Berkelouw Café 1812 19 Oxford Street, Paddington, New South Wales 2021

"Lovely space for studying. We had a pumpkin soup as it was the only vegan option , the soup was nice, but would be great to have more vegan options :)"

"I love Berkelouw bookshop, such a beautiful place. It is also the perfect setting for this cafe. Unfortunately, the food has been deteriorating over the last few years. It has been a long time since I have not seen the chef, so I can only assume this is the problem. My green eggs and ham were uninspiring; the toast was not toasted. I think it was around $20-22. I tried the food there several times, the soup they bought was OK, and the butter chicken was OK, but when you know it is not handmade, you don't expect too much. I have much higher expectation for the eggs than what I had. However, you can still enjoy the setting and have a glass of wine or a cafe."

"I booked a table for 15 for my book club & prepaid $180 for food, when we arrived they said we could sit upstairs were there were seats for about half the group so we instead had to pull our own table together downstairs, lucky not many people were in the cafe otherwise we would’ve had no where to go. We were then served two packets of Doritos, a handful of crackers and three small dips. I asked for the rest of the food to be brought out and they said that’s all they had. In total what we received would have been less than $15 worth of food which I paid $180 for. I said I would talk to them and try and work it out when the book club ended by which time they had left. I text and emailed to no response and called this morning and was informed we were paying for the space which I was never told, not in mine and the owner’s phone discussion or in our texts to organise the table. I was entirely mislead and what should have been a really great night was ruined by the dishonestly of the staff and then refusal to admit wrongdoing. I really love the bookstore and I know the cafe is seperate but this has just turned me off ever visiting a Berkelouw again. I know we’re all struggling at the moment but shame on you for ripping off a young group of readers who just wanted a nice space to enjoy there discussion."

"So nice to be in a real bookshop cafe - and Berkelouw books is one of the best shops around. Comfortable cafe best for coffee and cakes, snacks etc. plus good simple wine list that’s not expensive. Menu could be reduced and modernised - something a bit old fashioned and plain about it that doesn’t match the location or shop range. Friendly and helpful staff."

"Seemed to be quite popular when I visited for a light lunch with a friend as there weren't many available seats left. While the menu isn't extensive, it does offer a variety of dishes for different appetites. Being located within the bookstore it is an ideal location to rehydrate after scanning the shelves, or the start on your most recent purchase. I ordered the squid and chorizo salad, and an iced coffee. Nice combination of flavours but far too overdressed with balsamic vinegar. Half way through I was starting to sweat from the vinegar and I would have been able to scoop spoonfuls of balsamic had I had a spoon. Iced coffee was missed so I got it takeaway as I left. Worth another try, and willing to update this review, but need to go easy on flavours like dressing. Location is advantageous, but there is strong competition close by."