent place to be in with friends but not great.

Centre Place is just as busy as Degraves St around lunch time but I came here around 2:45pm so I avoided the rush. I saw that Issus’ All Day Breakfast menu had rosti, and I have been looking for rosti options since having them at Auction Rooms and Matcha Mylkbar. As rosti is a side thing and not a main, it seems to be hard to search for cafes that include it.

I had breakfast here with a group of friends Sunday morning and this little cafe was bustling and had a great atmosphere. The tables are a little squeezy to get into but there is plenty of outdoor seating. I ordered the eggs Benedict with a rosti and smoked salmon, all the foods were fresh and came out rather quickly. We order coffees but found they were on the cooler side and when asked for some warm milk the barrister offered to make us new ones (what great service!) I throughly enjoyed my meal at Issus and will be back.

Such a nice looking little place tucked away in the city. Service was okay. Food was okay. The hollandaise sauce was tasteless which let the dish down.

Probably the best smashed avocado I've ever had, with really nice spinach and refried beans. Coffees were great as well. Service wasn't amazing, but nothing to complain too much about.

Biggest waste of a Sunday Morning! After waiting 40mins for we got served the most average $55 slop that we didn't even eat. I love degreaves street and the out door dinning but this place is a serious disappointment.

Fun and hearty Mediterranean-North African-Middle eastern influenced casual dining. A large range of home style soups everyday are a good start, and the meatballs were excellent!

Nice little place tucked away in the city. Had a very promising menu but unfortunately bland food and poor service let it down. The smashed avocado was okay, eggs were overcooked and was severely lacking in flavour as was all the other dishes we ordered. The only redeeming item was the mint juice I ordered which was very refreshing. I wouldn't waste your time here, there are much nicer cafes in the cbd to eat at.

Great little cafe hidden away in the very trendy Degraves St. Delicious food, particularly try breakfast menu and great for a coffee with friends. Strongly recommend

We found this quite crowded café when we were strolling around the city, wondering what to eat for lunch. We wanted to grab a table at the grain store but it was too crowded, and we needed to wait for 45 minutes. So, we decided to stroll around the city and nab a table at one of the cafés. . Hazelnut Hot Chocolate ($5)

I S S U S ☆ C A F E <br/>Sadly this place is an utter disappointment. Every dish was terrible! No flavour what's so ever. Even the table next to us was complaining. No amount of salt and pepper could improve any dishes. ✌ @foodiesguidetosydney

I wanted to like this place and gave it a few tries as it is very close to work. I must say though the coffee is not to my liking as it's really milky.

Absolutely terrible. Smallest 'big' breakfast in Melbourne. Would have to be the only cafe in Melbourne that doesn't have jugs of water. Food was lukewarm and bland. Not at all worth the price. Never again.

Great coffee

Loved it. We had breakfast today at Issus and really loved it. We were greeted and seated by a lovely young man who was very much on the ball, and obviously enjoyed his work. Great, vibrant personality! <br/>I ordered a smashed avocado on gluten free bread and it was perfect. Probably one of the best smashed avocado's I've ever had. Taste and presentation were beautiful.<br/>Our food came out very quickly, so too our tea and coffee.<br/>This was our first visit here. We'll definitely return!

There was no love in the food. The menu is promising but fails to deliver. The coffee was great - we should have stopped there. The open lamb souvlaki was warm and not cooked well. Under seasoned and just really average. It was a $5 meal at best but charged $20 - AVOID

V and I stopped in Issus Cafe Bar, one of the many laneway cafes, to rest our feet and grab a quick drink. V ordered a latte. As I had already downed my latte before brunch, I decided to check out their juice menu.<br/>

For locals and tourists alike, Degraves Lane in Melbourne is an attractive hotspot that offers a funky, urban alternative to the general hustle and bustle of the CBD. Since we're only here a few nights, our eating habits are a little off and we found ourselves hungry without lunch at 3 in the afternoon. Cue a quick stop off at a nearby cafe, Issus, in Degraves Lane. It's completely full and bustling, but we manage to steal a table - arriving as a group leaves. The menu here looks good, and we quickly settle on tortilla chips with guacamole mousse and tomato salsa, eggplant chips with house mayonnaise and a feta & spinach spanakopita. Cafe Issus  The tortilla chips are crunchy; shards of fried corn tortillas that remind me of when I used to work at Nandos as a seventeen year old and we would deep-fry the wraps. Ie. they taste delicious! The tomato salsa is vibrant and zingy, fresh and enjoyable. The guacamole mousse is light and foamy and has a great balance of seasoning.  The eggplant

Issus is a nice place to go for a brunch with good food and interesting surrounds. The service was friendly and efficient. Well worth a visit.

