Porch & Parlour

I’ve been a couple of times since it reopened in 2015 — and used to love this quirky & charming spot.
It unfortunately lost its character and soul in the refurbishment process. The atmosphere, the set up, the service and the food are not bad — but soulless (and expensive).
For some reasons, it is still trendy — so expect a long queue for brunch.

Great little spot with the most fabulous views over bondi! Very cute restaurant on the corner. My friends had the breakfast bowls and could not stop saying how amazing they were. I went for coffee which was excellent and a juice — pineapple carrot and finger — delicious! The staff were super friendly. Lovely spot!
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Came in for breakfast around 10am and the place was packed. Its a tiny place so there was 1 table free inside which we nabbed!
You can sit at the bar/​counter if there are no tables free. This place also has outdoor tables as well.
Coffee was top notch. I got a green smoothie with some poached eggs on toast and my other party got the Devils breakfast — beans, chorizo with boiled eggs in a pan — hot and spicy!
They serve their coffee in take away cups which at first glance looks like paper cups but then huzzah they are ceramic!
Staff are friendly and happy to help you work out the menu (I questioned the green pea pancake and yes it is made out of mashed peas — who knew this could be a breakfast item)
Overall, great first time experience and also love the fact you can walk over to the beach for a nice morning stroll after your breaky.

Sumptuous yummy brunch spot just off Bondi Beach.
Great fresh juice mixed and smoothies. We had the porched egg and avocado on toast which was so tasty.
Great to get off the main strip, and a nice friendly vibe here to boot. Would definitely return if we’re in Bondi again!

Fabulous fresh muffins and very good coffee served slowly. Good food with a pleasant staff. Go early!

A bit too small, but the food makes up for the space. I had the spicy breakfast (can’t exactly remember the name now) which was just spicy enough and definitely hit the spot, and the green juice was just what I needed for my hangover to go away.

I had seen and heard great things about Porch — mostly photos of the delicious breakfasts on Instagram — so was eager to finally try it out, but was sadly pretty disappointed.
Getting seated was hard work — for a table for three, we waited for 20 minutes trying to get the attention of waitstaff so they could direct us to a table/​put our name down/​tell us where to wait/​anything really. After we were acknowledged, we were seated in a corner on top of boxes of their fresh produce, which they needed access to throughout the morning; so we were being asked to get up several times throughout the meal so they could access the contents of the box. Not a big deal, but when you’re trying to catch up with old friends, a tad annoying.
Ordering was tough, we waited for about half an hour before getting up and asking waitstaff to come over and take our order.
Once the food arrived, we were missing one meal. We let the staff know and they said it was on its way; however half an hour passed and it still hadn’t arrived. We flagged someone down again and they admitted it had been forgotten and they were ‘making it now’. Another 20 minutes later and it still hadn’t arrived, so we gave up and headed to the counter to pay for the two meals we did receive.
We mentioned to the staff that we hadn’t received the third meal and thus didn’t want to pay for it, and got some severe attitude from her claiming ‘well its not my fault.‘
All in all, a bit of a disappointment. We were told Porch had recently relocated, so I hope these issues with food delivery and service were merely teething problems, and they get on track soon, as the place has great potential to be amazing.

Very popular spot and I can see why! Fab staff, menu and crowd. Sandwiches and juice are rave-​worthy, and the staff is incredibly accommodating. When my tea wasn’t on the menu, they made a wonderful concoction for my sore throat!

I’ll forgive the newly obstructed view of Bondi Beach for the unbelievably velvety long black I kick started my day with at Porch. The team behind this café-​come-​wine bar earn themselves additional brownie points for the veggie breakfast with the most perplexingly delectable gluten free bread I’ve had the pleasure of eating and the dukkah covered poached eggs. And I only managed to try a sip of their «magic juice» (I’m told beetroot features heavily) but in that one sip I understood why it’s magic. Don’t ask, just drink.
Sure, my hipster sensibilities were in overdrive thanks to exposed brick walls, 70s inspired accent tiles and random framed art works around the place. Forget all that you think a Bondi café would be and pop in to Porch.

The friendly people behind Porch and Parlour have relocated. And while I would love to whinge about how much further away they are now (350 meters instead of 250 meters… an entire football field further!), they’ve dropped the parlour and added three of my very favourite things: opening hours, a full kitchen and booze.
Now open from crack o’ dawn to 10pm daily, I’m able to get Bondi’s best coffee and green juice anytime during the day — I no longer have to rush out of my house in PJs, I mean, business suits, at 2:55pm and be that annoying customer who walks in just as you’ve cleaned everything up before closing.
The food was already fantastic, so I can only assume with the same menu, employees and suppliers it will continue to be just that. And now you’ll be able to enjoy dinner items as well, which I can’t wait to try out. The move has not affected the coffee — I’ve done the grueling research and I still rate it as Bondi’s best.
My only concern? That my small neighbourhood coffee shop and brunch spot will be discovered by all and finding a seat will be harder than ever (although that was true pre-​150 extra meters…).