There are some places, that seem a little charmed, like a glimpse back in time to another era or place that you may have only seen in movies. These places usually have a story attached to them and Queen Viv’s recommendation of the Oceanic Cafe is one of them. Run by a Mother and Daughter team as a community service for those in need, the interior of the cafe is a sight to behold. Unchanged from the original 1920′s interior, there are booth style seats, roughly drawn menus that you know haven’t changed in decades and specials of the day at the princely sum of $5 (the most expensive item being $9). As we walk in, they peer out from the little window to see who the interlopers are. We order at the table with the daughter, a smiling, slightly nervous woman who is a little hard of hearing but nevertheless unassuming and well meaning.
Specials board (and my shoulder-yes I love polka dots)
There are two other older gentlemen customers sitting separately, quietly eating their meal, and we feel almost like we shouldn’t be too noisy. One gets the feeling that they have their own way of doing things and it would distress to diverge. We order the special of the day, the Lamb’s fry (liver) with onions, chips and peas $5; the bacon and eggs with chips and peas $5 and the Rissoles with onions, chips and peas $5 plus a cup of tea $2.
We hear the sizzle of the hot plate and looking through the little window Queen Viv points out the very old fashioned and original dish drying racks and pots, something we’ve never seen before. All of the meals come with white sliced bread and a pat of margarine in a round silver dish with the napkin tucked underneath the bread. We pay as soon as the food arrives and we ask her for water as well as it’s a sweltering 37C degrees outside. She asks us if it’s ok if it’s tap water and of course we don’t mind.
DIY Chip Butty with the bread, margarine and chips provided
We do what all good eaters do and slather the margarine onto the white bread slices and wedge the fat potato chips inside them with a generous sprinkling of salt and tomato sauce et voila! Our very own Chip Buttys – and I should let you know that they were absolutely delicious! I don’t know why this is the first time I’m having a Chip Butty (oh ok that’s right, it’s terribly unhealthy). The fat home made potato chips are delicious, unlike other chips they taste like pan drippings from a roast, and are unspeakably good.
Bacon and eggs with chips and peas $5
The bacon and eggs are plentiful with more bacon than Queen Viv can finish.
Rissoles with chips, onion and peas $5
The rissoles are two fat meatballs topped with sweet and sour onions and are deliciously spongey and soft inside and filled with mince and onions with the outer slightly crispy. I adore these and my initial intention to just try one is quickly forgotten and I eat every bit of my share and start begging for more.
Lamb’s Fry with chips, onion and peas $5
The 3 slices of Liver aren’t bad at all, in fact it’s less livery than ones I’ve had although it is a little tougher than what I’ve tried previously. Still for something that I tried more for curiousity value, I make good inroads into the dish.
Cashier’s booth at the front
As we sit back and soak up the yesteryear atmosphere, Queen Viv points out the area in which the cashier would have sat, many years ago. Fortified with as much food and grease as we can handle we get up to leave and the mother peers out from her window and waves goodbye to us.
Looking around the Oceanic Cafe as we are leaving, I wanted to know more about the Mother and Daughter duo and the history behind it and Queen Viv suggests that I contact Jay Katz of Radio FBI 94.5, a community Radio station, a man who has had a long association and friendship with them through his work driving Missionbeat vans. He’s friendly and happy to chat about them, eager for the rest of Sydney to know and pay respect to their efforts. The publicity shy Mum and the daughter (Christina) are of Greek descent with the mum working at the Oceanic since the 1930′s. Jay says, “There were so many down and out guys and ladies for decades who had close relationships with Christina and mum. They had a wall in the kitchen full of postcards and those postcards were things from inside Long Bay (Prison) from people who would’ve taken stretches there. They knew just about every character and some of them they even knew them from children and their criminal history and in that sense it’s so community based.”
