Beachside Beauties: A Day and Night Guide to Bondi

Resting on the shores of the always-iconic Bondi Beach is an umissable structure. Earthy colours and openair designs help it blend into its breezy surroundings, but locals know the weight carried by the Pav — as its known locally. Bondi Pavilion is, in fact, a piece of local history. For over 90 years, it’s stood proud on the shoreline as a hub of local culture and activity, welcoming visitors through its doors for almost every activity you could think of. And now, after a lengthy seven-year facelift, it’s better than ever.

The Pav continues its vision of being a home for community, arts and culture in Bondi and is now better equipped to do so. The building boasts indoor and outdoor creative spaces — including a pottery studio, art gallery, theatre and community radio studio. You’ll also have plenty of chances to feed your stomach, not just your mind. During the day, you can grab a bite at Glory Days, or represent the surf culture found across Sydney with some merch from Between the Flags. Many of the building’s rooms are also available to hire for events and community groups. Just visit the website to find out how.

Image: Brett Boardman Photography

As a part of the Pav’s restoration program, the Bondi hub scored a second outpost for North Sydney’s Glory Days. The new beachside spot has rolled out an expanded menu designed for both a quick takeaway bite or a relaxed long lunch. “When the spot at the Pav came up, my mind instantly went to Venice Beach in Los Angeles and the amazing food culture and community around the neighbourhood with loved places like Gjelina,” says Glory Days Bondi founder Aaron Crinis.

Boasting a fresh white and wood-panelled interior that plays off Bondi Pavilion’s aesthetic, the dining spaces bring together European touches — another influence for Crinis — with hallmarks of Australian cafe culture including a red travertine bar and Australian photographer Adrian Mesko’s images of Euro beach culture. Damien Hyde (Cafe Sydney, Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel) heads up the kitchen, pulling together a lineup of cafe favourites. Before midday, there’s acai bowls ($22), dutch pancakes ($23) and the Glory Days big brekkie ($28). Once lunchtime hits, the eats extend to club sandwiches ($25), salmon coconut curry ($27) and a soba noodle salad ($23) topped with whipped tofu, soy-pickled cucumber, avocado, edamame and a soy and ginger dressing.

Image: @Nikkito

If you yearn for the good ol’ days when sandwiches were more packed than David Jones on Boxing Day and burgers fell apart if you weren’t holding on for dear life, Bennett St Dairy should be your Bondi go-to. Not only do these guys deliver dishes shaped by an old-school sense of abundance and generosity, they source ingredients in an old-fashioned way too: straight from the farm. You might know them already for their cookie dough, which has found homes with retailers across Sydney.

Following a long morning in the surf, it’s hard to resist the vivid flavours of a hot corn beef on rye with swiss cheese, sauerkraut, mustard mayo and pickles ($16.50). There’s also salads ($16.50), brioche rolls ($12.50), breakfast bowls ($16.50) and so on. And the coffee is brewed and frothed in a cutting-edge machine known as ‘The Black Eagle’.

Bondi locals don’t muck around when it comes to brunch. You get one chance, maybe two, to hit it out of the park with brekkie bowls, solid coffee and a damn good Bloody Mary. Not every joint passes the test, but one Bondi mainstay is enjoying lines out the door every Saturday and Sunday without fail, dominating the brunch game lock, stock and barrel. Lox Stock & Barrel is one of Bondi’s best brunch spots, hands down. A bright little deli diner sitting on Glenayr Avenue, Lox spills out onto the French Bulldog-frequented pavement with tall wooden bar tables and an inevitably long line of happy-to-wait brunchers.

Lox specialises in breakfast, brunch and lunch, the food is Jewish in origin but inspired by Bondi’s local produce and farm-to-plate philosophy. There’s some serious homemade goodness afoot here; Lox make their own rye, challah, gluten-free, sprouted quinoa bread, bagels and panini, available all day. Those bagels come with your choice of toppings from the classics, including reuben ($20), smoked salmon ($19) and more. Here for some solid brekkie that’ll make you grow tall and strong? Try the beloved Bowlarama ($23), with sprouted quinoa toast, poached eggs, avocado, hummus, kale and seaweed, miso dressing and homemade fermented veggies.

Wall to wall books. Books from ceiling to floor, interspersed with communal tables. Gertrude & Alice is what Shakespeare’s is to Paris, and provides a welcome haven amongst the surfers and backpackers of Bondi Beach. The food served is fresh and universally excellent, and it’s one of the best places to go if you’re feeling a bit lonesome, because the welcoming communal tables ensure that you’ll always feel at home. Named after Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, the famous expat American couple who encouraged the careers of Hemingway and Henry Miller (amongst others), there’s a lot of heart to this place, as well as lovely velvet sofas and delicious chai ($7.50).

Dig into choices like ‘crumpets from heaven’ ($12), old-school bacon and egg rolls ($13.50), or any of the other delicious breakfast roll choices and sink into one of the snug sofas. With over 25,000 books at your disposal, Gertrude & Alice is the unchallenged ‘coffice’ for workers with research-heavy projects, people addicted to the smell of ancient books or those seeking solace from the cold pinch of traditional libraries.