Cafe Shenkin
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Recommended Reviews - Cafe Shenkin
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What an amazing first experience I had here with Israeli Cuisine! Yesterday my friend brought me here for lunch.. I have never been to this neck of the woods let alone ever tried this type of food. My friend had been here a few times and spoke very highly of the place. I now can see why. The staff was friendly and efficient in the service. The place itself looks small at first but as you walk through there is a whole back area that can seat many more.. including groups of friends. The decore is very rustic and that's what gives this place their edge. To start off with I ordered an almond milk latte no sugar. Now I've had almond milk lattes before but never as smooth as this one.. the temperature was perfect not to hot like some places I've had. For my main meal I ordered the Shakshuka which was two Free Range Eggs poached in a rich Tomato, Capsicum & Garlic sauce served with fresh Home-Made Pita. The option I chose to have this meal with was chorizo. Now this dish absolutely blew me away. I can't tell you enough how amazing the flavours were in conjunction with the ingredients. Being Italian I've had a lot of tomato based food before and usually hesitate to order on those type of meals but my friend suggested it and I'm glad. It's that good I can't really explaine it.. you will have to try it for yourself. I will definitely be back at some point for more :)
I freaking love this place! Is freaking appropriate? Because I really FREAKING love it!!! Have been coming here for years, and I have always been a fan of the Israeli Breakfasts, salads and wraps and especially the Shakshuka for which they are famous for (and let me tell you it is just as good as one you'd have in Tel Aviv). Coffee is pretty damn good, sometimes amazing sometimes just great, the service can be a tad slow but always friendly which keeps me coming back for more. The food never disappoints! The cakes and pastries are divine- and most recently the coconut hot chocolate was a perfect balance of coconut-ness and chocolate-ness not at all too sweet! Just another thing that Shenkin does well. Do yourself a favour and go with 3 people and sharet: Shakshuka with haloumi & eggplant, a salad of some sort (i liked the tuna salad the best actually it is MASSIVE), and a wrap of some sort- beef kebab was yummo.. Wash it all down with a large juice or coffee and you won't be disappointed!
We walk out the back of Shenkin, briefly distracted by its cabinet of chocolates, cakes, and other assorted tasties that you shouldn't be allowed to look at pre-breakfast. It's an extremely hazy Sunday (despite the sun and blue skies), and as we take a seat on the long benches in the sunny back room, the task of deciding on our order seems all too much. Luckily, a decisive friend makes it easy. "Australian or Israeli?" She asks. We all answer Israeli - after all, that's why we're here. "Right," she says, and when the waitress comes to take our order, Miss Decisive has it all sorted. "We'll have the Eggplant and Haloumi Shakshuka, the Labneh, some hummus, the coriander dip and some extra pita." Done. Grateful to our friend for making a painstaking process so easy, we were also grateful for the fact that she got the order spot on. This was just the right amount of food for four people, and if you're heading the Skenkin, it seems that sharing is the way to go. The meals are so easy to share, and as they're all so delicious, this is the way to be able to sample as much as you can in one sitting. The food is fantastic. Like, call someone to tell them about it because you're just so satisfied. They make their own pita and it arrives on your table warm, fluffy and dusted with flour. On first glance the menu comes across as on the pricier side (Shakshuka $19, Labneh $17), but our meal only came to $44 (including a coffee and a tea), and $11 each is dirt cheap for something so delicious. Shenkin gets five stars because despite the fact that the coffee isn't fantastic (not awful, just not fantastic), the Israeli fare is what you go there for, and they smash it. Perfect hazy morning cure.
-A unique breakfast and lunch menu; great change from the regular cafes in Newtown. - If you don't feel like bacon and scrambled eggs, try the Mexican chorizo or Turkish wrap. -A platter of tasty hummus and two pitas is a great starter to lunch. -On a rainy day, the Shakshuka, a wonderful Israeli dish consisting of a tomato stew warms the tummy. -For dessert, you can't go past the waffles or a vanilla slice. -The coffee is creamy, authentic, and delicious (Mocha!) -The portions are huge so it's a good idea to share. -You might find yourself pressed between two people; it gets packed. -A cosy, warm cafe that has that buzzing atmosphere.
