The health-crazed Bondi crowd is obsessed with organic produce, but there’s more to brunch in the sunny Eastern Suburbs than kale and quinoa.
Sydney’s most famous beach is a haven for healthy dining, clean eating and the ‘paddock-to-plate’ philosophy. And although Bondi’s dozens of cafés are no exception, you don’t have to eat like a rabbit when you go out for brunch in the area. Whether you’re keen to join the bronzed residents grazing on a nutritious açai bowl, or you’re craving a big breakfast loaded with bacon and eggs, these are the best places to grab a pre-midday meal in Bondi, Sydney.
Bennett St Dairy
Cafe, Australian, $$$
Perched on the corner of Bondi Road and Bennett Street, with stools and tables spilling out onto the footpath, this café offers a simple, stylish, sun-bathed brunch experience. Bennett St Dairy plates up an all-day menu of generous breakfast dishes – try the bircher muesli with toasted coconut and a berry coulis; eggs benedict with jalapeño hollandaise; and roast wild mushrooms with crispy polenta.
Add a bottomless brunch drinks package to your meal at Panama House | Courtesy of Panama House
No brunch spot in Bondi boasts views quite like this Central American bar and restaurant, which peers over the palm trees of Campbell Parade. Panama House moved into a lofty new space in the beachfront Pacific Bondi building in 2018, giving diners a breezy new outlook as they tuck into their huevos rancheros, bourbon-smoked corn fritters and spiced beef cheek fajitas. Add a bottomless brunch drinks package to your meal on weekends to sip on unlimited bloody marys, mimosas, rosé, micheladas and cans of Tecate for two hours.
Lox Stock and Barrel pays homage to its Jewish roots with modern interpretations of old-school deli favourites | Courtesy of Lox Stock and Barrel
This cosy New York-style diner pays homage to its Jewish roots with modern interpretations of old-school deli favourites. Squeeze into one of Lox Stock and Barrel’s 40 seats to enjoy dynamic deli dishes such as the Lock ‘n’ Load (smoked lox and a crème fraîche and dill dressing) and home-made brisket pastrami served with Russian coleslaw and pickles on rye. It also offers a range of in-house-baked bagels and challah bread.
Taking its name (and much of its rustic-chic decor) from the hardware store that used to occupy this Hall Street location, Bondi Hardware is one of the hippest restaurants in the area. Before the trendy Bondi crowd rolls in for dinner and cocktails later in the day, it all kicks off in the morning with a punchy menu of brunch classics, such as the quinoa and avo-loaded Soul Bowl and The Full Hardware big breakfast with all the trimmings.
Parida Bondi is steps away from Bondi Beach | Courtesy of Parida Bondi
You can almost smell the seawater from this café on Campbell Parade, sitting just behind the beachfront Bondi Pavilion. And don’t worry about rocking up with sand between your toes – Parida is a colourful, casual eatery where beachgoers can enjoy a long, lazy brunch off the all-day breakfast menu. Don’t miss the wonderfully named Paleo Escobar – sriracha scrambled eggs with avocado, spring onion, bacon and tomato salsa.
Swell specialises in clean, simple dishes that celebrate fresh, organic ingredients. In other words, the type of food that Bondi’s residents lap up. The huge brunch menu features every breakfast favourite you can think of – eggs on toast, açai bowls, grilled halloumi stack and the like – washed down with Foundry Espresso coffee or something off the ever-changing juice and smoothie list.
The Nine’s version of french toast is loaded with fresh fruit and citrus mascarpone cheese | Courtesy of The Nine
Fusing sustainable produce, Mediterranean cuisine and the Bondi lifestyle, The Nine is a sunny café-wine bar that places emphasis on organic, chemical-free and locally sourced ingredients. The brunch options are more creative than your standard pre-midday fare – think tartines of eggs, broccolini, kale, feta, capsicum, hummus and zaatar plus porridge topped with coconut cream, spiced peach, fresh berries, hazelnut praline and a blueberry compote. Pair it all with a probiotic juice in the morning or a biodynamic wine later in the day.
Named after literary legends Gertrude Stein and Alice B Toklas, this charming bookshop café is a Bondi institution, serving bacon and eggs alongside more than 25,000 new and second-hand titles. At Gertrude and Alice, you can enjoy a delicious menu of rolls, wraps, salads, coffee and smoothies before you peruse the shelves for your next read.
Bills Bondi Beach’s signature ricotta hotcakes and corn fritters have earned a cult following | Courtesy of Bills
Since 1993, renowned Australian chef Bill Granger has opened eateries in Sydney, Tokyo, London and Seoul. So, when he finally unveiled a venue in Bondi in 2014, the queues snaked out the door – and the attention hasn’t dimmed since. Granger’s signature ricotta hotcakes and corn fritters have earned a cult following, while plates such as the dill and pea falafel and the Japanese brunch bowl with green tea noodles win over the health-crazed Bondi crowd.
Established in 1997, Harry’s has blossomed from a hole-in-the-wall coffee joint into one of the area’s premier brunch spots. Situated just a stroll from Bondi Beach, this Eastern Suburbs icon prepares the quintessential Bondi brunch with meals like beetroot, quinoa and ricotta fritters; plum-cured ocean trout; and the coconut and lychee chia ‘cloud’.
