Cook & Archies

What a hidden gem! The food is absolutely delicious, and the staff is so kind and thoughtful: she even remembered my (very specific) tea order. Very happy to have discovered this spot so close to home. If, like me, you’re not into queuing for hours at trendy places that end up disappointing, this is the place for you!

We went there twice for breakfast/brunch and it was great both times. Attentive and friendly service, reasonably priced, great food and drinks - especially the juices (no added junk/sweeteners).

This spot is popular among media people in Surry Hills, which probably explains why it's always packed. Maybe that’s also why I’ve never really felt looked after or satisfied with the service - I usually just grab something and go. The food is great and drinks aren’t anything special, and the quality of the latte really depends on who’s making it and your luck of the day.

This is a difficult review for me to write because I had such a great experience the first time I came to this restaurant back in 2024. I want to be clear that the atmosphere, food taste and quality, and the service mindedness of the lovely owner were all worthy of five stars. However, the staff were surprisingly rude and aggressive. We arrived around 10:50, ordered our drinks at 10:55, then ordered our food at 11:05. The restaurant was bustling but slowly winding down. By 11:30, we realized nothing had come out yet so I went inside to ask if everything was ok. The waitstaff went to check, then came outside to ask for our orders again because it seemed to have been misplaced in the kitchen. We told her our orders, she went back in (no real apology).. At 11:40, she comes back out to ask / confirm our order again, and then heads back in. The first dish arrives around 11:50, then the second comes out at 11:55. We finish our meal, which was delicious, but are left feeling disappointed in the lack of accountability or even apology for the inconvenience. When I head inside to pay, I literally asked, “do you believe it’s reasonable for us to pay full price, 10% weekend surcharge, and 1.5% card surcharge for a meal that took over 40 minutes to arrive?”. The woman at the till aggressively told me that “it was busy” and “everyone had to wait” (40+ minutes wait??) - yes, she said “that sounds about right” The owner noticed our displeasure, comes out and tries to mediate while her staff try to talk over us and argue. I started to feel very uncomfortable being there from the angry looks on their faces and harsh tones. The owner kindly offered us compensation as a future meal, but I honestly wouldn’t feel comfortable dining there again if that was the response and service her team were providing. I’m going to miss Cook & Archies and wish them the best as a locally-owned business.

I have been here a few times before for coffee and cake it was good but today I was there for a meal ..I had a Ruben sandwich unfortunately . It was the worst driest sandwich which I have EVER had . There was almost no filling and so dry i couldn't finish it..the biggest $20 rip off and the worst sandwich i have ever had . The whole thing was over priced $ 78 for 1 coffee I mint juice ( which was actually yummy) 1 terrible sandwich and 1 brown rice chicken meal. The place was busy which was fine but SO NOISY I actually couldn't hear what the person next to me was saying ..I DEFINITELY WON'T BE BACK ...