During the time they’ve been open, and it’s a good 70 plus years, they’ve seen a lot of people. “They’d have chronic alcoholics there that were quite violent. Going back to the late 70s there was a character in Sydney called The Skull who was head of the National Front (neo Nazi organisation). Mike Walsh used to put him on television…but I can remember sitting across from him having lunch once and he just started to get really aggressive and scream abuse at everyone and mum came out of the kitchen and grabbed him by the back of the ear and threw him out. She was probably the only person in the country that would do that” he chuckles.
The wonderful retro booth seating
The service they provide is comparable to that of the Christian Charity soup kitchens that charge people for food. Katz says “How do you charge an alcoholic? Their priorities are going to be alcohol. The Oceanic offers a cheaper, more wholesome meal than what they’d get going to Matthew Talbot and it’s probably at the same price.”
As for the notoriously publicity shy duo, “People have approached them over the years to do a documentary and I think a documentary went into production but something stopped it and at the end of the day and mum is very resistant and now they’re in their pattern and like to stick to that. She got quite sick last year and they thought that everything would change but she bounced back. ” Indeed he has talked to them about going into the cafe and doing a report for the radio show and they’re not interested. “The classic line was from the mum ‘Jamie do you think we need any advertising at our age?’ She was right of course.”
There’s also the greater issue of whether they will be able to continue. Even people like Jay who know them well are close to them up to a point and he doesn’t know if there’s another generation to take over the cafe. Or whether they will survive the modernisation of Sydney where these wonderful cafes or buildings will be torn down disguised in the name of progress. There are so few of these places left and so many eager to tear them down. Which makes us wonder what the definition of progress really is.
Another Oceanic enthusiast, Andrew Gaynor, beautifully and evocatively recollects his visits to the Oceanic Cafe. “No-one seems to know the true history of the Oceanic and none who work there seem given to answering accurately when asked. Australia used to be full of such places, serving up those staples of (then) national cuisine, dishes like lamb chops, chips and peas, lambs fry, chips and peas, or rissoles, chips and peas. It was a time, now lost, when the agricultural still permeated the urban, making meals like this ubiquitous in Kalgoorlie and in Sydney, in Melbourne and Port Pirie, in Rockhampton and Willcannia. There are, of course, still places today where you can get similar food but they are few and far between and the premises themselves have changed through the years as their owners modernised to attract the increasingly fickle palate of a changing population, one that themselves now utilised new and fancy terms. Such as palate. Or cuisine.”
William loves his rissoles. Photo by William Eicholtz
He affectionately recalls the decor “I first discovered the Oceanic in about 1980/81 in the heyday of Sydney’s punk/new wave scene, when long-lamented nearby venues such as The Strawberry Hills Hotel and the Trade Union Club were twin foci for a vibrant music scene. Appropriately, this meant it was the late morning after a very heavy evening when we entered, each of us feeling like congealed grease. In hindsight, this made the Oceanic the perfect choice… All I remember was the waitress in her Coles-cafeteria uniform barking at our less-than-reverent demeanour (fair enough) and the size of the (fried) rump steak flapping hugely around the edges of the plate. Oh, and the free glass of orange cordial and two slabs of Tip-Top white. I definitely remember not finishing the meal as we curdled alongside the food.”
“Fast forward a decade when I was then living in Perth and re-stumbled on the Oceanic on a return visit. Unchanged. Completely unchanged. Same old lady in the kitchen, same old lady in Coles-cafeteria uniform out front. Both as old as they’d first appeared (were they born old?). This time, I got the rissoles – and their taste has stayed with me to this day. Absolute old-school, crispy on outside, juicy sausage mince inside. Hand cut, chunky overcooked chips, peas, onion gravy, two slices of Tip Top. Heaven! (though no cordial this time…) Summonsing up the courage, I asked Coles-Cafeteria how long they’d been there. “Forever”, she barked before grumbling off. I lingered awhile watching scrub-faced country families fresh off the train at Central, smiling in recognition of the Oceanic’s old world reality, observed individual diners (mostly male) dining quietly like a lonely Edward Hopper painting, and noticed shifty old-timers, hat dipped below one eye, sidling in from placing a bet, maybe having survived an encounter with a thug Razor Gang. In a place like the Oceanic, the 1930s still lives, colliding head-on with the present.”
