There’s nothing more painful than ill conceived or contrived beachside chic and conversely there’s nothing better than welcoming true beachside chic. Sydney does it so well and so badly at times. Badly is when the view speaks or shouts louder than the food which is a scant afterthought and prices rival that of a 5 star restaurant just because you happen to be sitting across from the ocean. Vespacific cafe is of the other ilk, a little retro style beachside cafe with a Vespa theme running through it in Narrabeen on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Service is said to be friendly, servings tasty and huge and they also happen to be very vegetarian friendly (and incidentally we see that they also compost but not in that in your face kind of way that shouts “I’m fashionably green!”). It’s a beautiful sunny Winter’s day in Sydney so what better way to spend it than to be beachside. I confess it’s a compulsion of mine whenever we get a nice sunny weekend day in Winter.
Vespacific is relaxed – when I call them to see if I need a booking the woman says “Oh ok sure, for how many people?” and when I answer “Two” I hear her tell the staff “Hey guys there’ll be a table of two at two o’clock, just keep a table for them”. When we arrive, we see that the cafe is located across from the water where there is a raised wooden viewing platform. And what’s this for? For checking out the surf of course. Canny locals get their sustenance to take away from Vespacific and watch the waves breaking.
When we arrive we nab a table near the window. It’s not quite an ocean view, more a grassy view but there is some comfort to know that the ocean is past the grass. I breathe a sigh of relief to find that the menu features all day breakfast items. That means that their famous Mega Bacon and Egg roll is available and it’s got my name on it. We order the Punjabi Eggs for my husband and a croissant with banana and a liquid chocolate shot to share. The menu has a wide range of vegetarian options including some that have me switching allegiences from omnivore to vegetarian such as the “Gourmet toast with roasted capsicum, eggplant, caramelised onion, capsicum and olive tapenade topped with fried halloumi and fresh herbs”. Prices are extremely reasonable with most items under $10. I kid you not.
Australian Meat!
I look around. It’s almost like a set of Home and Away it’s so beachy and laidback. There’s plenty to see including a bookshelf with a book “How to do sex properly” and a battered but well loved 1869 edition of “Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management” simply propped up on the shelf without ceremony. I enjoy flipping through it and reading about the “Mulligatwany Soup made with Australian Meat” and the wages awarded to male and female household servants with different wages suggested for those that receive sugar, tea and beer.
Also true to the name, there’s a red Vespa adorning one wall behind a print of a surfer midflight (we spy a mini Vespa keyring on the owner’s key chain too), paintings from local artists and Barbie, Skipper and Ken in a red convertible on the countertop. Perhaps I’ve been too absorbed in my copy of Mrs Beeton’s Guide to Household Management but the food arrives quickly. It’s freshly made and hot and smells inviting so I dig in eagerly.
Cappucino in a Mug $3.50
Mega Bacon and Egg Roll $12
The name Mega Bacon and Egg Roll doesn’t quite describe how big this is. It’s huge and about 15-20 cms long. I expected a simple but large bacon and egg roll but this has got not only double bacon (from the local butcher) and eggs but also avocado and a creamy chilli capsicum hollandaise sauce. I can only polish off half of this and I do so in grateful, hungry mouthfuls.
Punjabi Eggs $12
Mr NQN’s eggs are also delicious and distinctly Indian. Two perfectly poached eggs with an oozy interior sit atop a bed of hollandaise and indian style spinach on toast. The yolk bursting only adds to the creaminess and Mr NQN grudingly gives me one bite.
Vespacific Chocolate Croissant with banana and liquid chocolate $8
The Vespacific Chocolate Croissant is warm and flakey and served alongside a perfect sized pot of Vespacific liquid Belgian milk chocolate and sliced fresh banana. I dutifully fill the croissant with the banana slices and dip it in the chocolate pot. Yes it’s good. Oh so good.
Dipping the croissant into the liquid chocolate
As we enjoy our meal the waitress talks to Mr NQN about the camera and photography and mentions the dolphin and whale spotting earlier that day right in front of the cafe on the platform area.
The view from near Vespacific
See that speck in the distance?
Apparently nearby Longreef Beach is better for whale sightings so we drive there and are rewarded with a distant sighting of whales with some even jumping. Not all were caught on camera I’m afraid- there’s a lot of pfaffing about and pointing before we realise that the telephoto lens was at home. But if you want to have a true slice of Sydney’s beachside life, you know where to go.
