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Cafe 1812

4.2 (13 reviews)
ModerateCoffee & Tea, Bars
Open 9:00 am - 11:00 pm

Cafe 1812 Photos

CAFE 1812 ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Live music
Good for groups
Good for kids

Recommended Reviews - Cafe 1812

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Julie L.

Sunny, friendly Berkelouw Books is probably my favourite café bookstore, mainly because it stocks both new and second-hand books, and has a huge and eclectic range of both kinds. The café is located upstairs in the second-hand section and serves up lovely wholesome food and good coffee. I love the selection of greeting cards and fun little books at Berkelouw, this is a go-to place for me if I'm looking for gifts.

Tyler J.

They're been open a long time, almost 200 years, and still going strong. It's a pretty great book store, as far as book stores go. Theres three levels; new books on the bottom, new books and a café on the second level, and second hand books on the top, not to mention the art work on the walls that's for sale too - on all floors. I like the combination of books and artwork, so you can get your creative fix all in one. Nice. I really liked the vibe of the place, it has a nice old book store kind of feel, but still contemporary with its large glass edifice and modern artworks. Arty farty huh? If it's not for you, you'll probably walk right past and not know it's there, despite how huge the place is. But I know its there. And I like it.

Caroline S.

A book lover could ask for little more than a three storey building dedicated to all things readable, look no further than Berkelouw. Not only does it have three floors of books for your browsing and purchasing pleasure, it has a cafe on the second floor where you can take those books and have a nice thorough flick through them to really make sure it's what you want to spend your evenings curled up reading. Berkelouw was originally established in 1812 in Europe but since then has decided to grace Sydney-siders with its rich array of books that span genres from cooking to serial killers in the 18th century. On the first and second floor you'll find a huge selection of first-hand books. First thing you see as you walk in is the Top Ten to the left, those books that have been nit-picked as the most popular at the time. They also often have a themed display of books at the front. For example, last time I went in was a few days after Sydney's famous festival of Dangerous Ideas so they had a display of books written by authors that participated in this festival. In other words, the store has its finger on the pulse of what is happening in Sydney. Apart from the cafe and fresh paged books on the second floor, you will find a few glass cabinets that case rare and historic publications. You can have a nice spruce through those cabinets but if you're looking to dig further they have a computer catalogue of all their antiquarian stock. It's great for assignments or for anybody who enjoys discovering the history of books. If you walk past the cafe and follow the stairs to the third floor, you'll be greeted by a wondrous amount of second-hand books. Shelves upon shelves of pre-loved writings where you can find almost anything your heart desires. Peak through any of the windows and you'll have a great view of Paddington, it adds to the ambience of the store that harvests a homely feel despite its size. As you're leaving, don't forget to have a peak at the section next to the cash register that has a lot of bits and pieces that make awesome gifts or are even practical for the office. There's Berkelouw's own brand leather satchel for laptops or books, mugs and scrabble as well as many other bits and pieces. It's really is a great store that you could easily spend the afternoon in.

Leah C.

What could be better than classic books, a tantalizing café, gourmet ramen noodles and live jazz all in one establishment?? Not much, I reckon, unless this shop could also highlight my hair and finish my chemistry homework. I wandered down O'Connell Street off King this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to discover Berkelouw Books. At first entry, you might not think it's all that special. They have your standard new book selection, with a large amount of literary classics- all clad in orange paperback. Weave through the shelves, however, and enter the tiny noodle bar in the rear, which is composed solely of a couple long tables and counter for ordering. If you're lucky and there happens to be live music, follow the sexy sound of the saxophone up the stairs and into the café. The clientele all seemed like they had permanently moved in, with a sprawl of laptops, papers and empty coffee mugs littering the tabletops. With a backdrop of used books and a three-piece band silhouetted again the wide windows, I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to hang around awhile.

hannah l.

What a delightful spot to spend your afternoon! I came alone en route to bondi beach and enjoyed the warm ambiance with beautiful wood furniture and light music. I sat and took in the lovely and quite expensive book collection whilst eating my yummy yogurt with homemade fruit and granola. Staff were friendly and helpful- wifi is always nice, too! There are a few outlets to charge your devices. The other guests were respectful and seemed to be enjoying their time there as well. Highly recommend for a nice respite!

Busy staff rushing serve

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10 years ago

Went there after going to forever floating health spa. Cool book store that I could spend all day at

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Review Highlights - Cafe 1812

There's Berkelouw's own brand leather satchel for laptops or books, mugs and scrabble as well as many other bits and pieces.