Photo by William Eicholtz
“Within the modest room some 10 metres deep and nary 5 wide, a small knee-high blackboard marks the forward boundary of three rows of booths whose ancient and over-painted timber bases bear the signature of 1920s café design. These custom built originals were spruced up in the 1950s with new Laminex tops, which themselves have become so worn that the initial green pattern now only exists at the edges, the central area being scraped back to white.Hand written disposable white-boards line one wall announcing each ‘Special’ meal, though of course, these ‘Specials’ never alter. Above this progressive menu runs a disciplined line of coat hooks, a continuous rank which once would have held many a gentleman’s hat. At the end of the booths, a second dead neon announces ‘Fresh Fish, Fish and Chips, Ready to Serve’ from its position high on the wall over the hatch leading to kitchen, where a bag of spuds always lies open, waiting on peeling. And the smell of frying permeates your soul.”
Photo by William Eicholtz
“The place is a survivor, a law unto itself, and all of us who enter do so accepting this cultural fact. The truism states that the past is a strange place and that they do things differently there. Thus, all who celebrate the Oceanic recognise and honour those rules. With gratitude, with nostalgia and with the somewhat shocked realisation that this wondrous greasy-spoon has remained so defiantly unchanged for so, so long.”
Jay Katz can be heard on Radio FBI-FM
Andrew Gaynor is an Independent curator and writer, Melbourne
Sculptor William Eicholtz loves his rissoles
Oceanic Cafe
312 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW (nearest Cross Street, Foveaux Street)
Open 6 days
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73 Comments | Add your own
this is an awesome blog! i wish i discovered it when i was living in sydney.
i love your sidebar widget- where you can display the posts in each category. what’s the name of it?
Thank you for such a lovely story. It really has brightened my day
It has really brought out your investigative side!
What a great story! I’ve often seen that place when waiting for the bus near Central. I never would have guessed there was so much history behind it! Will have to drop in next time
Hey NQN,
Cool researching! Your photos really remind me of some older style stores from when I was younger.
A pity places like this are slowly fading away
I walk past this place all the time but have never been in… will have to fix that!
NQN you’re amazing! James has been dying to try this place. Every time we walk past he begs me to go in. I’m always too chicken, it looks so old and spooky. It’s great to hear the story behind it.
What a find! And great accompanying article too
Oh I wish I could go to that restaurant. Here in Santa Barbara, CA where I’ve lived a long time, I’ve watched all the diners and coffee shops go out of business. Now the expensive places that took their place are shutting down due to the recession. Maybe we’ll be able to return to the old ways.
Hi L,
This is a definite kids one. Inti will like it. Looks like a fun place. xo M
Fascinating! I hope places like this continue well into the future.
It really is a step back in time here. Last time we went they were hand-peeling potatoes at the table behind us. I got quite a few interesting tidbits of info in my comments from readers who have a similar affection for the olde world charm of Ocean Cafe.
this is fascinating! i remember reading GrabYourFork’s review of the Oceanic and thinking, i must go there while it still exists!
also, i want those rissoles. yum.
I think we need to bring back the rissole!
Wow. I can only imagine how long this place will continue to exist, talk about longevity.
How ownderful – old fashioned hospitality at an old-fashioned price. I used to work in Surry Hills, and I can’t say that I even remember seeing this place!
What a wonderful searching post – makes me want to head straight up to sydney and find this place (if only!!!) although I don’t think I would need to ask to see that they don’t do much catering for vegetarians but a chip butty would do just fine!
absolutely fantastic post, Lorraine! i do so adore a bit of nostalgia.
i hope that places like the Oceanic are able to survive the onslaught of the never ending supply of soulless chain food stores.