Yum. Always go for the Shashuka. Today's version (Mexican) was a little runny. Will go for my usual next time (eggplant and Halomi) . Eggs always done perfectly.
Excellent! Service, food and coffee! Everything was amazing. I will be back for the falafel wrap. I had the Tamar pancakes and im exploding with happiness! A must try!
This cafe was so good .... I will be coming back !! .... the staff were so friendly & prompt .... excellent service ...... the coffee was so good and kept a smile on Joey's face while scrolling through the well laid out menu. It didn't take long for the food to arrive and was so well presented .... the whole experience was fun and helped take my mind off the hangover that was lurking around. I feel next time I go back it will be an updated review with another star added on. I know I'll be looking forward to my next visit and the anticipation will just make it even better. Good work guys ..... !!
5 years ago
I had a great meal at Shenkin, went in with without checking pictures but thankfully ordered the Shakshuka (with chorizo) and a smoothie. Staff was very friendly, I got 2 massive pitas on the side and went to town on the dish. Hearty meal and very filling. Smoothie also hit the spot for the warm weather read more
12 years ago
Great little spot in Erskinville with a good vibe and some nice menu options to tickle those taste buds. Coffee was great - had a good strong kick, just how i like it. However, I'm surprised others have given it 5 stars. To me, 5 out of 5 means perfection and there are definitely some opportunities when it comes to their food. We decided to go with some of the suggestions given by other Yelpers and ordered the Shashuka Eggs with Eggplant & Haloumi and the Shenkin wrap (falafel roll). They were certainly good and nothing was left on the plate, but here are a couple of reasons they dont get 5 stars from me. 1. If you are going to do a baked egg style of dish, you gotta keep that yolk runny! Unfortunately they had over cooked our yolks by a good couple of minutes. Nothing beats sticking your fork into that orange sphere of goodness and spooning out some of that liquid gold. I'm almost certain the vast majority of foodies would agree! 2. The falafel roll lacked a punch. When you bite into a falafel roll, you want your tastebuds to start shuffling and you want to hear the crunch of the outer shell of that falafel. Neither of those occurred on this occasion Whilst the falafel was decent and made with good ingredients, it had zero texture. Also, with hommus being the only condiment on the wrap, my mouth was screaming for more flavour. They need to consider adding some 'zing' to that hommus! I have had far better falafels in Tel Aviv, Beirut and even here in Sydney. Hopefully they get a 5 out of 5 from me on the next visit. read more
11 years ago
What an amazing first experience I had here with Israeli Cuisine! Yesterday my friend brought me here for lunch.. I have never been to this neck of the woods let alone ever tried this type of food. My friend had been here a few times and spoke very highly of the place. I now can see why. The staff was friendly and efficient in the service. The place itself looks small at first but as you walk through there is a whole back area that can seat many more.. including groups of friends. The decore is very rustic and that's what gives this place their edge. To start off with I ordered an almond milk latte no sugar. Now I've had almond milk lattes before but never as smooth as this one.. the temperature was perfect not to hot like some places I've had. For my main meal I ordered the Shakshuka which was two Free Range Eggs poached in a rich Tomato, Capsicum & Garlic sauce served with fresh Home-Made Pita. The option I chose to have this meal with was chorizo. Now this dish absolutely blew me away. I can't tell you enough how amazing the flavours were in conjunction with the ingredients. Being Italian I've had a lot of tomato based food before and usually hesitate to order on those type of meals but my friend suggested it and I'm glad. It's that good I can't really explaine it.. you will have to try it for yourself. I will definitely be back at some point for more :) read more
