Café Brunelli

To describe Brunelli simply would be to say; You get what you pay for — decent serving sizes of average quality Italian food. No more, no less!
This time round we dined for breakfast — ample breakfast choices consisting of all the regulars. We ordered eggs Benedict — poached eggs weren’t the best (I hate when they aren’t runny inside!). Lucky I got the hollandaise sauce on the side as it was quite thick and intense — I could only have a bit at a time.
Coffees were good and they have a good selection of cakes & chocolate truffles if you are wanting more!

Bland flavourless expensive. Used to be good enough for 3.5 — 4 star café food but? change in chef or owners has led to worse quality of food.

Others have give. It only a couple of stars. Don’t know why.
Staff were friendly and attentive. Service was quick and food was slightly better than the average Italian café of which there are many. I had absolutely no complaint and would probably dine there again.

I’ve been to this place several times since living around Campbelltown. What I’ve come to understand about dining here, amongst the undoubtedly attractively designed and sharp interior, along with the nicely arranged selection of choice on their menus and cake fridges, is that most things they serve are very very plain and boring and come with very little thrills, surprises and uniqueness. A lot of things of their menu are very self explanatory and literally what you see is what you get.
I mostly eat here for breakfast these days if we want something easy on the weekends that’s not far to venture from home. I’ve seen they’ve added smashed avocado on their breakfast menu lately and gave it a try to see if any creative elements would be put into this dish because just avocado and toast alone seems very plain Jane to me … And that’s exactly what it is was. It was simply an avocado cut into small pieces (not smashed or mashed or whatever) served on two slices of crusty toast. Nothing else (perhaps with only a small sprinkle of duca). I’ve shared a snap of my dish to on this page as well.
Another occasion I came for breakfast I ordered muesli with yogurt and berry compote. Customers are given the option to build their own muesli dish with choices of adding yogurt, fruits and/​or berry compote. When I received my dish the consistency of muesli with the other elements was extreme, with only a few dollops of yogurt and loads and loads of muesli to handle. On top of this, literally and figuratively, instead of berry compote with my dish I received blueberries. Nothing else. I was actually really looking forward to the berry compote because I love it and if it was nicely done compote the dish would have been amazing automatically. But what a disappointment that was. So I was grossly unhappy with my dish and didn’t finish it. I’ve also shared a snap of how my dish was presented on the day.
On other occasions I’ve seen a few other breakfast dishes they serve; like the Bacon and Egg Deluxe and other dishes of assortments, and they aren’t too bad… Apart from the overcooked bacon they sometimes serve. The mushrooms are quite nice, and the eggs are often done nicely.
On the other-​side of these dish downfalls the place itself seems very cosy and well equipped. It’s a great place for large groups of 10 or more with floor plans already in place for it.
They have a proper wood oven for pizzas.
They also have a cosy looking undercover outdoor dining area.
So overall this place has potential to be a great place. To me it just isn’t there yet.

Don’t go here! As the person said above!
Went in to have wedges and a crêpe each. Mine was stone cold with a warmer oily filling of spinach feta and mushrooms. Mostly oily/​watery spinach which made everything taste soggy.
We also ordered a desert each which we had paid for along with everything else. No one came to bring it out. They left our plates sitting there, even though we counted about four staff available. We had to go and remind them. This was around 4.30 /​5.00pm when not busy yet. The staff were over at counter standing around and swearing so we could hear over the other side of the restaurant. What upset my friend the most was that staff were being very attentive to a few tables that were either related or very close friends to them. They got good service. The last straw was when a waiter touched me with both hands on my waist from behind me. I was disgusted and mortified.
I will never return and will tell all my friends.

Chicken Foccacia was OK.
Fettucini Gamberi was average; runny sauce and no chilli.
Coffee was OK.
Won’t be back in a hurry!

I always have a cup of coffee here while I feel want to relax, sometimes just walk through the shop, I have their coffee member key ring, so buy a coffee just only cost $ 2, for me that’s really good price to enjoy a good time here.
They are busy at lunch time and dinner time, so during this time their serving might not do good for everyone enough, but for me I always go in the morning and afternoon tea time, I feel their serves nice, well … That’s important thing I enjoy the coffee they make!

We decided to go to Café Brunelli as a good friend of mine works here. I was excited as I’d been for coffee & cake before and it was a good expirence.
Eating meal here not so much. Mum, my baby brother and I ventured in. We had to fight through tables and chairs with our stroller with no help from staff which was the start of a very sad dining expirence.
Mum ordered, staff behind the drinks bar were too busy talking to each other to make the two lemon lime bitters. They brought our drinks over after they finished their mothers meeting.
Entrée was fine, a salad isn’t exactly hard to mess up. I ordered lamb cutlets as mains and mum the sea food platter. I was appalled. Lamb cutlets had defiantly been made the day (maybe even the week) before and reheated, they tasted like crumbed cardboard. Mums seafood platter was average, and had about half the ocean on it.
We were going to have cake but decided against it after taking a closer look at their cake cabinet. Most of the ones near the front looked very shriveled. I’m sure cake delivery was the following day.
Service was dismal bar one very nice Chinese waiter. Won’t be going back, especially not for $ 95 for two people.