I really liked the eggs royale, my eggs were poached to perfection and the smoked salmon was fresh.

Cafe Issus is one of the places in the city to serve all-day breakfasts. Their menu was rather extensive and we had a tough time picking out things to eat cause we were so spoilt for choices! Ah, but the food here wasn't that great, and doesn't seem pleasing enough to make you wanna come back for more. Mixed Berry Smoothie I can't remember what fruit juice I ordered, but I like how there's no added sugar in them and they were really fresh and came in a huge serving! The mixed berry smoothie was made with yogurt and milk.

its saving grace is the wide breakfast menu and I'm a sucker for eggs, and it's location and ambience. If I'm in the area, I may well pop back in.

Pan Fried Mushrooms with Spinach and Thyme with Poached Eggs and Pan-fried Haloumi...I was pretty happy with my breakfast and the Haloumi was...nice and squeaky!

Service is fine, juice is great food.... Nothing interesting on the menu, when the breakfast came out it was bland and the toast was chewy and the eggs were over cooked and the avocado was brown... So no never again

Let down. Be prepared for a long wait for your food. Forgetful staff. And the milkshake is mostly ice, mmm milky water.

Came back after two years and still great food and great service. Well done. Best oats porridge.

Nothing beats the combo of bad food AND Bad service. It started with no water, then our meals came out 5-10mins apart. When the waiter finally brought the water we requested he proceeded to spill it over my meal. Which honestly I wasn't too worried about because the meal was tasteless and I was happy for the excuse not to pay for the terrible meal. However the waiter ignored (didn't hear) my instruction not to bring a replacement and proceeded to "replace" my meal with less than what he ruined and when told him I had said I didn't want it, he ignored that and put it down in front of me and walks away. Finally topped it off by charging full price for everything even though the "replacement" was untouched and I had eaten less than a quarter of the original meal which he pour water on. DONT GO HERE

This place has some Issu'es. After craving a good Eggs Benedict for a solid 2 hours we settled for this cute little cafe. However after having to ask the waitress for a table we were told 'just pick a table' and followed silently to where we sat and were handed menus. The waitress didn't smile once, never welcomed us, Never offered us drinks, and clearly didn't want to be there. We ordered our meal, waited a relatively fair amount of time which was perfectly fine! When the meal arrived we were delighted, it was a good size and exactly what we wanted! However, after picking out half the egg shell from our poached eggs, attempting to cut through burnt bread on a table which resembled a seesaw, asking the waitress several times to refill the cup of water which had been spilled all over the table everytime we tried to cut something, we weren't so delighted. The meal itself was enjoyable besides the egg shell, however due to the lack of service I won't be returning to this cafe.

Trekking through the laneways of Melbourne CBD we crossed this little place for lunch. It is the famous Melbourne Cup Day so things are a little quieter than usual in the area, with a few shops actually closed today. <br/>What made us stop here was the fact that they weren't the norm of this lane (ie just serving breakfast and/or pizza). <br/>The better half started with a raspberry hot chocolate which she thought was awesome. Deciding on the menu was made a little easier by two potential menu items not being available. I had the pulled pork bun whereas the other half had the open lamb souvlaki. Didn't really care for the presentation of her meal as the lettuce looked like it wasn't fresh. Mine was fairly delicious however I wouldn't come here if I was on a health kick - food was a little greasy, but good all the same. <br/>It was a tough star rating. I think a 3.5 would be suffice for this place.

Best Melbourne lanes breakfast. Every time we visit Melbourne we just have to get breakfast here at least once. The food is consistently delicious and always worth the wait for a table. Even though you're squashed into a little space that is part of the great experience of reading here. I'm a coffee snob and the flat white here is 10/10!!!<br/>Do yourself a flavour and eat here. (Pun intended).