It’s a shame when places like this lose out against modernity…I’ve seen so many ye olde favourites close.
So it’s truly uplifting when nostalgic gems like Oceanic Cafe can still be found. I love the history and the vintage charm of this place. If only the walls could talk!
I’m drooling. I’d eat there every day for lunch if I wasn’t across the world.
MMMM looks sooo good.
i have never tried liver. i’m not sure if i want to. actually i would love to take one bite out of curiosity =)
Hi jessie-Thankyou so much!
It was custom made by my husband for the site. There wasn’t anything in WordPress that we could find so he had to build it!
Hi Maria-Thanks very much, that’s sweet of you to say
I did feel like I needed to know more after going here. It’s such an unusual place!
Hi flapflap-I know! To think that for 10 years I went past there never knowing that such a gem existed :O
Hi Cappucino-Yes you’re right. That’s what it felt like! A bit of a time warp but in a nice way
Hi Annie-If you do I can definitely suggests the rissoles and a DIY chip butty!
Hi Arwen-Aww shucks, thankyou!
That’s great, I’d love to know what you think of it if you do go!
Hi Christie-yes it was here, under our noses all along for 80 or so years
Thanks a lot!
Hi Meridith-Wow, what an interesting turn of events! Maybe we will go full circle and go back to retro diners like this!
Hi M-The only thing I would worry about is that they really like people to be quiet and non disruptive. I don’t know if kids are on their agenda!
Hi Y-I really hope they do too! I hope that there’s another generation to take over afterwards
Hi Helen-Those chips are amazing, and also amazing to know that they make them by hand too! Yes I see artandrew was indeed Andrew Gaynor.
Hi lindsey clare-You must go! Who knows how much longer they’ll be around
Hi Julie -I thoroughly agree!
Hi Miss Honey-A lot of people that love the Oceanic worry about that too. Because from what we can see, there isn’t another generation after the current ones!
Hi Cakelaw-It’s such an unusual place. The kind you might have walked past a thousand times but never gone into!
Hi Johanna-Hehe yes I don’t know about vegetarian fare but I’m sure they could put together a plate for you of the chips and peas and perhaps something else?
Hi the projectivist-Thankyou so much-I do too
Yes it would be sad if every city lost it’s individual characters to international chains.
Hi Karen-It is sad indeed
I know, that’s exactly what I think! If only we knew the half of it…
Hi Blond Duck-Hehe yes! They’re a good round meal
Hi Madison-I tried it out of curiosity and it wasn’t bad but I can say with certainty that the rissoles were the definite winner
I think these meals are just the right size compared to restaurant outside who always serve big carbs. I was walking passing the shop and was wondered why did it look gloomy and it was scared me, so I didn’t drop in that time. Maybe I can drag my friends in there and I bet they will be protesting at first.
This was a really touching piece for me. I decided to pursue medicine because I believe in public service. It feels as though this cafe’s gone above and beyond their share.
I went to Sydney Girls and anytime I was late, I’d have to cross the street to catch a bus from just outside the Oceanic Cafe. When I saw the title for this post and saw the top photo, it looked familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on it until I read on and it turns out to be that hole-in-the-wall eatery that I used to stand outside.
I had no idea it had such a heart-felt history behind it. Though I’m not a consistent commentor, I’m a daily reader, and this post reminded me why this blog is one of the first sites I visit when I get online. Besides the lovely photos and well written reviews, it’s honest and reflective. As you say, this post really made me wonder about the value of progress. I genuinely hope this place sticks around, especially for those that need it the most.
Food is a truly glorious thing. It’s uniting, inspiring, and your blog triggers so much more than just nostalgia. For every commentor, there’s about a squillion readers. Keep writing, Lorraine!
I love that it looks so spotlessly clean and freshly painted. Also, those peas are a lovely fresh green – the food looks, as you describe, as good plain old-fashioned food, but not overcooked or overgreasy.
