Becky L.

Nice stop along the beach side of Manly ~ quite small with some outdoor seating options also. Very typical of what you would expect in the name. Lots of books and pics of Earnest. If your staying in grab a seat & they will come to you otherwise take away cue up ! We just had cappuccinos and they were quite quite good. The reason for 4 stars, they move at a beach pace ~ not that it's a bad thing just be aware

Laura N.

Charm, charm, charm, charm, charm. It's oozing here - so much so that you nearly forget you're across the street from one of the world's finest beaches and that there's a strong likelihood you'll see as many dolphins as surfers. No matter how many times I come to Manly eager to try a new spot, the Hemingway pull is too strong. Also, don't miss the nuggets. Take it from me - a lady who rejects all things nug nug, no matter how drunk she is - these plump and juicy morsels will turn anyone. Plus, they're $5 at happy hour, along with $5 house wines and beers. Really, there's no other choice. Hemingway's it is. p.s. Come to Bondi! Please?

Steffenie S.

Gave this place a stop before heading back to Northmead. I'm not really a fan of brekkie (Aussie slang for breakfast) but I've seen the good reviews on yelp and most of the foodies websites and hence I'm here. Was pretty crowded when I got here around 10.30am and decided to settle in for the indoors facing towards the waters. Was baffled between sourdough or King salmon and hence I got myself the latter. Does this sounds yummy - House smoked New Zealand King salmon, soft eggs, goat curd, crunchy wild rice, pickled cucumbers and cress. The ingredients itself made me tempted to order that. Juice wise - apple, carrot, ginger. Food arrived within 5 minutes. First to taste, the soft eggs. It is the same soft outer cover yet runny orange colored on the inside like the ones you can find at some ramen stores. I was given two eggs and decided to eat the last piece last. The salmon was pretty big and they were extremely fresh! Other ingredients were pretty flavorful. Not sure how to describe as there are quite a few flavors mixed together but great combination. The wild rice was crunchy and it gave a hint of crunchiness in the dish. I asked the server on what juice is popular here as the guava that I wanted was out. Hence he said apple, carrot and ginger juice. He also claimed that it is healthy for me too. I'm not a fan of carrot juice either but this is extremely good! It came in quite a good portion too for the affordable cost - score. As I'm here way before they serve lunch, I asked the server to order chicken nuggets for me too for my drive. I've seen good reviews on that dish. Overall, pretty small cafe like store that serves great food for affordable prices. Do swing by here if you are near Manly beach :)

PHILIPPA B.

The Old Man and The Sea. Here you have it. It would be a crime if a bar/cafe that occupied this location wasn't worthy of at least four stars. Right on North Steyne, Hemmingway's has a ramshackle air as though it's been there for years, though in fact it has only recently opened. Prime position is the window sill: it's wide and comfortable, snares the sun or the breeze, and is perfect for people watching. Or, as on the day we were there recently, for whale watching. Yep, as we sipped our first caffeine injection of the day, a whale mum and her calf frolicked off shore on their way south for the summer! Besides literary allusions in the decor, enjoy the quirks of the menu: an old Golden Book Encyclopaedia left sitting around on the bench actually opens up to reveal naively stapled typewritten pages telling you what's on offer. Hemmingway's is not a big place, but its hours are generous - like Manly itself, there's plenty appeal during the day and at night. Send the kids to 7/11 round the corner for their slushie - I'll take mine from the Hemmingway's cocktail menu.

Benjamin B.

I defy you not to love this place. I defy you, I say! It's so close to the beach you could practically spit on a surfer if you saw one you didn't like the look of, and it's themed after a writer and the menus are hidden inside books. That's, like, triple threat territory right there. It's expensive for what it is, which loses it a star - their signature chicken nuggets and a tea set me back a cool $20 and I was still super hungry when I walked out, but portions aside this place is great to kick back with a coffee and watch the world go by or catch up with that really gossipy friend that always as tons of juicy stuff that they couldn't possibly know but somehow always do, they must be plugged into some dark corner of the internet you don't know about. The coffee machine closes around 4.30pm on weekends, or it did the day I was there, which was a bummer but is a pretty good excuse to hit the cocktails.

