Breezy Poolside Cafe Oh Boy Has Reopened for Spring With a Rosé-Drenched Bottomless Brunch

With water views over Sydney’s glittering harbour and a just-launched menu, consider Oh Boy eatery at the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool your one-way ticket to summer.

The easygoing cafe overlooks Woolloomooloo Bay, adjacent to the Royal Botanic Garden. If you can’t conjure a picture of that view, the name references the sentiment – “Oh boy!” – frequently uttered by guests when they step into the venue.

The fit-out and menu have both been refreshed, adding more seating in anticipation for the rush of customers new and old. “It’s a little hidden city secret… if you know, you know,” says Tegan Burford of operating group Bird & Bear. “The interior takes inspiration from the botanic garden: we’ve got plants that are all found within 10 minutes’ [walk] of the venue, so it’s a continuation of that green garden feel.”

There are new dishes across breakfast, brunch and lunch. “Our executive chef [Eric Tan] has refocused on fresh, easy produce [as] people are either running through the area or swimming,” Burford says. A chickpea bowl brings falafels and poached eggs together for a protein-rich brekkie salad situation, and the bacon and egg roll and hefty Bear Breakfast keeps things classic.

Lunch is veg-heavy with poke bowls and a roast pumpkin picnic plate, while the additions of hand-stretched burrata, a steak sandwich and a fresh spaghetti al nero with cuttlefish ragu make it a touch more refined. “It’s all just really beautiful, fresh, light – with lots of citrus as a base in there as well,” says Burford.

Waterside eating is on the menu too, with all the dishes available to enjoy by the pool via QR codes – meaning you won’t lose prime position when you get peckish. But, if you’d like to really soak up the surrounds, the two-course long lunch is the way to go. Enjoy pastries and fruit to start, followed by the team’s picks from the new menu and a brownie to finish.

Between Friday and Sunday, Oh Boy’s bottomless brunch is $78 per person and delivers three courses with two hours of mimosas, bubbles and rosé. “As soon as you arrive, you feel relaxed straight away,” says Burford.

Oh Boy Cafe
1C Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney
(02) 9189 8899

Hours
Daily 7am–4pm

birdandbear.com.au/oh-boy
@oh_boy_sydney