Restaurants and cafés north of the bridge don’t have the greatest rep in this town. But frankly, that sort of attitude is all nonsensical balderdash. There’s pan-Asian eatery Yang and Co in Castlecrag, some of Sydney’s best gelato at Gelateria Gondola in Chatswood, beautiful, healthy eats at Ora in Manly, some of the best sourdough in Sydney at Berkelo in Brookvale, world-class cakes at Mrs Jones the Baker in Freshwater and some seriously fine breakfast fare at Smalltown up in Avalon. And have you been to Newport recently?
Well, the Grounds crew know the score, and they’re cashing in on the action, currently looking at securing a space for a new outpost of their game-changing eatery in St Leonards, just by the Royal North Shore Hospital.
The space is reported to be 4000m2, and plans are that it will have its own nursery, just like the Alexandria café, plus a roastery that will toast their – always excellent – coffee to smooth, silky perfection.
The development application hasn’t been completed yet, so nothing is certain for now. If it goes ahead, it will be the third offshoot for the Grounds, who are due to open a CBD café in the Galeries in November. Should everything go to plan though, we’d say the North Shore might just solidify itself as one of Sydney’s best dining hotspots.
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Read our full review on the Grounds in Alexandria here.