Happy Shop Might Just Be Sydney’s Happiest (and Final) Opening of the Year

Chris Theodosi and Jesse Orleans got the keys to 68 Dalhousie Street, Haberfield, on December 19, 2024. A year later, the first orders at Happy Shop are finally up.

“We had to strip everything back and start from scratch, while working within heritage parameters,” Theodosi tells Broadsheet. “We put new floors in the kitchen and courtyard, a brand new exhaust system, built a whole new server window and installed some pretty funky furniture.”

Happy Shop opens two doors down from the duo’s OG cafe, Happyfield – a place as well-known for its corner-bending queues as its fluffy pancakes and McLovin’ muffins. Continuing the American diner-style vibes, Happy Shop reinvents what fast food looks like in Sydney.

“Who doesn’t love a cheeky fast-food meal here and there?” Theodosi says. “But I wouldn’t say our food is fast food. It’s cooked the same way it is at Happyfield – made to order, on the griddle and in the fryers. The main difference will be how you order and how your food is presented.”

Everything is served takeaway – a move that helps alleviate the wait time for Happyfield die-hards looking for their weekend fix. Make your way to the order window and choose your fighter: The McFly, Le Griddle, Habibi Muffin or El Brekkie Burrito, the players in the “breakfast of champions” section. There are beef patty burgers and New York-style sandwiches (including the team’s famed chopped sheese), too, as well as a couple of hearty salads. “We didn’t want to have two kitchens running the same items. We put together a menu with some of our favourite specials [from Happyfield] and a handful of new dishes.”

At the pick-up window, you’ll find your food wrapped in foil sandwich bags, burger boxes and hashbrown sleeves, all dressed in the fun, signature graphics done by the team’s graphic designer.

Another nod to retro takeaway joints, the pour-your-own drinks station elevates the classic post-mix machine. Here, you’ll find Single O batch brew and cold brew on tap, as well as matcha and house-made lemonade.

The team worked with Killing Matt Woods and Green Anvil Co to design a space that nods to old-school fast-food restaurants. “It’s like what a fast-food restaurant was before they franchised. I wish I could go back and experience what it was like in the ’80s or ’90s, or as far back as the ’50s,” says Theodosi. The courtyard seating has an indoor-outdoor vibe if you want to dine in with your pals.

For the sweet tooths of Sydney, pancakes are the star of the show at Happyfield. But it’s Orleans’ beignets – the chef’s take on deep-fried French doughnuts, most famously associated with New Orleans – that take centrestage at Happy Shop. “They’re hand-crafted, light, fluffy pillows of fried dough served hot and covered in icing sugar. What’s not to love?,” Theodosi says. “They are honestly just so simple and delicious … like little bites of heaven. And no one does them!”

The team’s off and running four days a week, Friday through Monday. But once they get into the groove, the plan is to expand opening hours and add nights into the mix. There are many happy meals to be had.

Happy Shop
68 Dalhousie Street, Haberfield

Hours:
Mon 8.30am–3pm
Fri to Sun 8.30am–3pm

happyfield.com.au/happyshop
@happyshopofficial_