Robert B.

Man oh man... where have I been? Well, laziness can be attributed to my lack of posts, but to be honest I haven't really been out much. I do have a few reviews to post, from a Mayan inspired restaurant in Miami Beach, to a new, sorry sir we are booked for the next two weeks, sushi restaurant in downtown miami (some of the best sushi I have ever had). But today will be a bit different, down under different... yep, finally I have bucket listed the crap out of Sydney Australia... so much so, that I am coming back, again, and again. But to be honest it's more of a scouting mission... 3 days in New Zealand (some of the most beautiful land you have ever seen) 3 days in Sydney, a city that brings the best of all cities into one metropolis, and finishing off in Fiji. But i degrees, I'm hear to talk about what and where I ate. And even though my tour keeps us to the local tourist food traps of mediocrity, one day we did have the freedom to venture. So released on temporary parole we headed to the beach front row of restaurants and shops... and in an unassuming early 1920's that was sure to have been a home in a bygone era, but now a cafe, a familiar name of a man adorned the front facade... Hemingway's food and liquor. I don't know about you, but as a writer I consider it a must to enter any building named after a writer that I admire. Well, that and to date those places have yet to let me down... And Hemingway's at Manly beach, to date, has been the best of all of them. What a pleasant surprise it was, from the bohemian surfside meets avid reader feel as you walk in and take a seat, to the wonderful view through the Norfolk pines of the ocean swells crashing onto the tan sand beaches of Manly beach. Oh I could sit here for hours, writing, drawing or just lost in thought as I drank my latte no sugar as to taste the sweet flavors of milk taming the acidic robust taste of the coffee. I must interrupt myself once more, and talk about the food. We proceed to order... my boys, as usual order the hamburger, and fish and chips. My wife and I on the other hand are intrigued by the pumpkin soup, cauliflower bites and the croque madame. Orders placed, and the wait begins. Quickly, we receive or coffee... perfectly made, not to hot, and just the right amount of foam. The barista knows what he is doing. Then the boys meals arrive, and as boys tend to do to annoy their parents, they become picky. Being the good parents we are, we ignore them. Then comes the soup, in a bowl fit for two. My wife who is famished and taking care not to burn her lips, sips the spoon and to her delight the temperature is perfect, and by the looks of her face... the taste is damn good! I'm about to ask for a taste when the cauliflower bites arrive. Nice and hot, these I have to wait till the temperature drops a bit below my pain threshold. And when they do I swab part of the breaded morsel against the secret sauce adorning the side of the bowl, pop it in my mouth and taste the sweet flavors of the batter as the perfectly cooked cauliflower dissolves in my mouth. It is so good that I immediately order a second bowl which arrives just in time along with our corque madams. Now here I was completely taken by surprise... I don't know what they did to the bread but it became part of the madame! Soft yet crispy if that is possible... flavors overwhelm my taste buds... bliss... We slowly but methodically devour our meals and once more our dessert (chocolate lava soufflé with a scoop of vanilla ice cream) arrives... and as you all know, a sweet and welcomed end to a wonderful lunch. If there was a complaint it was not with the restaurant but with the weather which kept us inside instead of seated in one of the few tables outside. Maybe next time the weather gods will treat us to a drier day when we surely return to Australia and eat at what is now my favorite establishment at Manly beach, Hemingway's food and liquor cafe.

Felicity T.

If there's a list of things you need to do to be hipster (one probably exists anyway), this would be high up there. The fact that you eat or drink here is hipster. Their menus are also found in books on the tables. The water is served in old empty Hendricks gin bottles. They have the hipster bearded man bun barista guy and the sofa and coffee table settings. If this doesn't SCREAM hipster, nothing ever will. The food is the standard stuff you find on the Manly strip. I'm talking bacon and eggs, mushroom on toast etc. They're slightly pricier than other Cafes but whether or not it's worth it is up to you. The bacon and egg roll was really nice but I was not a fan of their tomato chutney. That aioli was delicious though. Food is okay but what makes this a place you want to visit is the atmosphere. I think this is as hipster as I'll ever get hehe.