Chips done in lard too, by the sound of it. Oh the wicked goodness combined with wholesome tradition, such a conundrum.
peas and onions cooked to within an inch of their lives–i like it.
Thanks, I’ll have to tinker around with wordpress plugins.
You know, I just realized that this is the same exact place I stared out for 3 months straight whenever I was catching the bus back to Coogee. At that time though, the place was closed down for a bit and everything seemed to be falling off the walls. Glad to see that it’s been renovated!
yummy food, interesting place to visit
I loved this post, it was so interesting.
I think it must only be Australia and England that have these kind of cafes (or greasy spoons as we call them). But I don’t think our ones have such a lovely story!
The decor is amazing, and even though its old it looks so clean!
This was a top blog, thank you for sharing!
We need more of these places, I love the rustic feel of it and the comforting food. Reminds me of Betty’s Soup kitchen which I frequent in winter.
It sounds charming – amazing that the decor is genuinely 1920s! It’s a shame it’s not butter though – it’s what they ate in the 20s after all and I really can’t stomach margarine.
Hi Lilia-It’s a good size although it is blostered by the 2 slices of white Tip Top bread
They may protest but give them some chip butty and all will be fine 
Hi M-Thankyou so much for your lovely comment. It really made my day that you took the time to say that! By coincidence, I went to Sydney Girls High too. They produce a superior type of girl I have to say haha
I just felt that as soon as I had stepped in, that there was something so unusual about the Oceanic, something so hard to capture but even though it was elusive, it was something that you didn’t want to let go. I truly hope that they don’t close down as so many needy people rely on it for a good meal, and often these people are the people on the fringe of society. Thanks again!
Hi SydneyGal-It did look rather frehly painted although I wonder when it was done. Yes although it was traditional and what some might call stodgy it was honest good food when meat with 2 veg with bread and butter was all you needed
Chips in lard on occasion can’t be too bad for you can it?…
Hi grace-Haha yes, although they were very tasty!
Hi jessie-It’s definitely one of those places you know from the look of it but when you’re heading right towards it you recognise it straight away! Ahhh interesting, how long ago were they renovating?
Hi snookydoodle-It was absolutely fascinating. Kudos to Queen Viv for introducing us to it!
Hi Jorden-Yes perhaps it is a UK and Australian phenomenon. We get ones that are takeaways too which we call greasy spoons but they are newer and nowhere near this historical. I wonder if there’s anything similar in the UK? You’re more than welcome!
Hi Howard-Yes it’s been years since I went to Bettys (I tend to hibernate and make my own soups in Winter). It’s similar but Bettys in more commercial (fair enough, it’s a business after all). These ladies don’t seem to care for PR or publicity
Hi Caitlin-Yes it’s a sight to behold indeed! Yes I wonder if it’s the same menu from way back when!
You have really done the Oceanic proud, a lovely post NQN dear
Hi queen viv-Thankyou so much and also thanks for your recommendation we visit there!
Thx for this. I used to work very near the Oceanic but never did go in, partly out of a weird sense of loyalty to the New York up at the Cross, which is a very similar place. However, your rissole photo has turned me around and yes I will finally cave and go to the Oceanic LOL.
Jamie L is a great guy, isn’t he? I had no idea that The Skull (Ross May) used to hang out there. He is still hanging around the place. I used to cross paths with him at the Humanist’s Society and last year he was regularly handing out magazines at Town Hall station at about 7am in the morning.
Hi aptronym-Definitely give the rissoles a try, they’re lovely.
He is really lovely yes. Eeek is he still part of the National Front? I wonder if he behaves now after being thrown out
Beautiful work L
Hi reemski-Thankyou so much!
Your restaurant cafe is wonderful!!!My great grandmother has the Oceanic Cafe at Sidney, and I’m very very proud for this!
I want to come in Australia to see all my family!I hope to come there this or next summer..!
I wish for your restaurant the best..
..and for all of you..i wish you health and happiness!!!
