Travelled over from Mount Gambier to attend the Ballarat Beer Festival, looking for a substantial breakfast first, food was great , coffee first rate (I'm picky about my coffee having worked in Collins Street Melb for a decade) and enjoyed the banter with staff.

Approximate cost: $28

Well, I guess I should have checked out previous reviews before going here for brunch with my girlfriend on our return trip. It was so disappointing, the coffee was average (I am being nice), breakfast was cold and messy and the service was definitely lacking. Didn't feel welcome at all, infact I think they were annoyed they had to serve us, they were "not" busy at the time, I guess they just were not in the mood.

We will definitely not be returning here and definitely do not recommend you try. Very disappointing. We left without finishing our meals and still hungry, so we continued on our journey for another hour or so and stopped elsewhere for a meal and it was delicious!

I have been to this cafe twice I always give everyone a second chance but not a third. I want be back. Coffee was ok but not a stand out service was average and the floors and glass areas were filthy. I think you should pay a cleaner.

Approximate cost: $30

Total rip off. Very, very bad coffee. Asked for a take away cappucino, waited almost ten minutes (i was the only customer??) The staff member mucked around doing god knows what before charging me 5 dollars for tge worst cup of coffee I have ever had. Also seemed pretty filthy. Will never go here again.

We visit Ballarat a couple of times a year, but I had not tried Bibo until this weekend. We had a fabulous lunch on a cold rainy Saturday consisting of a really hearty tomato and white bean soup and some nice crispy toasted sandwiches. Love the retro decor and really enjoyed quick, courteous table service. (The soup was brilliant and was a very generous helping too).

I have been to this cafe numerous times in the last 3 years. The service has often been slow but staff usually friendly and coffee often reasonable. Our usual cafe was closed this morning so I took my husband's parents to Bibo instead. We were served quickly, but waited almost an hour for meals. I enquired as to a rough timeframe after 45 minutes, politely explaining that I realised they were busy but it was a long time to wait. I was told our order was next. My father-in-law was getting grumpy by this stage and rightly so.

Our meals arrived. My mother-in-law was served a single piece of french toast swimming in berry juice (unsure where the actual berries were) and I was given something not representative of the menu description. I ordered tuki sausages on potato rubble with onion jam. What I got was 3 tiny sausages served on a huge mound of salad greens with a few pieces of grilled vegetable, topped with mayonnaise. Firstly, no potato. Secondly, no onion jam. Thirdly, I am pregnant so fresh mayonnaise with raw egg is a no-no.

I mentioned to the waitress that my meal was not what I had ordered and not safe for me to eat. She spoke to the chef/owner who was working a few feet from us. "Where is she?" he asked, then fronted me over the counter. "We've got no potato". I said that was fine, but I wasn't told when I ordered so that I could make another choice. The poor waitress offered me another menu choice but I declined as we had already been there an hour and my guests had to leave. The owner then eye-balled me across the counter and said "What do you want?" to which I replied "I'm fine, thank you anyway but don't worry about it". His response was first to say "Tell me what you want and I'll make something for you" while he scowled. By now other diners were listening and he was clearly annoyed, so when I again declined, smiling and saying thank you, that we had already waited an hour and did not have time, he rolled his eyes, shrugged and said something along the lines of 'whatever, I offered', before returning to his stove. There was no apology, no offer of a free coffee, and we were left to finish up and pay before leaving with still no word from him or the waitress.

This service is totally unacceptable. I don't care how popular your cafe is, how many people you know locally, or if you are stressed / busy / flustered. There is no excuse for poor service, trying to serve up a meal that is not as described and hoping no-one will notice, and then being rude to the customer as if it is their fault and they are ungrateful for you surly offer of a replacement. Too little too late. I will not be going back, and will certainly be telling people about it.

I would say however that the wait staff were very efficient and clearly working under a great deal of pressure, and while they could have advised us of the menu change and long wait, it was not their fault our experience was a negative one. The 2 stars for service are aimed at the experience in general, not the hard working staff.

Approximate cost: $17

meals were nice but found it varies from week to week, overall its tasty and fresh, I like the retro look happening, coffee is ok overall, the staff are nice. the let down was that it seemed a bit dirty.

Approximate cost: $16.00

This cafe is very trendy/retro. I absolutely love the interior decor! The bench seating is really comfortable too. They have really great coffee, and the focaccia we shared was very tasty. Lovely atmosphere.

Approximate cost: $15+

We go to Bibo nearly every weekend for coffee and sometimes breakfast. The coffee is always great and the food is usually great (only once did an item not come as described, but it was still tasty). The staff are always friendly but sometimes it's hard to catch their eye when you're ready to order.