Bondi Beach Public Bar: Pub Grub with Panache

By Siriol Dafydd on September 6, 2018 in Food

Despite its relatively short existence, Bondi Beach Public Bar needs little introduction. If you’ve been to Bondi this year you would have already seen this bar occupying prime Bondi Beach real estate on the corner of Campbell Parade and Curlewis Street, bustling with a trendy crowd on evenings and weekends.

Within crawling distance of Hotel Bondi (literally), it’s the perfect place to enjoy your Friday or Saturday night drinks until last call prompts the inevitable move to the infamous late-night haunt where dignities go to die.

So you’ve probably already necked a fair few drinks there, but did you know that Bondi Beach Public Bar also serves bloody good food?

The menu is a mix of pub food with Australian and Italian twists. It ranges from salads suitable for vegans, vegetarians and the health-conscious, to tasty treats like burgers, pizza and fried chicken for the hungover or hungry (or both).

On a horribly rainy and horrendously windy Tuesday lunchtime, my dining partner and I were given a generous sample of a number of dishes. Let’s start with the best of the pub grub.

The Double Squish Cheeseburger is like a Big Mac on steroids. Juicy, cheesy, greasy and satisfying, it comes with two chunky beef patties, cheese, bacon and onion.

The Ham and Cheese Crochettes, served with shaved prosciutto and horseradish, are a salty and delightfully naughty side dish or snack.

Bella’s Fried Chicken is a delicious combination of wings and tenders served with three different dipping sauces, pickles, salad and flatbread – messy, spicy and divine, but definitely not the best dish to pick if you’re on a date. At least, not the first date.

For the health-conscious, or those who like to save their daily calorie quota for wine, beer or cocktails, the Caprese Salad is light and flavoursome. Made with a rainbow of green, yellow and red chunky tomatoes accompanied by buffalo mozzarella and basil, it’s the perfect light meal. It also makes a nice and refreshing side salad if you feel the need to add something to your burger in order to at least pretend that you are making healthy choices in life.

My favourite dish was the Bondi Chop Salad. A mix of chargrilled broccoli, almonds, biodynamic farro, chilli, herbs, tomato and lemon, it was fresh, tangy and filling. Ours came with the addition of fried chicken tenders – just to add a bit of naughtiness to an otherwise perfectly healthy meal – but the menu also offers optional smoked trout or boiled eggs to amp up the protein.

On the food front, Bondi Beach Public Bar is not trying to reinvent the wheel. They’re not trying to be a posh five-star restaurant (thank God), but what they do offer is pub grub with an extra bit of panache; they’ve taken a selection of old favourites and added some clever tweaks to make them as good as they possibly can be.

The atmosphere is relaxed with urban-cool decor and chilled music. It’s a great place to enjoy
a casual lunch and an even better place to line your stomach before

a heavy night on the booze. Word on the street is that management is planning on making some exciting changes to the back of the room in time for spring, so keep an eye out for something awesome about to drop soon.

Bondi Beach Public Bar
Web www.bbpb.com.au
Address 180 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach
Instagram @b.b.p.b
Phone 9132 5777
Email info@bbpb.com.au Open 7 days 11am-1am (midnight on Sundays)
Prices Check the website
Cards Accepted Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Diners, Eftpos
Licensed Yes, of course