Harrys Bondi — Restaurant in Sydney

An updated review after many years. And I find I can say little more than before.

It is our default cafe after our morning swim at Bondi, and some of us go there after a run on Sundays.

We go each weekend and all year, and have been doing it for around 42 years.

We have gone to other cafes, in the past. But they each come and go.

Sometimes a cafe gets too popular and it gets hard to get in, so we find another. Sometimes the owner moves on, and the successor is invariably useless - I can't understand that. I guess they only see the turnover when they buy the business, but don't realise the work required to get that turnover?

I wrote, many years ago that Harry's is now our regular cafe, for (then) 5-6 years. Now it is probably 11 or 12 years.

When it started it was just a hole in the wall. Harry owns the Sushi bar on the corner and the laundrette he owned next door (now absorbed into the cafe) is an historical oddity - but long forgotten.

When we first met Harry, he had young kids, who he took to soccer on the weekends. I guess they are young adults now?

We rarely see him now. His business is incredibly popular, so he must meet thousands of people a week.

When I see him, I enjoy embarrassing him by saying hi, in a way that suggests we are old friends. He doesn't remember me at all of course. I see him struggling to try and remember me and/or my friends.

Harry still has a great eye for talent. His chefs, his barristers, wait staff, and managers have been incredible.

That is, in my opinion the secret to his continued success.

His young staff work for him for years, leaving often when they finish Uni, or their back packing visa runs out. They are friendly, remember the regular customers, and make us feel "at home".

I ask, and find out that he still treats his staff well. They all say he is a great boss. That is why Harry's has become an institution in North Bondi, without any need for a beach view.

The coffee is still great, and the food is still great.

And it's still nice to arrive and everyone already knows what we want. We still always laugh when there is a new staff member. They always hand us menus.

I wrote, many years ago, that the place had gained in popularity, and it was more difficult to get a table.

One of the regular maitre de's, Natali, who is the latest in a long line of excellent such young women in that role, calls us the "Troublemakers", because we don't book, and just hope to get a table.

Nowadays that requires either a wait, or extreme luck (cancellation?)

My advice is to book, or better still, book for around 10am on Saturday or Sunday morning, and then don't show up, so that we get given your table!

Don't bother going anywhere else at Bondi for coffee and/or brunch.

It is an institution that is just as important as the...

Situated nearer to the Northern end of Bondi Beach just off Campbell Parade is a great cafè called Harry's. Make the most of the location go for a swim beforehand, go for a stroll along the coastal walk or if you are visiting on a sunny Sunday check out the markets that are situated just across the road. We stopped by on a dreary Friday morning for brunch, this didn't take away from the experience, the service was great and the cafè buzzing with people socialising. Harry's is stylishly set up as you would expect for a cafè set in the social mixing pot which is Bondi Beach. The cafe is sectioned in to two dining areas, with the prime spot being the bench at the window at the front of shop, where you can enjoy the Bondi scenery. There is a semi open kitchen and a cool aqua retro looking coffee machine at the take away window, convenient if you are after a take away coffee to enjoy on the beach.

There are plenty of great beverage options including coffee by 5 Senses one of our favourite coffee roasters. There was also a list of great sounding smoothies, juices and some different types of latte. We tried the tumeric latte which was very nice, similar to a chai. There was also a beetroot latte on the menu, that sounds interesting. We of course went for some coffee; a great espresso and macchiato.

The menu had plenty of delicious healthy options using fresh as well as organic ingredients. This is great if you have a New years resolution to get healthy or to drop a few kilos. Don't despair, there are also a few indulgent options such as burgers and their famous hotcakes.

After much deliberation we ordered the crispy rolled egg and the cashew cheese cigars, both dishes were nicely presented. As I cut into the crispy rolled egg, the yolk oozed out, perfect! This was served with chorizo and chickpea and kale with the dish tied together with a tasty capsicum puree.

The crisp cashew and cheese cigars were served with a nicely poached egg, again with the yolk oozing. This was accompanied by a salad of mixed heirloom tomatoes of different colours which added to the visual appeal of the dish and helped cut through the creamy cigar filling.

This was a great cafè experience. Efficient and friendly service, top notch food. A must visit if in the area or make it a...

I’m absolutely stunned by the shockingly poor service we received here. I visited for breakfast on Friday, and from the moment we arrived, the treatment was nothing short of frustrating. We waited at the front to ask for a table, and when a waitress finally approached, she led us to an empty table. However, before we could even sit down, a group of girls—who were clearly familiar with the staff—took the table while we were waiting for it to be wiped. Completely confused by this blatant disregard for us, we decided to wait for another table.

When a larger table opened up next, we began walking towards it with another waitress, only for the same group of girls to be ushered to that table by a staff member who had been chatting with them. It became clear that these girls were receiving preferential treatment simply because they were friends with the staff.

It’s incredibly disappointing to witness such obvious favouritism in a place that should be treating all customers equally. There was no apology, no acknowledgment of the situation by either of the waitresses, just a dismissive attitude that left us feeling completely unwelcome. We won’t be returning, and I strongly recommend that anyone considering this place think twice before putting up with such poor,...