Review Cafe Mambo - Sunshine

Service was on point! Food came out relatively fast for a packed restaurant. Ribs were flavourful, soft and tender, and the pizza's topping were fresh and had a maillard kinda roastiness. Finished with a cheesecake and coffee to cap off the evening.

Porterhouse steak medium well... bang on! Mushroom sauce, delicious, chips were hot and seasoned nicely. Mambos never dissapoints me. Food came out in timely manner.

meals are very delicious, large portions, friendly staff members, overall I’m very impressed

Absolutely perfect we booked for 31 people and the staff were just amazing and so on to it. The meals were amazing timing was amazing. seriously 10 outta 10 guys thank you to all the staff you all definitely made a very special night just that much more special.

The fish had burnt crumbs but was undercooked. Most likely frozen and just quickly fried without thawing first.

This is a place to relax and have a great evening. Food is excellent, friendly staff and great service.

All time favourite place. Food is always heart warming just like their friendly staff! My go to place for a mid week night out for dinner or Sunday lunches! Thai beef salad is delicious!! 10/10 highly recommend!

Had my birthday dinner here last night and the service was absolutely amazing from the moment I walked in. Table service was wonderful, we were all looked after so well. The food was also Devine and the staff were all so lovely and nice! Will definitely be back soon! 😊

Was here at around 1pm and was struggling on deciding a light meal before working out. Kind staff suggested pasta was too heavy and recommended bacon and eggs.<br/>Excellent decision ever made

Meals are good and came out reasonably quick... although not too quick that you worry. Service was great, very attentive and polite on a busy Saturday night. We will be back.

The food is not as great as it used to be, was my go to place at one point but im pretty sure they changed owners. I ordered the fettuccine carbonara which wasnt bad, but towards the end the pasta wasnt fully cooked and was really hard and chewy, also had so much oil it was literally soaked. Its okay tho :) staff are friendly

Not bad. Went here for mother's day dinner. It was completely packed which gave it a nice lively atmosphere. Had a salmon salad which was alright. The staff here were pretty inattentive though and I had to wait forever to get their attention.

I ordered a carbonara w ravioli and a chicken ribs & chips snack. <br/><br/>The chicken was cooked well and their chips were fresh and perfectly seasoned. <br/><br/>What disappointed me was the carbonara, it was very dry, there was barely any sauce and the ravioli was just tasteless. Probably the worst carbonara I’ve ever had. <br/><br/>I really tried to like it because service was very warm, friendly and food came out fast, but I couldn’t. <br/><br/>I had a stomach ache the next morning as well, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were because of the pasta

We ordered Mambo no. 5 and a Prawn risotto. The prawn risotto was too bland and the rice wasn't cooked through. Mambo no. 5 was a gourmet pizza with lamb however the lamb was in big chunks and was hard to chew. For the price we paid we had much higher expectations of the food. Overall the meal was not so satisfying and unfortunately we would not come back. On the positive side, the staff were very friendly and our food did not take long to come out.

Food was average at best, service ok. Reasonably priced but there are certainly other restaurants in the area of better quality. For a quick meal, not bad but nit good either. Once again, average at best.

Just out from the cinemas, walked past and the place was very busy, so we assume lots of people, must be good. And it was. The service was great, especially in accomodating my son who has severe food allergies. They went out of their way to make sure they could accomodate him. The staff were very friendly and the food was fantastic for all of us. Generous serves and tasty. We walked out very very happy with everything. Highly recommend.

I visit mambos once every two weeks. It's a place i can go and catch up with friends and chat while enjoying delicious beverages and top quality food. Today 12/11/2018 one of the waiters did sonething that really surprised me. It's not really a big deal but its something I havnt experienced anywhere else. It's a 30 degree day and my friend and I were sitting in the smokers/outdoor setting and a waitress walked outside with a jug of cold water and two glasses and asked if we would like some cold water. How thoughtful is that?? That is great customer service. Definitely keeping mambos as my main. Not to mention the friendly staff. 100% five stars.