Hi Anna-Oh wow, are you related to the Oceanic Cafe owners? That is amazing, you have every right to be proud!
OOOhhh yeah!!!I believe that I have every right about this!Me,I’m from Greece!All Saravanos are Greek and I want very much to visit Sidney!..
Many greetings from Greece!Looking forward to visit my grandmother’s restuarant!!
Beautiful job!!
It was a big surprise to see my grandmother,the owner of the <>,sitting on a chair behind the counter.Yes I am Anna’s uncle (ΓΕΙΑ ΣΟΥ ΑΝΝΑ)
here in greece koumarela-papageorgiou family is the best.so i believe the same for the family there!very nice cafe restaurant!!
Hi anna, joanna, kleanthis and emma-Wow, this is wonderfully exciting that you’re related to the Oceanic Cafe. I hope that you get the chance to visit Sydney and the Oceanic cafe. It’s an amazing place!
What a wonderful restaurant cafe!Congratulations!I am Anna’s Koumarela friend!I’ll come to Sydney and Oceanic Cafe too..!
I wish the best!byee
great to hear the ladies are still going, used to be a regular in the 90s when working & living in Hibernian House – Mike Gayle took some photos at the time for a fanzine called Head Shots … I remember the stories they told when thousands of troops were coming through Central Station (WW2) and they had fresh fish for sale – sounded like their heyday; then again, every day is a heyday – wishing them many more
anna,happy to see that you found your grandmother’s history. we are related. elany
Hi Nancy-Wonderful, it’s a lovely place with delicious food
Hi bern-Fantastic memories you have there. They’ve really seen everything haven’t they!
Yes hopefully many more!
Hi elany-I’m thrilled that all of the relatives are reading this
what a wonderfull cafe…filled with friendly people and warm atmosphere..!!!I am Anna Koumarelas friend..Her great grandmather owns that place.isnt it great??I was so happy when she told me so..!!!.I wish the best!!!I would love to visit both Sydney and Oceanic cafe…Anna lets go..:-)))))…
I want to thank you, because with this blog about Oceanic Cafe, you brought our family closer!
Elany, I’m happy too about my grandmother’s and my great grandmother’s history!
Greetings from Greece to all of you!We hope to see you in summer!
Hi katerina and Anna-Amazing, you should both definitely visit! You’re welcome, so glad that you got to see your great grandmother and her daughter!
Stunned, delighted, ecstatic and content to realise I’m not – and maybe never was – alone in my love of the Oceanic. And, Lorraine, so many kudos to you for setting the blog. Do make sure the crew at FBI Radio are aware of these new turns of events. To know there may be an immanent family reunion is way beyond any expectation I had when I sat down to write my homily to it all.
And, for those curious, the benches were being repainted, whilst I ate (swamped in paint fumes) last November. That’d be paint-coat number 423 since 1915, by my reckoning….
Hi Andrew-Thankyou! I’m delighted too and I’ve let Jaimie know. Isn’t it just the most fantastic twist to the story?
hello to the amazing-family !I’m glad for this opportunity posting my comment .I’m sure that if i were in Sydney,i would visit all the time Oceanic Cafe..i’m a friend of the girls and i love food
I wish u keep this wonderful environment
c’ yaa from Greece!!
Hi konstantinos-Thanks for dropping by! So glad to hear from everyone in Greece
Hey Konstantinos!Thank you for your good words! Will be perfect if all of us by arranging the visit to Greece in Sydney! Will find money for the tickets?HeHeHe…
I may be coming to it late, but this post definitely achieved something – I love this place though I’ve never been there. It makes me feel a bit sad that it’s on the opposite side of the world from me, but then there have are always places with equally good stories and feelings closer by. I hope this one manages to stay around for a good long while.
Hi Anna-I hope you all make it here to Sydney
Hi szkradz-Thankyou very much! I’m touched that a story about a place on the opposite side of the world appeals. It’s wonderful to hear your feedback!
very interesting post and great research.
