Bondi's new wave

Photo: Kitti Gould

It’s heading towards sundown on a Friday and there's a mood around Seven Ways. It’s a good mood, one that speaks of fun times and, maybe, deliverance from pestilence, of prospects ahead. The cooling air carries the scent of fish frying and coconut in cocktails and the satisfying low rumble of conversation and laughter.

Even as the autumn winds take hold and summer’s last rays diminish, people are gathering at Fish Shop, the new restaurant of chef Joel Bennetts, in the RMB Group’s curvaceous Sevenways development, wrapped by Glenayr and Warners avenues. Everywhere around, people are back on the streets, in the cafes, the restaurants, the bars; yep, the good times have come back to town.

Post-COVID Bondi feels slightly different. It’s as though Bondi has not so much turned a corner as found a whole new road to traverse. The tourist-hungry feel of old has departed with the double-decker buses. Suddenly liberated from the shackles of hordes of international visitors, postcode 2026 is emerging as a new hotspot for Sydney cool.

Fish Shop

The vibe is beach-influenced, sure, but also urban, sophisticated, confident. Sleek developments are popping up in the village kaleidoscope beside Soviet-era six-packs, red-brick homes and rows of bubblegum Deco flats. The people are different, too.

“It’s an extremely discerning audience (in Bondi) that understands quality and value,” says Nathan Dalah, one of three co-owners of Fish Shop. “It’s a really awesome place to cut your teeth because if you can make it work in Bondi, you can make it work anywhere.”

“Bondi has its own personality, it’s very insular, local,” agrees Pablo Galindo Vargas, of Milpa Collective, part of the new wave of Bondi hospitality traders, whose Calita restaurant on Campbell Parade is offering hot takes on Mexican snacks.

“In other parts of Sydney, locals might be guided by what business owners give them. In Bondi, it’s the other way around: locals dictate what works,” he says.

Greg Cohen recently opened Chargrill Charlie’s on Curlewis St and says the demographic of the suburb has changed after years of being dominated by youth culture.

“The demographic, the real estate market, it was a little bit surf culture, a little bit tourist culture, with a lot of single young people,” he says. “Now, there are a lot of professionals and couples who have bought houses and renovated them or bought expensive apartments. Things have changed.”

The changes are suburb-wide, too. From the back streets of North Bondi, where people spill from the pumping Shuk cafe and bakery, to South Bondi, where properties such as Bismarck House are pulling in domestic travellers for $1200 a night to stay in a reimagined beach shack, new Bondi can be found around least-expected corners.

As Dalah says, “Bondi — it’s trending in a really beautiful direction.”

Take a taste of some of our favourites.

THE NEWCOMERS

Calita — This pint-sized Mexican has injected life into what has always been one of Bondi’s coolest patches (it’s right next-door to Sean’s, after all). Go for snacks inspired by the food of the Baja Peninsula, with a small menu focused on house-made tacos and botanas (shared plates).

Fish Shop — A spin-off from Fishbowl with a George Livissianis fit-out (The Apollo, Alpha), this seafood outlet offers Mediterranean-style dishes such as anchovy toast, grilled Yamba sardines and oysters shucked to order.

Bismarck House — Andrew Burgess Architects have turned this dour old red-brick into a home that’s picked up a slew of awards for design and innovation. We love the use of materials, from stone to concrete to reclaimed brick and the reimagined beach house feel.

Twenty Twenty Six — This gallery space provides a touch of the arts on a corner that used to house a Jewish butcher. Go for engaging exhibitions curated by Martine Emdur.

Slow House — Opened in February, this luxe little day spa has a pared-back 2021 feel and offers everything from infrared saunas to ice baths.

The Bungalows at Bondi — Coastal-style never went out at this set of 12 new holiday bungalows on Campbell Parade. The owners push their profits back into Bondi children’s charities, which is a nice touch.

Chargrill Charlie’s — The classic eastern suburbs chicken chain has added a milk bar component to their new Bondi outlet, a nod to the olden days that we love.

THE STYLE LEADERS

CicciaBella — At Maurice Terzini’s southern Italian CicciaBella, lightboxes omit red glow, concrete walls are etched with letters and hearts, and the ceilings are draped with tie-dye fabric (a hint at sheets hanging to dry atop narrow Italian streets). It’s a moody setting for drinking rosé spritzes and eating chef Nic Wong’s lamb scottadito or pizza by the slab.

Bills — The legend, Bill Granger, opened this luxuriously appointed cafe on Hall St in 2017 and the place has been a style icon ever since, a grown-up version of his Darlinghurst flagship.

Bondi Beach Public Bar — Bondi pubs have never looked or felt quite like this. BBPB is everything new Bondi. Cool, nonchalant, edgy.

Shuk — This Israeli-inspired cafe chain opened in North Bondi when nobody thought to go there, and remains as packed and as chic as ever.