Food is good in general, ordered rice with it, the rice is dry and tastes old. Apart from that the meat is amazing ! I’m gonna be generous and rate 4 anyway

It's a good fall back when you're unsure of what to eat or where the eat. You do get quite a few good dishes that easily become a go to dish. I love the mambos chicken Caesar salad. Definitely the best one I've ever had. They also make a great carbonara and the servings are generous!

Interesting choice of interior. The cafe has changed abit over the past 6 months. Food is still at value for its money but I feel like the flavour has gone abit bland. But overall a good local place for dinner. Great service and staff are quite good and accomadating.

I normally go here for causal dining and it’s one of the places I don’t really have much to fault about, the food and service is good and food comes out quiet fast but the portion here is quiet big and I always leave here very full. The ribs are soft and falls of the bones lasagna and paster are decent I always come here and will continue coming back

I’ve eaten here a half a dozen times over a few years, and it’s just ok. The food is reasonably priced and tasty enough, but the service could really use an upgrade. <br/>For example, when we sat down water and glasses were brought-but we then ordered a jug of soft drink and weren’t given more glasses. I ordered a pasta dish (which was fantastic), and while staff were more than happy to provide Parmesan on request, I feel that Parmesan should be offered with pasta. <br/>I’m being a little nit picky I know, as the food was quickly served and very tasty, it just seems that mambo is missing the opportunity to bring themselves up to that next level.

My favourite place to eat at in Sunshine! I eat here almost every week, with no shame. Their food is always freshly cooked and delicious. I always order the Mambo Chicken Burger, im seriously addicted. I love their food but I can’t give it a 5 star rating cause I feel like their ambience could be improved! Still Highly recommended though!

Was an alright feed before the movies lots of options but may be to many to keep up with quality <br/>Will be back as it is a lot cheaper and bigger then what you pay for in cinemas with food <br/>quality over quantity

The food is decent here. The coffee is ok too. It's great for the locals to go and hang there over drinks. Since they do have an outdoor seating area.

Great local place for a meal before the movies. Food is well portioned and reasonably tasty. Service could be more professional but generally ok

This was one of the worst experience in a restaurant ever. I ordered the seafood basket. The fish tasted funny when requested to take back was ignored by the waitstaff.

This place is consistently great. Have been here over a dozen times in the last 2 years. The food is well priced for what you're getting. The mushroom chicken risotto here is an excellent choice along with the scotch fillet steak. The manager is well spoken and asks us for general feedback after our meals which demonstrates their strive to become better and desire to redevelop their dishes according to customer feedback.<br/><br/>Only feedback I can say is that the servers are sometimes not paying attention and tend to wander around aimlessly during quiet hours. It may take some time for a server to notice and get your order. Other than that, the place is great.<br/><br/>I would recommend stopping here if you're in the area. It's a good place for dinner and gets rather busy.

I couldn't  count how many times I have been here in the past five years. New staff are fabulous, on the ball. The food is always excellent quality. Mexican Parma, yum yum and huge! My friend had the salmon, massive piece, perfectly cooked with a lovely side serving of vegies and mash. Try the lamb pizza, delicious

A really chill place, has heaps of options that are always made really well. Mostly recommend lunch and dinner options (not much good stuff for breakfast)! Friendly staff and the food is always consistent and satisfying!