No that other spec in the far distance…
That’s the whale flipping its tail!
So as now is the season for some whale watching, anyone eager to spot a whale playing in the ocean do try and get here pronto!
So tell me Dear Reader, what’s your favourite local cafe and why do you love it so?
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Vespacific Cafe
18 Ocean St, Narrabeen NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9970 6649
Closed Mondays
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31 Comments | Add your own
That sounds like the cutest little place!
I just buy them red. Down here, you can get red and blue tortillas just as easily as yellow b/c we’re 100 miles from Mexico. Hell, we practically are Mexico!
fantastic photos and glorious food
That crossaint is such a tease this early in the morning
Ahh it will be Christmas in Sydney this year with the rellies living in Narrabeen – I am making a mental note to eat here already! The food looks delicious! Thanks for the review NQN
OH. MY. GOODNESS. That egg and bacon roll looks so GOOD!!! Perfect for brekky and would keep you full all day
I agree, there are some real rip-off beachside places but this looks like a gem. What a view! That shot of the chocolate dipped croissant is making me hungry!
What a beautiful view! And all of those wonderful old books … I was going to “order” the Punjabi eggs – then I saw the croissant with the big gooey chocolate pot, and my heart was stolen!
Everything looks so retro and cosy! I love the croissant dipped in chocolate that is just so homey!
Oh and whale watching… I saw on the news apparently there’s a few seen off Manly.
This place looks so cute! Love the view and the prices
I can imagine it would be packed in Summer, so it’s probably a good idea to go on a sunny winter’s day!
The bacon roll and Punjabi Eggs look so amazing ! now morning.. Ok, now i am going to the cafe in Glebe. They said that the new one ”clipper cafe” is good, i wll try now
Great prices for such a great location.
My favourite local is a place called Scrummies. It has a great range of ‘foodie’ items to keep one occupied while waiting for one’s order to appear. They also do great coffee, and given Red (my other half) is EXTREMELY fussy, this puts it top of the list. We also love the Grind – good food & coffee, noisy, friendly – checks all teh boxes.
What a lovely little place. I like the sound of the food too.
You’re so lucky to see whales! The food looks great and the prices are good too. I’ll keep this in mind if I’m going to Narrabeen.
Mmmm . . . hollandaise! My fav cafe is “Hedgehogs”, it’s twee with slow service, but, every customer feels like they’re family and their croque-monsieur has a mustard mayo that cuts through the gruyere and singes your nasal hairs! Not on the menu anymore, but, the kinda place where if ya look pathetic they still rustle it up.
I would go there JUST for the view. Order a cup of coffee and stare out into the view for hours, getting angry, nasty glares from the servers. haha. But good thing the food looks amzing, too. I LOVE the looks of that Indian-spiced eggs!
My fav local cafe would just be Whole Foods. Does that count? lol.
Mmmm that dipping shot looks soo goodd and with that scenery.. priceless!
Any of the Bacinos in the northern beaches have excellent coffee, and their banana bread muffins with passion fruit icing are to die for! If you go to the Kirribilli Bacino, tell the owner Carlo that I sent you (:
How can you make a croissant better? Dip in chocolate – what a fantastic idea!!!
Wauw, Sydney beach side looks great in winter too!
The croissant stuffed with bananas and dipped in chocolate sounds wonderful! Reminds me of my fav french breakfast which is when you dip a nice crusty baguette with butter into hot chocolate…best way to start the day!
I’m thinking I want to take a trip up just to go to that cafe! What gorgeous photos
The mega bacon and egg roll looks so scrummy.Eggs and bacon are a match made in heaven . I also spotted Jamie Oliver peaking through the books at me.
Hi Blond Duck-It is! Ahh you are so lucky getting them in all sorts of colours. Hey you could do an American flag in them!
Hi snooky doodle-Thanks!
Hi Tara-I know, I dare not look at it myself
Hi Louise-Great idea! Although it gets very crowded so I’d book just in case
You’re more than welcome!
Hi sandra-It was and it was so huge! I lost all motivation and urge to eat dinner
Hi Steph-Yes some places really trade on the view but this one doesn’t. Why don’t more places do things like that? I demand to dip croissants in chocolate more often!
Hi Cakelaw-It was lovely! Hehe yes I couldn’t decide so we had to order it all!
Hi Trisha-It was so cute and I love retro!
Oh yes I think it’s the season for whale watching which makes it doubly cool! 
