Review Jardin St James - Sydney

Quirky, unusual indoor seating area, essential for raining weather. Food and service on point, quick and friendly service. Frequented by legal professionals and the general public, being opposite the law courts.

It's my favorite cafe in the city, nice food and great location, can bring a book and sit here the whole afternoon

Located right opposite to the Hyde Park Barracks’s, this cafe is a hidden gem. The reason why I said it’s a hidden gem because one of my friend and I were here other day and we never noticed a cafe. Couple of days later, another friend of mine took me here for breakfast. The staff is absolutely courteous and more French. They have a tiny take away counter at the entrance and a large seating area on the left side of the church. I loved the way they provide a shots glass full of sparking water along with coffee. This actually helps you gulp down any of the coffee taste before you taste their delicious food. I have tried my first French Galette and I am glad it is one of my favourites. I have tried both Salmon and Bacon Galettes. Though their almond croissant is small, it had this rich nutty taste and delicious filling. Would love to visit again.

Wow, what a gem. Fabulous in every way, particularly delightful staff. We'll be back. A little piece of Paris in the historical centre of Sydney. Bon appétit.

Lovely location capturing the morning sun next to the Supreme Court. Coffee is very good and reasonably priced. There's heaps of tables and chairs available.

Galettes are so delicious. Staff super friendly too.

Perfectly placed oasis hidden under Saint James Anglican Church under the bustling sidewalks of Macquarie and Philip streets!! Lovely coffee scrummy food, beautiful friendly fast service in an unique environment with plastered arched rooves and sandstone walls. Unfortinately the clean but old toilets are downstairs and hard to navigate (even for for the able bodied) simply due to the age of the building and there's even a lovely prayer chapel where you can light a candle end sit amongst the remains of those long departed and send up a prayer or 2. Comfy padded pews and chairs, Pod to mine town one on a 1/2 made our social distance but you can always move to the next alcove it's worth it just to come down just for the food and ambience!! Don't stride past...drop in and have a coffee at list up top to keep these guys afloat during Covid!!

My new favourite cafe in this part of Sydney. Great food, delivered quickly and efficiently by friendly and knowledgeable staff. The setting is fantastic with plenty of space between tables and the alcoves (crypts) help manage the noise. The lunch menu offered a variety of light and more substantial meals, supported by an excellent blackboard menu. Value for money was great and we never felt rushed (or neglected).

Only galette and baguette were available when we arrived on the rainy Friday noon. Lovely and quite environment, really can enjoy the rainy view from the basement-like little hall. Also they’ve got a small prayer chamber there. <br/>The staffs were okay but a bit pushy, while they really need to improve their foods. <br/>The super thin roast beef in the baguette tasted like it was just took out from some package food from supermarket and the galette was just normal. <br/>Also the coffees were just average too. <br/>

Visited this place on a weekday morning. Was quite quiet and had a very Medieval vibe about it (inside at least!). <br/>The service let the cafe down. The waitress wasn’t impressed when I asked for eggs on toast as opposed to a set breakfast option. <br/>Otherwise it was good - although the toast was super hard. <br/>I liked the side salad that Accompanied the eggs.. and the mini sparkling water with the coffee.<br/>50/50 on whether I’d return. Possibly just for coffee.

Slowly becoming a regular here! A great crepe and galletes spot with plenty of variety to checkout. Super convenient location - lovin’ the outdoor area and the bunker like indoor space!

Coffee here is consistently divine. No matter how busy it is, they deliver every cup to perfection!<br/><br/>You can't say no to their pastries. Everything made in-house & fresh. Definitely go for their baby banana loafs - so cute & delicious!<br/><br/>We had lunch here as well, in the beautiful courtyard. The food was cooked to perfection!

Lovely little French coffee cart near St James Station. A coffee cart selling sandwiches, croissants and pastries. I got a small croissant - extremely nice and fresh. I also got a cold brew with milk. The staff were extremely nice and also French so it as all quite fitting really.

Small portion but really creative food selection.nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Good place for lunch catch up and relaxing break. Just next st James station!!

