Goldbergs Coffee House

Beware if you’re a girl who doesn’t like to gobble a day of calories in a single meal. They won’t serve alcohol (even at the early hour of 6pm) unless you’re eating a «substantial» meal. As someone who almost always orders entrees with veg; I was offended. I think it’s sexist. I also think it’s code for, «You’re taking up space. You better pay for it.» Yes there are laws, but don’t tell me they intend that I must stuff myself to obesity before I’m worthy of enjoying a wine. The other ten restaurants I’ve sampled around here don’t judge in the same way, thankfully.

Thought I’d «go where the people go» for breakfast but ended up being lunch with 5mins to lunch time, with my partner. I Ordered nachos and my partner had blt with egg, he got salmonella poisoning…

Having visited Goldbergs multiple times they are a well established Newcaslte institution.
They provide a great range of affordable and tasty food that will never leave you feeling unsatisfied. The beer garden out the back is the perfect way to spend summer afternoons. The indoor décor is well place to ease you into your comfortable eating experience and the staff are friendly and helpful with the menu.
The coffee is consitently good. A little cramped this venue is probably not great for groups above 6.

I have lost count of the number of times I have been to Goldergs. It is certainly a Newie institution. Great for coffee and great for a decent meal. There is always a variety of blackboard meals. Wine list is good. I have always found the staff friendly and helpful. It is the place that I take out-​of-​towners.

Had the pumpkin pasta, Vietnamese salad, and garlic bread. None of which was great. Too much sauce on the pasta, too much butter on the bread, and too much pork in the salad. None of it was awful, but I wouldn’t order any of it again.
The service and ambiance were great, but not enough to bring me back.

Always a favourite when in town. It’s an oldie but a goodie! Goldberg’s has had great coffee, a delightful menu and friendly service since way before Darby St became «hip» recently. It has a warm comfy vibe and is consistently busy as a sign of it’s local popularity.

It’s Anzac weekend and we’re here for Groovin’ The Moo and took the opportunity to explore Newcastle, seems Darby St is the place to be so here we are hoping to stumble over something oozing with coolness and tasty food for a complete sensory experience!
So this eclectically designed café reeled us in and we absolutely loved the outdoor fairy light lit and enchanted island feel of the back area. Pretty casual and cool vibe with something on the menu to please all cravings.
I had a special Egg Pappardelle Pasta with salmon, mussels, prawn & calamari. Flavour was spot on but the pasta a tad undercooked and thick for my liking which was a little bit of a spoiler.
3 Friends has the specials Scotch Fillet and were pleased with it. Cooked exactly to their request but told me it wasn’t anything to write home about but hit the spot for their carnivorous cravings.
Sicilian Pasta was also ordered but was average — too sweet and hardly any pasta.
Overall food was decent but there is definitely room for improvement but we loved the ambience and feel of this café. Shortfalls may be due to how busy they were but it ain’t an excuse but I would definitely recommend this place for an all round experience.

We were walking along Darby and couldn’t decide where to go for lunch so we stopped in Goldberg’s because it seemed the most busy. The beer selection isn’t that great but the house wine was ok and fairly priced.
I ordered the light lunch with chicken (basically a sandwich) and the hubby ordered on of the specials which happened to be a moroccan chicken burger. Both were pretty good — no complaints.
We then split a dark chocolate florentine for dessert which was delish. Overall the place was pretty good, but nothing I would crave again.

Dark, cramped and poorly lit, but isn’t that how we like it? This place oozes atmosphere, has great coffee and breakfast to die for. Grab an omelette!

Love the vibrant atmosphere of this place. Always get great food and drinks. They do THE BEST pot of Bengali or Punjabi Chai.