I’ve lived in Surry hills for 30+yrs, ever since a early primary school, i guess u can call me a local. I’ve hate to think how many times i’ve walked past this place.. but yet i no insight of its history and its role in the community i live in.
when i was a kid, i remember seeing skull walking around that area alot and yelling out abuses to asian, etc.. so it does bring back some memories.
as a foodie, u would go out and look for fine food and something that is unique or special.
the food/decor/view here might not be the attraction, but the history and eating in a place like this would certainly bring back down to reality of life.
well done & i look forward to take my family there.
Hi J-I was the same, went past this practically every day on my way to work without knowing anything about it. That’s wonderful to hear and thankyou for taking the time to comment!
Excellent article Lorraine.I lived in Surrey Hills in the seventies. I probably ate there at some point.
I try to drop in here at least 2-3 times a week. You won’t find anything like it in Sydney. Foods great and cheap. I drag anyone and everyone I know there, for the experience and they all love it. An elderly gent I know can remember going there decades ago when he was young and remembers the daughter (who’s still there) working the tables back then in pigtails. I overheard the mother chatting to some visitors one lunch, that she came from Ceduna in Sth Australia. I’ll greatly miss this place when it closes.
Hi barbara-Thanks veyr much!
Hi Warwick-I definitely agree, there’s nothing quite like it is there. I hope it doesn’t close
-My ol’ Man(A Panel Beater) would take Me there for Dinner. In a rare moment of “Dad & Son” he asked me how the food was,I said: “Better than Mums” & we both laughed! I took My Step-daughters & GF in there one day for Lunch. The Daughter there, reckoned she “remembered” me? It’s a real bit of Sydney/Oz Nostalgia that should NOT be allowed to just disappear with the Past.
This place was a cafe as early as 1915. I have a copy of the then cook’s and owners World War I Enlistment application
Went to the Oceanic last Friday with the 1915 cook’s grandaughter only to find it closed and very empty looking. We had been promising to go there for years just for the nostalgia of it. Very disappointed as we thought it was one of those things we had put off for too long but a few enquiries in the neighbourhood made us feel less distressed. Sadly the mother is ill and the cafe is closed for a while but they have every intention of reopening when health permits. Although the Oceanic was operating as early as 1915, I think that suppositions that the decor s 1920′s are probably correct.
The Sydney Morning Herald of May 4, 1927 lists for auction “From the Oceanic Cafe – 60 Austrian chairs, 30 tables, glassware, crockeryware, cutlery, hot water heaters, linoleum etc. Cash Register and Ice Chest.
Looks like the current decor may have resulted from a 1927 refurbishment.
Thanks for the update Peter. I pop in for lunch now and again to order the lamb’s fry but after walking by in the past couple of months I thought that it had closed down. Hopefully the two ladies can reopen.
It’s funny that every time I order the lamb’s fry, the younger lady gives me a funny look and asks me if I know that it’s actually liver! And once she even walked over and pointed to the menu board where it’s written up – ‘Lambs fry (Liver)’ !!!
the oceanic is open again and it’s business as usual!
I went to the Oceanic Cafe a few times in the 90s, I loved the simple food and plain atmosphere. Reminded me of the food my grandparents would cook. For nostalga sake I have tried to go there twice this year for lunch but on each occasion it has been closed. I notice now there is graffiti on the door and it looks like it has been closed a while. Sad to see this place go but these ladies were getting on in years.
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[...] our delicious journey back in time at the Oceanic Cafe where we emerged to the sights and sounds of 2009, Queen Viv could sense my excitement and [...]
[...] the history of the Oceanic Cafe in this post on the food blog “Not Quite Nigella.” [...]
[...] proving them wrong. Moral of the story, even odd sounding things can sometimes work.Most helpful: Oceanic Cafe http://www.notquitenigella.com/2009/01/13/oceanic-cafe-surry-hills-sydney-a-step-back-in-time/ I [...]
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