Cafe Giardino

What a surprise. We weren’t expecting to find anything special in Taree. We love our Italian restaurants and it’s easy to say Cafe Giardino is one of the best. Olives, falafel, halloumi sticks, garlic prawns, caprese salad and the cannoli to finish off. Fantastic. Oh, we also had 2 of the house sodas. Highly recommended.

Cafe Giardino was regarded as a hip and trendy cafe in Taree, with their distinctive and pretty atmosphere. But they have greedily raised their price over the years. Don’t get me wrong, their food is not bad. We ordered lamb burger and halloumi chips, which were yummy enough but salty. Nothing super special though, it’s just regular cafe food. The serving size wasn’t big and there is no salad or chips come with, it’s not tiny but ordinary.. 3 deep fried halloumi sticks with garlic aioli sauce for $16. What’s excellent is their drinks, especially house made cold drinks, worth what I paid for. The service was great. Staff is friendly and attentive, and quick service. The decor is pretty with green and flowery themes, which is very exotic. Hence I would say eating in there is pleasant experience.

Really great breakfast spot where classics Australian food meets an Italian twist. The food was really good, and the children's meals were very generous portions. Price wise it was expensive, including a Sunday surcharge. Coffee was delicious! Really great taste and excellent latte art too. Highchairs were available, but no baby changing even though there was plenty of room for a table in at least the women's toilet. Plenty of on street parking right around the corner, or down by the water. Staff were mostly friendly but a little abrupt at times.

I am always curious when I see lots of positive and some negative reviews. Any restaurant can have a bad day or maybe the customer is the one having a bad day. I like to find out for myself. Just yesterday I was travelling south on the Pacific Highway. My wife and I decided a rest stop was in order. We did not expect much in Taree on a Sunday afternoon however we had a pleasant surprise. Courtesy Google maps we chose Cafe Giardino and these guys are serious about catching the trade being open with a full menu offering mid Sunday afternoon. The fee of this cafe is charming - a slice of Southern European cafe vibe. The outside seating is nicely shielded from the Victoria Street traffic. You can find the menu elsewhere on this Google entry. There were plenty of interesting choices. My wife reported the salt and pepper calamari was deliciously tender and flavoured. My Nana’s Falafel was slightly crispy with a tasty moist falafel mix inside. I thought I chose well. The pictured cool drinks were a hit. Described as home made sodas, the pink one is strawberry/mint and the green one is called Persian cucumber and mint. Both were so much better than commercial soft drinks. I recommend them. The exciting surprise for me was the coffee. I ordered my usual macchiato (my barista test) and my wife a strong small long black. She reported positively straight way. I was not so enthusiastic until about half way through my macchiato. Because the flavour was not bland, it grew on me until suddenly the rich, caramel flavours hit me. I had the most pleasant coffee after taste for an hour. These Amanti beans combined with their barista were a winner. I can now say the coffee was a 9/10 for me. I do not normally review toilets. I have seen a lot of terrible toilets. The male toilets were OK however I loved the antique tap - hence the photograph. Now I know this place exists, I might just ensure I detour to Taree when I normally give it a miss. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed a our visit to Cafe Giardino. The service was attentive and quick. Could not ask for more.

What a delightful find early Sunday morning You could think you were in Europe. My Granola & coffee were fantastic. Staff very friendly & chatty. Loved it all

Absolutely stunning delicious brunch - enjoyed immensely… travelling with a celiac and nothing was a problem. Server was kind friendly, happy and was quick. Will definitely be back when travelling through Taree again from Sydney A must visit!

Devine little surprise in our journey to Sydney. Atmosphere, music, decor, coupled delicious, fresh food, great coffee and such a lovely waiter named Harry. Perfection

Cute little cafe, that was open on New Year's Day! As we were passing by the little town. The staff were accommodating and there was a toilet inside. The hot drinks were very nice and smooth. The food was quite delicious and flavourful. The atmosphere was quite awesome had a lot of trinkets around and decorated with flowers hanging everywhere. Would recommend.