Review. Having enjoyed the food and hospitality for well over a year now, your establishment on degraves truly defines Melbourne’s iconic culture and atmosphere when it comes to “Hidden gems”.<br/><br/>The staff are always courteous and friendly dishing up amazing food from the kitchen with smiles. <br/><br/>A special mention to the amazing barista, having referred on friends and work colleagues to the awesome coffee they have all found it difficult to find a better

Chic decor, Spanish/South American influenced food. The usuals for brekkie but with an exotic twist. Partner normally an eggs bene fanned devoured smashed avocado with poached eggs & refried veabs on sourdough toast for $16.. Perfectly cooked & welk-presented with strong earthy undertones. I gad the fruit salad with greek yoghurt & toasted muesli. Sald on the raw side tho large serving. Greek yoghurt creamy & smooth, muesli with a touch of spice. Could've had less salad & more topping. Coffees smooth & prompt. Would recommend - but don't do what I did... Do go out of your comfort zone - it's worth it.

Food was tasty and well made, though service was lacking- staff weren't very attentive or friendly

Average food, overpriced, poor service (don't even ask about splitting the bill). Give it a miss

My partner and I stumbled on this place by chance and were pleasantly surprised! It has a very relaxed vibe and the service was good. We both had the "three soft taco" meal and it was absolutely delicious, and just enough. Definitely will come back sometime soon

Unfortunately a massive let down. Food was overpriced and service was stale! When our food finally arrived, the eggs were over cooked and the rest of the meal was undercooked. Degraves has a lot more to offer than Issus, so stear clear.

Friendly staff. Cheap drinks. Nice little venue. Sucked that kitchen was closed during happy hour.

No water, no service, no thanks.<br/>Worst place in Degraves/ centre place.<br/>Attitude stinks and over priced food and beer. <br/><br/>Actual conversation just went like this <br/>'Im still waiting for my beer ?'<br/><br/>'Yup that's true.'<br/><br/><br/>Never again.

I'm not sure how this place got 61% approval rating. We had a great experience. Food and coffee was great and the atmosphere was very relaxing.

Don't waste your time and money, avoid this place. Period.<br/>Clearly there wasn't enough waiting staff on Sun, waited 30 mins for menu, 30 mins to place order. We ordered big breakfast, corn with halloumi, latte and OJ. Waited 30 mins for the food. When the food came, we got 2 big breakfasts instead. Additional 10 mins for the corn with halloumi.<br/>Brunch was expensive and a rip off, the portions were small. Food and presentation weren't good.<br/>It was very humid inside the cafe. Cutlery was dirty because it was put the wrong way in the cutlery holder.<br/>Menu was confusing. Pancakes with bananas and syrup, on the menu was $10.50, on the special menu $11.50. Didn't see anything special for the same item.<br/>We were charged $60 (?!?!) for drinks and 2 big breakfasts. The staff didn't even apologise when we corrected her. The correct bill was $51, couldn't believe the rip off!! <br/>Other cafes with great food don't even cost this much. <br/>We went to this cafe because all other cafes on Degraves were busy, no wonder this cafe wasn't.<br/>Avoid.

Worst breakfast service in Melbourne CBD. Today is a hot day with the mercury already climbing to 33oC before 8:30 this morning.<br/>I went into Issus, sat down and waited five minutes without any service even though I was the first patron in the restaurant. After getting up to get the attention of the waitress, the service continued to deteriorate. On such a hot day, let alone any day, you would expect to be brought table water - this didn't occur despite asking 3 team mates for it. I ordered the ice tea which took fifteen minutes to prepare and it was just hot berry tea with a near melted ice cubes at the top. The Eggs Issus was good but not in comparison to the terrible service that I received. If you looked around Degraves, the rest of the cafes are buzzing but Issus isn't and this is understandable - it's the worst service that I've received in Melbourne CBD. Because I travel to Melbourne with work, I get the opportunity to eat breakfast out every morning and this restaurant is by far, at the bottom of the list. Every other cafe in Degraves leaves Issus behind.

Recommend the house falafels - delicious! Very friendly staff

Amazing prawn taco with avocado and corn salsa. Husband got the trio of tacos and was not dissapointed. Vibrant lane way with lots happening at lunch time.

Never disappoints. I stumbled upon Issus last year and I have never stopped going back. Fantastic breakfast, fantastic tasting plate, reasonable wine prices and jugs of sangria. I will continue to go to Issus every time I am in Melbourne. It has it all!

One of the best breakfasts I have ever had. Got there early, staff were great coffee excellent and the best meal. Order the Mediterranean eggs for sure!!