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Li'l Darlin

Li'l Darlin

3.5(14 reviews)
4.7 km
$$

I've visited the Randwick Lil Darlin bar a couple of times since moving East and it's a great Li'l…read morego-to bar at The Spot (locals lingo). It's not overly busy on a school night which is when I usually go but I can imagine it would be a little more crowded on the weekends. They have a great cocktails list as well as a food menu though I've never eaten here. Sometimes there's table service, sometimes there isn't and you usually wait a little longer for your drinks to arrive but a cute bar nonetheless.

Well. Lookee who just opened in Randwick?…read more Not content with kicking epic amounts of ass in Darlinghurst, the Lil Darlin team have snagged a smashing position on the pedestrian-friendly corner of Perouse Rd just near the cinemas where they can sprawl out onto the pavement in a comfortable and aesthetically-pleasing mess of inviting tables and chairs. Caught up with an old friend for din-dins across the road and wanted an after-meal tipple. Last thing I remember is walking out of the restaurant. Then we were in a front booth at Lil Darlin. Got tractor beam? I don't even recall crossing the road, yet it must have happened. Being a Tuesday night it was pretty quiet but there was this lovely treacle-like relaxed vibe that damn near had me slipping my shoes off and jamming a hand down my duds Al Bundy-style. This place made me feel like one of the cool kids, but in the most welcoming and unpretentious way. The wait staff are genetically blessed valkyries with shy smiles and lovely manners. The ambient lighting and velvety shiraz, the wicker bird cage and faux vines, that Sylvan glade-interior, it all got me. Love.

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Li'l Darlin - I want one of these in my bedroom.

I want one of these in my bedroom.

Li'l Darlin - Hundreds and thousands cocktail

Hundreds and thousands cocktail

Li'l Darlin - Non-traditional Margarita & a Gummi Bear Vodka Cocktail!

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Non-traditional Margarita & a Gummi Bear Vodka Cocktail!

Bad Mama - Inside Bad Mama

Bad Mama

3.6(5 reviews)
4.9 kmBondi Beach, Bondi

Bad Mama came to town a while ago - and I dismissed it as a try-hard bar in a modern building, but…read morelast Saturday a friend suggested we should give it a try. "It's the best bar in Bondi!" they claimed, "It's a proper bar." We weren't enjoying ourselves at Ravesis so I gave in and followed them down to the end of Glenayr Avenue where the fun runs out - the end that there's no point going to unless there's sports on at the Beach Road Hotel. Outside this dull grey newly-built building there were groups of people sat and talking, and inside there were tunes pumping, cold beer and eclectic furniture crowded with beautiful people. I realised I would have to raise my game and wiped the sooky grimace off my face and we ordered a few beers at the bar. The beers were cold and we gathered some mis-matched chairs into a corner and ended up lost in conversation, only momentarily distracted when super-hot six-foot blondes walked up to the bar. And this is the good thing about Bad Mama, it's not the super-hot six-foot blondes, or the great food. It's the fact that you forget you're there - you're enveloped by the bar, not left perched in the middle of some massive empty bar which is so typical of the Bondi bar scene. On the face of it you know that this is a brand new constructed space, but when you're inside you're sucked in by the interior design and the lighting such that you forget and you could be in a bar in Hoxton Square or Hackney. Five stars - I'll be back!

Had a few drinks with friends after city to surf. We ordered a round of drinks and received the…read morewrong drinks. After waiting in the cue to bring the full glass back, the female bartender at the time accused us of lying and insulting her intelligence without considering the taste of the drink. She then told us either drink it or pay for another. I never use these things to comment on bars, and being an ex bartender I fully understand errors happen and they can be fixed. However, this service and behavior was so poor I'll never go back from this experience.

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Bad Mama - The bar

The bar

Bad Mama - The vibe of the place

The vibe of the place

Bad Mama - Hulk DROOL

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Hulk DROOL

Speakeasy Bar

Speakeasy Bar

4.2(9 reviews)
4.8 kmBondi, Bondi Beach
$$

I feel charmed to have found such a darling little bar in the backstreets of Bondi Beach. Having…read morestrong associations between Bondi and douche-bageries such as Ravesis, this tiny little establishment helped instill some good in my damaged perspective. I stopped into Speakeasy around 5:30 on a Thursday afternoon and found the place empty. With velvet covered couches, dark wooden desks, and oldtime decor including a vase of peacock feathers and a rotary phone, I was filled with instant ease. That and the ocean breeze blew in and out so freely you'd think you were on Campbell Parade (minus the crowds). I ordered a glass of their first listed Pinot Noir, Six Foot Six. The menu described the wine as "light and a little fruity." I won't beg to differ. It was drinkable to the point of slurpable and went down effortlessly for a red on a warm afternoon. I ordered a dish of mixed olives to accompany which was a good choice. As the late afternoon grew later, the place filled up a bit, but the energy stayed easy and carefree. The waitress might have played a part in this as well. She breezed around with great comfort, occasionally sitting with the guests and making informed wine recommendations. Speakeasy is definitely my kind of place. And I'm so glad it's in Bondi Beach because I needed my narrow-minded perspective to be expanded. And I can now speak easy, because expanded it has been.

