Bella Vista Cafe, Manly

Gabriella was walking to the lookout at North Head Sanctuary in Manly when she saw a Sydney Federation Harbour Trust sign looking for people to tender to run the cafe operation at the heritage building. She had a vision when she walked to the terrace and was blown away by the view. It reminded her of Italian bays like Amalfi. It was a risky move to open a cafe here, because it’s not in the Manly hot spot near the beach.

Instead Bella Vista Cafe is surrounded by majestic trees, armed with a sprawling view of the Sydney Harbour and city skyline. When the cafe first opened in 2012, it was so quiet in those days. Gabriella even remembers a day where she only sold one coffee and one biscuit – nothing else. She had to build it up through word of mouth – and now she has become friends with so many of her lovely customers.

Gabriella’s parents owned a cafe in Italy where she worked every summer – from an early age she learned how to deal with customers. The family tradition is still intact because daughter Lauren and son Daniel work at Bella Vista as well. At first it was to help their mum out, but then they became more and more involved.

Irresistible Italian Food

Paying homage to Gabriella’s Italian heritage, the food at Bella Vista Cafe is home-style Italian. For lunch, try the Antipasto Italiano for two – a mixed platter of san daniele prosciutto, house porchetta, coppa, sopressa salami, pecorino cheese, artichoke hearts, stuffed peppers, mixed olives and daily bread (today it’s Brasserie Bread’s Rustic Loaf).

Or if you like pork belly, the porchetta con schiacciata is for you. The slow roasted herb rolled pork belly is thinly sliced and served with orange, fennel, endive, and toasted schiacciata by Brasserie Bread. Sandwiches are displayed in the cabinet – the all-time favourite is the prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, rocket, and truffle oil on Grande roll. On the non-Italian side of food, there’s a striking burger of Angus beef, cheddar, tomato, mixed leaf and aioli with fries. Delizioso.

Breakfast at Bella Vista

Begin your mornings with simple but delicious eggs on toast with tomato chutney. You can select your bread, whether it’s Brasserie Bread sourdough or quinoa & soya loaf. Or if you’d rather start sweet, the French toast using Brasserie Bread brioche with strawberries and ricotta is the way to go. And since Bella Vista Cafe is licensed, you can even make it a champagne breakfast.

For the sober breakfast-goers, the smoothies are intensely delicious. The green paradise smoothie is a mix of banana, spinach, kale, pineapple and coconut water, while the passion smoothie is a summery blend of banana, mango, passionfruit and coconut water.

Bella Vista is also available after hours for special occasions like birthdays, engagements and weddings.