MANLY-RESTAURANTS(1)

22 Best Manly Restaurants & Cafes To Visit In 2024

With it being such a popular suburb to visit, you need to know where to go when looking for the best Manly restaurants. Trust me, there’s a proper mix of amazing and but also terrible restaurants (purely for tourism reasons) to choose from in this popular suburb.

So instead of hoping for the best, bookmark this post because you’ll find our personal favourites but also some of our readers’ favourite Manly restaurants to visit in 2020.

If you didn’t know, we LOVE to hear about your favourite places too. Keep an eye out on our Facebook and Instagram pages, as this is where we’ll let you know when we’re looking for your recommendations to be featured in our next article. We’ll always share your Instagram account in our posts so more people can see your adventures too 🙂


Manly Breakfast & Lunch Cafes

1. Barenaked Bowls

BREAKFAST & LUNCH

Barenaked Bowls is always our go to cafe when we visit Manly because we love the fact that it’s located off the main street in what feels more like a village vibe. It also serves up some of the best acai bowls in Sydney!

Top tip: Get The Hippie Bowl – it’s the best (it’s all about the macadamia milk!).

There are a couple of locations for Barenaked Bowls in Sydney because it’s so good. This means you can also visit them in Bronte, Surry Hills and Dee Why.

Address: Barenaked Bowls, 2/41 Market Pl, Manly NSW 2095


2. Pure Wholefoods

BREAKFAST & LUNCH

Pure Wholefoods in Manly is a little hidden gem. Located on Darley Road, it’s just far enough away from the touristy area that only locals really know about this awesome cafe.

Expect dishes like coconut pancakes and scrambled turmeric tofu to feast on, as well as yogi bowls, laksa and Atlantic salmon for lunch! This is a great vegan cafe in Manly, but it’s also perfect for paleo, gluten free, and anyone looking for healthy food in Manly.

Address: 5/10 Darley Rd, Manly NSW 2095


3. Fika Swedish Kitchen in Manly

BREAKFAST & LUNCH

Fika Swedish Kitchen has lasted the time to know it’s a popular spot for breakfast or lunch in Manly.

Our readers especially love it; @andy_shankster calls it “Ikea meets an Aussie breakfast” – but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s cheap food.

The Swedish menu comprises of dishes like “Toast Skagen – Our famous prawn, dill & lemon mayo mix stacked on sourdough” and “The Chic Chick Sous vide chicken breast with potatoes, chickpeas, capsicum & corn dressed in a curry mayo, topped with broccolini & kavring crumbs”.

Whilst @thefrenchieescapes said; “The coffee and food are simply delicious. The staff are also incredibly welcoming and friendly”, which is also a bonus!

Address: 5B Market Pl, Manly NSW 2095


4. The Bower Restaurant

BREAKFAST & LUNCH

The Bower Restaurant is a Manly restaurant I wanted to go to for years because it’s along the famous walk from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach.

Recently I popped over for a cuppa and loved the location.

They actually serve up breakfast, lunch and dinner and our reader @joefusindeed loves it for their cracking breakfasts!

Address: The Bower Restaurant, 7 Marine Parade, Manly NSW 2095


5. The Boathouse Shelly Beach

BREAKFAST & LUNCH

the-boathouse-shelly-beach-manly

The Boathouse in Shelly Beach has been a bit of an institution since it opened a few years back. Not only is it at the end of the Manly Beach to Shelly Beach walk, the location is so beautiful, it will make you feel like you’re a million miles away.

The Boathouse Group are renowned for pulling out all the stops when it comes to their famous salads and fish & chips. @thefrenchieescapes and @followustosydney love it for brunch and we couldn’t agree more!

Address: The Boathouse Shelly Beach, 1 Marine Parade, Manly NSW 2095


6. Sonoma Bakery

BREAKFAST & LUNCH (UNTIL 7PM)

sonoma-cafe-manly

Image via sonoma.com.au

Might not sound that exciting but quite a few of our readers love Sonoma Bakery in Manly because of its amazing location on Manly Wharf. If you’re just looking for cheap breakfast in Manly options, look no further. They also make a mean croissant and excellent sourdough bread to take home.

Address: Sonoma Bakery, Manly Wharf, 11 E Esplanade, Manly NSW 2095


7. Ruby Lane Wholefoods

BREAKFAST & LUNCH

We love a good wholefood cafe and it’s no exception why Ruby Lane in Manly wouldn’t make our list.

