Saucy Salad or "good salad place" (as we affectionately have named it in our office) is a great…read morelunch option in North Sydney. Choose one of their pre-determined salads, or build your own (my favourite option). All they do are salads and they do them well. Always fresh and yummy. There is guaranteed to be a line during lunch, but they have enough staff working that it goes quickly. I never wait long. They have some tables, but it's a busy food court, so I recommend takeaway. Random bonus: customers also get to take some free sliced bread to have with their salad. I say "you rock, good salad place" -- I'll see you next week!

An amazing shop with lovely food and coffee there, i had a good experience with my friends, good…read moreplace for relaxing. Will definitely come again!

Ooooo this is a good chicken shop! Well, to say it is a chicken shop might be selling it a little…read moreshort. Sure they have delicious, fresh chickens but they also have a large selection of hot chicken dishes like chicken curry, chicken stir fry, even chicken schnitzel plus lots of different salads. If you want my pick of the lot, try a whole Portuguese chicken (better than Nando's!) or if you want to add a bit of flavour to a regular chicken grab a tub of their lemon and herb or chilli sauce - for $1.50 a tub you can't go wrong.

Best roast chook in Sydney. Almost always full of flavour and nice and moist, without being…read moreundercooked, and LARGE. A quarter of chicken and chips will leave you bursting, so much is provided, and it'll be so tasty you'll not want to stop. Portuguese chicken is fantastic, so are their marinated drumsticks, devil wings, wedges & potato bake, and most of their daily specials that change from day to day. Their chicken schnitzel is where they really let things down. It's always over-tenderised and they try to recover the flavour too much with herbs and spices, over-doing it. The over-tenderizing also leaves it a little thin so it often gets over-cooked too. Their lasagne, while fantastic, is provided to the chains cold and when ordered gets heated unevenly in a microwave. It really lets it down. It'd be nice if they could warm it up some other way, or in a device that doesn't warm it up so unevenly. I used to be a regular at their Chatswood outlet, but now visit this one at Neutral Bay almost exclusively - purely due to convenience and current location of home/work. Both of these chains are pretty much identical in food quality & choices.

Taken at face value, these guys fill a gap in the market for people eating RAW, sugar free or who…read moreare vegan, vegetarian or want to eat organic. Each menu item is labelled with dietary requirements making it super easy to make your choices without guessing. The servings are substantial and delicious, the vegetables are crisp, fresh and cooked with love. Everything about this place is earthy and organic which means it comes with the usual 'hipster tax'. There's a small market style store at the back if you get swept away and feel inspired to start making your own hipster food - make sure you have a spare child to sell or you are prepared to remortgage your house if you want to purchase anything. On the downside, the staff meet the minimum requirement. Getting menus, water and ordering is self-serve but the staff will dump/throw your order in front of you at your table. Each time we've eaten here and our order is thrown in front of us, parts of it will fall on to the table - this is now a running joke. Today when we ate here, I thought I was going to be bitten by the cook when our order came through to the kitchen dead on kitchen closing time. If these guys could get their act together on the service front, they'd no doubt be our favourite lunch spot and earn 5 star reviews.

Pure Wholefoods in Manly claims to meticulously select their predominantly vegetarian menu which…read morecannot be doubted for a moment. Walter and his wife Dini are an affectionate favourite among the locals and on occasions can be perceived as moody however I witness them both address each patron by first name and feel a little envious but for only a moment as Walter brings my perfectly made fair trade skim mocha my breakfast special of Eggs Florentine with Soy Pesto cream sauce and steamed English spinach. The kitchen is open from 7:30am- 3:30pm and the shop is open until 5:30pm. You can call ahead to have food prepared to pick up. Portions can vary in size however the food itself is unparalleled in quality and because of this - prices are premium also. Today talk in this vegetarian cafe is thick of the pending rugby league grand final and what the weather for the local Manly Jazz carnival will do. The founder of the jazz carnival was my music teacher in primary school Mr John Speight and along with the locals I will hope that its good weather for one of the only music festivals of its kind in Australia.