I freaking love this place! Is freaking appropriate? Because I really FREAKING love it!!! Have been coming here for years, and I have always been a fan of the Israeli Breakfasts, salads and wraps and especially the Shakshuka for which they are famous for (and let me tell you it is just as good as one you'd have in Tel Aviv). Coffee is pretty damn good, sometimes amazing sometimes just great, the service can be a tad slow but always friendly which keeps me coming back for more. The food never disappoints! The cakes and pastries are divine- and most recently the coconut hot chocolate was a perfect balance of coconut-ness and chocolate-ness not at all too sweet! Just another thing that Shenkin does well. Do yourself a favour and go with 3 people and sharet: Shakshuka with haloumi & eggplant, a salad of some sort (i liked the tuna salad the best actually it is MASSIVE), and a wrap of some sort- beef kebab was yummo.. Wash it all down with a large juice or coffee and you won't be disappointed! read more
15 years ago
We walk out the back of Shenkin, briefly distracted by its cabinet of chocolates, cakes, and other assorted tasties that you shouldn't be allowed to look at pre-breakfast. It's an extremely hazy Sunday (despite the sun and blue skies), and as we take a seat on the long benches in the sunny back room, the task of deciding on our order seems all too much. Luckily, a decisive friend makes it easy. "Australian or Israeli?" She asks. We all answer Israeli - after all, that's why we're here. "Right," she says, and when the waitress comes to take our order, Miss Decisive has it all sorted. "We'll have the Eggplant and Haloumi Shakshuka, the Labneh, some hummus, the coriander dip and some extra pita." Done. Grateful to our friend for making a painstaking process so easy, we were also grateful for the fact that she got the order spot on. This was just the right amount of food for four people, and if you're heading the Skenkin, it seems that sharing is the way to go. The meals are so easy to share, and as they're all so delicious, this is the way to be able to sample as much as you can in one sitting. The food is fantastic. Like, call someone to tell them about it because you're just so satisfied. They make their own pita and it arrives on your table warm, fluffy and dusted with flour. On first glance the menu comes across as on the pricier side (Shakshuka $19, Labneh $17), but our meal only came to $44 (including a coffee and a tea), and $11 each is dirt cheap for something so delicious. Shenkin gets five stars because despite the fact that the coffee isn't fantastic (not awful, just not fantastic), the Israeli fare is what you go there for, and they smash it. Perfect hazy morning cure. read more
15 years ago
-A unique breakfast and lunch menu; great change from the regular cafes in Newtown. - If you don't feel like bacon and scrambled eggs, try the Mexican chorizo or Turkish wrap. -A platter of tasty hummus and two pitas is a great starter to lunch. -On a rainy day, the Shakshuka, a wonderful Israeli dish consisting of a tomato stew warms the tummy. -For dessert, you can't go past the waffles or a vanilla slice. -The coffee is creamy, authentic, and delicious (Mocha!) -The portions are huge so it's a good idea to share. -You might find yourself pressed between two people; it gets packed. -A cosy, warm cafe that has that buzzing atmosphere. read more
14 years ago
11 years ago
Yum. Always go for the Shashuka. Today's version (Mexican) was a little runny. Will go for my usual next time (eggplant and Halomi) . Eggs always done perfectly. read more
9 years ago
Excellent! Service, food and coffee! Everything was amazing. I will be back for the falafel wrap. I had the Tamar pancakes and im exploding with happiness! A must try! read more
This cafe was so good .... I will be coming back !! .... the staff were so friendly & prompt .... excellent service ...... the coffee was so good and kept a smile on Joey's face while scrolling through the well laid out menu. It didn't take long for the food to arrive and was so well presented .... the whole experience was fun and helped take my mind off the hangover that was lurking around. I feel next time I go back it will be an updated review with another star added on. I know I'll be looking forward to my next visit and the anticipation will just make it even better. Good work guys ..... !! read more
12 years ago
13 years ago
15 years ago
This bar is named after a street in Israel. It is very soon going to be open for dinner too. It is a specialty bar where the menu is packed with Isreali dishes designed for the Australian palette. You can even buy take away packs of dips from here. It's fresh as, cakes and pastries are baked daily on the premises. The vibe is funky just like Erskinville as a city fringe hub and although there is room the tables are small so big groups might feel a bit tight. read more
11 years ago
12 years ago
13 years ago
11 years ago