Bianca C.

I came here with my bf for some brunch when we were visiting Manly for a day trip. During the day, Hemingway's has a cute cafe feel. The large windows at the front let in a lot of natural light - even on a cloudy day like when we went. There are a lot of servers around and they are all there to serve, it seems, since there wasn't really just one person assigned to serving the table; that was great since that meant there was never a long wait for service. There are tables inside and outside with great views of the beach if you're lucky enough to be near the front. There are lots of books and other old European style decor around; the drinks menu is even attached to the inside of some of the books. My bf and I shared both a "good girl" (healthy meal with kale, smoked salmon, toast, poached egg, etc.) and a "bad boy" (pretty much the total opposite lol with sausage, egg, potatoes, etc.). The food was delish(!), to say the least, and I would definitely want to come back for more the next time I'm in town.

Robert C.

This quirky cafe is located on North Steyne and overlooks Manly Beach. There are lots of pictures of Ernest Hemingway and obviously the inspiration for this cafe. It was a glorious spring day and the sunshine was out so there were lots of people about. This cafe attracted both a lot of dine in and takeaway customers. If dining in you can choose a table outside to take advantage of the views and sunshine or sit inside if the weather is a bit chilly. They have regular tables or you can sit perched up on bar seating. The service is friendly and noticed them chatting to the regulars. I was served quite quickly and they had an interesting breakfast menu. I wanted to try items I wouldn't usually get at other cafes for breakfast. I went with the Breakfast Cassoulet. The concept was good but the cassoulet itself needed more seasoning. I liked the egg and toast served with it. I also had a Golden Latte. It had turmeric, coconut oil, cinnamon, and maple syrup. It was a bit savoury due to the turmeric. I enjoyed the coconut flavours and maple syrup as I enjoy it more sweet in taste. Not sure if I would choose it again if other choices available but it was certainly something different.

Tamer M.

The famous cafe in Manly. Honestly, this place is good and deserves the reputation. This cafe won't change your life, and the coffee is not as good as Shoebox down the road, but worth a visit. Seated on the beach, this place is perfectly situated, and thus very hard to get a table, specifically if you want to sit outside. One thing when it comes to food, order the chicken nuggets. I don't care what else you feel like, order the chicken nuggets. If you want to order the pulled pork burger, then order it - however, you are also going to order the nuggets to share. So if I'm not clear, the nuggets are awesome, so order them. The coffee is good, but not great. But when they serve 4 Pines on tap you slowly forget about the coffee and order a nice beer, especially with your chicken nuggets. They also have an extensive wine selection, so if you are not in the mood for beer, don't worry. The staff here are friendly, but sometimes this place is so crowded that service can be a touch slow - but I think that is extremely excusable.

Leah C.

Manly comes alive with beach culture, shopping, and fine dining. Importantly for me, it also has a uniqueness that sets it apart from the coastal suburbs surrounding. On a Sunday afternoon, I went with a date to Manly Wine for lunch. After a stroll down the beach, we decided to pop into Hemmingway's for a post lunch coffee / drink. And hell, what an awesome little place this is! On first approach, you might be content with the its extraordinary ocean views, but the people behind this small cafe didn't spare the details. From the literary quote printed on the wall, to the large bookcase housing classics directly opposite, its thematic cuteness will likely grab you by the heartstrings. And then they'll bring you the menu. Fashioned out of an antique children's book, Hemmingway's menu has some definite standouts. Being in that flippant "do I want a DRINK, drink or a coffee drink??" state of mind, I settled on the perfect compromise- the iced coffee. Blended with Patron XO, Vodka, espresso and half and half, and served in a short glass over ice, this is certainly not for the faint of heart. But it certainly IS delicious. As I buzzed out the cafe's doors a little later I made a silent promise to Hemmingway himself that I'd be back. Not sure he cared at all, but hell, I meant every last word.