Scintilla Cafe

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45 reviews

#15 of 52 Restaurants in Heidelberg$$ - $$$, Cafe, Australian, Vegetarian friendly

+61 3 9458 2782+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

7:00 am - 5:00 pm

Mon

7:00 am - 5:00 pm

Tue

7:00 am - 5:00 pm

Wed

7:00 am - 5:00 pm

Thu

7:00 am - 5:00 pm

Fri

7:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sat

7:00 am - 5:00 pm

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Ratings and reviews

3.5

45 reviews

#15 of 52 Restaurants in Heidelberg

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

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CUISINES

Cafe, Australian

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch

features

Location and contact

131 Burgundy St, Heidelberg, Banyule, Victoria 3084 Australia

+61 3 9458 2782

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Can a gluten free person get a good meal at this restaurant?

Yes

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Details

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CUISINES

Cafe, Australian

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch

FEATURES

Takeout, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible

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3.5

45 reviews

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Average

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Terrible

Heather87

765 contributions

A blast from the past. Still does great hot drinks

Feb 2020 • none

I used to work at Leo’s Fine Food & Wine nextdoor (when I worked there, Leo was actually the owner of Scintilla. Not sure if it’s still the case) and it used to be the place for Leo’s staff to meet for coffees and lunches on their breaks. The tradition was for staff to sit outside on the terrace for a spot of fresh air and Vitamin D and I used to kid about sitting with the penguin parade due to our uniform colour scheme. The relevance of this: to explain the title of my review. I came up to Heidelberg to have lunch with a friend and decided having not been to Scintila since before I left Leo’s in 2009, I’d get a hot chocolate as I arrived quite early. The hot chocolate and coffees were great at Leo’s and that hasn’t changed; nor has the level of service - although the staff are different as one would expect, they’re still very friendly and a pleasure to deal with. Was super bummed, though, to learn they no longer stock my favourite blueberry muffins that were a morning tea staple back in the day. One thing that was of concern, though, and one of the reasons for the 3 star rating is that the standards of cleanliness have slipped big time. There was a spill on the floor and the floors looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned for ages; the toilet wasn’t great, either. On that note, that’s the other reason I’ve lowered the star rating. If you’re looking for disability friendly, this isn’t the place for you. I’d forgotten until now but the toilet is upstairs and involves climbing a HUGE flight of stairs with no other way up. Although there’s a ramp to access the cafe, the doors are pretty narrow and there’s not a lot of space between tables for wheelchairs to move freely.

Written 8 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robert C

Mt Eliza460 contributions

Great for breakfast

Dec 2019 • none

My wife volunteers for a research project based at the Austin Hospital and we had a long wait between scans. A walk down Burgundy street showed the Scintilla in a positive light so we had a long leisurely breakfast. The place was light and airy and even though it was going to be a really hot day it was a pleasant place to eat. The food was excellent and well-priced and we would certainly recommend it.

Written 14 January 2020

havachatkiwi

Melbourne349 contributions

Good food, great service and prices

Feb 2023 • friends

We stopped in here today and ordered the Anzac breakfast and chicken Mediterranean salad. Both meals were of good sized serving and nice food. Only criticism was my knife wasn't sharp enough to cut through the toast bread so I never ate my bread. Cup of tea was meant to have skinny milk but the milk served didn't taste nice. Not sure if wrong milk served. Tea taste was average. Great menu, good service. Busy with tables turning over regularly. It would be too noisy if you were on a date, or if you wanted to tack and catch up but if noise is not an issue then I do recommend.

Written 25 February 2023

TwoSheds57

Melbourne9160 contributions

Nice visit

Apr 2022 • family

Pretty good today. Both dishes we had were tasty. Well composed and flavorful. Staff were good too. Friendly, efficient and professional. We’d go again

Written 20 April 2022

platypus150

Melbourne33223 contributions

Great coffee

Jan 2021 • none

We selected our table outside and then went inside to place our drinks order. We had coffees and they were more than very good, they were great. It is a bit noisy from the street, but we found inside noisy from the hard surfaces.

Written 17 January 2021

Henry G

Heidelberg13 contributions

Friendly staff. Always smile and say hello when you walk in.

Nov 2019 • none

Great selection of food and pastries to select from. David is a great host. Newspapers are there to read with your meal.