I always pop into Payneham with a friend when it’s quiet during the day to have a coffee.
Very rarely have I eaten there and would say that the meals are average.
The coffee is good.
Unfortunately there is a staff member that has a sour puss look and it makes me uncomfortable as probably doesn’t want to be there. This is why I have given a low rating.

So if we were just talking about food, this place would be luck to score two stars, however we are talking about a whole experience, so let me begin…
We had a table reserved and when we arrived, it was in the busy half of the restaurant. We asked to move to the quieter looking side and were quickly and politely moved — so top points there, however the whole place is somewhat noisy when busy, due to the size and set up…
As others have said, the food isn’t anything to write home about– I ordered a chicken and pumpkin risotto that was very bland, but the serving was huge! The boys ordered the sliders which were surprisingly good while boyfriends mother selected a seafood platter which, while being HUGE was just a lot of deep friend creatures and some average chips.
The staff were friendlier than others have noted, offering to package up leftovers and just generally being rather attentive and this certainly helped to make up for a bit of blah food.

The other reviews regarding the bad customer service are very correct. The two female wait staff who I interacted with seemed like they did not want to be there and I was a massive inconvenience for them. When I ordered one of there cocktails at the bar the girl looked at me like she was disgusted we me and my request. The one male wait staff who spoke to us briefly when we entered seemed nice.
The food is the reason I am giving this place a three star rating. My girlfriend ordered a pizza, it was massive looked good and she very much enjoyed what she could eat. We were given a box to take left overs home. I ordered one of there specials from there board. It was the pork mixed grill. Two style of pork ribs, sticky and dry, a pork sausage, chips and salad for. I can not complain about my meal, in fact I enjoyed it. I must say the sticky pork ribs were fantastic. The meat was so moist and fell off the bone. They should be making whole plates just of these sticky ribs! I have eaten at a number of BBQ joints through out the USA and these sticky ribs where right up there. In saying this, I am not sure if sticky ribs are in any of there dishes on there standard menu? Could have just been bought in for the special?
The place it’s self is large and spacious. Although it seems to be very noisy even when there are hardly any people in it. There is a good amount of parking available at the rear of the building.
My girlfriend who is a pastry Chef was a disappointed at the end because she loves there Vanilla slices. But she could tell just from looking at them that they were not the same great Vanilla slice that they once sold. The custard in them looked so fake and gross. They must have chafed there supplier.
On a positive note, Mondays and Tuesdays they have half priced cocktails all day! Just don’t expect a smile with it.

Its like they walked in to a Primo and went ‘lets copy this but more expensive’
The service by the grumpy staff was sub par, the food was super average, but it does come out really quick and thats the ONLY reason this place gets a second star. the serves are on the generous side, but you are paying for it.
Topping off the night, the bowl of fries we ordered came with a pair of those little sauces you get at the fish and chip shop. Fromm the dessert cabinet which looks like that of a great patisserie’s, they came to the table still wrapped with their plastic outers and bare on side plate.
I might be back, but not by choice.

Crap food and crap service. We have been here now five times. Each time we have felt like lepers. Half the time no-​one meets you at the door to seat you. Depending if they can be bothered or not, you may or may not have bread with your meal. The Warm Chicken stack is fantastic as a meal but the services is appalling. Apparently when you serve other people their meals, you are the most important person in the room. The Paella is appalling. It is soggy risotto that has not crust — basically its a fraud as a Paella and a fraud as a risotto. The food is overpriced, the pub across the road has much better meals. The atmosphere is noisy. Interestingly we also noticed that some nationalities appear to get better customer service than others. The couple next to us got up and walked out, appalled by the service and overall arrogance. Not bother going there, Brunelli’s in Rundle Street is amazing, this one’s just bringing the reputation down of Rundle Street.

I have been to Café Brunelli on Payneham road a few times now and each time I have received either bad customer service or something wrong with the order.
On one occasion I ordered a crêpe and the lady that served me gave me a horrible facial expression as if to say she didn’t want to do it.
If your wanting to go to Café Brunelli I highly recommend skipping the Payneham Rd café and head into the Rundle St store.
I highly recommend the Rundle St Café and visit regularly with no complaints, Service and food is amazing. As for Payneham, I don’t think I will ever return.