Where To Shop Like a Local In and Around Mosman
From high tea with incredible harbour views to creative floral designs, you can find everything you need on Military Road and its surrounds.
Where To Shop Like a Local In and Around Mosman
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From high tea with incredible harbour views to creative floral designs, you can find everything you need on Military Road and its surrounds.
Twenty minutes from the heart of Sydney's CBD is a lovely Mosman village with boutique stores, harbour views, busy restaurants and cosy bars — and of course, the family favourite Taronga Zoo. Mosman is known for its always-busy Military Road, relaxed cafe culture and popular nearby bathing spots like Balmoral Beach and the clothing-optional Cobblers Beach.
While you should never bypass a visit to see the elephants and giraffes, Mosman is a great place to spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon browsing its independent shops and businesses. To get you started, we've teamed up with American Express to bring you a round-up of local businesses where you can shop small with your Amex Card.
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Burnt Orange has a fascinating history — it was originally a golf club, then it was converted into a clubhouse during the second world war for the army stationed at the nearby barracks. Now it’s a cafe, boutique shop, and one of the best places to come for high tea. Bring your loved ones for macarons, house-made scones with jam and vanilla cream — all with incredible views of the harbour. Want to avoid the crowds? Burnt Orange also dishes up top-tier breakfast and lunch dishes, such as banana hotcakes served with berries, ricotta and nut praline.
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A staple of Mosman’s main shopping street for years, this family-run florist is well known among the brides and grooms of the area. Even when the store is busy preparing for weddings, the staff is welcoming and helpful, guiding you to pick out seasonal floral bouquets — such as peonies in late winter, tulips in spring and native sprigs all year round. Its latest project is a zodiac collection designed for easy birthday purchases, that has fiery red blooms for Aries babies and calming deep blue bunches for the Cancer-born friends in your life. The abundant bouquets represent the sense of fun this store brings to its arrangements — which it says are neoclassical in style and never repetitive.
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When four Frenchmen came to Australia for the beautiful weather and friendly people, they missed their daily fill of French-style mouth-watering crepes and galettes, so they decided to make their own. Four Frogs Creperie plates up authentic savoury galettes made with buckwheat flour and topped with ham and cheese or garlicky mushrooms, and sweet crepes that range from traditional butter, sugar and lemon to banana, organic maple syrup, whipped cream and grilled almonds. You can eat in at the licensed cafe, and the staff loves to celebrate a birthday with messages written in Nutella.
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Found on Avenue Road, Heirloom Specialty Coffee stands out among its competitors by serving the best caffeine in the vicinity. The outdoor seating area is often busy and, if you have the time, it’s the perfect place to sip slowly while watching the world go by. Peckish? The cafe offers a delicious range of pastries (all baked in-house), and the more substantial brekkie bun, piled high with bacon and house-made tomato relish.
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This Mosman boutique knows what kind of lifestyle its shoppers are looking for: beachside chic. Offering modern and minimalist homewares, Pond (Home) is the type of store where you can drop $500 on a bamboo lampshade or $39 on the latest copy of Cereal. After you’ve upgraded your kitchenware, pop two doors down to Pond (Fashion) to select a dinner party outfit from racks of striking sequinned pants and linen blazers. Finish off the look with some jewellery — some wallet-friendly options include diamond-cut rings from $20.
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Whether you’re after a well-deserved post-swim snack or a bottle of vino to take to a dinner party, this beachside bottle shop-cum-convenience store will sort you out. Balmoral Cellars is the very definition of a local gem — it’s been part of the Mosman community since 1951, and the current owner has been behind the counter for over two decades. He is passionate about supporting Aussie winemakers — the shop stocks labels from a wide range of wine regions, from Margaret River to Buronga, NSW. Its convenience store status means you can also swing by for ice cream, soft drinks and chips. Or you can let the goods come to you with free local delivery on all orders to Mosman, Cremorne and Neutral Bay.
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Have you ever heard how Balmoral Beach is like Sydney’s own version of a Greek Island oasis? No? Well, settle in at one of Kazzi Beach Greek’s outdoor tables, order a bunch of mezze plates to share and enjoy the fresh harbour breeze — you may just be convinced.
Inspired by the Greek island of Kastellorizo, this beachside eatery serves up classic Hellenic-style dishes from brekkie to dinner. We’re talking haloumi drizzled with cardamom-infused honey, prawns saganaki, souvlaki wraps and spit-roasted meats.
Inside, the restaurant has that classic Mediterranean look and feel — think white walls, tables and chairs with pops of cobalt blue to accessorise. It also offers takeaway if you really want to pretend you’re living the Greek Island dream and eat it on the beach.
