I love the atmosphere and the decor. Everything is old world and it reminds me of things my grandparents had when I was a child. The old radios in the wooden cabinet stand, the old singer sewing machine, reel to reel recorders, the dentist chair that brought back not good memories and the oil paintings. The service is excellent and speedy. The coffee is fresh, hot and not burnt. The cakes are delicious and the meals are ample. Prices... well more expensive but then again it is a place to relax with someone or to chill with yourself and your computer... yes free wifi! read more

Once Upon A Time Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - West Ryde, NSW

Yes very interesting grandfather decor but the coffee is very disappointing (same after 2 visits) and the "Wagyu" burger tasted suspiciously like Woolis beef mince. The gingerbread biscuits were really stale. Staff generally friendly and helpful read more

Lovely rustic ambiance, good coffee. Food was the usual cafe brunch and brekkie but it was still decent.

Vintage and mismatched decor. Delicious and beautiful food. What a great combination! We had breakfast here and it was great. Everything tasted really good, and the food was definitely photo-worthy. Service was reasonably quick, but you have to order up at the counter. They did forget the salmon that my husband ordered with his meal, but they brought it when they told him it was forgotten, no questions asked. read more

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Beautiful cafe that makes you feel like you've stepped out of time. There's old skool sewing machines and odd things to sit on. Wooden trains in the door and old decor. It smells like wood and imagination. There's a whole bunch of seating downstairs but you'll need to order upstairs and collect up there. There are a variety of things on offer and it's a relatively new Cafe. The owners were lovely and let me know that they haven't really advertised at all so they have been super excited about people that keep coming back. This place is open till late!! They throw you out at 11pm - and are gracious when you lose track of time and keep them back. The late closes reminds me of a European cafe in Sydney in that regard. They do an amazing earl grey latte, sweet potato latte as well as the traditional hot coffee's and teas. They also do wicked food here too. Oh and frozen drinks. And wee deserts. So if you want nibbles and good warm and cold beverages do so off in here and maybe you'll find a pixie behind that potplant outside! read more

Once Upon A Time Cafe - Its quaint! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - West Ryde, NSW

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Cute little vintage cafe! The decor is really nice they have a lot of vintage items all upstairs and downstairs. The table I sat on was an old school sewing machine - a treadle! Only opened 2 days ago so I got to sample some house made orange pancakes with orange compote, ricotta and Canadian maple this morning. Hmm pancakes! Tasty I also tried for the first time their earl grey latte. Yes, you heard correctly. Tastes exactly how you expect - a staff member told me that it is a collaboration Twinings and another company (will investigate further). But is it soo good! Must try it if you are in the area. They also have a sweet potato latte! That is next on my list. Breakfast is avail 7am to 11.30. Lunch 11.30 -3pm. Loved my first time and will definitely be back to sample something from this well designed menu. read more

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I love this place - the decor is really well done, the food is delicious and the price is not too bad for the serving sizes. Some menu standouts are the avocado smash (add eggs), green tea cake and earl grey latte. The decorations look really authentic - it's mismatched but the colours tie is all in. The service is always pretty quick but I've always come when it's fairly quiet. Don't think I have any complaints - it's definitely a lovely local joint to visit. read more

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Me and a fellow yelper visited this cafe for lunch and were taken away by the beautiful atmosphere and food. We ordered the smashed avo on toast and fish and chips, however I did find the fish and chips heavy on the batter it was lovely and the homemade tartare sauce was divine! Deserves another visit for sure! read more

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Nice little shop with helpful and polite staff. Coffee was great, Earl Grey latte amazing. Atmosphere was very nice... First decent coffee shop in West Ryde read more

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Hmm... what can I say, I used to be blindly loyal to this café around the time they first opened. Pretty good experiences at the start so I still went even when food started getting ridiculously salty, they were constantly out of this and that narrowing down the options and reasons to even stay and eat, and drinks weren't as well made. It was ultimately one female staff that has stopped me going back though. Apart from that the other staff are actually all really nice as they're pretty young and kinda quiet and shy. The main thing that had me hooked in the first place was the kiwi apple smoothie. It was delicious and the blueberry smoothie was a close second. But this too differed in taste depending on who made it as with most smoothies. The first time I tried the cookies and cream frappe it was also ridiculously good. I've tried most of the 'light' options and quality does vary. Sometimes it's tasty, and sometimes they give you things which have definitely been kept a day or two too long. It seems the grilled bird sandwich has survived the menu changes, and this I can understand as it was a regular at the table. The super green omelette has scarred me for life though, it had to be the saltiest meal I had ever had. I can't possibly understand what was going on in the kitchen to add that much salt to the one dish. Maybe I will go back again sometime in the future, but for the time being I have been keeping my distance after being let down far too many times. read more

