Sydney’s Cafe & Market

We were strolling around Tempe market place looking gir coffee and a bite to eat. Our tendency is to just say no to Starbucks, so we found Sydneys Café. Andrew was super helpful, the empanadas are delicious and the chimmichuri sauce fantastic. All making for a great morning. :-)

This a great place! My friend and I met up here for some girl time and it had the perfect atmosphere. Not too loud or distractingly fast paced. I noticed a lot of students who would come in for either private studying or group projects. The food is so interesting as well. Lots of great offerings that are internationally inspired. I had a delightful cup of blueberry tea and a delicious peaches and cream stuffed empanada. Will definitely be going back!

Wonderful little place! I’m surprised more people don’t know about it. All of their empanadas are delicious, particularly their zuri chicken and apple dulce. They also have fresh, locally made sorbetto, which I didn’t even know was a thing but have fallen in love with it. The iced chai tea with boba is extremely addicting. On top of it all, the staff is incredibly welcoming and know all about everything on the surprisingly extensive menu. They will welcome you as soon as you enter and help you with the difficult decision making process you will have after seeing everything they have to offer. This is definitely one of my new favorite places to go at the end of the day.

Poor customer service. Was given the wrong cupcake flavor ($ 4 cupcake) and when I called to let them know they gave me a flavor I don’t like, they said there was nothing they could do. Said they tried calling three times and left a message but there were no missed calls or messages on my phone. They tried to blame it on the wrong cell phone number from GrubHub but gave me the correct number. Oh and the grub hub driver called without any issues. GrubHub also called to let me know they’d refund the money for the wrong item given. At least GrubHub knows customer service is important.
The food was only okay. The Samosa empanada was the only thing we really enjoyed. We were disappointed with the Cuban sandwich, the coleslaw was terrible, Turkey Ruben was better than the Cuban but not by much.
Due to subpar food and extremely bad customer service, we will not be ordering from here again.

Love the empanadas, both sweet and savory. Delicious selection. Employees are very friendly.

I only got a drink with boba here, so that is all I’m reviewing. On the plus side, they have non-​dairy alternatives to milk (soy milk) so that the milk teas can be made for those who are lactose-​intolerant. Sadly, the Thai tea cannot be made lactose-​intolerant friendly bc the condensed milk is already pre-​mixed.
On the down side, I got the green tea milk tea and I did not enjoy the flavor. It was super flowery, not what I was expecting for green tea. Also my green tea was yellow??? Not sure what was up with that… It was nice that they gave me a LOT of boba. Buuut the boba was semi-​tough and not as soft and chewy as I would have liked.
I might give them another try. Maybe their boba just wasn’t very fresh that day and maybe their other drink flavors are better. Also I spotted some empanadas that looked pretty tasty — like the Veggie samosa empanada!

I came here on Monday as I got really hungry looking around at Barnes and Noble for my perfect holiday book! This place has a bit of every thing and didn’t seem too unhealthy as these empanadas weren’t greasy in the least. I got the chicken picnic and the coleslaw (which is soaked in ginger beer) and really enjoyed the two. I will say they were a little pricey as I’m used to really low prices for empanadas but I liked the location to be honest, as it isn’t far from ASU and didn’t leave me hungry!

Big round of applause for this YUMMY Café! As soon as I stepped in, it was a very welcoming feeling, EXCELLENT customer service. Wasn’t sure what to expect with the menu never really tried food like that, but I’m now hooked ! But what topped the experience was the very nice young man behind the counter, ANDREW was his name! considering I’ve never been there before I was a little overwhelmed on deciding what to get off the menu. Andrew was so so so helpful, gave me tiny samples of the drinks, and went over everything with me on the menu. After a long day of stressful work it was nice to come to a place like this, his cheerful spirit was highly appreciated. I live 30 minutes away from this café, way worth the drive!

Very friendly atmosphere and what an awesome selection! Very reasonably priced considering the quality and variety. I was so happy to get a chai with boba :) the staff were very inviting and happy.

