COMMONS by Food Journal Group

I rarely leave reviews for restaurants or cafés. However, this experience pushed us beyond our limit of disappointment. We visited Kuching for a family holiday and truly loved the city—the people were warm and welcoming. Unfortunately, that positive experience changed when we visited this café. The building and interior are beautiful, and we genuinely appreciated the design. The food was quite decent as well. Sadly, the service completely ruined the experience. One of the servers behaved in an extremely unprofessional manner. Referring to a customer as “good boy” is highly inappropriate and disrespectful. We are adults, not pets. His attitude came across as arrogant and entirely unsuitable for someone working in the service industry. For clarity, I am attaching photos of the server from your café.

A beautiful restaurant with fancy meals that people with fortune will spend here at the most popular former courthouse in town. Once a while, we’ll come here and enjoy the finest meals with great quality. I do enjoy all the food here with my family. Great service. Quite a clean spot, but bunch of mosquitoes at the outdoor dining. The best recommendation is to install mosquito repellent. There’s no issues around this restaurant, it’s a great choice for those who don’t mind spending good money on fancy food, dessert and coffee.

the atmosphere was undeniably top notch, as this was what commons was especially known for. however, the food was quite dissapointing. for the price, i was expecting bursts of flavours from the food. i had the fish and chips. the fish was delicious, yet sadly lacking in flavour. same goes to the fish. i understand that the tartar was there to give it flavour , but surely a bit of salt wouldnt hurt ? next, the staff. it was our first time coming to commons and i didnt know this place needed a booking. it was fault on my part, however there was a table available. the staff told us that its only available until 2 pm. which me and my friends understood. but we still couldnt shake off the feeling that they were eyeing on us ? they gave us side eyes and the service given to us felt very.. unpleasant and insincere. we went there at about eleven am, where service just started so i dont really understand why the service given to us was so curt and unwelcoming. until it was time to pay, the staff seemed very insincere serving us lol. but thr moment my friend said she was paying in cash then the staff turned friendly. coincidence ? i hope so. very unlikely i would be returning.

It has a variety of food options. The atmosphere and food are super good. One of my must eat whenever I go to Kuching.

This was my first time hosting a birthday party at Commons, and I’m truly impressed! 🥰 The service was excellent the staff were incredibly patient and accommodating. I needed to come early to set up the decorations, and they were very understanding and helpful throughout the process. They made the whole party go smoothly. Every staff member had a warm smile, which made the whole experience even better. The environment was clean, cozy, and welcoming. The food was delicious, and the prices were very reasonable. Highly recommend Commons for gatherings. I’ll definitely be coming back. Thank you so much, Commons! 🎉❤️

A very nice place to stop for coffee and food! Beautiful old building, air conditioned and relaxing. Staff were very welcoming and friendly, coffee was good (flat white) and the food was very good. A bit more expensive relative to small local restaurants, but big portions, tasty and nicely presented, and currency conversion makes actually not that expensive really.

Commons is a beautifully designed restaurant that perfectly blends chic and cozy vibes with its unique location in the historic Old Courthouse building. The decor is thoughtfully done, reflecting the historical charm of the space and adding a sense of character to your dining experience. While the menu offers a variety of options, I would highly recommend visiting for the cakes. Every cake we tried was absolutely delicious, with the flourless cake and pistachio cake standing out as true highlights. The drinks were also expertly prepared, pairing wonderfully with the desserts and overall meal. As for the main entrees, they were above average, though perhaps not quite at the level expected for the price. That said, the overall experience is elevated by the efficient and attentive service. Even during a busy lunch hour, the staff managed to serve us promptly and professionally. If you’re looking for a place with historical ambiance, great cakes, and excellent drinks, Commons is well worth a visit. It’s an ideal spot for a relaxed meal or a special treat in a memorable setting.

I’ve been here a few times before and service was always good. However this particular visit left me bitter. While I understand that it is a full house but seeing later tables than ours to be serve first and have left earlier than us - it is a bit unacceptable. And with my food in particularly being the last to arrive - even more so. I had to ask twice on the status of my order, with my patience growing more thin upon seeing other tables orders arriving before mine. At that point I was at least expecting a slight discount but no. My only other comment is for the wait staff to be at least a little tentative on the tables they are serving or at least to check each tables orders. Even when my order finally arrived, it just looked like a rush order even after waiting an hour for it. I will think twice about coming here again especially since I was with family who was visiting Kuching and had to experience that wait.