Well, the place is charming in an artifical way: it's like those themed cafes in Japan and Korea. There is a sense of forced charm. The food was alright, but certainly not memorable. We burnt our hand on the hot plate of Moroccan Egg, because the waiters forgot to let us know that it is really hot. The BLAT sandwich was ok. The decor is charming enough, but the food is not attractive enough to lure us back. read more

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I've now been here twice and I would say it's 50/50. It's a pretty place but I would probably say it's trying a bit too hard to be hipster with its decor. The food here has been good both times I've come and the drinks also. I wouldn't order coffee here again though. Overall if you're in the area and element 6 is crowded then try this place. read more

Tried a few more dishes here and must say its very average and probably a bit too heavy (wth cream sauce etc)

The food is fresh and tasty and the presentation top notch. If you want a sophisticated somewhat special place to take a partner/friend or have a meeting I can safely recommend Once Upon A Time cafe. Unfortunately whats stopping this place becoming a regular breaky spot for me is the price.. 14 dollars for Avocado toast is a bit of a stretch, I don't care how man bells and whistles its adorned with. And 4 dollars to add bacon..Again its pretty pricey. But the food is good and service friendly so I'll go back every once in a while! read more

Once Upon A Time Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - West Ryde, NSW

I love how cozy it is and the outside seating area is really pretty in a sunny day; it's great to have seating options. The menu is really diverse and offers lots of great menu items. It is relatively cheap and the portions are a good size. Would highly recommend read more

Amazing ambience, old school decorations, GREAT food and portions are huge.

The cafe decoration was beautiful and it presented well the name of cafe 'once upon a time'. Drinks that I ordered were 'Kiwi and apple smoothie' and passionfruit ade'. They were pretty tasty. But why is my rating two stars? Here are the reasons. I ordered a 'Housemade chicken schnitzel' from 'Specials' menu. When the staff put the plate on my table I thought this was JOKING. Literally I had a THINNEST and SMALLEST SCHNITZEL PIECE that I ever seen on a pile of potato chips. The size was ridiculously thin and small. When I asked the waitress is this an usual amount, she said "THIS IS NOT MY PART OF JOB SO I DON'T KNOW" and she walked away. I was wondering if the staff was working there for free. The waitress was so rude and helpless. The service was amazingly poor compare to its amazing settings. I had to take the plate to the front by myself to show how small the piece was. Even the staff members admitted that the piece was really small. They said they can give more pieces, but no apologies, no explains, just nothing. After few minutes I got my plate back with two more small and thin pieces added. And the taste? What do you expect from thinnest chicken schnitzel? The taste was absolutely disgusting. Couldn't taste any chicken at all. If you don't mind a ridiculously small proportion of food and bad staff service, this cafe will be a good place to have a casual drink and some snacks. read more

I have been here numerous times and the food has always been good. The staff are friendly and the service is always fairly quick. The decor is lovely and really gives of a unique vibe. I would recommend checking it out if you are in the area! It's great to have such a good cafe in the local area. read more

This is my second visit today. I loved the zucchini & corn fritters so much last time, I decided to order again! Disappointed doesn't describe it today. Must be using a different recipe because the spicy flavour was just not there. Poached eggs were overcooked, so all in all a totally disappointing lunch. read more

Great ambiance and decor. Breakfast and lunch is good here. Coffee is average as per my taste but otherwise a great place to try.

Generally good, but the food needs to be improved a little bit, I suggest the bread of beef burger can be little bit more soft.

Once Upon A Time is always my pick for meals in West Ryde. The service is great and the actual establishment itself looks great. The meals there are great. I recommend the duck burrito or the pork bao sliders. read more

This is a cute cafe located in West Ryde that offers a delicious menu and a vast range of drinks and tea cakes. They offer a green tea latte that always wins me over when I see it being offered. I highly recommend the B.L.A.R.T. Sandwich !!! It was packed with juicy bacon and fresh soft avocado. read more