Speakeasy is a hole in the wall winebar / tapas space which unites suave culture with comfort…read more Hidden away from Bondi Beach, this special place is easy to miss. It's almost hidden which is why I like it. The interiors are dark and if there was one word to describe it, it would be '"cosy". They have a wonderful wine collection and yummy foods to share. Small dishes include Roast beetroot and yoghurt dip w bread $7.5 and Zucchini, w feta + mint $9.50. Larger tapas range in price from $12 - $20. I'd recommend their house cured salmon and grilled halloumi...the dishes are slighly small, so I suggest ordering a little bit more.... What is also another fabulous discovery about SpeakEasy are their breakfasts. I went there with a friend and he couldn't stop thanking me for the introduction. We both ordered the Barcelona eggs - shallow baked w house cured salmon, roast potato, ricotta, capers, sp. onion, spinach + Toast $15. A great place to go with friend.

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Speakeasy Bar
Speakeasy Bar
Speakeasy Bar

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Robin Hood Hotel

Robin Hood Hotel

3.3(12 reviews)
3.7 km
$$

I have to admit that I love the art-deco style of architecture (or is it art-nuveau - I'm never…read morequite sure which is which, so I'll just stick with art-deco, even though it probably makes me sound like an uninformed twat). This is one of those pubs that I wandered into while exploring Sydney's eastern suburbs and sure enough I absolutely adore it. In a way it seems to accommodate everybody, whether you are have been a regular since the 1940s, or you are young and vibrant and looking for some great craft beer (much like me, well, except for the young bit that is). Oh, and the staff are pretty cool as well.

I used to come here of a Monday night for Trivia but stopped because it was only ever as good as…read morethe trivia hosts mood. Also, who the heck has a trivia night on a Monday? I went for a cheeky pub lunch today. I was impressed with the selection of condiments at the kitchen counter - so many mustards in ceramic jars. The staff at the bar were friendly but the kitchen weren't in too much of a hurry to feed me. When our burgers came out, they were very pretty: shiny brioche bun, pickle on top, but after the first bite I knew they weren't going to live up to their looks. The patty was a little dry and pretty flavourless (?underseasoned). The chips had good crunch but again lacked flavour. We sat out in the beer garden which is more a box to keep smokers in than anything else. I will probably be back, but won't be wasting my time with the burgers again.

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Robin Hood Hotel
Robin Hood Hotel
Robin Hood Hotel

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The Bucket List - Expansive outside areas