Cafe Balmoral is a great find, right across the street from the beach. Amongst a lot of expensive…read more(and in my opinion often overpriced) cafes in Balmoral sits this cafe, which is quiet, usually not that busy, has an incredibly friendly staff, and good food. In fact, the fish and chips here were one of the best that I've had in a long time! And not only that, they were some of the cheapest that I've had also. They say they offer free wifi, but it's pretty weak. The staff will definitely give you the password, but the connectivity isn't very good. Other than the wifi, this cafe is great.

I came to this family run cafe this past Saturday for lunch. It's a really casual place with a…read moremenu that features many different items, from salads to burgers, fish and chips, too. It was pretty crowded, especially since the only seating area is outside. Most of the customers had just come to the beach to fill their belles before flopping back onto the sand. You have to order inside, so after I found a nice seat outside, I put my stuff down and went to the counter. I decided on the Balmoral burger, which was a beef patty topped with avocado, roasted peppers, and a special sauce. It was pretty good, considering that it came to my table less than 10 minutes after I ordered. Unfortunately, they forgot about my coffee, so I had to go back up to remind the staff. Other than that, it was a good meal, and really affordable. Everything all together was under $15.

A Salad Works lunch in Hyde Park has become my daily ritual. Always fresh, fast and delicious, you…read morecan grab a generously sized salad for around $10. All salads come in medium or large (or can be turned into a wrap); the large is actually ginormous so definitely opt for the medium. There are a bunch of suggestions on the board, or you can make your own using the salads checklist by the front counter. I'm a fan of the Signature Salad (lettuce, steamed chicken breast, sweet potato, eggplant, sultanas, sliced almonds, and peas) and the Smoked Salmon (lettuce, tomato, boiled egg, fetta, olives, sunflower seeds and capers). There are also a few different kinds of yoghurt and fresh fruit salads available for a healthy dessert. This place sure beats most of the other city lunch offerings.

Our tour guide and countless Redditors said to eat at The Pantry when in Manly. That said, it is a…read morepopular spot and with the restaurant being on the smaller end, it's best to make a reservation. We were lucky to secure a booking for 1:00P on the day of. Their menu is considered modern Australian with an Italian flair, which is an interesting fusion of cuisines. They have tapas, entrees (appetizer size), mains (larger portions) and sides, which can be shared amongst the table or paired with a main to make for a more filling meal. + GRILLED TASMANIAN OCTOPUS (A$28): The four of us shared this and it turned out to be a tantalizing appetizer! Three meaty tentacles and one flat piece were served on top of n'duja (spreadable pork sausage) with pipes of lime confit on the side. This was my first time having n'duja, which had a smoky flavor from Calabrian chilis that paired well with the grilled taste of the tender octopus. The lime brightened up the dish with citrusy notes. + SEAWEED PRAWN PILLOWS (A$22): While tasty, if I tasted these blindly, I probably wouldn't think of shrimp and seaweed being the two main ingredients. The shrimp and seaweed were finely minced and made into a batter which was then fried into a fritter. They were crispy and light with a soft mochi-like texture inside. Salt on the plate enhanced the flavor even more. + SNAPPER FILLET (A$44): The snapper was delicate, moist and had a wonderfully seared skin. It came topped with a few zucchini blossoms, but that was the extent of the dish, so I'd recommend ordering a side with this. It was placed on a pool of creamy white sauce (which may have incorporated Jerusalem artichoke as noted on the menu) and dollops of black garlic sauce came on top. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the black garlic which had a very earthy flavor that I found too strong and off-putting for the mild fish. The four of us shared a side of BROCCOLINI (A$14) which was a great pairing with all of our mains. It tasted super fresh since the stems still had a nice snap to them. They were simply tossed with extra virgin olive oil, sliced almonds and chili for a hint of heat. My dad enjoyed their spatchcocked chicken and my sister was happy with her sirloin steak. The steak was cooked more than the medium that she requested, but it was still delicious and had a zesty salsa verde. Overall, we had a lovely lunch here. Our meals were wholesome and I could tell that everything was fresh and of pristine quality. This restaurant is right on the beach, so we enjoyed a direct view of the water, giving this spot a beachy vibe with casual elegance.

