The strut, the swagger, hair flicks, muscle heads, fashionista pooches, yogis, surfers and a wanna-be-seen’s. Nothing brings out the weird, the beautiful and let’s face it (more athleisure wear than in a Lululemon shop) than the promenade at Bondi Beach.
It’s a beachside show better than any reality TV, yet incredibly Bondi doesn’t have a restaurant on the promenade where you are part of the action…that is, until now. G’day Casa Aperol.
Cleverly nestled into the front of Bondi Pavillion we enter under the white and orange arch which symbolises everything which is summer and Aperol. No surprise that this popup is homage to our citrus friend and we kick off with a glass piled with ice along with a cracker of a non alcohol option which is even punchier than the real thing, called Crodino.
The menu has been created under the keen eye of Culinary Director Stephen Seckold, from Hinchcliff House and it shows. We kick off with a plate of soft fluffy, charred za’ata spiced pita breads ($12) and dip them into a platter of creamy taramasalata, tzatziki and house made hummus. Chilli burrata ($16) is a bundle of fun with a crunchy sunburnt topping, so we order more pita! A plate of salt and pepper calamari is a generous basket with furls of white flesh and crispy golden hues.
pitta bread and oysters 
crispy king prawn buns 
charred chicken flatbread
Two bronzed buns look like they have been basking on beach deckchairs. Stuffed with juicy king prawns and sandwiched with iceberg lettuce they disappear in two chomps. Sydney Rock oysters arrive with a gazpacho dressing which is the only miss of the meal creating an overly watery bath.
We move onto the main event – the ‘beach flatbreads’. These are phenomenal and great value. An open plate of puffy dalmation spotted flatbread is stacked with charcoal chicken, lettuce, pickles, garlic sauce and wozer sweet and sour baby carrots ($19). It’s a winner, winner chicken dinner. The lamb option is equally impressive with slow cooked shoulder dusted with sumac onions, yoghurt and green sauce.
Our promenade perch means that eating and entertainment are provided in one iconic venue. With the addition of a Live Nation collaboration towards the end of Jan there will be another reason to visit with a line-up of live musical acts.
So grab your sunnies, sit under an Aperol umbrella and be part of the best show on earth this summer – Bondi Beach Promenade.
Casa Aperol – www.casaaperol.com.au
Location: In front of the Bondi Pavilion on the Bondi Promenade
Hours: Every day 11:30am to 10pm until 31st May 23
