Café Margaret

Café Margaret (ex-Next Door) is Neil Perry’s latest love letter to Double Bay—a breezy all-day eatery that proves world-class dining can truly come without fuss.

Tucked just beside his fine-dining flagship Margaret, this airy corner café, which has been years in the making, hums from breakfast to dinner.

“For me, it’s sort of like a real community restaurant,” Perry tells Urban List.

“It functions from seven in the morning to 9:30 at night… breakfast is fairly traditional, with grab-and-go sandwiches and so forth, and then it kind of morphs through the day.”

Mornings here are a ritual of comforting staples and best believe the bacon-and-egg roll is a standout.

“It’s double-smoked bacon on a beautiful milk bun, with chipotle mayonnaise, spring onions, and gruyère melted on top. You get this lovely bacon-cheesy combination with a soft bun—it’s really delicious,” Perry explains. 

By midday, the café pivots to heartier fare. Lunch is “really very burger-orientated, with a few steaks and fish dishes” and Australia’s best burger (and tenth in the world) is joined by a gochujang-spiked fish burger, a caramelised-onion smashburger, and a steak sandwich dripping in café de Paris butter. 

“Everything we serve goes through Margaret,” Perry notes. 

“From the fish to the burgers, it’s all the same high-quality produce, grounded in relationships with Aussie suppliers.”

Evenings shift to something softer. Charred fish, minute steaks, and seasonal vegetables take the spotlight, letting the produce speak for itself. 

For Perry, Café Margaret is as much about people as it is about food. 

“We really love the idea of being part of people’s daily routines,” he says. 

“From a coffee in the morning, a sandwich at lunch, to a little bistro experience at night—it’s about connecting with the community.” The grab-and-go counter quietly fuels Double Bay’s commuters, while walk-ins and dinner bookings alike are welcomed with the same warmth and care.

Café Margaret evolved naturally from the success of Margaret next door. “When I sold Baker Blue, it just made sense to really utilise the space,” Perry says. 

“It was always going to be the home of the burger, and through modifications, we’ve been able to do takeaway burgers at lunchtime as well as eat-in. It’s about getting our famous burger into more hands”.

Read on for more of the best cafes in Sydney.

Image credit: Café Margaret | Instagram