Food is all soggy, pre-packaged and tastes like it has been prepared in the microwave. Menu is very uninspiring. Unfortunate that Happy Cow forces me to rate it 2* at lowest.
Unfortunately, this was probably the worst restaurant I have ever visited in my life. The staff were friendly and kind, but I felt like I was on an episode of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
The interiors were dull, depressing and uninviting. The food (Lebanese platter) was literally pre-packaged store bought hummus and baba ganoush (both cold) with only one pre-mixed re-heated falafel, placed on top of stale, non fresh vegetables. I took one bite and could not eat anymore. I have never wasted food in my life but this was so disgusting I had no choice.
The food is good but not that creative. Think Vegetarian nachos and burgers etc
I had nachos and soup and my husband had the burger. All meals were good, just not that exciting. Lovely staff and the desert was amazing!
Great food, good service..... BUT, the fruit flies buzzing about non- stop and dropping into your food and wine is a real issue. so there is rotting fruit somewhere and the flies are breeding..... not confidence building on hygiene or cleanliness .Also every surface of the plates, glasses, cutlert has either water spots, a crusty film or are sticky - again cleanliness is a real issue - an inspection by health officials is long overdue.
We went for dinner on a tuesday evening. Dishes came all kind of separate and my daughter's nachos came much later than everyone else's. We felt like they couldn't wait for us to leave the restaurant. Even though it was only 8.30pm and kitchen is apparently open until 9pm.
No vegan options for desserts.
No split bills but it's not even written on the menu. Check out lady was rude.
Never again.
Very simple food. It is great to find this place on the Northern Beaches, however I hardly ever go because I feel like I could easily achieve the same kind of meal at home. We ordered a (lebonese) tasting plate and while the food was nice and fresh with very limited processing, I would not order it again in a hurry.
The last time I went, there were also LOTS of items with cheese on the menu, which is quite unfortunate and they also didnt have a substitute for vegans (unless perhaps you went no-cheese duh).
We happened to be at Sydney's Northern Beaches last weekend so after wanting to try Emelia's for years we finally managed to go there.
I don't know why I thought that Emelia's was an upmarket restaurant. It turns out Emelia's is a small cosy low key cafe.
Emelia's is only open for dinner but the menu is more suited for a daytime / lunch place. The menu offers a couple of soups, a few "main courses" and various burgers and wraps.
Vegan options are very limited and none of the cakes offered for dessert were vegan, which was quite disappointing. The vegan dishes are not marked on the menu and the waitress had to ask the kitchen staff which dishes were vegan.
We had the pumpkin soup and the nut loaf which tasted ok but I've had much better vegan cafe style food in other places before. The nut loaf as a main dish set us back $17 dollars, which is quite expensive for what you get. The soup was $6 which was ok.
I've heard that Emelia's is often quite packed but we went there on a Saturday night and the place was mostly empty. The staff were very friendly but the timing of the food wasn't good. We had barely started to eat our soups when they already served the main courses.
Emelia's is a cash only cafe, which is quite inconvenient as the premises are in the middle of nowhere - there are no ATMs nearby.
A meal at Emelia's is ok if you happen to be on the Northern beaches but I wouldn't travel across Sydney specifically just to go there.
Updated from previous review on Monday September 20, 2010
10 Reviews
First Review by Sami
jdcrem
Points +82
Terrible - Edit
Food is all soggy, pre-packaged and tastes like it has been prepared in the microwave. Menu is very uninspiring. Unfortunate that Happy Cow forces me to rate it 2* at lowest.
Read moreGuest
veganmi
Points +40
Worst restaurant I have ever visited - Edit
Unfortunately, this was probably the worst restaurant I have ever visited in my life. The staff were friendly and kind, but I felt like I was on an episode of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
Read moreThe interiors were dull, depressing and uninviting. The food (Lebanese platter) was literally pre-packaged store bought hummus and baba ganoush (both cold) with only one pre-mixed re-heated falafel, placed on top of stale, non fresh vegetables. I took one bite and could not eat anymore. I have never wasted food in my life but this was so disgusting I had no choice.
