Excelsior Jones

What a random location for a café!
But… so worth going to. And the advantage of its location is the ample parking!
I went on a Sunday with two friends at 11am and pleasantly found no queue to get in. I had the smoked salmon hash which was well seasoned with crispy potatoes, and fresh smoked salmon. It’s quite a decent serving which I had difficulty finishing. My friend had the lime coconut pancakes with pineapple done three ways which unfortunately would have benefited from syrup or something to make it less dry. We also shared a caramel macadamia cronut which was the best cronut I’ve had — so so flaky and just the right level of sweetness.
Overall, one of the best brunches I’ve had lately!

I’ve not even finished my meal and I’m already raving about Excelsior Jones. Relaxed atmosphere– witness patrons kicking off their shoes and sitting cross legged on the bench seating, mums with bubs and plenty of lone diners kicking back — helped by the cafes position in the quieter streets of Ashfield. Lovely long windows too. Great service– my waitresses knowledge of the teas available, and friendly accomodation of my requests for extra milk with my tea, tomato sauce and menu requests were really appreciated. And the food was great. Initially I was despairing of the breakfast items as the standout dishes all had poached eggs, and I don’t like runny eggs, but the waitress and cooks accommodated my request for a hard boiled poached one (they don’t do substitutions for scrambled). It was well done and tasted great. Definitely recommended. I came around 11 of a Friday and no queues. Plenty of reading material for lone diners as well. Love it!

Milkbun Ribwich is the bomb. Great taste and combination although the cheese is kind of overpowering. I finished the whole burger though so that is a good sign.

Walking in to Excelsior, I was a little annoyed as they had a lot of patrons. I thought that we would be waiting a long time and would be ignored as they were busy. Completely not true. A waitress approached me within a minute and had us seated at a recently vacated table. A waiter constantly kept checking on us, giving us every opportunity to talk to him if we needed something.
Food was very artistic. I ordered a salmon hash off the lunch menu and was extremely happy with the taste. Salmon was cooked perfectly. The buckey wheat added a great crunch to the dish. I thought it wouldn’t be filling but I stand corrected.
I entered the restaurant with certain notions and all were overturned by this quaint place.

Not great for such an out of the way place, average coffee, mediocre service and the food was ok but missing something. Not a standout place for the inner west, given the competition it needs to get better to succeed.

We’ve been twice — so it gets two stars. On both occasions we were shocked by the blandness of the food. In all 10 individual mouths were left literally and figuratively questioning why they bothered with this place. The atmosphere is good, it’s spacious and well laid out. The staff are wonderful and attentive. But dat food doe. It’s honestly for alcoholics and big smokers i.e. Those who can no longer taste anything so feel the need to insist that everything is delicious when it’s patently not. Avoid unless your insistent hipster friends make you go.

This place is great! It is in a quite area in Ashfield. But worth the visit.
First and foremost we need to start with the coffee. The coffee here is great — honestly not the best, but great. They have different beans and suggestions for which you should try to depending on how you like your coffee. Let’s just say I tried multiple cups in multiple styles. Each came out good.
While I was here I decided to try to the food — I had the eggs benerdict, and it was quite good. If you are starving, I’ll warn you the portions here are not big. But the quietly is not lacking in the slightest.
Also the place is a bit small, so be prepared that you might have to wait for a seat. But on the plus the staff here are extremely friendly, and as always you can get coffee while you wait. And with a good cup of coffee waiting doesn’t see so bad.
So yes, I’ll come to this place again. You should, try it if you get a chance.

Finally had the chance to try out this café today. I thought the calm, cool, chill-​laxing atmosphere was so pleasing, as opposed to the busy, loud and typical scene that you get generally. I ordered the Broad Beans on sourdough and my partner had the Cheeseburger, my dish was quite average in terms of taste. I also tried some of the cheeseburger, the patty was juicy and nicely cooked (they only do medium-​rare). Coffee was good and service was friendly. Would we return? Sure. The prices were competitive however the menu is limited.

An excellent Eggs Benedict with perfectly poached eggs and tasty tasty bacon. An above average black coffee. Friendly staff. Would go back if I lived in Ashfield.

This isn’t bad for a local find. The wait is sometimes a bit trying but the food here is on point.
Pulled pork and potato hash has to be my favorite dish here, worth a try.

Hello? How has this been kept a secret from me? I almost don’t want to post a good review, as I don’t want to have to wait an hour for a table like other certain café’s…
We went here on the weekend, and granted it was raining, we hardly had to wait long at all.
I had the pork hash. YUM!!! Perfectly poached egg on top. I also had a lime and coconut shake, which was uh-​maz-​ing!
My partner had the beans, which were also delicious.
Only little gripe, was the temperature of the coffee. The flavour/​strength was perfect, but the temperature was too cool, and required drinking it fast to prevent having a cold coffee.

Inner city living can easily make you forget how peaceful the suburbs are. And make you realise that maybe you are a little more on edge than what you’d like to acknowledge. Quietly on a suburban corner, Excelsior Jones helped me stop and smell the roses. The simple pleasures of suburban life, a well-​poured coffee, a smile from a waitress, natural light reflected on wooden floors and honest home cooked food.
I think it’s safe to say that most the menu will leave you satisfied, but I must give special mention to the mushroom breakfast *insert heart eyes emoji*.

The staff are so nice and the food is amazing. The hot cake and smoked salmon are so delicious. The iced mocha is the best I have ever had in Sydney! I will come and try other food next time.

For a quiet, suburban street, this corner café is abuzz with activity every weekend morning.
My ricotta hotcakes were a bit more doughy and dense than I expected…
Butterscotch malt milkshake was a delicious treat!

I really like this place. The staff are so friendly and accommodating. I had crutches and my friend had her baby in a pram. They helped me with a stool to elevate my leg as well as a table with more space. They even warmed up her baby’s food (in boiling water as they don’t have a microwave on site!)
The food — fabulous as always. I recommend the hash with salmon or pork (salmon is my favourite). I also like the mushrooms on toast, the minted smashed peas, the granola and the coffee. I want to come back at lunch for the cheeseburger.
You never feel rushed and they even keep coming to refill the table water. 5 stars :) and thank you.

Great café in Ashfield. Friendly staff and plenty of tables.
Went for breakfast on a lazy Sunday. The coffee is great. I tried the salmon hash which I read so much about– I wasn’t a huge fan, a bit greasy for me, but I will be back to try their eggs benedict!

Came back recently and had the cheeseburger with fried smashed potatoes. The potatoes were amazingly flavoursome — kind of like a fluffy, hot-​chip version of light & tangy crisps. But the cheeseburger was let down by the raw and rubbery beef patty. I couldn’t finish it because it tasted so weird. If it had been cooked through, with a bit more seasoning, the burger would have been perfect, because the brioche bun was lovely and the gruyère cheese was excellent.
Also had a butterscotch milkshake and a chocolate brownie. Both were nice, although the brownie was so dense it was more like mud cake than a brownie.
My boyfriend ordered a latte and said it was very good.

Best coffee in Ashfield by far!