Hippo Espresso

The food here is really tasty and it's in a great location! Staff are always friendly and helpful and I've never had to wait for a table here, even on very busy days like Mother's day. The only downside is that service can be very slow at times. Table service could perhaps improve the overall efficiency of the place. I'm happy to return time and time again though!

Approximate cost: $20

Nice food and a handy kids play area. Can be a tad over crowded at times but that's hardly a bad sign. A tasty selection of cakes as well.

A poached chicken sandwich, how could that go wrong. Asked for it toasted, got 2 slices of dry toasted bread, no butter or aioli but they spread the dry toast with guacamole which is full of cumin, not even mentioned on the menu. Can't even make a sandwich.

Approximate cost: $13

They have a great menu here and the food is always tasty. The staff are friendly and do their best but I get the feeling they are often under-staffed here as there are normally long wait times for food and to order food. I think it would be more effective if waiters serviced tables rather than people having to go up to the counter to order. Twice I've been here things have been left off my order e.g. I got my food but not my drink and I got my coffee but not the cupcake I'd ordered and already paid for. So I think there is room for improvement in the service side of things. It is at a great location right on the esplanade at Warner's Bay and I do enjoy meeting up with friends here for lunch or a coffee and cake date. I'd just love to see better service because otherwise I wouldn't be able to fault this place!

Approximate cost: $20

I regularly go to Hippos for lunch or brunch on the weekends, good service, food tastes great and the staff are all friendly. Sometimes the food does take awhile to come once ordered however it has never been cold or unsatisfying.

Approximate cost: $20

Generally good (at brunch). Bit hit and miss at others times. Orders get mixed up a bit - probably due to young staff. Meals at times are more "home" quality than "restaurant" quality (night time menu).

Used to go a lot but stopped going through disappointment.

Approximate cost: $18

Fairly regular visitors to Hippo. Food is generally very good and value is reasonable (though towards upper end of value).

Young staff don't always listen or take orders accurately so this can be a bit annoying BUT they are always pleasant and keen to fix up any issues.

Generally I would recommend. You get what you expect and its far better than average (though you do pay a little more for that also - after all this really is a coffee shop!).

The service is reasonable. Expect your food to be cooked fresh and allow for that. Often order breakfast and can be in, ordered, eaten and out within the hour. Get the hippo much which is a bit of everything and most of the time it is yummy. Also they do ask you how you like your eggs cooked which is a plus in my book.

Approximate cost: $15

We had the mains, flathead fillet and lemon and lime squid. The meal was excellent.
We also frequently visit Hippo for the hipposhakes and thickshakes. They are very yummy and fills you up very quickly.

Approximate cost: $20+

Have been here a few times, and it seems to be gradually getting worse. Their food and drinks are still yummy, but service is a bit hit and miss.
Our last time there,we were forgotten about. We were sitting outside and were the only ones out there. Our drinks came fast, but an hour later we were still waiting on our meals (Eggs Benedict and Prawn Twisters, so nothing that takes too long to make). Mum went in and asked where our meals were and explained it had been over an our, and she was met with a puzzled look and told the waitress would look into it. Another 20 mins later they arrived with a sorry about the wait - but no eye contact, and she practically ran away before we could say anything. My bread was burnt, the eggs were way overcooked, there was hardly any sauce and mums prawn tiwisters were burnt too. Overall, not a pleasent experience, so will be looking at other cafes around Warners Bay from now on.

I went to Hippo for the first time 2 weeks ago. When I walked in I thought that we were going to be waiting hours for our order. After deciding what we wanted and placing our orders, to my surprise 5 minutes later the drinks came out and 20 minutes after that my meal. The food was devine and will be surely returning again some time in the near future.

i went to hippo espresso the other day and it was packed, i had the best breakfast (waffles) and the thickest thick shake i swear that is the best thickshake i have ever had, its what i would call a thickshake unlike other places. whilst the staff were madly running around i felt heaps bad asking one of the younger girls for a bottle of water and she brought it out straight away and stop what she was doing which i thought was completly amazing as she was busily clearing tables so other people can sit down for a meal.
i have to say this is my favourite cafe/restaurant and i throughly enjoy dinning there, the waitressess are so polite, happy and lovely its such a nice atmosphere x

Approximate cost: $12

**UPDATE I went to Hippos at Christmas time and wow how the service has improved! Full turn around from what I wrote a year ago.**

I've been to Hippos twice and both times experienced such slow service. The food and drinks are good and what you'd expect from a cafe and the place is certainly big enough but I think the service lets these guys down. I'd only go there for a drink and not expect it quickly. The food we've ordered has come out at different times when someone has been finishing their meal a new meal has come out and that sort of thing.

