Cuckoo Callay

Bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon. Oh and pork. The bacon festival has made some of my friends and myself drool over some worthy dishes last year. Looking forward to the next round.

BACON FESTIVAL! That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Cuckoo Callay as they host the annual bacon fest, offering great brunch dishes highlighting bacon of course. It’s quite a popular café, especially located at Newtown station, so the wait was a little long. Nonetheless, it was worth it after indulging in droolworthy dishes such as the bacon croquettes and even the sweet maple waffles — they were simply amazing!

I decided to try Cuckoo Callay after reading great reviews and seeing a whole bunch of drool-​worthy Insta pics. First off, the location is unbeatable, located on the doorstep of Newtown Station. The café is quite quirky in character with whimsical feature pieces like a bright purple and blue cuckoo clock and a half wall of mirrors.
We ordered two dishes:
#Hashtag Boom Bam! — Jerusalem artichoke, chat potato and Spanish onion has served with roast beetroot purée, parsnip cream, 63 degree poached egg and bacon
Pork’d — Pulled pork patty, chargrilled broccolini, manchego & mustard sauce, 63 degree poached egg on sourdough (my choice)
Both were presented well and I loved that the Pork’d dish wasn’t as rich as I thought it would be. On the service front, the staff were friendly and attentive. Also, if you are a dog owner, this is a great spot to bring your pooch. Alternatively, if you’re like me and love dog watching, you’re likely to get your fix during the weekend.

Have walked past a million times seeing the usual ham & cheese croissants and muffins in the take away window but had no idea the dine in food offerings were so awesome. Not your usual café fare but in a good way. Cant wait to go back for brekky again!

I seldom give a fiver cause let’s be honest… no one is perfect but the food and service was awesome here. I’ve come to expect pretty sub par service in Australia compared to Canada but this place had servers who smiled, took our order promptly and even let us substitute a purée for a pesto. Plus they had a menu dedicated entirely to bacon so obviously it’s great! They even let us all pay separately which also isn’t common here from what I’ve experienced. The décor is cute and the tables outside are good for people watching. As Nike says… just do it!

They’re at the station so they have to be FAST– and these guys can crank out a perfect piccolo in under 2 mins. For a railway station café they have created a pleasant environment, with lovely hanging plants, reasonable prices and super-​friendly & efficient staff… what more could you want?
Cute menus with little jokes to make you double-​take, and good deals like gruyère toastie + coffee for 10 bucks, or the delightful sounding labne & zataar wrap for 5.

If, like me, you have run by this place more than once on your way to catch a train at Newtown and thought, «I really must stop by this cute café and try it out one of these days,» do yourself a favor and do it! I went here today for the first ever Unilocal Elite event with DOGGIES and I can promise you we all loved it. I know I was fortunate to get to sample quite a few things from the menu, and I appreciated the stellar service we received, but what really made this stand out was the quality of the ingredients. The bacon, caramel, I don’t know what else… shut up… just take my money already… french toast was out of this world. Now, you have to understand, french toast is my most favorite brekkie item in the world, so when I tell you this was the best french toast I have ever had, believe me, it was GOOD. But it doesn’t end there, oh no…
The coffee was a single origin roast that was smooth and delicious, so I give them big points for making a great flat white (essential to my morning routine). The other items that I sampled, including a quinoa dish with the delightful name of «Birdy Num Num» (kudos to the Peter Sellers’ reference, I got it and had a good chuckle), something called «Cinderella’s dish» with a poached egg and pumpkin, and a few other items, were all tasty and creative. Did I mention how fresh everything was? It was obvious that this is a place where the food is being made with love and care, I love it when all the details come together.
And, of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention what a great time Rufus had. Rufus is a fussy, and hyperactive 15-​month-​old Mini Doxie. He loved the «puppachino» and the camraderie… In fact, he still hasn’t fully recovered from this morning’s outing… so that’s another Unilocal of approval for you.
So, all in all, great little café, worth a few extra minutes of slowing down in the morning and stopping to check it out. You will not regret it.

I hate trying to find parking in Newtown but realised there is a little parking structure just behind Cuckoo Callay (near Newtown station) and it is only $ 2 for 2 hours (I think). When you leave the parking structure, you go up the stairs and to the left hand side there is Cuckoo Callay.
Conveniently located just outside Newtown station if you are catching public transport.
I came here for a business meeting with my partner, and two other people who were friends with the owner of Cuckoo Callay.
I ordered the «Cinderella’s Breakfast» and a long black. I wish the menu was online as I can’t remember exactly what was in my meal but i believe it was pumpkin fritters, smoked salmon, a boiled egg and pesto. It was flavoursome and tasty and I really liked the food.
My partner ordered the bacon and egg roll and he said there was some sort of salsa in the roll which made it really tasty.
I would like to come back to taste other items on the menu.

Just had a late breakfast here –awesome. Great coffee and really good food. Try the hashtags and the vege board. All backed up with great service.