With an all day menu, it’s good to know you can still order brekkie at any time of the day! With options like Serious Eggs Benny, Superfood Banana Bread and Earth Bowl, I’m completely sold.

Address: Ruby Lane Wholefoods, 200 Pittwater Rd, Manly NSW 2095


Manly Lunch & Dinner Restaurants

8. Hemingway’s Manly

BREAKFAST & LUNCH & DINNER

Hemingways-manly

Hemingway’s in Manly is a very popular spot for many locals and tourists because of it’s location being opposite the beach. Whilst the cafe spills out onto the pavement, it’s an opportunity to soak up the Manly vibes.

The good news is Hemingways serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with happy hour drinks and $10 food and from Tue – Fri 4pm-6pm and Sunday’s from 6pm-9pm!

@saraharanyi is adamant that nowhere beats brunch at Hemingway’s. She loves the quirky vibes (it’s got the feel of a bookshop inside), the delicious food, amazing service and of course the views across the beach.

@andy_shankster also mentioned Hemingway’s does THE best coffee in Manly.

Now there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be visiting Hemingways as one of the best Manly restaurants!

Address: Hemingways, 48 N Steyne, Manly NSW 209


9. The Pantry In Manly

BREAKFAST & LUNCH & DINNER (CLOSES AT 9PM)

The location of The Pantry is undeniably the best in Manly. Located on the beach, the views are absolutely outstanding. You can choose between breakfast, lunch or dinner at this day to night restaurant.

Our reader @ninstagraaamm recommends The Pantry to everyone she knows as she absolutely adores the view and the food here. Her go to dish is the sharing tapas.

@tomasisupsidedown absolutely loves the huge breakfast at The Pantry and thinks the view honestly doesn’t get any better. We think he’s right!

Address: The Pantry, Ocean Promenade, N Steyne, Manly NSW 2095


10. The Hold In Manly

Technically it’s a bar, but The Hold in Manly is an awesome burger joint our friend Azar told us about. It’s also a super vegan friendly restaurant in Manly, boasting it’s very own vegan burger menu too!

Address: The Hold, 24 Sydney Rd, Manly NSW 2095


11. Manly Wine

Manly Wine is the sort of place that just makes you feel like you’re on a constant holiday!

It’s a fantastic bar to have a couple of drinks but they also have a lunch and dinner menu. Expect some of the best seafood in Manly here!

Address: Manly Wine, 8/13 S Steyne, Manly NSW 2095


12. Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club

An old boss took me to Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club once and I thought it was a proper gem. Situated right on Manly Wharf, it’s far enough away from the hustle and bustle of everyone getting on and off the ferry.

The main thing I loved is the outdoor space, as it sits right on the water. Honestly, this is a locals gem. Expect classics like chicken parmie, burgers, seafood, poke bowls and salads from this club.

But as our reader @joeinfusindeed mentioned, make sure you bring your ID because it’s a club and if you forget it, you’ll have to pay for a membership just to go in to get a meal or a drink.

Address: Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club, Cnr East Esplanade &, Stuart St, Manly NSW 2095


13. Manly Greenhouse

LUNCH & DINNER (AND DRINKS)

manly-greenhouse

We love the idea of a Manly restaurant split into essentially three very different restaurants. Welcome to Manly Greenhouse, a gorgeous restaurant which needs to be on your radar.

On the ground floor you’ll find the Italian beach side bar serving up food all day long. On the middle floor you’ll find a more swankier grill restaurant and upstairs is the rooftop bar.

@followustosydney told us it’s a great place for pizza before heading upstairs for their incredible cocktails. I think this has date night in Sydney sorted then!

Address: Manly Greenhouse, 36-38 S Steyne, Manly NSW 2095


14. The Glasshouse

SUNSET DRINK AND NIBBLE

glasshouse-manly

Image via hotelsteyne.com.au

It’s very common to have a bit of an Inception thing going on with Sydney bars. You have bars within bars within bars and there’s no exception when it comes to Manly’s oldest pub, Hotel Steyne.

Whilst it’s no different to any other Aussie pub in Sydney, we recommend heading upstairs to the stunning The Glasshouse, a rooftop bar with ocean views.

Although The Glasshouse is a gin bar, it also serves up some epic sliders, bruschetta and tasting boards to graze on. So make sure you head up for sunset and have a gin for us!

