Zuma Caffè

I keep forgetting to bring my eleven friends to help me eat my enormous (and really good) breakfast here. But I guess it’s okay because it’s pretty squashy and I have no idea where they would sit. This place is so crowded and bustling that you’d have to go outside to change your mind, which is problematic because the menu is big and imaginative. Unlike many breakfast cafes, not EVERY dish involves and an egg and a bacon, and my Paleo monster within is happy and not bored silly. Recommended pleasures include the Avocado Smash (trendy, but done here with flourish) and the Green Pea Smash (love!). Everything comes with salad — love breakfast with salad, why don’t we do that instead of corn flakes! — and the coffee is good too. They even cope with menu changes, yay. As an outing, Zuma combined with stocking the house with Food-​You-​Never-​Knew-​You-​Had-​To-​Have from the serious food porn to be found outside the door in the iconic Adelaide Central Markets, and there’s like five layers of food no one needs but everyone has to have. Adelaide Central Markets is the very essence of the stuff that makes the world go round. Roll up sleeves. Enjoy.

It’s been four years since my last review of Zuma. I’ll make two remarks:
1. The coffee is rubbish. Too hot — burnt milk and no depth in flavour. Go to the Corner Table instead. Also, they use Vitasoy. Nuff said.
2. The focaccia is amazing. The bread is everything focaccia should be: crunchy-​and-​soft, herby, and oily. The fillings — I had the ham — are generous and good quality. A real knife and fork sandwich. For $ 11.90, great value.

Service was great. Eggs and granola were both excellent! Coke float for the first time with my daughter made the day!

Discovering Adelaide and found this little gem in the market. Excellent coffee and a very good lunch. It was very busy, lots of happy locals by the looks of it.
I had the Zuma quiche and salad, and he had a Foccacia. Both very good and excellent value for money. Lunch for two with a coffee each for less than $ 30!

I love this place. I’ve been 3 times in the last 2 months and can’t get enough of it. I’ve only done breakfast and I’ve tried something different every time and everything is excellent. The standard is high and consistency is always there. The staff are friendly and for how busy this pace is it is always fast. This is now my favourite breakfast venue.

Zuma is a bit of a conundrum, one of the busiest eateries in the Central Market, frequented by many, and yet… It’s hard to put my finger on it but Zuma just lacks a bit of oomph. The menu hasn’t changed for ages but the quality never falters. The food is nice and there is always something on the menu, but this caffe needs an update. After frequenting here for a number of years, Zuma’s menu has stayed the same. If you’re looking for a good meal, hit this place up for sure, but if you’d like something a bit adventurous, exciting and new, wander elsewhere.

Zuma Caffe is definitely interesting, but I’ve yet to decide whether it’s the sort of «interesting» I like. I think it’s the chaos of inside the café that puts me off, yet the outdoor seating area seems like an entirely other world. Hmmm…
Nevertheless, I have no complaints when it comes to Zuma Caffe. Upon exiting the noisy markets, shuffling through the busy interior of the café, and finally reaching the relaxing outdoor seating, this is where I begin to enjoy what Zuma has to offer.
The coffee is rich and has that caffeine kick I crave, and the breakfast menu is impressive, yet simple. The atmosphere of the al fresco dining area is pleasant, and although stationed right next to a car park, you’d hardly notice. It’s the other side of the café that gets me; the hustle and bustle of the inside, the rushing and the noise. I think I’m too chilled for my own good.

This is a great spot to sit and enjoy a coffee and breakfast. I’m not usually one for a big breakfast, but I can’t help myself at Zuma.
I usually fight with myself for a good few minutes over whether to get a croissant (oh they’re soo good!), or a big breakfast with the works: Bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomato.
I quite like the atmosphere this little café serves up. It’s a great location on Gouger, and I have always found the staff to be friendly and efficient.

I’m in two minds about Zuma Caffè.
Walking in, you feel as if you’ve stepped into a place that’s cultured, yet not unfamiliar; international, yet not foreign. Maybe it’s the photographs stuck to the counter overhead, or the artwork hung on the walls. Maybe it’s the particular blue they’ve chosen as a theme, which has a retrospective flavour without overtly paying tribute to any specific era. Regardless, it’s a place you like to inhabit. Hibernation would not be so bad a prospect if you had a Zuma Cave, but if you’re a smoker, feel free to slowly kill yourself outdoors, as the outside area is sufficiently quaint as well.
These sorts of places double as informal restaurants, I know, but I judge a cafè on its coffee. So I ordered a macchiato. The young lady at the counter was well-​mannered and cheerful, and her service speedy, but the macchiato was a diluted short black (which is, to say, longer than it ought to be), with a dab of milk on the surface. The token three levels of coffee, milk and froth weren’t there, and the taste was a hearty tribute to soluble coffee. Suddenly the hibernation didn’t seem such an attractive prospect.
Luckily, the Zuma Caffè is a gateway to the Central Markets, where a disgruntled gentleman might set out in search of a second macchiato, if he should so feel the need.

I love Zuma.
They do a fantastic full breakfast, handsome ham and cheese croissants, and rich creamy coffee.
The ambiance within the café is vibrant and the mixed variety of patrons represents the diversity of those attracted to the sensory exultation that is the Adelaide central markets.
Situated in a prime position, whilst still within the café, one can take in either the sights and sounds of Gouger St from the patio style outdoor seating arrangement, or the aromas and action of the markets from the bench and table arrangements at the markets edge. Or, perhaps instead the (sometimes) more peaceable setting within the café itself.
There is usually the work of local artists displayed on the walls and the staff are always amicable, even when things get hectic.
Always different and always fun, be sure to drop in to Zuma next time you visit the Markets.

Zuma’s is an institution in the magnificent Central Markets.
If you are looking for a café with a buzz, this is it!, especially on market days where it is difficult to find a table but well worth the wait. The café’s motto is «Organised Chaos» and, when busy, this is exactly how it feels.
The café is run by Tony and John. John is always easy to spot as he is well over six foot and looks like Peter Garett. He enjoys chatting to regulars and is often spotted sitting at the tables doing just that.
The coffee is good and one of my personal favourite drinks is the quince scented green sencha. Zuma’s also serves a mean chai latte, however its size is not for the faint hearted so I usually order a half serve.
This café is a great place to people watch. The clientele is mixed, ranging from alternative greenie types to lawyers and politicians. Either way, it has a cultured, multicultural vibe and there is nowhere else like it in Adelaide.