With so many gun barrel eateries along Darby Street it can be hard to make a choice or…read moredifferentiate where one ends and another begins. But Frankie's Place with its aqua exterior really stands out and provides the relaxed feel you would expect from a beach city. Catching up with my brother for lunch and both being on and off conscious of diet we chose the roast pumpkin salad with chicken for an extra $4. The best salad I have ever ordered. EVER! I truly can not fault it. The honey mustard dressing was superb and the goats cheese and avocado were a great creamy addition. The pepita seeds were the cherry on top providing that crunch of texture salad sometimes needs. After drinking an awful smoothie recently in Sydney I was hesitant to order the banana version and settled on the Prince frappe consisting of mango, raspberry and pineapple. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! And so refreshing. My brother ordered the healthy super smoothie which I had been turned off as soon as I read spinach but after trying a sip, will not be deterred again. As good as the Prince, only $2 more at $9. A great place for lunch in Newcastle.

Our order was delivered to the table on a book. The Magic Pudding to be precise. Frankies Place was…read morealready pretty up there in terms of cool, but I think their latest serving trays will leave a definite hipster taste to your coffee. Regardless, it remains one of my "go to" cafes when in Newcastle for a consistently good breakfast (try the salmon - you'll never turn back) and a coffee. There's a gorgeous outdoor courtyard or upstairs area to dine in. Be warned though, this is one popular lady so she fills up quickly during peak dining times. On my last visit I feel like they'd maybe changed ownership as although still good it didn't pack as much of a punch and the whole book serving was a new thing. Frankies' don't disappoint me now!

Not a bad place for a quick bite. You wont find any gourmet items on the menu but the servings are…read moregenerous and good value for money. Decent coffee too.

Food is good value for money. I've eaten there on numerous occasions and never had a bad meal…read more Moroccan lamb burger is my favourite. Good for when you want to get out of the office to have something to eat that doesn't take an hour. Coffee is good and the meals are pretty quick turnaround.

My cuzzo took me out to a flat white. This place seemed nice and less busy so we went here…read more AMBIANCE: Parking: Street parking so it can get busy. Seating: Inside and outside seating. There's room for about 80 people. Great for groups or pairs. Vibes: Warners Bay is nice. Seems lowkey but not so really. It's a popular place for the locals as there are a lot of shops there and a gorgeous lake to walk around. The spot itself has a nice clean and friendly charm. They got a tv and some pretty nice fancy decor such as their paintings of blue leaves or their lighting to keep you entertained and feel in a vibrant place. Great for family and friends. FOOD: Flatwhite (Recommend) Solid! Creamy, simple, not too watery, and a nice kick of caffeine. A nice comforting kick as you sit or stroll around the neighborhood. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Great! Friendly people and quick with the service. TL; DR OVERALL: 4 Stars. Awesome place! I dig the menu, the price, and the experience. There are a lot of great eatery spots and I'm glad we stumbled across this one. Till next time, Hippo Espresso! TIPS: * Great for breakfast or lunch

Good food and despite being a large cafe, wait times are reasonable. Reasonably priced too.read more

First of all... I…read morelove the fact that people would often refer to this cafe as a "milk bar" (do you really hear cafes being referred to as such these days?). The place has a nice atmosphere and does not have the typical cafe vibe. They have a wide variety of food to choose from - from breakfast to dinner. I ordered a standard toast with chunks (not as a spread) of avocado, feta cheese and coreander. Then for lunch I ordered a soft shell crab burger which was super delicious! You won't hear many cafes that would sell anything like this (not that I can recall anyway). My colleagues have ordered steak burgers here and they absolutely loved it. There are 2 coffee section - the smaller one being referred to as "The Quickie" (ideal for those who come in to order coffee only) while the other one is situated in "The Parlor" (where meals are actually served). There is also a variety of Gelato flavours to choose from - also from The Parlor. The staff are friendly and are dressed in flannel shirts and jeans. Yes. This is their uniform. I will say that this is definitely one of the very best cafes I've ever been in. Many things pertaining to this place is novelty! In my opinion anyway...

This place has a nice vibe in general. It's casual and has great ice cream. I have eaten here a few…read moretimes, but I've got some hesitancy. It's one thing to be scruffy and wear Hawaiian shirts with boardies for a uniform, it's another to carry yourself in kind. It's not that the service isn't friendly, it is. It's just that every time someone serves me there I get a bit grossed out. I've been there five times. So far I'm yet to experience an interaction with the counter staff that doesn't involve: a finger in the ear, putting receipts in mouth (then pulling them out and providing to customer), sucking on napkins (pulling the wet part out of mouth, then touching customer food), mixing cash handling with food and drink prep. Eww guys. The music is too loud to carry a conversation without raised voices. Both of these issues are easily fixed, and overall this is a nice establishment. I'd be back if these things were taken care of. The good intent to create customer experience is obvious.

If you want to wait half an hour for your coffee just to be given the wrong thing, enjoy this dumpread more

I rarely give bad reviews but I think I need to warn people…read more The food is average but the service is dirt. I've given this place 3 attempts over the last 12 months and the coffee is good, menu is typical, but reliable and the servers every time made me feel like I was an inconvenience. And it wasn't cool Newcastle young people servers, it was mature women who wanted to make me feel small at every chance they got. It was like they had a huge chip on their shoulders. Rolled their eyes, ignored my friends request for no onion and when I asked what was in something they just said 'read the menu'. Lotus is uncomfortable due to the staff. There are a couple of other cafe options in the area and if you have a choice, take just about any of them over Lotus.

Amazing food, we got the kimchi fried rice and big Brekky. Highly recommend!!! Moreover the outdoor…read morearea was really nice and loved the server.

This place is an institution! Good atmosphere. Loud. GOOD…read moreATMOSPHERE!! One place I take out of towners. Good food but best known for coffee and on a cold night their sticky date pudding! Yum I'm not sure about ordering decaf. Lol. Tried a couple of times and have been kept up till 5am in recovery. Lol

This place has been around forever. Was the first place I ever got a decent coffee milkshake with…read morean espresso shot. I do like this venue a lot and the decor. Main eating areas inside and out, along with some quirky spots. I imagine the evening ambience to be quite nice. I have eaten here much as it tends to be on the dearer side but I've liked what's been presented. The staff all seem fairly young, possibly uni kids who engage each other more than worrying about patrons. But they are nice non the less. The outside area is great for those who want a little something and have your dogs with you.

Excellent breakfast place, very tasty creations, well balanced and well spiced. Really loved it…read more Slooooow service though, so prepare for a bit of a wait :-)

I'm sure it's nice but they never have any stock when I go there…read more No I'm not waiting 20 minutes while you make more pies. Do a better job anticipating demand.

The negative reviews of this place are confusing! I've never…read morehad to wait more than a reasonable amount of time and the coffee has always been great. The bread and baked goods from here are incredible and the food is nice. At the moment we're not able to dine in so I feel as though I've not had a proper chance to try. The covid procedure is a bit of a pain in the butt, and to my mind it makes their internal procedures somethin for customers to navigate (having a baked goods order line and a food order line - I want both!) Hopefully they switch back to normal soon. But I can't fault the food, coffee and service :)