contessa balmain

a friendly cafe withgoodportioned and tasty food. really enjoyed the corn cake with salmon, could have be even better with just a few more drops of balsamic vinegar reduction sauce. the spaghetti was cooked well, however the meatballs were a bit under seasoned.

little busy cafe, was pretty full on a sunday morning, but we were seated quickly.
my chicken parmy wasgoodfrom presentation to taste. they even made an effect to decorate my chai latte which is very sweet because most of the place don't. this is a place i will visit again :)

we have been in this place for breakfast and we have eaten the farmhouse omelette, rosa’s breakfast bruschetta and coffee. they were ok, with agoodpresentation, but service was slow.

we were served by a lovely cheerful host on a busy sunday and seated for lunch. coffee was on point 👌 my friend and i both ordered the salad on the specials menu. chicken pesto and haloumi. it was divine! food and coffee took a while to come out but i could see how busy they were, so it was quite understandable. overall great little spot for a feed andgoodfood experience!

tasty brekkie and big portion. coffee isgoodtoo. staffs are friendly and quick service. it is a bit pricy considering it is in balmain, the price is reasonable in this area cuz of the taste.

contessa is just one of those places that is constantly busy all day. and withgoodreason. their selection of brunch dishes is incredible. possibly their best-known dish is the nutella french toast, which is the reason i visited. thick and fluffy french toast layered with a huge serving of nutella. the strawberries and coconut rounded everything out and made this so incredibly tasty

agoodcafe to grab lunch. service was friendly and efficient. i had the corn cakes with beans which i thought was agoodsize. it tasted fresh and i enjoyed it but maybe a little on bland side. didn't really get much spice flavour from the spicy chipotle beans. my friend had eggs benedict. it was exactly what she was craving and she liked it.

generous serves ofgoodfood and friendly service

contessa balmain is a cafe/restaurant serving breakfast and lunch 7 days a week. it is small cafe with limited seating available inside and outside. it is located on darling street, balmain.

we came for brunch as it was suggested to us to try and reviews were positive, so we had to give it a go. we were meant to go to devon on danks but i'm glad we went to contessa as it was a nice experience. we found off street parking and were seated immediately. throughout our time at contessa, there was a consistent flow of customers.

we ordered the ultimate bacon and egg roll, contessa corn cakes with chorizo, and the contessa fry up. to drink, my child had the contessa froggicino, i had a large chai latte and my husband had the seasonal fresh fruit freppe.

the servings of food were generous, we didn't end up finishing everything. the ultimate bacon and egg roll came with hickory smoked bacon, fried eggs, provolone cheese, caramelized onion (we asked for it to be on the side), tomato relish and mayonnaise on a toasted brioche bun. it was a big serving, no way could you get your mouth around it without pressing it down. a bit messy to eat but was nice. the bacon was smokey and plenty of it. i would have preferred a runny egg. everything tied nicely together.

i tried the contessa corn cakes as a review suggested to try it. i normally wouldn't order this kind of dish but decided to give it a go and i actually enjoyed it. but one cake was more than enough, the dish came with two corn cakes. it was served with guacamole, baby spinach, tomato salsa, and balsamic reduction with a choice of hickory smoked bacon, chorizo, mushrooms or smoked salmon. i chose chorizo and i'm glad i did as we quickly polished it up. it was yummy, flavours weren't strong, it didn't leave an aftertaste and were cut in nice thick pieces so it wasn't dry. there was plenty of corn in the corn cakes and was a nice sweet and savoury dish, however, eating both cakes would make me feel sick so i left the other one. the fresh element of the avocado, spinach, and tomato helped cut through the oil for me in the dish.

the contessa fry up or big breakfast came with x2 fried eggs (you can't change how the eggs are cooked), hickory smoked bacon, mushrooms, grilled tomato, hash brown, house relish and sourdough bread. i prefer my egg runny and because they put the relish on the eggs, i didnt touch much of the egg as the relish was not to my palate. the bacon was smoky and was nice. the mushrooms weregoodand plenty of it. the hash brown was nice and crunchy. the sourdough bread was nice toasted and buttered.

the froggicino or babycino was a cute and novelty way to put a smile on my child's face. it came with two marshmallows and a face drawn with chocolate sauce. it was thoroughly enjoyed as it was polished up quickly. a definite hit with the kids.

my chai latte was nice and it came out quite hot as requested.

