The Pantry Manly — Restaurant in Sydney

Great value for money. The location couldn’t be better and the food was a similar price to most other Northern Beaches cafes (without the great location of The Pantry).

The only slight disappointment was that my meal arrived about 10 mins after the other 3 in our group. It was also barely luke warm when I received it. That didn’t bother me because I generally find meals are served way too hot, but there is no doubt that 90% of patrons would have either returned it for being too cold or wished they had the courage to return it.

Overall, the food was excellent and the other 3 meals in our group (Eggs Benedict; Smashed Avo; Pantry Breakfast) were consumed with much pleasure.

I had the “ Pantry Breakfast” and I loved the way the bacon was cooked. A little bit burnt on the edges which is just how I like it. The sourdough was amazing. It was remarkably soft but with just enough “crunch” in the crust. At other places I have experienced sour dough that has a crust more like concrete - but not at The Pantry. We had two of these in our group and my daughter confirmed hers was nice and hot and agreed with my other comments.

Coffee snobs might need to go elsewhere. I’m not much of a coffee connoisseur but I can tell a really good coffee when I get one. The coffee I had was not up there in my experience, but it was fine for me because I’m not too bothered about my coffee. If you consider yourself a coffee expert, have fruit juice with your meal at The Pantry and then head out to a take away coffee shop so you can walk the beachfront while sipping your preferred beverage.

The staff at The Pantry were very pleasant. They even offered to allow me to bring my bicycle up the ramp but there are secure bike hoops only a few metres from the entry ramp, so I simply locked up my bike there. Almost in sight of our table.

Overall, even with the slightly cold meal that I had, The Pantry is highly recommended. The food flavour was great and the location and value for money ensures I will...

Arrived and shown to seat.

Busy place and pressure on to make a choice

Went with the Hervey Bay Scallops - Manchego Cheese, Sour Cream, Jamie, Breadcrumbs.

I asked for the Vasse Felix Chardonnay

Scallops came pre wine and were overcooked if I am honest. There was absolutely no sour cream. I managed to have the meal without even receiving my wine. I asked again and was told it’s on its way.

10 minutes after entree the wine arrived after being now setup for the main.

The main - Swimmer Crab with Prawn was ok at best. Slightly watery at the base from the pasta not being drained. The pasta does not taste or look homemade. I asked for another Chardonnay midway through the meal. Never came. At the end of the meal the server took my plate and glass and I had to ask again.

The staff (no name badges) seemed more keen on flipping tables and getting me off this window seat.

Finished wine. Dessert wasn’t much of a choice.

Overall not a an enjoyable dining experience more a mix of rushed table service which is halfway between McDonald’s and a restaurant with very average food. Had the cheek to ask for a tip despite speaking to me...

came at 11:30 asking for a table of two, the waitress greeted us but informed us that they weren’t accepting customers until 12 as their brekkie menu ended and were going to start their lunch menu. The waitress asked us to come back at 12 for a table, all while having a very uninterested demeanour, as if she didn’t want us there. We assumed there would be a table available as she did not ask for any details to secure a table nor did she ask or tell us that they were going to be booked out at 12, especially for a small table of two. However when we came back at 12:10 they told us we had to wait over an hour for a table as they were full due to bookings and ‘unexpected’ walk ins. Don’t even know how the food was cause we just decided to go somewhere else instead of having to wait longer and longer. Really poor service imo, the hall staff should know their peak hours and thus should organise customers accordingly but obv they didn’t do this for us. No warning that they may be busy, not allowed to sit inside while waiting for lunch menu to start and completely dismissed...