I would give The Pantry 10 stars if I could. It is one of the best dining experiences I've had in…read moremy life. It's not fancy or Michelin starred or world renowned, but somehow it manages to find the perfect balance between beach casual and chic, while serving amazing food. We stumbled upon it and popped in for lunch after swearing we weren't hungry for a big lunch. Famous last words, right? We started with the caramel Ed garlic bread and piccolo burrata, both of which were amazing. I wanted to lick the plate but my husband gave me the side eye. Someone at the table next to us had the Prawn Salad, and it looked incredible, so we ordered that to split. The prawn salad is the best salad I have ever eaten, and I eat a lot of salads. There were so many flavors and textures and mouthfeels - the creamy avocado, the crispy salty bacon, the sweet tender shrimp, the light oily vinaigrette, the warm salty halloumi. This is salad GOALS. It was so good that we just went ahead and ordered another entree - the grilled barramundi. It was also delicious, the fish was perfectly cooked, the asparagus was tender but firm, the potatoes were crispy but creamy, and the tang of the goat cheese and sweet roasted tomatoes really made something magic. It was temping to get dessert, but we did stop to check out the breakfast menu on our way out. Also - as a pregnant person, I was so thrilled to see a decent list of mocktails! The Passionfruit Fauxjito was really good and tasted like a true cocktail. This perfect little beach restaurant is so unassuming from the outside, but is worth the stop for the gorgeous views, attentive service, and amazing food!

Ok a few notes... Let's start: this place is AMAZING! They have the:…read more 1. Best service 2. Awesome food 3. Tasty coffee 4. Nice decor 5. Great Cleanliness From the moment we walked in we had the most amazing blonde and brunette waitresses! They were so kind, friendly and so attentive! They kept re-filling our water, made sure we were happy, laughed at my dad and uncles dad jokes :p haha was nice. Also really fast service! The food was amazing! No one left anything on their plates! Was soooo good. Steak sandwich, angus beef burger, scallop salad, salmon and coconut salad were ace! So so so delicious!!! Definitely have some great chefs there! Great cooking and not too long to wait!!! Coffee = Tasty!!!! Usually I only like certain coffee shops but this one is tops!!!! The coffee was perfectly roasted, perfectly frothed milk, and the most delicious chocolate, coffee and milk ratio!!! The place is beautiful inside, old fashioned glasses, beautiful wood furnishings, cute tables and chairs. Plus the beautiful show kitchen really shows the skills of the amazing chefs!!! Love it! Lastly, the place is so so so so so clean! I am impressed! 11/10 for everything!!! Highly recommend this to anyone!!!

Good quality food cooked well…read more The modern wooden interiors reminded me of the hull on the inside of a ship. Pretty cool. Some lunch mains are in the range of $30 - $35 which is a bit pricey given that you could have lunch at a better location e.g. next to the harbour, for the same price, or pay a little extra for a fine dining restaurant. Desserts looked tempting and there was a good selection but unfortunately did not to get to try them.

Momo Bar is our go-to spot whenever we're in the Manly Beach area visiting family from the U.S…read more The menu has a great mix of fresh rice bowls, salad bowls, poke bowls, and dumplings... everything tastes clean, vibrant, and genuinely fresh. It's one of those places where it's hard to choose because so many options sound good, and the quality is consistently solid across the board. Service has always been excellent in our experience... friendly, efficient, and welcoming without feeling rushed. The outdoor seating is another highlight, especially on a nice day; there's plenty of space to sit and enjoy the beach-town atmosphere. On a separate note (and honestly pretty important for travelers), it was surprisingly frustrating trying to find reliable restaurant reviews in Sydney the way we're used to in Los Angeles. Yelp really needs a stronger presence there... it would make discovering great spots like this so much easier. Overall, Momo Bar is an easy five stars for us. Fresh food, great variety, good service, and a relaxed setting... we keep coming back every time we're in Manly.

Ordered the Aloha Combo (aloha bowl with dumplings and water)…read moreAloha Bowl: very little salmon. Could not have been more than 2.5 ounces. I would call it a garnish. Did not provide a powerful flavor profile. Very basic. Lamb dumplings: lamb in a dumpling, that's about all I have. Add some soy sauce.