It's the only decent place in the sunshine market place.. whatever's served is served well.. good for quick eats as well as sit downs.. tried the potato wedges and nachos.. both are nice. Service was nice too 👍

I have one word to describe mambos, and that's 'consistent.' I've been coming to Mambos for many years. Why?<br/>Because the food is great and the atmosphere relaxed. <br/><br/>Mambos is like the perfect cafe for a Tinder date, if you don't want to venture outside of Sunshine. And let's be honest, who wants to drive tens of K's for a Tinder date. <br/>It's relaxed, fun atmosphere and good quality menu will surely impress the lucky charmer that happened to swipe right too. <br/><br/>I personally love the Chicken Avocado. The breast of chicken is consistently tasting fresh and I love the creamy avocado sauce that brings the dish to life. The vegetables can be a little undercooked at times, tasting hard and vaguely raw. The side of chips and fresh avocado pieces complement the dish nicely. <br/><br/>Cafe Mambo is not pretentious in the slightest and appeals to the needs of the local community with its great tasting cafe/pub menu. Great, honest food for value. My verdict: WORTH IT for mains under $22.

Very good serving sizes. Good tasting aswell. I always get the chicken burger and am very full afterwards😆. All dishes are well priced not too expensive. Nice environment inside and outside it has been recently renovated from memory april 2017. Good service from good looking chicks at times 😂😂😂

Nothing fancy by any means, but a decent meal and a cheap drink before a movie at Village Sunshine. I'm a big fan of the cocktails and the garlic pizza. Very family friendly and certainly an affordable lunch or dinner option in the area.

Starting with the venue itself, the restaurant needs more lighting, it's far too dark. The menu needs to be cut down and focus on quality, not quantity. Servings are huge and  unnecessary, perhaps a marketing move to compete with the all you can eat restaurant next door.  A well below average outing.

Been hear many times, never had any issues. <br/>A great place to catch up with friends rather than sitting in food court. <br/>A variety in food that always tastes good to me, can be a bit pricey but the servings are large. <br/>Don't like how you can't split the bill and they don't seem to be on social media which is strange given the young, groovy vibe the place gives.

The serving size was rather generous! This dish was nothing too special. Chips had no, or hardly any salt. Overall, a bit overpriced for the meal.

Had seafood platter.....So bad...4 burnt scallops 4 burnt prawns . four calamari rings...which were stretchier than knicker elastic...and a pieace of perfectly square fish.which obviously wasnt real @fish....the salad it was served with was limp old lettuce..with 4 olives a little old cumber and one small tomato .save your money ..go elswhere..my wife has had the runs since ....disgusting

Very casual vibe there.<br/><br/>Ordered Spinach Lasagna, it was done less than 15mins which i give brownie points to. However it tastes satisfactory :)

I was very disappointed with their black pepper angus burger. The meat was tough and the sauce made the bun too soggy. Taste wise it felt meh too. Another dish that we had, carbonara, was good though. Tho it wasn't spectacular either. We also had chips and ice chocolate. Those two were good.

Had the Chicken with Avocado sauce, mash and vegetables. The chicken was nice and tender and the vegetables well cooked but the Avocado sauce was too salty and there is no excuse to ever use instant mash potatoes, I was surprised they were not cooked fresh.

Often come here for dinner, portion sizes are good and foods cheap (generally). However every time I've got a coffee here the milk has been burnt. Service is good generally staff seat and serve quickly. Defs worth a pop in for lunch/dinner or you got a spare hour before your movie money dinning.

Decided to come to this cafe after work which is situated right across Village Cinemas. Ordered the calamari rings which I have previously tried before which I regret. Very chewy and difficult to swallow, the only thing decent on the plate were the chips. On the other hand, the pasta was nice and had good flavours. Overall, a decent and casual place to dine at if you're in the centre.

Decent place to dine very casual, not the GREATEST but its somewhere you can pick up a meal and still be full and can say ' that was decent' ... Cheap meals! I know many people that don't like Mambos.. But personally I enjoy their food! The dish I enjoy the most here is the Chicken and Mushroom Risotto! Never tasted better risotto than this place! Generous servings ! <br/><br/>Partner ordered chicken parma with mash as extra, the chicken was dry ... And chips werent that cooked...<br/>Mash was abit plain! Staff are attentive and very welcoming though! <br/><br/>Affordable and cheap ! Great for a quick lunch joint

This place is always busy as the options to grab a bite before a movie is......well........ limited. (Either this or Maccas!)  The service is patchy, the food is usually just ok, and the overall price is never anything to grumble about so I guess it does the job - it doesn't rock my world.