Sydney’s is great, made a hungry traveler feel welcome. Was greeted and served meal promptly. Great place for a lite bite or «Brinner»

Wonderful customer service! Great atmosphere, conducive to conversation or studying. Love the aviation theme!

Great atmosphere, amazing food, and the nicest staff I’ve ever met. The owner personally came out and refilled our drinks and stopped to talk and answered all of our questions. I can’t say enough nice things about this place.
Support this small business while enjoying some awesome food and drinks. You can’t go wrong with that sort of combo!

I have to say I am highly impressed with the customer service here! I’ve been here twice and both times the employees were eager to help and very friendly!!!
The food is really good if your looking for a small snack (I’ve only had the empanadas). They have a great beverage selection as well stocked with many different teas and boba!
I will definitely be back! This is quickly becoming my favorite spot for a quick eat while shopping.

I tried two of their empanadas and while they were good — not sure if I will frequent this place often since it wasn’t as filling as I thought. Even still it’s a nice café with a great atmosphere and the people that work here are lovely. The Zuri Chicken empanada was great and everything I had hoped for, however I would probably skip on upgrading to a full meal which includes a drink and chips/​coleslaw. The Dulce De Leche which is one of the dessert empanadas was decent but overall I would rather have ordered another one of their main empanadas that they have to offer.
With all that said though this is probably one of the best eats in Tempe Marketplace. Their lemonade is quite good as well if you ever get around to trying it.

I enjoyed this place for a quick lunch. It is obviously convenient because of the Tempe Marketplace location. My friend and I stopped here because I was hungry. The service was fine but I think it was way over priced for a non sit down restaurant. I ordered the caesar salad because it was very fairly prices but I was def not impressed. The salad was literally lettuce (some pieces not so crunchy), cheese and croutons. It was one of the most boring salads I have ever had. I could have made it more tasty at home for much less money. Also, the dressing was very tart or bitter or something very strong almost metallic tasting.
The reason for my 3 stars is that I might go back here and give something else a chance because it is cute and the employees are nice.

Boba, empandas, slushies, grilled cheese, beer, malbec, pinot grigio — Oh My!
This place has a little of everything, and it’s independently owned! Please frequent this place folks. It’s a gem and the staff is amazing! The owners take pride in what they do and will suggest items to you.
We came here wanting dessert… and we’re thoroughly impressed with the various offerings. They also have a house slaw that appears to be amazing.
I also noticed Honest Kids lemonade and Inca Cola. These folks gave excellent taste.

Since I introduced my little niece to Boba –bubble tea we have made it our after school Friday treat. Our favorite is the green tea boba –nothing fancy. This is the closest spot from Old Town when I was searching for places. Our usual haunt is The Street in Mesa –always on point and we have also been to the boba tea place in Chandler –which was good too.
So when we walked in the place was empty with one customer already putting in her drink order.
I ordered the jr. grilled cheese, the green tea milk boba, a samosa empanada –with my Unilocal check in I got a free 20oz fountain drink. The cashier/​food heater-​upper didn’t know how the coupon worked and seemed frazzled while putting in my order –I had to repeat myself a few times. No big deal but I hope he got it right. A line started to form. He gave me my total $ 17! But things didn’t seem to add up. More people walking in. So I just signed the receipt and found a seat — my first mistake. Second mistake was sitting in the full bright sun –we moved back inside –they do have a cozy little patio area. Third mistake –getting the fountain drink –iced tea tasted old but I was thirsty –should have settled with water. We waited close to 10 minutes when the cashier/​food dude came up to us asking what we were waiting for. What are we waiting for? Don’t you have a list of orders and I believe everyone that ordered behind me just had drinks! We got our food a few minutes later. Fourth mistake –the empanada was small –not much flavor or filling mostly the «pastry» outer shell and barely luke warm. Fifth mistake– the grilled cheese –the regular size grilled cheese –when I asked for the junior one –this is why it was so expensive. It was covered in kettle chips which she enjoyed more than the actual sandwich. I tasted it and the cheese smelled weird and that’s why she didn’t like it. It was pathetic for close to $ 8. A Sonic drive thru grilled cheese is better than this thing. My niece enjoyed the tea I was not a fan. Too much milk not enough boba.
It’s a nice place with cool design and atmosphere but when it comes to the food and drink it’s a miss for me. I wanted to like it so much too.

