Short Black Cafe

I come here regularly as I like the fruit salad for a weekend breakfast — but as time has gone by it has been sold, renovated, expanded and become less cosy, welcoming and enjoyable. It’s alright but the attentiveness of service and quality of food and coffee depend entirely on which staff are on shift.

Wondered what this would be like after the previous comments. But thought I’d see for myself.
I’ve been here before when it was a café. It was noisy. But now it was quite pleasant and the service and friendliness off staff was really good.
I had the eggs Benedict. Wasn’t so happy with the muffin used. But would be great on a slice of sour dough.
The eggs and bacon though we’re very good.
The first coffee tasted good but was only warm. The second round, after a request to make it hot, proved to be very rewarding and will get me back through the doors.

One of the great things about this place used to be the casual and social atmosphere it had. I used to appreciate the variety in the menu but they’ve reduced it in an effort to change their image. Furthermore, portions are smaller and more expensive!
They also used to display art from the local community here but now the interior décor is bland as a hotel’s lobby.

In the heart of the Burke road camberwell strip is the short black café. Fairly standard sort of a menu, I was in on a Sunday and it was super busy. It almost dinner style with a long wall seated side by side, it’s a bit more modern than a diner though, lotsa people stopping in for a quick snack. The bacon and egg sandwiches here are good as they double up on the egg. I’d go back, but I would actually prefer to grab my coffee and bacon and egg sanga to go, staff at the front where u can order your take away coffee were entertaining!

This place is trying hard to overcome a longish period of malaise. Service has improved dramatically lately and much of the food has too. Breakfasts are consistently good as is the coffee, although it is apparent that different baristas can impact the quality of the brew. They should stick to one formula rather than letting each barista tweak their offerings. The new dinner menu is interesting, if a little limited. The black mussels are a delight and the chicken dish on the menu was extremely tasty. The wine list is again limited but there is something to suit everybody. Gripes? The insistence of placing fancy bottled water on the table and bringing two glasses of tap water when asked for a bottle. This has happened several times now and it is clear that they don’t want to let patrons see bottles of tap water on the table while they are trying to ‘flog’ the expensive ‘spring’ water. They have introduced a loyalty system… but have increased prices across the board to pay for it. This means that whether or not you subscribe to the loyalty system, you are paying extra. The big shame is that they are around 15% too expensive for what they are trying to be. If they were THAT good… it might be worth it… but they aren’t and they never will be. Once the novelty of the new menu and the redecorated inside wears off they will inevitably lose custom and it will be interesting o see if service standards are upheld. Bring the prices back down by the recent excessive increase and you have a very good value for money family restaurant. Otherwise, it’s an over priced, better version of George’s.

We went here with a group of about 8 for lunch. There’s nothing bad about this place, but there’s nothing great either. I ordered the beef hamburger, which was a decent size, but didn’t taste very good.
The service was OK, but they seem to be in a hurry.
All up, it’s just… Meh.

This place was absolutely packed last Sunday — probably something to do with the Camberwell Market being across the road. So it’s convenient, and there’s pretty much something for everyone on the menu.
The problem is that it’s just not very good. The service is so-​so — they don’t seem to have assigned sections so things are a bit haphazard. The portions are okay but the food itself is nothing to write home about.
The two-​star rating really sums up the whole experience: meh.

I have been a regular at this café since the early 90s and have seen it go through several changes of name and ownership. Nostalgia aside, the Short Black is the place to go… when everywhere else is shut.
The best things about this place are the opening hours and its extensive menu. Whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll be sure to find it somewhere on their menu, and the serving size will be generous. Prices are on the high side and quality of food is consistently average.
The most striking thing about the Short Black is the appalling standard of the coffee. It never ceases to amaze me that a café can trade in a reasonably coffee-​savvy area such as Camberwell under the name «Short Black» and still get away with steaming milk past 80 °C and then dumping it in an ugly, lumpy mess on top of some espresso and calling it a latte.

Short Black is the kind of place that is convenient. That’s about it.
It’s convenient because its smack bang in the middle of Camberwell. Its convenient because the space is large and you’ll never have to wait for a table. It’s convenient because it serves a mish mash of ‘cuisines’.
For all the reasons I don’t like going there.
A café that rests on its laurels because it knows it will always have service is dangerous.
Back away slowly and you may be able to save yourself.
Serving warmed up bread and dips that are of supermarket quality, pastas that come out in large servings with minimal flavour and industrial sized breakfasts Short Black fails to deliver.
The service is passable at best, the coffee is boring and the atmosphere weak.
The only saving grace that Short Black once had was its proximity to Borders.
After spending hours reading and searching shelves you could be forgiven for collapsing into a chair and ordering a coffee just to get a caffeine hit.
But Borders is gone and Short Black still there. Walk away, trust me, it’s for the best.