the seasonal fresh fruit freppe was nice and not overly sweet. tasted like it had mango in it.

staff were friendly and a table check was done.

verdict: if you wantgoodfood and have an appetite, this place is worth a try and it won't hurt your wallet either.

very busy happening place.goodsocial media exposure. had been seeing lots ofgoodupdates on my insta so gave it a try. staff were awesome. attentive andgoodto communicate how long our table would be.
breakfast menu isn't huge but has enough for all. corn cakes were generous and fresh. fry up was good. coffee was excellent. will return next time we are in balmain.

started off with bloody mary's, which got us wanting more!

great spot for a long catch up withgoodfood and a sneaky cocktail!

the contessa salad was to die for!

staff here are so super friendly which was the cherry on top!

cutest babycino you will find in any cafe in sydney, which they have named a frogacino. the cafe has a nice ambience and service is warm and friendly. the ham and cheese croissant we had was on the smaller side for $8.50, otherwise, everything was really enjoyable. seemingly always busy and forgoodreason.

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brunch at contessa is such a hidden gem! balmain is not an area i frequent often as a foodie, but after hitting contessa i think i'll have to give it more of a look.

if you want to know the must have dish at contessa it's gotta be the nutella french toast. your life will change. i hope you're ready. layers of brioche suitably smothered in warm nutella, topped with coconut and muesli for a little crunch, and strawberries for some freshness. an absolute can't fault dish.

also on the menu we're corn fritters. this was the first time i'd ever tried corn fritters and it was the place where my love affair with them began. crispy yet soft served with agoodwhack of guac and balsamic.

coz we're fatties we also ordered the avo on toast complete with a poached eggy. a nice fresh oj, a coffee and a froggacino which is like the cutest thing to ever happen. see pics for reference.

the staff are also amazing, the food is tops and there's parking down the street. put it on your brunch list now.

saz - burgersnbikinis xx

totally heart this cafe in balmain! i can see why it's jam packed on the weekends especially. the food here is flavoursome and hearty, the thing is... it is filling without that sluggish feeling, and agoodportion size.
the service was slow and the cafe inside echoes quite badly. so trying to compete with the music and other diners can be a challenge if you are trying to hold a conversation, especially if there happens to be a screaming child. that aside, it's still worth the visit, and if you're lucky enough to get one of the tables outside and it's a sunny day, then you've hit a winner.
we came here today for lunch. i ordered the spaghetti con gambari and my lunch buddy got the spicy italian meat ball melt. we tried eaxh others meal and they were both quite delicious.
the menu was simple and not too crowded with choice, which made choosing easy. this is a noteworthy cafe in sydney.

great little neighbourhood cafe in balmain serving up a wide selection of breakfast and lunch items along withgoodcoffee. contessa is licensed so they also offer up a boozy breakfast option for those looking for something with a bit more a kick. it's a busy venue on weekends and forgoodreason too!

contessa balmain has been in balmain for 24 years and 13 years under the current owner. what i notice first is the incredible friendliness and hospitable nature of the owner and staff. truly felt welcome and had a fun time! that really makes for a great atmosphere. i'm a rarity at giving a 5 for a cafe, but this deserves it. the place has had a recent reno and styled much like the city cafes with the bronze pipes and hanging lights and little green flowers in vases on the table.
the menu is extensive and has 4 icons to highlight the menu, cocktails, good, coffee. starting with a cocktail (we are on holidays :), ordering a bloody mary and a bellini mimosa, what an awesome start to the day! sort of feel like we're in nyc! in regards to food, we took some advice from the staff and went for the nutella brioche, corn fritters and breakfast burrito. though you could order eggs, burgers, pastas and more if that takes your fancy.
the breakfast burrito was a huge wrap filled with scrambled egg, chorizo, cheese, sauce and topped with guacamole, this was great! also shared the corn fritters, which were less doughy than most places, which is agoodthing. you can actually taste the corn kernels. we chose bacon to accompany it, though you could get salmon or chorizo if you like. then the mother of all sweet things, brioche french toast with nutella, toasted oats, coconut and this was insanely amazing. i'm not normally a fan of french toast as it's too eggy, but this was just right. although i might need to run around the block a few times to work it off, it was worth eating! i then also got a little 'froggacino'. what is this, you may ask?? but a baby cino that looks like a frog! i loved it, even as an adult. all round top place and thanks for great service!