The North End – Bringing The Old School Feel Back To Maroubra

By Vicki Heath on May 12, 2013 in Other

Photo: Grant Brooks

In a funky, beachy Maroubra street sits The North End Cafe, an inviting eatery that’s breezy and eye-catching with its colourfully painted exterior and eclectic vintage set up inside. Open just weeks, it is already rich with local history.

Hannah and Aaron More are the husband and wife team at the helm of The North End, with the help (or hindrance!) of their four kids. Formerly known as Mr Big Stuff, previous owners John and Morris recently retired after 14 years at the coalface, and they were more than comfortable handing the reins to the Maroubra based More family.

The North End is now sister to the More’s other café, The Bogey Hole in Bronte –originally owned by Hannah’s parents, and generations of her family have run local shops since the 1940s.

The café catches a cosy amount of sun and is open from Wednesday to Sunday for breakfast and lunch, plus a raucous Saturday night all you can eat Brazillian barbecue. Run by the largely Brazillian staff, the night is sure to become a local tradition with endless charred meats and traditional Brazillian sides for just $35.

The North End will soon welcome new Brazilian head chef Rafael Tonon from the Mexican inspired Barrio Chino in Kings Cross. With him will come tapas style evenings through the week with share plates, plenty of wine, and – if the rumours about Saturday nights are anything to go by – a boisterous atmosphere.

During daylight hours, you’ll find a casual hangout complete with polished concrete floors that can withstand the sand, and menus encased in Little Golden Book classics. Sit back with a hot brew and soak up the local art for sale, including screen-printed skate decks, or settle into the comfy couch and browse the shelves of second-hand books for exchange.

Lunch options are available from midday and include a ripper lentil veggie burger complete with avocado, sprouts and sweet chilli sauce, a soba noodle salad with shiitake, edamame and tofu, and Moroccan chicken with cous cous, chermoula and spiced yoghurt.

Winding back the clock to a post-surf brekkie, there are all day options including baked eggs with chorizo and homemade baked beans, a B.L.A.T on sourdough, and banana and berry crepes. There are also the staples of eggs and sides and a big brekky, as well as smoked salmon and ricotta with rocket, avocado and beetroot oil on toast, all available before midday only.

Having grown up in the streets of Bronte, Hannah feels that opening The North End is like bringing a little of the old school back, with Maroubra now “feeling like Bronte did 20 years ago when kids used to skate in the streets”. This is a place for generations of new memories to be made, so get on board.

The North End Cafe

Address: 24 McKeon Street, Maroubra
Phone: (02) 8065 8036
Open: Wed – Sat, 7.30am-10pm; Sun, 7.30am-4pm
Price: $3-$20 ($35 all you can eat Saturday night Brazilian barbie)
Seats: 40
Licensed/BYO: Fully Licensed
Payment: Visa, Mastercard, EFTPOS