Approximate cost: $20

we were pleasantly surprised when a group of us breakfasted there on christmas eve - food was great, service excellent, unlike a previous visit....maybe the fact they were heavily booked ensured they had extra staff.

Approximate cost: $15

I dined at Hippo on Sunday for lunch with my husband and some friends. I had read the terrible reviews on this place and wasn't too keen on trying it. When I saw that they had gluten free bread and a couple of gluten free meals I couldn't resist. Well what a mistake. Firstly we ordered drinks while we waited for a friend to arrive. They came out about 10 minutes later, can of Coke shoved inside a disgustingly filthy glass. We then ordered our meals, another saga. One arrived after about 30 minutes. The remaining meals arrived another 30 minutes later! They had stuffed up my order of a moroccan chicken sandwich and brought out a beef sandwich instead! How can you possibly get this wrong? I then sat there for another 15 or so minutes waiting for my chicken sandwich. When it did arrive at the table it was presented by the waitress as "here is your chicken something". My mouth must have fallen open in absolute shock. What is a "chicken something"? I then asked the waitress if it was on gluten free bread. Her response was " I think so". Sorry lovely but it is kind of important. That is why I ordered gluten free bread in the first place! I promptly sent her back to find out. She returned with the sandwich and mumbled something to me so I assumed it was ok. No ill effects this morning anyway....
All in all we left in disbelief at how shocking the service was and the fact that I had just paid $15 for a tiny little sandwich!
Never again Hippo, never again. The best thing this place can do is close down and allow a better cafe to open in its place.

Approximate cost: $22

Hubby & I went there for breakfast, the hippo munch big breakfast, the hotcakes with bananas & maple syrup were to die for as was the hot chocolate, I found my latte way too strong & struggled to drink it.

The owner is lovely, the cooks obviously great but as for the waitstaff....hmmm very disappointing, only a couple seem to have any personality, they seem to avoid making any eye contact with you once you've been served & seem to be very disorganized.

I would definitely go back there, but hope to see a huge improvement in the waitstaff & their level of customer service.

Approximate cost: $18

I went there on the weekend for brunch with 3 friends. The place was packed and there was a barrage of staff running about the place. We placed our order at the counter which is the norm. My sister was told (by the owner, we found out later) 'they had ham' for her Eggs Benedict. When her order arrived it was with bacon. We returned it, only to have one of the kitchen staff come and tell us they didn't keep ham anymore.
They gave us plastic spoons and wooden stirrers with our pots of tea (do you believe that!). The crockery trays and teacup was dirty. My white crockery tea tray was dusty and grimy, which looked disgusting, and they made no attempt to wipe it down and my friends teacup had a dirty rim and old lipstick marks on it. The staff come nowhere near you and we had to call out to them everytime we needed something. They didn't clear the tables and we sat with our dirty dishes in front of us for a couple of hours.
The register service was very slow and stood at the counter for 15 minutes waiting to get service, cause the staff were too busy running around rearranging tables for the afternoon service, in the meantime there's a huge queue building up at the register.
I've got to say, the coffee tastes great and the food is good. I've been to this place a few times but this weekends efforts scored a big fat ZERO for me.

Approximate cost: $16

Went there for lunch with a couple of friends. Sat down at the table and then realised that you have to get the menu yourself and order at the counter. I ordered a chicken salad and a latte. They brought out my friend's coffee, then two of the salads. When we were halfway through they brought out my other friends lunch. Then the other friends drink. They completely forgot my latte. The salad was nice and a good size meal. The latte was great. Took another friend there for coffee on a Sunday afternoon. Once again the coffee was great, but when asked if they had any gluten free cakes in their cabinet, the girl told me she did not know as the girl who knows about it had gone home. Service really needs improvement. Our order was once again delivered all over the place.

My sisters and I took my mum to hippo espresso for lunch on mothers day last year. Unfortunately when my sister booked the staff member never wrote in into their books so when we arrived we had no seats. Luckily the manager was an extremely kind man and allocated us a seat on the bench and a free coffee or milkshake to us all. When a table was available he told us straight away and he became our personal waiter and gave us the best service i have ever received. The food and drinks were amazing. Even though we had to wait a bit for a table. It was a dining experience i will keep coming back for.

Approximate cost: $20

Great little cafe across from the water. A play corner for the little kids. Coffee and desert was great. So was the service. Funky decor. They close a little early though - so I turned up a few times to find I had to drink quick and go.