Three Monkeys Cafe

The Three Monkeys Cafe is well known in Newcastle, and I had the opportunity to visit it twice recently. The food is good. On my first visit, I had the pancakes, the portions being quite generous. The ice cream on top with syrup and berry jam was a nice combination. I found the pancakes chewier than I would prefer, but acceptable. A small pot of syrup on the side would have been good, as I found myself running out of syrup for the pancakes on the bottom. On my second visit, I had 'the Ultimate', which is pulled pork and poached eggs on top of hash browns, drizzled with Hollandaise sauce. This was great, heavy as it sounds. The portion size was not huge, just right. The coffee is also quite good - I drink long blacks 95% of the time, and the baristas do a good job of this. So, why the 3 stars? Maybe I'm being unfair but out of the two times I've been, I didn't feel any warmth or rapport from the wait staff - almost felt like I was being a nuisance. I get that it's a busy cafe and there are other customers to serve, but.. yeah. If I'm paying almost $30 for breakfast and coffee, I expect to feel better walking out than walking in, not the other way around. 4.5 stars for food/coffee, but I think I'm being more than generous with 3 stars given the overall experience. YMMV.

I've eaten breakfast at alot of places in Cooks Hill and the Junction, and Three Monkeys Cafe has a brilliant easy menu, service is top notch and they don't go overboard with sauces. Plus if you like pepper as I do, they come out and put it on for you. This makes you feel special, albeit just there for breakfast. 8am is a good time to be there, before the rush of people come in