This little historic sandstone tugboat workshop dates back to the 1880s, and after years of back and forth, the Inner West Council and Sydney Restaurant Group (LuMi, Ormeggio at The Spit) have rescued it from redevelopment and blessed us with a charming little daytime eatery boasting some of the city’s best vistas.
Upstairs, you’ll find a gallery space with works by Indigenous, local and international artists, which is also available for semi-private hire. Down below, it’s all timeless bentwood furniture and sandstone walls. Breakfast sticks to a classic script of banana bread, housemade granola, eggs benny and the like, with coffee by Little Marionette, tea from Tippity, and smoothies named after Bob Marley, Paul Hogan and Chuck Norris.
Come lunch, the dial turns to fancy-ish modern Mediterranean fare: burrata with prosciutto and figs, gnocchi with wild mushrooms and black truffle, lamb rump cordon bleu and so on. There’s a well-priced list of wines with plenty of joy under the $70 mark, but what you’ll really be soaking up is those peerless postcard views of Luna Park and the Harbour Bridge.