A spontaneous road adventure up the Central Coast led me to Newcastle, one of Lonely Planet’s «Must See Cities» of 2011. Newtown’s up-​and-​coming, underground art scene, vintage shopping and café culture is spread along Darby Street, the baby sister to Sydney’s Newtown.
Without any references, it’s not hard to find yourself at Goldberg, Darby’s darling. We stopped in during late afternoon to have a look at the menu during a stroll and the place was pa-​pa-​pa-​POPPIN! Although Goldberg’s is surrounded by cafes, it stands alone in the inside ambiance and number of people inside, and so we had to return that evening to sample the local delicacies …
Confession: We ate a «lite dinner» before we went to save money, because this place sure is pricey! Dinner’s run between $ 17 and 22, and the five delectable specials they had were between $ 20 and $ 25. It’s BYO, so we grabbed a bottle of red, and at around 7:30, every table in the lovely outside courtyard was taken, and only a few were left amidst the indoor candlelight. Even though Goldberg’s had appeared to be very much a coffee shop earlier that afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised at how easily it transformed into a dinner spot while still maintaining that «cafeesque,» artsy-​fartsy appeal.
The server was fine with us waiting fifteen minutes or so to order, and when we finally did — love’d up on red wine — we settled on the $ 18 meze plate. Beetroot chutney, feta, halloumi, baba ganoush, olives, turkish bread, etc. etc… For something to nibble on, it was quaint and tasty, but definitely not worth $ 18. The plate was small and the amount of bread they gave you was hardly enough. Based on the plates that went by, it seemed that small portions were the trend, though…
A super strong Irish hot chocolate, Mexican coffee (both $ 6.50) and white chocolate florentine ($ 3.50) later, and the candles and laid-​back atmosphere had won us over… Too bad we didn’t bring cards; we could’ve stayed for ages.
Tip: Perfect for an atmospheric after dinner dessert or drink.

This place is an institution!
Good atmosphere. Loud. GOOD ATMOSPHERE!
One place I take out of towners.
Good food but best known for coffee and on a cold night their sticky date pudding! Yum
I’m not sure about ordering decaf. Lol. Tried a couple of times and have been kept up till 5am in recovery. Lol

When you have 3 different cab drivers and a number of independent people recommending this place, well you simply have to give it a try!
I happened to be in Newcastle on potentially the wettest windiest weekend ever. I was actually out for a bit of a run and ran towards this beacon. That’s when I’d decided to give up and get inside
I was welcomed by a buzzing loud place full of people enjoying their brunch and a team pumping out some tasty coffee.
Being a busy morning I was placed on the shared couches but that was ok. I needed something cozy. My enthusiastic order taker was delighted when I ordered the Mexico single origin and even more delighted when I ordered it as a macchiato. Excellent decision as they do a great one. It convinced the latte drinker next to me to try it!
Overall, the place just emits cozy, with lovely food and terrific coffee. Give it a go.

A long-​standing feature of Darby Street, the quality varies but the menu never does. In the last five years, I can count the variations on one hand. I’ve had breakfasts and lunches to die for, and meals that I really should have sent back. It’s a reasonably safe choice, though, and sometimes the specials really are special — I’ve only seen the paella twice in about eight years, but if it is offered, try it. Amazing.
There is one thing that Goldberg’s should be famous for, the reason I gave it three stars instead of two — the greatest chocolate milkshakes in Newcastle. Seriously. (The desserts are really average, though, so skip the cake and go for the milkshake.)
It can be seriously cramped during peak hours, the service is touch and go depending on how busy it is, it’s reasonably dark inside and mobile phone reception indoors is garbage, if you’re waiting for a call. They don’t take bookings, so staking out space for a group during peak hours is painful at best.

vege pattie should be replaced by something edible in the big brekky, café too busy which then equates to slow slow service

Goldberg’s is another of Newcastle’s low key gems.
It’s always busy and you may spend a while waiting, but it’s worth the wait. Great breakfast and brunch, cakes and coffee, but the dinners… yes, go for the dinners. The specials are usually amazing, I barely look at the printed menu. And the desserts, yup, as previous reviewers said, the Sticky Date Pudding is amazing.
It’s BYO but they have some very good wines too.
Only down sides is the water situation mentioned before.
You can’t reserve tables, so get there early.

A Newcastle favourite and deservedly so. Great value for money and a diverse menu with excellent specials that seem to be different every visit. The inside tables can feel a bit dingy and crowded on a nice day, so head straight for the pleasant rear courtyard. A few years back the coffee at Goldbergs seemed to be served with more than a bit of arrogance; in recent times the staff are fantastic and wonderfully friendly. Top coffee too.