Bondi’s best breakfasts
In a suburb where morning runs, dawn surfing and AM yoga are part of your daily routine, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. We got up with the sun to find the best brekkies in this clean-living corner of Sydney.
1 House smoked salmon at Harry’s At this beautifully appointed café in North Bondi they are curing, smoking and dry aging their salmon in house and the result is ribbons of smoky, pink fish that has a proper meatiness about it. They lay the fish like wood shingles over toast topped with a dill yoghurt, with a fresh tangle of bitter leaves, cherry tomatoes and shaved fennel on the side. A squeeze of lemon juice and freshly ground pepper and that’s a five-star start to your day right there. Ò2/ 136 Wairoa Ave, Bondi Beach 2016. 02 9130 2180. 784. aa7.myftpupload.com. Daily 7am-4pm. 2 EFS Omelette at the Earth Food Store This ace brekky option is halfway between those egg pancakes Kylie Kwong does at the Carriageworks Markets and a Vietnamese spring pancake. They mix eggs with a little coconut milk and turmeric to make a golden fluffy omelette that has a gentle tropical spice flavour, and then fold it like a taco around fresh bean shoots, snow peas, red capsicum and mushrooms. A lug of ginger, lime and sesame dressing gives it a zippy kick that makes this one of the most creative breakfasts in Bondi. Ò81a Gould St, Bondi Beach 2026. 02 9365 5098. www.earthfoodstore. com.au. Mon-Sat 6.30am-5.30pm; Sun 7am-5.30pm 3 Poke bowl at Vida Surf Store This place is either everything you love about Bondi, or everything you hate about it. It’s a surf shop and café where you can buy a handplane for bodysurfing, a white singlet, some natural sunscreen, a smoothie bowl and the latest trend in healthful eating: poke. Now that smoked salmon is par for the breakfast course, it’s time to graduate to raw salmon, which here comes on a bed of quinoa and is mixed in with bright green soy beans, red and green onion, cucumber, red cabbage and a little seaweed salad. They dress the lot in a ponzu and sesame sauce that gives everything a fresh citrus kick. Ò144- 146 Curlewis St, Bondi Beach 2026. 02 8385 2386. Daily 8am-6pm. 4 Smashed avo at the Nine The ‘South Side’ smashed avocado is so-named because it’s seasoned with seaweed scooped off that stretch of Bondi Beach. The dried, crunchy specks of algae bolster the breakfast staple; instead of the snoozy avo-and-lemon cliché that haunts humdrum cafés, the Nine gives its version extra heft and contrast, thanks to a nutty layer of tahini, light fennel shavings, two kinds of sesame, a shower of salty feta crumbles and a #cleaneating cameo by kale. (Hey, it’s Bondi, after all.) Ò163 Glenayr Ave, Bondi Beach 2026. theninesydney.com.au. MonFri 7am-4pm; Sat, Sun 7am-4pm & 6-10pm. 5 The Woodsman at Porch and Parlour At this little café up the north end, order the ‘Woodsman’ even if you earned your breakfast by splashing in the water rather than felling sequoias. There’s no room for sides when you’re facing down two golden squares of polenta cake, pan-fried mixed mushrooms, a swipe of goat’s curd and a soft boiled egg rolled in dukkah. Feeling dusty? Add a Bloody Mary. It’s a meal in itself, with a cucumber, celery, pickle, tomato and lemon garnish. Ò17- 18/110 Ramsgate Ave, North Bondi 2026. 02 9300 0111. www.porchandparlour.com. Mon, Tue 6.30am-3pm; Wed-Sun 6.30am-10pm. 6 Lox bagel at Lox Stock and Barrel A salmon bagel is an essential addition to any breakfast best-of list, and Lox Stock and Barrel is the place to get one when in this neck of the woods. A warm, soft bagel with onion pieces and fat juicy capers on top is spread with cream cheese, packed with salmon, brightened with the gentle tang of pickled red onions and given fresh spice from some rocket.
Glenayr Ave, Bondi Beach 2026. 02 9300 0368. loxstockandbarrel.com.au. Mon, Tue, Sun 7am-3.30pm; Wed, Thu 7am-3.30pm, 6-10pm; Fri, Sat 7am-3.30pm & 6-11pm. 7 Ricotta hotcakes at Bills Bill Granger forged what is now a well-worn path with his thick, fluffy ricotta hotcakes, and more than two decades later, that breakfast still stands up to all newcomers. We’ve yet to manage eating all three of the fluffy golden pancakes filled with seams of ricotta that strike the perfect balance between salty and sweet with the honeycomb-spiked pat of butter on top. Want it sweeter? That’s what the maple syrup and fresh banana on the side is for. Ò79 Hall St, Bondi Beach 2026. 02 8412 0700. www.bills.com.au. Daily 7am-10pm. 8 Bacon and egg roll at the Shop If you just want a simple, handheld brekky it doesn’t get much better than a bacon and egg roll, and they make a very good one at the Shop, a little café and wine bar on Curlewis Street that’s the size of a walk-in-wardrobe. The kitchen is tiny, but they’ve got their systems sorted so that by the time your coffee is ready they’ve warmed up a soft, fresh brown roll, slapped aioli on both sides, daubed it with tomato relish, crossed it with two bacon rashes and capped it off with a fresh poached egg. Ò78 Curlewis St Bondi Beach 2026. 02 9365 2600. www.facebook.com/theshopandwinebar. Mon-Sat 6am-10pm; Sun 7am-10pm 9 The Nest at Sean’s Panaroma If you want to upgrade your morning meal further it’s worth treating yourself to a fancy brunch at Sean’s Panaroma. This longlived dining destination is now open on weekend mornings with a short, sharp take on brekky that includes crumpets, scrambled eggs with spanner crab, and the Nest – two eggs from the Moran family farm perfectly poached and balanced on two crisp, golden brown fried potato hash cakes. A splash of green from the fresh cress is the finishing touch on this elegant, tasty breakfast. Ò270 Campbell Pde, Bondi Beach 2026. 02 9365 4924. seanspanaroma.co. Wed-Fri 6pm-late; Sat, Sun 7am-11am & noon-late. 10 Shakshuka at Shuk The titular dish from this North Bondi café and bakery is also their standout offering. The tomato sauce that the eggs are cooked in is thick and rich like a Napoletana. A scattering of olives reinforces the Italian accent on this Middle Eastern dish, and a side order of halloumi – pan fried and then added to the sauce so that it stays soft and melty – throws a little Greek twist in there. The thick, toasted, house-baked bread on the side is sturdy enough to ferry every last bit from pan to face. Ò2 Mitchell St, North Bondi 2026. 0423 199 859. www.shukbondi.com. Mon-Wed, Sun 6am-5pm; Thu-Sat 6am-10pm.