Cafe on Strand

Reviews

• Hayden D.

  star star star star star_border 19 July 2026

  Right near the Croydon Station the cafe is well located. The service was quick and friendly although the cafe was quite busy.
  
  Three of us ate varied breakfasts and we all commented on the quality and taste.  Coffee too was very good as my order of a Mac usually 'weeds' out the good & bad.
  
  I will be back.

• Marc D.

  star star star star star 4 July 2026

  Local gem.  Frances, Kim and the team really look after you.  Try the very tasty grab and go breakfast wraps with their fantastic coffee.  My boys can't look past the pancakes.  They tell me they are superb.

• Abhishek V.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 30 June 2026

  Spent $19 on a big breakfast that was really small. The guys forgot to add the sausage and when I reminded them they came back with only half a sausage.
  
  What a ripoff!!!
  
  The food Wasn't that tasty at all. Better to Theo the money in a gutter!!!

• Randal M.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 29 June 2026

  It is not easy to run a cafe or restaurant-there are at least three factors to consider and if you slip on any of these, you can be sure that business will never be what you expect. Great cafe owners know this and make sure they they offer tasty food at a reasonable price,friendly service staff that are happy for your business,and pleasant atmosphere that is clean and welcoming.If you don't hit all of these goals,customers will pursue other options and not come back as regulars.
   Cafe on Strand needs some help ,at least on the day that we went they did. I worked in this cafe as a chef before- when it was The Croydon Cafe for 3 1/2 years -and when we were in the area today,I couldn't resist dropping in to see how things were going there.Ownership has changed since the day I left( lucky Croydon) and we were surprised that some of the original decor was still in place. Getting someone to notice us sitting down seemed to be a challenge though. If they were busy as a cafe should be on a Saturday afternoon, we understand it might take a bit longer to be spotted by the staff but they were not even half full. We received our menus and water from one of the staff we flagged down- why are they so sad here? Why do they look like they would rather be anywhere else? We order coffee and spiders while we decided if we wanted food and the barista/ person in charge we suspect -brought our coffees .I smiled and thanked him and received no response or friendly smile.Lucky for him the coffee was better than average ,but we opted just to have a couple of muffins instead of a full meal as the atmosphere just seemed flat- I like a little upbeat mood music and it was dead quiet.This a beautiful old building and has been a successful cafe in its glory days and former management so it's sad to see it going downhill. The customers are in the area as it is next to the train line- two of the other cafes in the area were full of happy looking people with nice looking food in front of them- these places understand the factors of success I think. I hope the owners of Cafe on Strand read this and pick up their game- or you will see a "for lease" sign on the window very soon!