Updated from previous review on 2021-10-25
Guest
PaulineMartin-Brooks
Points +19
Simple vegetarian options - Edit
The food is good but not that creative. Think Vegetarian nachos and burgers etc
Read moreI had nachos and soup and my husband had the burger. All meals were good, just not that exciting. Lovely staff and the desert was amazing!
Guest
JacH
Points +13
Disappointed - Edit
Great food, good service..... BUT, the fruit flies buzzing about non- stop and dropping into your food and wine is a real issue. so there is rotting fruit somewhere and the flies are breeding..... not confidence building on hygiene or cleanliness .Also every surface of the plates, glasses, cutlert has either water spots, a crusty film or are sticky - again cleanliness is a real issue - an inspection by health officials is long overdue.
Read morePros: Cheap, Quick, Vegetarian
Cons: Insect infestations , Smells bad, Dirty Glassware etc
Guest
DionCarrington
Points +68
Average - Edit
Bad service, average food you can make at home. It’s cheap and convenient. They don’t have vegan cheeses.
Read moreGuest
SadBearSoup
Points +129
Total Disappointment - Edit
I had heard so much about Emelia’s but was extremely disappointed by everything from the menu to the food.
Read moreGuest
DaiPrange
Points +14
ok food but terrible service - Edit
We went for dinner on a tuesday evening. Dishes came all kind of separate and my daughter's nachos came much later than everyone else's. We felt like they couldn't wait for us to leave the restaurant. Even though it was only 8.30pm and kitchen is apparently open until 9pm.
Read moreNo vegan options for desserts.
No split bills but it's not even written on the menu. Check out lady was rude.
Never again.
Guest
Keelynm
Points +88
Very simple - Edit
Very simple food. It is great to find this place on the Northern Beaches, however I hardly ever go because I feel like I could easily achieve the same kind of meal at home. We ordered a (lebonese) tasting plate and while the food was nice and fresh with very limited processing, I would not order it again in a hurry.
Read moreThe last time I went, there were also LOTS of items with cheese on the menu, which is quite unfortunate and they also didnt have a substitute for vegans (unless perhaps you went no-cheese duh).
Pros: On the Northern Beaches
Cons: Food is a bit boring
Guest
thelink
Points +165
Ok if you happen to be in the area - Edit
We happened to be at Sydney's Northern Beaches last weekend so after wanting to try Emelia's for years we finally managed to go there.
Read moreI don't know why I thought that Emelia's was an upmarket restaurant. It turns out Emelia's is a small cosy low key cafe.
Emelia's is only open for dinner but the menu is more suited for a daytime / lunch place. The menu offers a couple of soups, a few "main courses" and various burgers and wraps.
Vegan options are very limited and none of the cakes offered for dessert were vegan, which was quite disappointing. The vegan dishes are not marked on the menu and the waitress had to ask the kitchen staff which dishes were vegan.
We had the pumpkin soup and the nut loaf which tasted ok but I've had much better vegan cafe style food in other places before. The nut loaf as a main dish set us back $17 dollars, which is quite expensive for what you get. The soup was $6 which was ok.
I've heard that Emelia's is often quite packed but we went there on a Saturday night and the place was mostly empty. The staff were very friendly but the timing of the food wasn't good. We had barely started to eat our soups when they already served the main courses.
Emelia's is a cash only cafe, which is quite inconvenient as the premises are in the middle of nowhere - there are no ATMs nearby.
A meal at Emelia's is ok if you happen to be on the Northern beaches but I wouldn't travel across Sydney specifically just to go there.
Updated from previous review on Monday September 20, 2010
Guest
Sami
Points +13
RENNET ALERT!! - Edit
Just wanted to alert pure vegetarians that Emelia's DO NOT USE VEGETARIAN CHEESE.
Read moreGuest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 5822 times.