Bills’ Famous Bondi Beach Breakfast
Bill Granger’s Bloody Mary, Scrambled Eggs, Ricotta Hotcakes and Sweetcorn Fritters for breakfast. Too much? Jennifer Johnson thinks not…
When Bill Granger OAM passed away on Christmas day, 2023, the world of good cooks and loyal customers alike – and most definitely the people of Bondi Beach – felt his loss deeply.
Bill’s 100-seat cafe at 79 Hall Street, Bondi Beach (with outdoor tables and a bowl for the dogs) is still home to his four big breakfast classics – Bloody Mary, Scrambled Eggs, Sweetcorn Fritters and Ricotta Hotcakes.
They never come off the menu because locals and visitors never stop asking for them.
Granger lived at Bondi with his family and loved, “A Bronte to Bondi ocean walk, a dip in the ocean and then breakfast.” Read the whole Jason Grant interview with Bill here.
And the clue to avoid the queue outside his café a Bondi, is right there. Go at 7.00am opening, or you’ll be joining a queue by 8.00am.
Bill, the Bondi Beach Local
Bill Granger bought his organic vegetables and hipster shirts at Gould Street and never did finish his course at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney, but his aesthetic lives on at Bondi Beach bill’s.
Its contemporary art, space, light and simplicity is the essence of beachfront Sydney (And no capital letter in bill’s, ever).
Granger invented avocado on toast, because “Hospitality people always eat quickly, because they have so little time.”’
The recipe is here. It has been widely copied and yet, the trick is in the tiny details,which not every café or home cook gets right.
“I jazzed it up a bit; put a bit of lime and coriander on it,” Bill told the ABC. Later on, Avacado on Toast became a boomer reason to criticise Millennials, when Bernard Salt at The Australian accused them of eating out too much (and paying too much).
Bill’s is pricey. And yet, yes, you can make this now-notorious toasted avo dish at home.
Sydney Morning Life Cafes
Bill’s is also part of Sydney’s well-known Morning Life. It begins at sunrise at Bondi Beach, where swimming, walking the dog and yoga all unfold, year round.
There’s a touch of Los Angeles and its sunny start to the days, at the worldwide bill’s restaurants. Stars including Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, as well as Leonardo DiCaprio, have all been spotted at a bill’s joint.
Tyler Brûlé of Wallpaper magazine hired Bill for his first food column. Then million-selling cookbooks followed. So did television.
In an age of superstar cooks, known by their first names – Jamie and Nigella in Britain – Bill was ‘the Aussie.’
Nothing has changed at this most Australian, of all the bills cafes worldwide.
Local Tips for Breakfast at bill’s Bondi Beach
*The queue is long on weekends, particularly for brunch. Go for breakfast and be first there, on a weekday, at 7.00am.
*If you stay at the Adina Apartments at Bondi Beach, you can order room service from bill’s which is just next door.
*Yes, you can cook the classics at home. See the links below:
Ricotta Pancakes With Honeycomb Butter
Bloody Mary – you won’t find the recipe for this online, but the secret is in the little things.
Bill’s Bloody Mary is an Asian twist on the classic recipe, using Clamato juice (clam and tomato juice), Korean chilli, coriander, lime and a cucumber.