I have frequented this establishment many times for a quick, affordable and reliable breakfast. However, my last visit fell well short of satisfactory. My bacon and eggs were slapdash, extremely oily and the fried eggs (despite wanting poached) were over-done. When I approached the waiter his response was underwhelming. After attempting to drain the excess oil from my bacon with my serviette, I gave up on my meal. I left feedback at POS but again, the service was horrendous. Usually the service here is spot-on, but today my concerns were met with "oh well, you should have asked for non-oily bacon" - umm, no your chef should drain excess oil from bacon in kitchen before it comes to my table. I won't be returning, there are a growing number of good cafes in the Sunshine area, where the food is great and service spot on.

Whenever I go there the food is always served hot. Not kept waiting too long either. Staff friendly and helpful, on busier nights might have to wait. The warm chicken greek salad is great, depending on who makes it. Sometimes generous with things like the fetta etc, other times can look a bit measly. Chicken burger great, chicken avocado, lovely with veggies and chips, really filling and satisfying. Not expensivley priced food and drinks. Just about all dishes here are great, pizzas, YUMMY! Great place to bring the kids too.

I have only been to mambos a few times but both times I've had such pleasant and fast service last night I was there for a quick dinner and had a pizza it was honestly one of the best pizzas I've had in Melbourne in 10 years. And still tastes great as left overs thanks mambos

saw the pizza maker putting his a$$ on the surface where he makes pizza no wonder y people get sick after eating from this place. <br/>btw, i only had coffee and a small pizza with dough sour than lemons

Still love this place for a great cheap eat! The pizzas and pastas are still really good (however sides such as nachos and wedges are usually dry and unsatisfying). Overall, they are still reliable for simple meals.

Food gone down hill. Plenty of staff on and none of them attentive <br/>Food was really poor,<br/>After years of eating here we won't again !

Awesome food !!. Mambos cafe is perfect for me n my colleagues. Food is always good and the staff are always friendly. Have booked out half the area before for a gathering of 25 ppl and everything was still on point even pleased 6 of our very fussy eaters ! Recommend it to everyone !!!!

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Absolutely love mambos , today we had the Parma and ribs , both delish! Best ribs i have ever had and such good value for money. Our favourite local! Good food, good prices and good service !

Good service, but below average food. Very good service, friendly and helpful. But these don't help the below average food standard.

Service was good. Cocktails are good. Food is terrible! Oven baked chips from supermarket, pizza had terrible base with cheap square ham, 24 br disgusting Swanson st pizza places do it better. My partner had salad drenched in some disgusting oil. Both meals were unfinished, McDonalds would have been cheaper and better option. Avoid it.

Diamond in the rough. Café Mambo is probably one of the best casual dining venues within Sunshine. Located in the plaza, it is a fantastic place to relax, enjoy a good meal and be met with great service. I have been here numerous times and it always seems to be busy. The relaxed and appealing atmosphere is paired with a fantastic menu which promises to deliver, whether your after a delicious steak, burger or pizza. The menu is well priced and the service is attentive and prompt. This café is a diamond surrounded by the lacklustre eateries that inhabit the plaza and surrounding areas. A must go if you're in the area or hungry before/after a movie.

The food here has gone downhill. <br/>Used to be seriously awesome. Now it's crap. The servings sizes are good but the quality of food has changed. <br/>The chicken burger used to have the best bread and chicken out and now the chicken is gristly and tastes bad and the bread is stale. <br/><br/>Pick up your game, Mambos!<br/><br/><br/>-----19 May, 2014-----<br/><br/>Awesome food, great price, nice staff, good service, good atmosphere!!