I’ve been looking at and liking milk tea photos on Unilocal for the last two days when my cousin and I found ourselves shopping at Tempe Marketplace and looking for a sweet and refreshing break. (We’d skipped dessert at The Normal after having brunch there a couple of hours ago.) We weren’t familiar with TM, so we didn’t know if there were even cafes here that served milk teas, but when we spotted Sydney’s Café at a distance, I recalled reading about it on Unilocal and so decided we should check it out.
It’s cozy indoors, a little cramped, but felt more like a food stall/​counter at a Whole Foods, or Sprout’s– Sydney’s specializes in empanadas and milk teas. It also offers frozen beverages, as well as black tea, passion fruit tea, and homemade lemonade. If you check-​in on Unilocal,you get a free 20 oz. fountain beverage, which includes sodas, black/​passion fruit teas, and lemonade. My cousin was too embarrassed to use the coupon, so I went in and constructed an Arnold Palmer (part tea, part lemonade) for her, which she really enjoyed! I also told her not to feel embarrassed about redeeming Unilocal check-​in coupons!
She was thinking of trying an empanada and a black milk tea, but she ended up only getting the tea.
I wasn’t hungry, but if she was going to try an empanada, then I was going to have a bite of the Dulce de Leche and apple, but Sydney’s wasn’t offering it today. So, FYI, do not go by the menus posted (overhead blackboard, or menu flyers) if you’re hungry for empanadas, but check out what Sydney’s has on display. These are accompanied by signs that list the components of the empanadas, so those with allergies can quickly ascertain if they’re safe to eat. All of the savory items contained something allergenic for me, so my waistline was safe that day, for Sydney had nothing I wanted, or could, try. :)
The rep/​cashier Emily (lovely name, and I told her so!) was kind enough to let me sample the green and the Thai milk teas, which I didn’t care for, so I ordered a Frozen hot chocolate, made with Ghirardelli cocoa and vanilla bean powders.
This was my first frozen hot chocolate, and I enjoyed the first few sips until all the liquid, with all the flavors, ran out at about the half-​full point. Compared to the black milk tea, sweetened with condensed milk, that my cousin let me taste, I prefer the tea! It actually tasted like Thai iced tea, but not too sweet. I think perhaps the sample versions needed to be poured over ice to make them more palatable, but since I found the one out of three milk teas board offerings that I like, I’ll just stop in for a black milk tea should I ever find myself craving for one while shopping at Tempe Marketplace!
Tip: Sydney’s carries popping boba to add to frozen yogurt, but cousin and I do not recall seeing any froyo on display… The popping boba flavors come in mango, pomegranate, and blackberry.

We went to Sydney’s Café with some friends for lunch based on their recommendation. Each of us ordered a variety of Empenada Combos. For a little bit more than $ 10, the meals came with 2 Empendadas with a side (either their house coleslaw or chips) and a drink. They also had an option for 1 Empendada with a side and drink.
I had gotten the Patio Chicken and Zuri Chicken with chips; others at the table had ordered the Peking Duck, the Samosa, and the Paella. After sampling the other ones as well, I’d say that I liked the Patio Chicken the best followed by the Zuri Chicken. Was it worth the money? … Debatable. While the Empenadas were tasty and enjoyable, I thought the price was a bit on the high side. I’d probably go back but only order the Empenadas a la carte, not as a meal.

I am really glad Sydney’s came to Tempe Marketplace. I tried the Oreo/​Nutella empanada with whipped cream. It had lots of yummy filling, not overly doughy like some empanadas can be. The current check-​in offer allowed me to try their fresh homemade lemonade. Yum!
Service was good too. The staff is friendly and doting. Great place! Keep it up!