People weren’t too bad.
Place was disgusting last time I went there, the bed was damp underneath. Don’t you know you are supposed to air them out?
There was scum up the walls, the coffee was burnt and tasted like the machine cleaner.
I saw rodent droppings on the floor behind one of the many filthy couches.
Why on earth is the coffee machine on a chipboard bench? Why were the group heads left in all the time? Why were there food scraps everywhere?
It was like I walked into a squat house.
I would never eat there even if the food tasted like ambrosia because I do not want salmonella or botulism poisoning.
I did not see the barista wash her hands once after touching her nose, face or hair.
The floor was sticky, the tables were dirty.
The barista (short, dark short haired) girl was rude and arrogant when I asked her why the coffee machine was not rinsed out and that the coffee was burnt, she responded and told me that her coffee was perfect and not burnt because she never burns her coffee.
I have seen cleaner public toilets.
I hope they clean up their act.

First time at the Herring today after walking past it a couple of times. Quick and very friendly service. Coffee was ok, looking forward to going back a couple of more times.

I’m fond of the Red Herring. It feels comfortable, friendly, and very personal. The staff has always been friendly and the live music on Friday is pretty fun as well, if you’re looking for something casual and low-key.

I went there the other day though, and the breakfast they served me was cold. I think whoever cooked it needs to work on their timing… that said, the mudcake is stellar and a real treat.

When this place first opened, I felt that it was really cool and a nice place to hang out. Casual and somewhat living room like. The coffee was nice, the place was fairly clean and the staff were friendly. I felt that it was slightly similar to The Front Cafe but catered more to a younger crowd. Much younger, think 16 and younger. There are your occasional backpackers and randoms, like myself. A good mix, in general.

Since then, I have returned a couple more times. Sadly, the place appears more trashed each time I return. Seems as if someone threw a big party in their living room last night and hasn’t had time to clean it up. The place is much dirtier now, food scraps are left on the table. The “bed” has been moved from the back room to the front, the tv/gaming console and foosball table are gone (which I feel is a good thing, not sure about moving the bed to the front of the cafe though). The staff, well, have become more disinterested with their work and not as friendly as before. Think more sully than friendly. Think I’ll just head back to The Front again.

Met a friend at The Red Herring today i have walked past it a few times when it was closed and after reading a recent review i decided I had to go check it out. Very cool fitout love all the big couches the whole room really does feel like someones awesome living room. We ordered coffee and a few snacks, the coffees came out pretty quick which was good because it wasn’t busy.My espresso looked good and tasted even better. I also had a flat white but was a bit dissapointed after my espresso it didnt look very appealing, it wasn’t full and the milk was average. Overall cool place really like the idea of it all and I hear the girl running it is doing good things for Canberra artists which is good.

Not the slickest or quickest coffeshop in town, but definitely one of the friendliest. A great place to hang out with friends if you’re comfortable with the thrift-shop vibe. Would be a great place to find your next band member or trawl for roller-derby players.

Walking into The Red Herring is like walking into someone’s living room. The large floorspace is filled with an eclectic array of second hand couches (some comfy, some not) and coffee tables, complete with board games and even a Nintendo Wii. This latest entrant in the Civic café scene is certainly uniquely laid back, and as such, could well be a great place to while away an hour or two, especially given they offer free wi-fi.

As for the coffee, my double macchiato was short and smooth, as good as I’ve had from the any of the places serving the Canberra-local Ona beans. They serve a small range of sweets and sandwiches as well. Will be interested to see how this place takes off, hopefully they can help revitalise what is a pretty quiet part of Canberra’s centre.

A light and fruity latte in the chilled back surrounds of Red Herring. Will definitely be back to enjoy the couches, people watching and vegan treats in this new Civic haunt.