I love Cafe Mambo. They made a fabulous steak and always cook it to perfection. Garlic prawns and their hamburgers are also very yummy. This is a great local eatery.

This place has neither quality or service. Food is average.

Food overall was Ok for a local restaurant. Service needs improvement. Lots of staff walking around but trying to get help from anyone was a challenge. What happened to bringing peoples meals out at about the same time!!!! This is when you know your at a bottom end restaurant. When out with a friend on Sat night, she ordered a salad and I a pizza. She got her salad first and 10min later i got my pizza.

Good grub. Have been to eat here a few times. The food is great for what you get.....excellent pizza, tasty wedges and soup, Caesar is a tad ordinary too much lettuce compared with other ingredients which is minimal. Their Parma is fantastically huge and tasty served with salad and chips. Coffee to strong and bitter. quick service however will not separate the bill or change ingredients on menu..bad luck if you are diabetic, gluten free.......

Home made hearty food Ass.... Home made hearty food<br/><br/>Assortment of foods on the menu - Italian orientated like pastas salads steak and lots of pizza's. <br/>Dont know what to eat for dinner? Mambo is quite a good option, big servings, lots to choose from, so its filling and its quite cheap<br/>Food 7.5/10<br/>Service 8.5/10<br/>I'll return if I want something fast and cheap to eat before a movie

Excellent pizza but don't touch anything else.

Mambo. Stopped by on the way to watch a movie, and is actually very convienant to stop by to eat. Was great value for money and generours food proportions and food quality was decent. I had the famous mambo chicken burger and the thing was as big as my head, was put together pretty well and tasted great, put togerther with a side of chips. My girlfriend also had the chicken avacado and was also a decent portion and chicken wasnt overcooked or dried out and tasted great with the avacado. Service wasnt to bad and staff were friendly. Food took around 20mins to come out but all in all was a great experience and was value for money and also on an extra note, very family friendly. Pizza range is huge and you can take away what ever you dont finish.

I've become a regular!. Great service, great value, lovely food, diverse menu. Happenin' atmosphere, right next to cinemas and shops. We are grateful to have found Mambo nearby us. I've been there too many times to count. Burgers and chips to die for.

On a table of 3 no meal cooked correctly. Overcooked chicken burgers . 1/2 poached eggs solid . No seasoning & the Waite staff have no customer service skills. Such a disappointment.

Hopefully this place has changed since I've been here a year ago, staff were inexperienced, food real mediocre considering they're just the standard burger, chips and Salads. Coffee was wayyyy too milky. It's lucky there no other good cafes nearby.

I had dinner at mambo the other.... I come from a hospitality background and making pizza for a living. I have to say that the pizza was average, also pasta wasn't the best and customer service was again poor... No smiles or enthusiasm and the fact that it took our waitress 15 mins to take order was sad.

Value. Had a takeaway pizza from Mambo, not bad value for what I got. Pizza was good, tasty and had a decent amount of topping.

Food took about 40 mins to come out. Everyone else finished eating. Came out stale. Will do best to avoid in future.

So far this place can do no wrong, highly recommended, eating more times than I can count at manbos and everytime it has been 10 out of 10!!

Good service relaxed atmosphere and cheap!! the food is good except once I ordered the scotch fillet with mushroom no flavour but nothing salt and pepper couldn't fix lOl and the mashed potato was lumpy. But I lOve the salads there.

Great value for money. Love the chicken ribs and garlic prawns with rice. One tip: don't get dressing on the salad, it tastes foul. But everything else is great!!

Great value for your money!. Nice, relaxed place just to chill out before or after a movie or even if you just want to grab a bite. Definitely better than Maccas or the food court. Service is great, most of the time... But definitely try the place out!

