the topiary cafe

what a fantastic find, so impressed with the lovely food and service at wal's, . compared to other garden centre cafes this is a winner hands down - and half the price, but twice the friendly service!, well worth the drive

lovely spot. attentive and friendly service. i'm not sure they have completely found their level with the dishes - they were all nice but i felt that maybe chef is trying too hard to find unusual combinations rather than just sticking with the favorites. for example, the only side salad had blue cheese, which many people don't like (although there are probably more options in summer). i had the veal which was perfectly cooked and i would order again just for the pumpkin gnocchi although i didn't personally like the sauce (couldnt pinpoint exactly why). friends had the fish -again beautifully cooked but some clashing elements on the plate. pare it back and the hero will shine. would return, particularly to try the devonshire tea! :)

i was really looking forward to my baby shower high tea on saturday afternoon just gone but sadly - me and my 11 guests were very disappointed. the service here is frankly, appalling. the high tea starts at 2.30pm and strictly goes for 2 hours only. it got to 3pm and still noone had approached our table to even acknowledge us, let alone take drink orders. we had to approach a staff member 2 more times before drink orders were taken. the drinks then took ages to come out and we didn't receive our food until 3.40pm - after asking for it several times! my guests were constantly following up the staff on their drink orders as many were forgotten about. for $45 a head for high tea - it's just overpriced and not worth it. the only beverages that are included are 1 pot of tea or 1 coffee. i have been to many high tea places in adelaide and for a lower price you receive not only more food and much more attentive service but endless tea and coffee and sometimes even champagne or orange juice as well. furthermore, wait staff at other high tea establishments are always topping up your beverages or asking if you actually want a beverage! this never happened at topiary and as my guests and i discussed, the staff are shooting themselves in the foot because we were very prepared to order several more drinks but just couldn't get the staff's attention and then the 2 hours were over! they could have made a lot more money off us. i even tried to open a drinks tab but was told that i couldn't! overall i really regret making my guests travel for an hour to topiary to experience such poor service and i wish that we had just gone to one of the many other more reliable high tea places in adelaide. we spent hundreds of dollars yesterday and should have been looked after.

what a fantastic experience as always. this was my second time at the topiary cafe and i remain really impressed with the food and service.
we had 5 course degustation menu and it was so tasty. the highlights for me were the in house smoked salmon (just amazing!!) and the dessert. but there was not one dish i didn't enjoy.
i will definitely be back.

i frequently go to the topiary cafe with my family and we are always impressed :) the staff are so lovely and helpful and the cabinet food is varied and all delicious, have yet to order off the menu but the food looks amazing!! :) not to mention the coffee is some of the best in dunedin/mosgiel. fantastic place for all.... highly recommend!!

lovely setting, food consistently good, coffee great, service very good. rather noisy indoors but overall great place to meet friends and share a meal. definitely continue going to this cafe

good place for large bookings and gatherings. i have always found service is excellent despite the views of some reviews here. best when the weather is fair and not too hot or cold. top place to have lunch or breakfast in a high quality setting. it's only gaining in its well deserved reputation.

just a heads up - book ahead as it's real popular. if you don't you may be disappointed like a couple of the reviews on here. (that said, just cause it's not in town, doesn't mean you can just rock up and expect a seat if others have booked ahead.)

we had the harvest menu which was amazing. the food was all delicious and beautifully presented. lovely staff and a relaxed atmosphere. there is a nursery onsite so plant lovers can take a plant or two with them.

in newman's topiary kafe we visited today we weren't allowed to order the taster menu for two of us which is $140.00 per person. they explained the whole table of 6 had to order it for it to be worth their while doing it, even though if just my mum and myself went to the restaurant alone and ordered it they would've done it no questions asked because two people in that instant equals the "whole table"

instead 5 of us decided to choose the smaller taster menu which was $80.00 per person.
we asked if one of us could just choose from the regular menu.
we were told no ..that the one person had to have the taster menu choice like the other 5 or else everyone who wanted the taster menu had to choose from the regular menu like that one person.

again if we were split into three tables of two they would've happily accommodated every one of us but because we were one table of 9 (6 adults and 3 kids ) they weren't prepared to accommodate just one person.

consequently that one person ordered something they didn't actually want so everyone else on the table could have what they did want to "keep the restaurant happy".

the attitude of the restaurant seemed to be that everyone who steps inside their royal doors should all just feel privileged to be in their space.

fair enough except the very first plate that comes out to me has a chip on it ...usually i wouldn't care less about such things let' alone name the restaurant but when a restaurant is so unreasonable in their pretentious refusal to accommodate just one person despite the huge amount of money they're gonna recieve at the end then proceed to deliver sub standard service themselves it's hard to ignore the irony.

the food was okay it was the cavalier attitude of the staff and just the general disinterest and unwillingness to provide any sort of customer service that was dissapointing and made for a negative experience from the get go.

this place has a lovely location, service is ok. however, despite the chef trying to be creative l, you get locked into a 2 or 3 course lunch menu, no other options are available. you get a tiny slice of locally made bread with a lovely butter but it’s just way to small! i’ve ordered a baked fish, i was chasing it on this huge plate it was served. the desert name fallen leaves suggests something amazing, not so much. the best part? sparkling wine by simon greenleaf and coffee. extremely overpriced.

creative and pleasant: a lovely dining experience. the service was great, the food was not too bad, hit and miss, one of the dishes was kinda strange in the pairing of salmon and pancetta but the gnocchi was very tasty. the best thing was probably the bread and butter, it was really good!!! we also had the deconstructed cheesecake for dessert, it was so beautifully presented with thin slices of apple delicately arranged in such an artistic formation, too pretty to be eaten and it was delicious. would recommend if you’re in the area!

this is a very good restaurant in a great setting on the grounds at newmans nursery.
we went for breakfast and it was brilliant. everything was well presented freshly made and beautifully plated.
the coffee - just as it should be. there is some thought put into the coffee they serve here and how it comes to the table. this actually tastes great - fresh beans and not burnt or overly bitter (european background so good coffee defines the day)
the poached eggs were perfect - and did not come out of a poaching bag! the beetroot hollandaise looks vibrant on the plate and tasted just right.
poppyseed scones made a great base for the eggs and the accompanying garnishes, wilted greens and other sides were as they should be - perfectly fresh and tasty.
the edible flowers and herbs were a beautiful touch and tasty too!
the plate was generous and welcoming. unfortunately i did not take a photo on this occasion as we were too busy enjoying our meals - but we will be back!

headed here for lunch recently and what a lovely experience we had. the food was so tasty, the sourdough with parsley salt was moorish. pork pie was filling and well received. the desserts on the restaurant menu looked delicious as they were coming out of the kitchen but we couldn’t pass up on hot scones with jam and cream. friendly staff in a pretty surrounding, and decent amount of car parking available. a nice afternoon experience with the bonus of being located in a plant nursery.

the food at this restaurant is very good. the cheese platter and silverside were excellent but the campfire marshmallow dessert was a little underwhelming. the only downside is the service. it's friendly and at first seemed professional- it was all downhill from there. lunch was 2.5 hours and in that time was only asked about drinks on the initial occasion. the desset order was forgotten and after waiting 30 mins i had to chase a waitress to ask about it. table service does not appear organised and there is no follow up by waiting staff after your plate is delivered and then removed. fix the service you will then have a wonderful spot to enjoy the good food.

staff were friendly, food was fantastic & the atmosphere topped off the experience.
the restaurant is surrounded by a beautiful garden & has a short walk through an amazing nursery