Not enough effort. Staff are rude, food is over priced for what you get. Very disappointing. Coffee is terrible -considering its centre place!

Nice Place. Happened by chance on this place, great food and coffee, am going to replicate our meals at home and see what the kids think of it.staff were friendly; would return again.

Decent coffee, awful meal. I ordered the eggs benedict (with hashbrown and sausage) and what I received was not worth half the price I paid (about $17). The only thing on the plate that was hot was the hashbrown, which looked as though the chef had whipped around the corner to Macdonald's. The sausage was tough, the English muffin was soggy, and the hollandaise had formed a skin. The wait for the food was obscene. While the wait staff were friendly, they seemed distracted and lacking in knowledge of what they were serving. I will not be returning.

Had lunch with a party of four and we all loved our meal. Soft shelled tacos were fresh, the pulled pork bun divine, the porridge delish (all day brekkie) and bruschetta fresh. Have been a few times and enjoyed it. Great spot on Centre Place.

Boring bland and totally rude staff - don't be charmed by the outside allure of intimacy. The food is terrible

LOVED IT. Very funky little cafe had the mezze plate with wife and we loved it<br/>staff were friendly.. food was fresh & quick!<br/>definitely go back! Thanks guys..

I was quite happy with my Italian Hot Chocolate, but that is where my happiness departed and then quite promptly ran away. Ordering Eggs Benedict with the optional inclusions of sausage and hash brown, after a lengthy wait even Doctor Who wouldn't put up with I am left sans Hot Chocolate and a meal half the size of the similarly priced meals on the tables to both my sides. The quality of the food itself was more than acceptable, if I am going for mediocre, but all this meaningless once it was drowned in a generous lather of Hollandais, one part the regular ingredients to 99 parts lemon juice. The restaurant has cleverly invented a meal that looked like a regular breakfast, but was in fact just a lemon in a sneaky disguise. I expect to cleanse my palette between meals, not during the meal itself. Will not be returning anytime soon, you likely want to join me somewhere else nearby, anywhere. Also of note, now scared of lemons.

2nd Chance Failure. We had boycotted this for city breakfast venue almost 12 months ago due to poor meal quality, and sloppy service. As I like to give most establishments a second opportunity to redeem themselves, I feel they are in the same groove they were 12 months ago. The eggs florentine, looked great but were coldish and tasted quiet vinegary. The bread was hardly toasted and cold/ soggy. When the waitress collected my plate I mentioned that it was cold and she almost totally ignored mr until my wife chimed in. She apologised without any conviction, and when I went to pay, nothing had been passed on. I spoke to the cashier, who was more attuned to our complaint, apologised and gave us a small discount. Even the cafe latte was below par. You would think with so many cafe's in such a confined street that they would all be vying for your business. Guess they have so many " not coming back " that they can still survive. We will not either. 2 nd chance to impress has been blown.

Bland bland bland

Abysmal. Experience was so bad it prompted me to write my first ever review of a cafe. <br/><br/>We waited over 45 mins for some scrambled eggs on toast and poached eggs on avacado salsa when we were the only diners in the cafe for breakfast. <br/><br/>The poached eggs were cold, watery and tasteless. The scrambled eggs were also watery, bland and luke warm. If a cafe cannot cook staple breakfast items such as poached or scrambled eggs, they should not be in business. <br/><br/>Service was appalling - no water offered, no butter provided for toast, wait staff were not up to scratch. <br/><br/>This cafe is only in business because of its location in one of Melbournes alleyways, not because of quality.

This place is terrible. The food, the effort, the coffee, the atmosphere is extremely poor. The staff are not happy to be there & the manager looks like they'd rather be doing something else! This place only gets customers because of its location. The quality of the food is way below acceptable standards. I've never been to a worse place in my life! The service & food here is CRAP! So disappointed.<br/><br/><br/>-----12 Jan, 2013-----<br/><br/>AVOID THIS PLACE!. This place is shocking! The staff look depressed, the female manager pays more attention to herself in the mirror & in particular to one of her grumpy male employees (I'm assuming is her assistant). She needs to focus more on the customers. We had to wait so long for our food I couldn't help but notice what was going on. I strongly believe in first impressions & I should have taken note of the "tacky" specials menu that my 12 yr old could have typed up better. The food is too expensive for what you get and the quality is very poor. My plate had fingerprint marks right around the rim. Both meals came at different times 10 minutes apart! The tacos were below standard, the avocado mousse that was served with them was brown in colour, the tomato salsa was not fresh at all I wouldn't be surprised if it was from the day before. The panzanella salad was extremely disappointing for $17.90 it was a rip off they could at least serve it with good quality goats cheese. Even at the end, the manager showed no class she kept us waiting to pay with her back towards us even though her staff called out twice to let her know we were waiting to pay. This place lacks atmosphere oh yeah and the coffee is terrible! Take my advice go across the road!