Liars or idiots?. Ordered scotch fillet here and got a porterhouse which was served with lumpy mashed potato. My gut feeling is that they are amateurs who don't know their cuts of meat but when you order a scotch fillet, that's what you should get<br/>Having said that the meal was tasty and reasonably priced. The restaurant is very run down and not the cleanest but the staff are reasonably friendly. The only competition for this restaurant is food court/ macca's etc so they will remain busy but not because of their food!

Great food at a good Price!!!. Love this place as the food is very good value for money. Service is good too ;) Have been dining here for a while now thanks alot and keep up the good work!!!!

Decent meals combined with decent prices. Fairly quick service, but coffee can be improved. Only place I've ever sent a latte back in my life.

The kind of place that makes you regret not deciding to eat the food-court Chinese also on offer in this plaza. It seems a lack of competition has meant instead of being reasonable, it just ends up being cheap quality. My two big tips... 1) order the pizzas and nothing else 2) make sure the cutlery and glasses are clean.

Fast, friendly, good value, nice food! Try it!

In short - Value for money.. Okay - been to this cafe on numerous occasions and I will start by stating that it is a 'fast food' cafe. Don't expect candle light, or silver service. <br/><br/>Food is tasty, and well worth the price (value for money 8/10). If you like pizza, try Mambo 4 - the chicken and BBQ pizza, I really like it. Tatses fresh, has a good amount of sauce and lots of chicken.<br/><br/>Coffee is plesant too (8/10).<br/><br/>Overall, if you want a quick bite, a comfortable places to sit, with some decent variety, and want something better than food court food, then definitely try it. <br/><br/>Overall 7.5 :)

Surprisingly good food. Came here for a friends b'day and surprisingly liked the food. I ordered a chicken and avocado dish and also shared with another friend who ordered a grilled salmon dish. Both dishes were juicy and not dry like I was expecting. Perhaps we came on a good night? Everyone else we came with also liked their meals. <br/>I had a Tequila Sunrise which was cheap compared to other places that serve alcohol but very light on the alcohol. Our servings were so big that we all gawked at the chicken parma a friend got and wondered if any of us could finish our food. <br/>Overall good food at a reasonable price with adamant service.

TERRIBLE. Decided to stop and grab some lunch to kill time prior to a movie starting. Ordered a pizza and a chicken parma. Parma comes out, is greasy, sloppy with the veggies WAY oversalted to the point of being inedible. 20 Minutes after the parma arrive and the pizza has still not shown up, my partner finished her meal before i had even gotten mine....<br/><br/>Didnt wait for the pizza, left in disgust. <br/><br/>WOULD RATHER EAT COLD McDONALDS

Pleasantly surprised by the winter special of lamb shepherd pie, which turned out to be quite good. The side of salad was tarnished with a sub par Italian balsamic vinegar dressing, but I'm still content. We also had the chicken burger which was ok, along with nicely done lattees. Compared to its surrounding neighbors, its a decent place to eat while waiting for my movie to start.

Quick, delish and reasonably priced. The entree size marinara spaghetti a lot for me so I wonder how big is the main size. It was delicious and I thought given that it's an entree size, they will go tight on the seafood but I was surprised to see that there was 3 prawns, 3 scallops, pieces of calamari and a mussel.<br/><br/>The capriciosa pizza was well cooked with sufficient toppings.<br/><br/>The service and pricing was also satisfactory. <br/><br/>Overall, I give this place a 3.5 out of 5.

Prices are expensive for quality of food you get! Pasta and pizza are good and reasonable priced, mains such as lamb chops ( yes chops, not cutlets) and veg will cost you $22 bucks! Rip off for cheap quality meat. And don't ask for fat to be trimmed of your meat, they don't believe in providing healthy options to their customers. If you are looking to have a quick, no fuss meal, you can get it here.

Non-Pretentious. This is fast food place with good food, the basic staple kind, don't go expecting a long lingering meal, pop in for a quality meal before a movie. Pasta entrees are huge, and they have a quirky selection of pizza, all very tasty.