Sydney's Best Waterside Brunch Spots for 2025

Part of the waterside scenery of Sydney’s lower north shore for decades, Bathers’ Pavilion is a waterfront dining institution located right on Balmoral Beach. Here, there are a few different dining options, but your best bet for brekkie is the Bathers’ Bistro. The breakfast menu caters for every mood, from fruit, granola and pastries if you’re not too hungry, to classic hot dishes like pancakes or eggs. The pick of the dishes is the Moroccan baked eggs with sausage, and if you’re feeling a bit rusty, you can lean on the hair of the dog with a selection of breakfast cocktails on the ready. All of this is paired with stunning views of Balmoral Beach. If the weather is good and you’re up north, definitely consider stopping by this divine waterside brunch spot in Sydney.

Image: Nikki To.

Retaining the iconic charm of the original boat shed housing this bustling cafe, the Boathouse is a glorious improvement on the modest cafe it once was. It’s hard to look past the seafood when you’re sitting outside in the sunshine on a deck suspended over the ocean. For breakfast and brunch, we recommend you order the crab scramble with sriracha, bean sprout, peanut crunch and sourdough. And for lunch, try the beer-battered flathead served atop a mountain of thick-cut chips with a side of Boathouse tartare.

Image: Jessie Ann.

Decked out in a nostalgic pastel colour palette and serving up exciting twists on cafe classics, Cafe Bondi is the newest beachside brekkie spot to open in the eastern suburbs. The Sydney spot is offering up a fresh breakfast and lunch menu full of favourites seven days a week. Head up from the surf and browse the menu, which spans smashed avo, acai bowls and French toast. If the food isn’t a big enough draw card for you to beeline to Cafe Bondi after your next morning swim, the menu also includes a series of breakfast cocktails, including watermelon mimosas and bloody marys. The cocktails sit beside an extensive beer and wine list, ideal for your next boozy brunch.

Image: Kimberly Low.

The owners of Celsius Coffee Co. could have easily rested on their pylon laurels — given that they do sit atop a ferry terminal just opposite Sydney Harbour — but the food here is just as memorable as the rustic wood-and-window structure it’s served in. The waterside cafe is doing inventive things with breakfast’s biggest love — eggs — with twists across the menu like harissa chilli eggs, or the truffle Benedict with smoked salmon, poached eggs, sautéed greens, truffle hollandaise on a toasted challah bread.

Image: Destination NSW

They say change is as good as a holiday, and at Church Point, we argue that brunch is as good as a holiday. This family-run general store on stilts may be in the far reaches of Pittwater, but that just adds to the serene and scenic atmosphere. Kick back on the breezy deck and watch tug boats and tinnies drift through the water before you, and stare off onto the gum-covered expanse of the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park in front of you. The deconstructed breakfast tacos and French toast with ricotta and honeycomb are also very viable reasons to visit. It may be a ways out of town, but it is still one of the very best waterside brunch spots in Sydney, making it worthy of the trek.

Image: Supplied. 

Come get your breakfast cocktails. If a Bower Spritz or Bower Bloody Mary won’t sort you out, the sea breeze drifting by surely will. In Manly, beaches beckon at every turn and this window-fronted Sydney restaurant sits on the sea wall not far from Cabbage Tree Bay. Ever felt somewhat vague about the exact construction of your coffee preference? Its handy coffee guide will help (and let’s face it, if you need a morning cocktail, you may need a few mind prompts). The corn and zucchini fritters with smoked salmon, fennel, herb slaw and citrus crème fraiche, or the double bacon and egg burger served with hash browns, will probably knock out a few cobwebs as well.

Image: Destination NSW

From the minds behind Sydney’s two-hatted restaurant Ormeggio at the Spit, Chiosco serves up top-notch Italian eats. Located at the Mosman Jetty, mere metres from the water’s edge, Chiosco offers spectacular 300-degree views of luxury yachts and sparkling sea. While Ormeggio (which is Italian for ‘berth’ or ‘moor’) is a fine-dining affair, Chiosco (which is Italian for ‘kiosk’) has adopted a casual approach, serving Italian street food and takeaway with a ‘barefoot and BYO’ ethos. Highlights of the menu include an impressive antipasti selection that’s calling out to be sampled as part of a late lunch, and some exciting pasta dishes like the linguine with spanner crab, bottarga, cherry tomatoes and orange. Whether you’re looking for casual dining or a finer affair, this waterside restaurant in Sydney will have you sorted.

Image: Supplied.

Serving a notch above traditional cafe fare, Next Door has been a local favourite since opening its doors in 2016. The beachside cafe has become so popular that the establishment had no choice but to launch a dinner menu for its many fans. Head Chef Luke Arnull cooks with the philosophy that you should only serve what you love to make for your friends, and his menu lives up to this mantra. On the brunch menu, you’ll find classics like B b&e rolls and avocado toast, plus some more unique breakfast creations. Venture away from your usual weekend fare and order the jalapeño corn fritters or the maple spiced granola, which comes with lemon curd, fresh berries, coconut and mint atop a bed of Greek yoghurt.

Image: Chris Jamieson.