Good food. Fast service. Strong coffee. Fantastic big breakfast. They're generous on the bacon. I love bacon

Nicely presented food but stuffy on a hot day with dodgy aircon and fans.

Issus has some issues.. I visited Issus for lunch during the week. With only an hour to spare for lunch, we wanted a meal that was quick and easy. I ordered a ciabatta and asked for it with no ricotta, which was not possible, so I had to change my meal. My dad ordered the daily special which was the pulled pork bun. My toast came out quickly, but the pork bun took about half an hour. I dont think something as simple as that, and a meal that was on their specials board should take that long. We were also charged incorrectly at the conclusion of our meal.

Trio of Tacos. After a bad choice for lunch earlier in the day and three hours after padding the great laneways of Melbourne, I came across this perfect find. Very friendly staff, great service and variety in the one meal. Chicken & Tamarind; Beef & Spicy Sauce; Pork with Pineapple (very subtle) sauce. Tomato salsa, guacamole and shredded cheese on the side. Very pleasant way to end an afternoon. Thank you Issus.

First experience at Issus left me and my children unimpressed. However today I walked away very satisfied. Uncertain which offering to choose out of two the friendly waiter helped this indecisive Pisces... And he was right the smashed avo, black beans, poached eggs and feta were delectable. I will return

Tasty but overpriced considering the quality and standard of food.

The service was not great. We waited 20 minutes for our food, until we had to call a waitress to check with the chef - turns out the order never went through (what?) and we had to wait all over again. Very infuriating. <br/><br/>I had the trio of tacos, which were decent but not exceptional by any stretch. My friend had the pulled pork bun and really wasn't satisfied. The "chunky chipotle chips "on the side were extremely salty and I couldn't taste the chipotle at all!<br/><br/>It was such a long wait for food which was only fairly decent and definitely not worth the money we paid.

Great breakfast locale. Enjoyed a lovely Sunday breakfast here. I found the service friendly and efficient - not Melbourne's best coffee, although the interesting array of breakfast items really offset that. I had a kind of deconstructed haloumi with plenty of mushrooms, spinach and poached egg - really hit the spot. Would definitely recommend/return

Love the big breakfast have been 3-4 times and thoroughly enjoyed it. Rate the flavoured hot chocolate too yum. Have not experienced bad service but have found its always busy an staff are rushing around.

Great Baked Eggs. I ordered the baked eggs which had chickpeas and chorizo in it with a slice of toasted sourdough, it did not disappoint! My friend had the Middle Eastern Meatballs and also loved her dish.<br/><br/>We both ordered a soy latte as well, would def. go back to this cafe for brunch!

Food is delicious, service is a bit indifferent, but I didn't really care.

Good food! Too bad about the service. Our drinks were slammed down on the table by a young trendy man who was more concerned with chatting to his colleagues then he was in providing any form of customer service. We ordered soft tacos, tortilla chips and eggplant chips. Eggplant chips were good, tacos and tortilla chips were great! We asked for water also, three times, after the third time it came. Whilst waiting for our meal the manager, I assume, sat on the table behind me eating. Two of the waiters, including the trendy man, sat with her and for the next 5 minutes gossiped and complained about some customers who must have complained about the rude service. I chuckled as I heard one of them say "I don't know what their problem was, we're not rude!"... So, if you want to be entertained by their lackluster performance you know where to go. As for the food, it was pretty good. Was it worth the terrible service?...I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon.

Delicious!. We went here twice on our trip to Melbourne. The food was great both times! Middle eastern eggs were delicious and different! The wait staff were a bit dopey but we're from Perth and expect that. We were all pleasantly surprised and will visit again

Had breakfast here the other morning, it was a little slow but I have to say it was well worth the wait. Being a cafe owner myself I know what the morning rushes can be like, I was very glad to see that the standards weren't dropped even though they were very busy. Great job guys keep up the great work