Address: The Glasshouse, 75 The Corso, Manly NSW 2095


15. Donny’s Bar

DINNER & DRINKS

Donnys-Bar-Manly

Donny’s Bar in Manly is a locals favourite place to drink. Located next door to Fika Swedish Kitchen, they serve up some incredible cocktails and pale ales as well as some beautiful food as well. Popular dishes include the Gnocchi Bolognese, New York Steak and of course Donny’s Wagyu Burger.

On the weekends they serve half price food on Sundays and have live music on Friday and Saturday nights.

Address: Donny’s Bar, 7 Market Pl, Manly NSW 2095


16. Hugo’s Manly

LUNCH & DINNER

hugos-manly

Hugo’s in Manly has become a legendary Manly restaurant over the years. Quite a few of our readers all voted for Hugo’s as the best restaurant in Manly and it’s hard not to see why.

@icadoo loves the fun atmosphere, their incredible Espresso Martini’s and of course their legendary pizzas.

Hugo’s is a great place to visit for the day and best of all, it’s located right on Manly wharf so you don’t even need to walk far from the ferry!

Address: Hugo’s Manly, Manly Wharf, 1 E Esplanade, Manly NSW 2095


17. Daniel San

DINNER (LUNCH AS WELL ON WEEKENDS)

Images via danielsan.com.au

Daniel San in Manly is the suburb’s first Japanese Rock N Roll Bar. Named after everyone’s favourite 1980’s karate film, you know you’ve come to a good place when they have themed nights like Mr Miyagi Fridays!

It’s the sort of place which has it all. Firstly the location is awesome because it sits right opposite the beach. There’s a rooftop terrace you just need to go to, it’s family friendly during the daytime, and they party every Friday and Saturday night and not forgetting their legendary Sunday sessions. (If you’re not aware, Sydney is famous for partying on a Sunday arvo.)

I’ll tell you what though, we ended up partying at Daniel San one Friday night and we were bopping around to It’s Raining Men with our umbrella out in full swing, and the bouncers actually found it funny. Yep, it’s a first for us as Sydney bouncers are notorious for throwing people (*I mean me) out of a bar for even looking like you might be having a good time.

Back to the food. The menu consists of incredible sashimi and sushi rolls with burgers, salads and poke bowls to choose from. I’d be opting for the sushi & sashimi love boat because sushi on a boat is ALWAYS a good idea.

Address: Daniel San, 55 N Steyne, Manly NSW 2095


18. De Vita

LUNCH & DINNER

de-vita-manly

A hidden gem @gelectrox1 told us about is De Vita Italian Restaurant in Manly. This authentic Italian restaurant serves up some of the best pizza he’s ever had. To make a statement like that is worth a visit for sure.

Address: Shop 1B/4-8 Darley Rd, Manly NSW 2095


19. In Situ

DINNER & DRINKS

Although In Situ is one of Manly’s oldest restaurants and small bars, there’s a reason why. This packed out vintage inspired restaurant serves up breakfast, pizza, European tapas and cocktails with live music on the weekends.

FYI – They have a daily happy hour from 4-7pm serving up $12 cocktails, $6 beer/wine, and half priced pizza and tapas. Result!

Address: 1/18 Sydney Rd, Manly NSW 2095


20. Chica Bonita

LUNCh & DINNER

We popped by Chica Bonita a while ago to try out their famous tacos and Mexican inspired food! It’s a great date night restaurant in Manly but also for anyone wanting to catch up after work one night.

Address: Chica Bonita, 9 The Corso, Manly NSW 2095


21. Queen Chow

LUNCH & DINNER

Images via merivale.com

Queen Chow is a renowned Chinese restaurant in Manly ran by Sydney food giants, Merivale. Expect your favourite dishes but a swankier version (with the price tag) and beautiful views, as you watch the ferry’s go back and forth from Manly Wharf.

Address: Queen Chow, Manly Wharf, 22-23 E Esplanade, Manly NSW 2095


22. Fish Shack

LUNCH & DINNER

We love it when our readers tell us about their hidden gems which is when @aboutasix told us about Fish Shack – we knew we had to include it onto our list of the best Manly Restaurants.

She said, “Although it doesn’t look like much from the outside, it serves up the best fresh calamari I’ve ever had.” So there you go, if you’re into seafood, go try out Fish Shack now!

Address: 33 S Steyne, Manly NSW 2095


Best Manly Restaurants

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