Coffee
The cafes we actually go back to — for the coffee first, then the room, the food and whether there's a table when the beach empties out at 11am.
Our top pick right now is bills Bondi Beach — a landmark bondi brunch a short walk from the beach. Below are 24 places we rate for this, ranked on the food and how well they suit a visit. Prices shown are a rough guide ($–$$$$); always check the venue’s own site for current hours and menus.
Modern Australian · Bondi Beach
The original bills, the Hall Street cafe where Bill Granger reinvented Sydney brunch, still turning out its ricotta hotcakes and creamy scrambled eggs a couple of minutes back from the sand.
Best for: A landmark Bondi brunch a short walk from the beach
Israeli · North Bondi
A buzzy Israeli-Mediterranean cafe and bakery on a North Bondi corner, built around family-sized shakshuka, house-baked breads and specialty coffee.
Best for: Long, shared Israeli-Mediterranean brunch a few blocks back from the sand
Israeli · Campbell Parade
A beachfront outpost of Sydney's SHUK group serving Israeli-inspired falafel, hummus bowls and bakery items grab-and-go style, directly across Campbell Parade from Bondi Beach (it also trades as Shuk Falafel).
Best for: A quick, fresh Israeli bite straight off the beach
Caribbean · Bondi Beach
A colourful Hall Street cafe trading specialty coffee alongside Venezuelan arepas and Caribbean pan-tropical plates, a few blocks back from the sand.
Best for: An early, flavour-forward breakfast or brunch with a Caribbean twist
Cafe · Bondi Beach
A tiny, view-blessed coffee window tucked at the pool entrance of Bondi Icebergs, serving strong coffee and simple, well-sourced breakfast and lunch plates.
Best for: A scenic coffee-and-pastry stop by the Icebergs pool
Cafe · Bondi Beach
A beloved, book-lined Bondi cafe and second-hand bookstore just off Hall Street, serving all-day breakfast, honest lunch plates and its famous chai amid stacks of new and used books.
Best for: Lingering with a book, coffee and a slow solo or two-person breakfast
Cafe · North Bondi
A beloved North Bondi cafe going strong since 1997, turning out specialty coffee, generous brunch plates and easy-going lunches just back from the sand on Wairoa Avenue.
Best for: Weekend brunch and a proper Bondi coffee ritual
Cafe · North Bondi
A New York–inspired Jewish deli cafe on Glenayr Avenue turning out house-boiled bagels, cured meats and generous all-day brunch a few blocks back from the sand.
Best for: A hearty, characterful deli-style brunch away from the beachfront crush
Sandwiches · Bondi Beach
A design-forward Bondi sandwich diner slinging generous made-to-order sandwiches and salads by day, then flipping into a natural-wine and craft-beer bar by night.
Best for: A serious sandwich by day or low-key natural wine by night
Italian · Bondi Beach
A tiny, long-running Italian flatbread specialist on Glenayr Avenue turning out fresh, made-to-order piadinas and reliably good coffee a short walk back from the sand.
Best for: A quick, distinctive Italian lunch or coffee stop away from the beachfront queues
All-Day Diner · Bondi Beach
A licensed, beachfront all-day diner inside the restored Bondi Pavilion, serving California-leaning breakfast and lunch with a direct sightline to the surf.
Best for: A beachfront sit-down brunch or lunch with an ocean view
Cafe · North Bondi
A proudly female-owned, independent all-day cafe tucked on Ramsgate Avenue at the quieter North Bondi end, doing produce-led brunch a short stroll from the sand.
Best for: A settled-in, produce-led North Bondi brunch
Modern Australian · North Bondi
A famously photogenic, health-leaning brunch cafe perched above the sand at the north end of Bondi, known for vivid smoothie bowls and all-day breakfast with ocean views.
Best for: A photogenic beachside brunch with ocean views
Cafe · Bondi Road
A bright corner cafe on Bondi Road that pours specialty coffee and does farm-to-table brunch by day, then flips to a relaxed neighbourhood wine bar on Thursday to Saturday evenings.
Best for: A relaxed local brunch or an early evening wine and cheese away from the beachfront crowds
Coffee · North Bondi
A tiny, much-loved hole-in-the-wall on the North Bondi hill pouring Allpress coffee to a rolling crowd of swimmers, runners and locals.
Best for: A quick, high-quality coffee and roll before or after a North Bondi swim
brunch · North Bondi
A cosy corner cafe tucked on a leafy North Bondi backstreet — formerly Bobby's Corner, now trading as G'day Bondi Cafe — doing Aussie-Asian brunch with a covered garden out back and Thai dinners on weekend nights.
Best for: Relaxed local brunch with kids or a dog, away from the beachfront crowds
Cafe · Bondi Beach
A warm little French-leaning coffee-and-bakery cafe on a quiet Bondi backstreet, doing locally-baked baguettes, pastries and breakfast rolls until early afternoon.
Best for: An early coffee, pastry or breakfast roll off the main drag
Health food · Bondi Beach
A long-running Hall Street health cafe built around 100% raw cold-pressed juices, superfood smoothies and wholefood bowls, just up from the sand.
Best for: A post-swim clean breakfast, juice run or grab-and-go wholefood lunch
Coffee · Bondi Beach
The Bondi headquarters and tasting bar of local specialty micro-roaster Will & Co, where a dedicated brew bar pours single-origin pour-overs, batch brew and cold-brew flights a block back from the beach.
Best for: Coffee lovers who want a proper single-origin brew, not just a beachfront flat white
Seafood · Bondi Beach
A family-owned, order-at-the-counter seafood cafe tucked into the Bondi Pavilion, right on the promenade with the sand a few steps away.
Best for: A casual seafood lunch straight off the sand
Cafe · North Bondi
A long-running family-run Bondi cafe on Warners Avenue doing all-day breakfast, bistro-style lunches and an in-house bakery, with a small Wednesday-to-Friday dinner service.
Best for: Relaxed local breakfast and brunch, plus a low-key midweek dinner
Cafe · Campbell Parade
A long-running all-day cafe on the Campbell Parade strip serving modern-Australian brunch with an Asian lean, plus specialty coffee and a wine offering, a short stroll from the sand.
Best for: An easy all-day brunch on the beach strip
Cafe · Campbell Parade
A long-running, family-owned beachfront cafe on Campbell Parade serving all-day breakfast, brunch and lunch with some of the most direct sweeping views straight across Bondi Beach.
Best for: Beachfront all-day brunch with a view
Cafe · Bondi Road
A busy neighbourhood brunch cafe midway up Bondi Road, known as much for its photogenic flavoured matcha lattes as for its generous all-day breakfast plates.
Best for: A relaxed weekday brunch or matcha fix away from the beachfront crush