Hi Betty-They’re great
Yes and that way it’s not too hot too! 
Hi Ja-Ahh yes I’ve heard about that! Can’t wait to read about it!
Hi Megan-Yes they are definitely
Ahh yes a place that satisfies a fussy eater is a thing to be treasured! 
Hi Y-Yes I wish it was my local cafe!
Hi Arwen-We were indeed. There were quite a few people out there whale watching, some with huge telephoto lenses! I
wish we’d brought ours!
Hi caro-Aww that sound fantastic! THe croque monsieur sounds amazing! Hehe I bet if you’re a regular like you are
they’ll make one for you
Hi Sophia-Hehe the thing is I don’t think they’d say anything. It’s so relaxed there (although other customers wanting the table might hehe). Yes of course it counts!
Hi FFichiban-Oh you need to go. As a fellow North Shorer, you should!
Hi Beth-Oh yes I’ve seen the Bacinos and I think I’ve seen the Kirribilli one too! Hehe I will if I do go
Hi Anita-It is isn’t it! Genius!
Hi Lisbeth-It is pretty good although I don’t know about sunbaking. It’s such a beach city though
Hi Alexandra-It was so good
I should try and do it at home 
Oh yum! That does sound like an excellent way to start the day 
Hi Tiffany-It’s worth it!
Especially if you get some whale watching in too 
Thankyou! 
Hi DeLaCour-They are aren’t they!
Haha yep his book was there too-good spotting! 
Looks like a scrumptious breakfast! Beautiful views! Our favorite cafe believe it or not is at our supermarket – they make the most wonderful croissants and other pastries!
Ahh, you make me want to plan a vacation over there, beautiful and tasty.
recently added to my bucket list–learn to surf. also, eat a mega croissant dipped in chocolate.
If you spent too much time in my mind, you’d be covered with pink glitter!
I MUST go visit this cafe! My favourite cafe is Tiger Mottle on Glenmore Road in Paddington (at Five Ways). It’s not my local but i will gladly drive the 15 minutes to have breakfast there. The bacon and egg tart (very elusive. You must get it hot when it comes out of the oven! It sits on the counter but isn’t on the menu) is DIVINE and their coffee always hits the right spot.
Hi 5 Star Foodie-It was great and a really nice nice atmosphere
Oh really? That’s amazing! 
Hi Jessica-You should! It’s a lovely area
Hi grace-Oh really! I’m petrified of sharks to do it. Good luck with your endeavour though!
Hehe the second one is an admirable one 
Hi Blond Duck-haha that’s what I though!
Hi Genevieve-Oh definitely! Ahh cool, thanks so much for the insider pick and the tip! I love getting those!
took me a while NQN but I finally got there yesterday. I first did a recky to work out exactly where it was located and bought a takeaway coffee. Then I collected my daughter & two of her friends from monika’s doggie rescue and treated them to lunch. Being teenage girls they were cheap dates
– hand cut chips and freshly squeezed juices were the order of the day for them. I was also a cheap date because I’ve been listening to a lose weight hypnotherapy thing that did this crazy thing and announced it’s effectiveness yesterday 
. I was so psyched to get a taste of that croissant smeare in chocolate or the punjabi eggs but my dreams were not to eventuate. As much as I WANTED to order the gorgeous things I was being controlled by an inner voice or something and I could only order the rocket, pear, parmesan & walnut salad. This was a delicious salad by all accounts but I kept staring at the menu and the specials board thinking ‘how weird… three days ago I would have just HAD to sample those things just to see what NQN’s reporting was truly like but I was foiled!
I do need to lose weight – and I was dreading all the ‘missing out’ but at least this way it seemed pretty painless. I did want to live vicariously and get the girls to order the sticky things but after their two bowls of handcut chat chips they were ‘full’ so it wasn’t to be!
I asked the owner Bron where were the punjabi eggs? She said “I know I took them off the menu because I didn’t know about the article” – she said she would be putting them back on for a weekend special.
NQN: she was so happy with the article and said could you please go back and introduce yourself and she will take care of you!
ps even the fairly fussy girls liked it calling it “funky” so readers consider it a place to take your kids and earn some ‘cool’ perhaps.
Hi Helen-Thanks so much for letting me know! Oh wow, that sounds like it is working. I’d love to know if it ends up helping!
That’s great
If I have the chance I will although we’re moving soon and my trips to Narrabeen will so thin out-sadly as I loved it in there! Hehe ahh good parenting tip!! 
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