The Bucket List

3.9(55 reviews)
5.4 kmBondi Beach, Bondi
$$

This place is legit. Everyone comes here to eat and definitely drink. You can sit and watch the…read morebeach. Or the people waking by. Sit outside or inside. The atmosphere here is great. They have out door couches to lounge on. Chairs and tables to sit and eat. You can easily sit and relax away a good couple of hours here. My friends and I got here after we had left our luggage at our rental. And sat here what it seems like a week. We sat down and had a bite to eat. The fish and chips. They are amazing. We found this beer called Summer. And it was $25 Aussie for a bucket. Not bad. We hung out for about an hour. Then we decided to hit the water. So we decided to ask where we could get sunblock. And they brought over Carla. She was our savior. The sun is very hot here. We hit the water and came back after a little sun cooking. We stepped up our buckets. We stayed there until we left. Day 2 we did a lot of the same. We kept a ritual of just stopping by and having a bite and beers. The weekend is off the hook. Very busy. All day and all night. But they close at 12. Everyone and anyone is there. People celebrating the weekend to people out for bachelorette parties. Also birthday parties to small wedding reception. On Monday Feb. 12,2018 we were there just enjoying a bite and a couple beers. We weren't going to stay long. It wasn't too busy. Which was nice after the weekend. Then all of a sudden. All these well nicely dressed people started to show up. We new it was some type of party. But not for who or what. Girls/ Ladies dressed to impress. And impressed we were. Guys somewhat dresss nice also. Some better than others. And all of a sudden 3 guys in these bright loud jump suits. We were like huh? Then they decided to get on the microphone. Just being. Loud. It was my turn to get a pitcher of the passion fruit mojito. Which is really good. Don't judge. But when in Aussie. Drink like the Aussies. I asked one of the guys in the suits. What's up with suits. He said. Trying to get attention. They were going to have a fundraiser for Brain Cancer Awareness. I told him. He was doing a great thing. Not knowing that lot of the people there were celebrities. It's not like we watch Aussie tv everyday. Ok we did while on vacation. But still. How are we to spot tv actors and movie star actors. Then they sent out their ladies to sell raffle tickets. It was Bianca Zouppas. And another great looking actress. Sorry didn't get her name. But if you know who she is. Go ahead and let us know. Anyways. How could we say no to them. We weren't going to. It's a good cause. But they did get us to buy more tickets. We also got into the fun of the auction. I ended up winning a bat. For only $300. And after mingling with everyone. It was a great night. This place gave up their inside area for an event that raised some good money. This place has a staff that is not only great looking. But have the best attitude I've been to in years. Probably the best in all the world. Guys and girls. Both treated us with great respect and were always professionals. Staff was fun and always helpful. If you ever visit Bondi Beach. Stop by and try their Mojitos and their food. And the people watching is very good also. So Mates don't wait. Or you might have to stand in line in the sun.

Where can you actually go to say that you've crossed this one off your bucket list...but at The…read moreBucket List! The food was great and the service was friendly and fast! I was here with family and friends and they did have the same thing to say about the place...pretty fantastic! I had the traditional "Fush and Chups"...and they were really good. Not oily, the batter held on very well, and the Tartar sauce was the perfect compliment to it! It is a great place to stop by and cap off your visit to Bondi Beach...

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The Bucket List - The view- need we say more!

The view- need we say more!

The Bucket List - The Beach BBQ- available for group functions over 50+ guests

The Beach BBQ- available for group functions over 50+ guests

The Bucket List - The Fish Bowl room- can be booked exclusively or for small bookings

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The Fish Bowl room- can be booked exclusively or for small bookings

Spring Street Social

Spring Street Social

3.8(12 reviews)
3.0 km
$$

Great vibe and service was top notch. We were here for the Jazz and all you can eat dumplings…read more Well, actually my wife had the all you can eat dumplings and I opted for an order of 5 crispy fried pork dumplings. They were excellent! To drink, my wife had a margarita and I had a skinny Pina Colada. Fresh lime juice and Cointreau in the margarita. Both were really good. The jazz duo that played that night were really great and is what attracted us to this place. When the band took a break there was 80s R&B music playing in the background. Laid back and happy crowd. Good times!

Edit: So below the owner said that he would offer a refund, THIS WAS A LIE. I've tried chasing him…read moredown for the refund and he kept avoiding me and not responding to my texts. Andy, you said you would sort out my refund and i have not received any. I waited a week and texted you and called you. YOU WERE AVOIDING ME. We came there yesterday night for a table for 3 for all you can eat dumplings. We got sat down and had to wait almost 25m for the first course of dumplings to be served, and the place only had 2 tables at that time, us and another table for 3. At one point the waitress brought a portion of steamed dumplings and we thought "finally" but no, she gave it to the other table while they still had unfinished dumplings on their table. For almost an hour it seemed like there was only 1 waitress and she was doing all the work so we didn't mind waiting for her. But the annoying thing was even when they started to have more waiters, nobody was looking after us. We had to wait roughly 10-15m to get a portion of dumplings every time, while the next table, had 5 plates of unfinished dumplings (and keep in mind, they only serve 2 at a time), so we were quite unhappy with the mistreatment. No diversity in dumplings, 2 small portions of steamed and 1 fried on repeat the entire night. I get it, it's all you can eat so options can be limited but at least if the dumplings were good, we wouldn't be complaining. They were absolutely mediocre, and the last plate of fried dumplings we got was cold, not even warm. It was only 90m sitting down but i'm not exaggerating, the amount of time we ate was only 20m, the 70m rest was waiting for the food. Total bill was $117/ 3 people. With a bad start and terrible ending, ordinary dumplings, long waiting time and poor customer service. The whole experience felt like a ripped off! The only 1 star there is for the band, they played good jazz music. Definitely would not recommend.

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Spring Street Social - Menu

Menu

Spring Street Social - Friday evening buzzzz

Friday evening buzzzz

Spring Street Social

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Cafe 1812 - coffee - Updated May 2026

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