Dust off the snap pants and pump up your high-tops, Surry Hills has a new funky eighties haven where the ghetto blaster is King, vinyl tunes spin freely and miniature Smurf figurines keep everything in check.

Bust out your best ‘running man’ and fist-pump your way down Bourke Street until you find Cowbell 808 cafe – named after the eighties invention of the Roland TR-808 which simulates an electronic cowbell sound.

A concept by co-owners Lennie Watts and Sean Demicoli, think retro reclaimed furniture, vintage roller skates, rows of vinyl records (they take requests!), graffiti street art and scattered Lego pieces. Oh, did we mention the indoor basketball hoop?

But it’s not all Rubik’s Cubes and Uno decks, the all-day menu will have you bustin’ a move thanks to ex-Porteno Chef Michael Portley who makes nearly everything on-site; coconut yoghurt, bacon ice-cream, raki cured ocean trout. Tick, tick and tick.

Show-stoppers include fat stacked hotcakes with mascarpone, bacon ice cream and espresso syrup; life changing fried chicken with cauliflower slaw; and ocean trout with beets, celeriac remoulade on rye. Meanwhile, vegos unite over the grilled eggplant roll with fried cauliflower, hummus and mint.

Don’t pass on the house blend Toby’s Estate coffee either. You’ll find Sean (with a whopping 16yrs+ barista experience) plunging, steaming and pouring his little Lycra-loving heart out.

Don’t just stand there, bust a move… to Cowbell 808. 

Cowbell 808
616 Bourke Street, Surry Hills 2010