We were here for a celebratory long lunch and our dining experience at Jardin was really pleasant. We were greeted warmly and settled comfortably in one of the outdoor tables. The staff and the food were authentic French. We ordered a Tuna Nicoise salad, Croque-Madame, salmon en cocotte, Gratin Dauphinois and desserts. The outstanding dish of the day was definitely the salmon en cocotte! The salmon skin was crispy and it was served in a le creuset mini cocotte. The dreamy creamy potato gratin was an excellent side dish. <br/><br/>This is a good French cafe and we found the service and food was outstanding!

nice relaxed outdoor setting and friendly service (altho a tad slow). menu is rather limited for lunch, but pricing is ok, and the mussels and platter we had were nice.

What a great set of premises Jardin is. The inside sandstone area has tables off the impressive main hallway, an open area out the front in the sunshine or a quieter area off to one side below street level with water feature and foliage. It's worth visiting to admire the building and the respect the restaurant has for it. The food is presented in keeping. My deconstructed brioche and fruit was pretty to look at but lacked a little punch on flavour. My companion for breakfast had scrambled eggs which were typical French; rich and deliciously buttery. Service was good and all the staff were very friendly. Decision was made to return again for a lunch before we had paid the bill. It's unfortunate it's not open on the weekends.

There is something about the French culture that I long to be around and having never traveled to this beautiful country, I can only imagine what it is like from photographs, songs and of course, food. I was absolutely delighted when the beautiful Jardin St James opened its gates, bringing an authentic French touch to the St James Church in Sydney. Julien Besnard, the co-owner of Jardin St James and all of his staff are always friendly and positive, even on an early Monday morning when the weekly march of the corporate workers stumble out of St James station towards the week ahead.

Such a beautiful lunch spot. The location and decor were divine. Food was lovely but a little on the small side. Service was excellent. Will definitely come back

Stumbled in here for an impromptu lunch. The surroundings are lovely - a lowered courtyard with both sun and shade, and the staff friendly and attentive. The menu is simple, but well executed with classic French flavours. I had the steak tartare which was melt in your mouth delicious. The only slight problem is the lack of a full liquor licence - there is a BYO option but that requires more planning than I had at the time, and a nice cold glass of Chardonnay would have made the meal quite nicely.

10 December 2015<br/>Jardin St James has become a favourite haunt of mine, offering an unbeatable combination of really good coffee, charming friendly service and great food. I have been working my way through the menu on an almost daily basis, with coffee runs helping to break the monotony of the working day. My favourite dishes include the croque madame, the goats cheese salad (in fact anything with goats cheese), the quiche and the cocotte of the day. One of the really lovely things about this cafe is its peaceful green courtyard, which offers a quiet sanctuary in the heart of the city. If eating with friends, it is refreshing to be able to hear each other, an increasingly rare commodity (a friend of mine was talking about the French system of relais du silence, which identified quiet hotels. It would be such a good idea to have that as a search field for cafes and restaurants). All in all, a really charming cafe, that is quietly working its way into the hearts of the locals.<br/><br/>November 2015<br/>The wind was howling across Queens Square, the rain was coming at me sideways and I decided to beat a hasty retreat down the stairs to the beckoning lights of Jardin St James. This is a new eatery that has been slowly unfurling over the past few weeks, first in the form of a coffee cart on the Square, then as a French cafe in the crypt beneath St James Church. The cafe itself remains a work in progress, with a mixture of church pews, fold out tables, and various other seating arrangements. The signs look promising however. The staff are keen and knowledgeable, the menu is well put together and offers a lighter healthier take on traditional French fare, and the vaulted arches of the crypt provide a stunning backdrop. I just stopped for a coffee today - good flavour but a little lacking in creaminess - and am looking forward to coming back to try the food. Particularly the croque madame, a frenchified ham and cheese toastie with an egg on the top, that used to be my go to food if I happened to be roaming around Paris at 4am in the morning. The menu also promises salads of the day, with any luck that will include goats cheese salad, another old favourite. They will also be getting a liquor licence eventually, which should appeal to the corporate crowd.<br/>Food: 4<br/>Coffee: 4<br/>Service: 4.5<br/>Location: 4.5<br/>Ambience: 4.5