Written 11 November 2019

Ken T

Heidelberg91 contributions

Strange name, good place

Oct 2019 • couples

Went there for a coffee and snack during the afternoon. The position is pre-eminent among the many eating places in Burgundy Street central. It is coldly efficient with ordering and prepayment at the counter but you need to be of a reasonable height to be on even terms with the order taker. The menu is comprehensive but unremarkable however the specials board disclose forays into culinary heavy weight surprises. Dinner is not served there One you have ordered the service is prompt efficient and warmer than the stainless steel tables where you are seated. There is a spacious out door area which is very inviting on warm days. Parking here is rather good as there is an off street area behind the supermarket in the same building as the restaurant. The restaurant is licensed. If the ordering system was not as confronting I would award it a higher rating.

Written 7 October 2019

Robin C

252 contributions

Nice Coffee

Sept 2019 • couples

Our first visit the coffee was nice and st the correct temperature We did not eat but the Menu looked nice and well priced The meals coming out for breakfast type looked very nice and plenty on each plate

Written 4 September 2019

platypus150

Melbourne33223 contributions

Great food and coffee

Aug 2019 • none

Sunday lunchtime can be a bit crowded here, but they seem to manage. After ordering at the counter I sat down to await my beef goulash with sour cream and pasta. I cannot believe how good it was, made with high quality meat and a really tasty sauce. My coffee, too was good.

Written 10 August 2019

BettyM16

Melbourne272 contributions

Big and noisy

Aug 2019 • couples

Wait staff need to be friendly. They Let the place down. Especially the woman. What grumpy people. Toast dry. Eggs not how I ordered them. Got coffees wrong. Too many people, concentrating more on money than service. Our friend had the waffles, sooooo sweet couldn’t eat them. Don’t waste your time and money. Terrible. Terrible. Awful.

Written 9 August 2019

Brian B

Melbourne1098 contributions

Pleasant for coffee

June 2019 • family

I called in here with my daughter for a morning coffee-her shout.My latte was quite excellent though on a cold day the cafe did seem a bit lacking in cosiness and warmth.But delivered as it presented.And it's right next to leo's so that's also a plus

Written 5 June 2019

Dawn E

Melbourne12 contributions

Relaxed atmosphere

Mar 2019 • family

This restaurant cafe has the best atmosphere and great food. It is now my go to “brunch place”. It caters easily for singles families and their furry friends. You can have a coffee and cake or full main meal. The open lamb souvlaki is as delicious as the eggs and bacon. Most difficult thing is what to choose. There is plenty of parking available in the large car park behind the shops. It is in a area full of life with people just enjoying at their own pace great food and company.

Written 19 March 2019

TwoSheds57

Melbourne9160 contributions

Nice coffee, underwhelming service

Jan 2019 • none

It’s a flat 2.5 for me. Cafe Scintilla is a big, bright airy cafe right on Burgundy Street. It’s spacious inside and out with a pleasant elevated outside area at the front. It’s a nice spot on a sunny day. They were doing ok business here at 11am when I wandered in. It was about a third full with coffee and breakfast seekers dotted around. The lunch crowd had yet to arrive. So far, so good. A well known Melbourne cafe owner told me recently that service was the key to a great cafe. Obviously get the food and setting right but it can all be outdone by ordinary service so make sure he said that you have the right people working for you who are committed to warm and efficient customer service. Sadly, the service was a bit snappy on my arrival here. Just no warmth at all. Zilch. I was peremptorily directed to a table with coldly delivered directions. It was the same when ordering at the counter. Exact same again when my long black was delivered to my table. Just zero human connection sought by the three servers I encountered. No smile or nice words. Not a cracker. Each server conveyed low energy, low warmth, perhaps even low interest. Not good enough for me. The menu here looked ok albeit a bit conventional. There was enough there to spark some interest though. My all important coffee was nice. No complaints there, albeit that it was served in an oldish looking Merlo coffee mug on an ill fitting saucer. That’s not critical. The brew itself was good and enjoyable. This place, both the cafe itself and the business model, struck me as needing some modernisation and renewal. The servers in particular need to assess if they want to excel in the hospitality field unless I just caught them all at a bad time.

Written 30 January 2019

Mark F

Melbourne96 contributions

Good Value

Jan 2019 • business

I have been to Scintilla previously but never during the week. Monday to Friday breakfast is very good value (Eggs, Bacon , Toast and coffee) for $10.00 is unbeatable value.t

Written 17 January 2019