Happy Shop

While Happyfield may have spent the last couple of years raking in commendations as one of Sydney's best cafes (and pancakes), co-owners Jesse Orleans and Chris Theodosi couldn't stop there. Enter Happy Shop, their newest venture in the form of another American diner—this time, with an elevated fast food focus. 

The name of the game here is takeaway—just two doors down from the OG cafe, Happy Shop is a diner's golden goose when the lines for Happyfield are out the door. 

"We are big fans of old school nostalgic drive-ins and diners," Jesse tells Urban List. "When the site two doors down became available it just made sense to create something there, to help manage the wait times and crowds at Happyfield."

The vibes here certainly lean heavily into that nostalgic pull—they've swapped their signature sunny yellow interiors for a more pared back design: with drinks on tap, windows to order, and retro bench-style seating. 

"We want our guests to be transported into a different time and place when they come to visit the Happy Shop," says Jesse. "A venue that feels like you could be in LA or Coney Island."

Expect "a cool, vintage, retro but modern take on those original drive-ins—menu boards by Domusvim, round light globes for days, quirky recycled furniture that pops with our Happy Shop colour swatch and the most beautiful mirror finish stainless bar top, that sits front and center."

You won't find any pancakes in this joint—replaced by sugar dusted New Orleans beignets with a Happy Shop spin: big on flavour and pillowy softness. For Jesse, however, his unmissable menu pick is harder to nail down.

"It would have to be a toss up between The Big Happy or the Chopped Cheese," he decides. We are inclined to agree with the latter—chopped mince, pastrami, American cheddar, abdobo seasoning mixed with lettuce and mayo on a sesame roll? Say less.

Don't skip the tap—a whole section of self serve bevs including their house lemonade, which in Jesse's words is "straight gas".

"We're not big on trends, both Chris and I beat to the bass of our own drums," Jesse explains. "We do what feels right and authentic to us as people and the brand. Happy Shop is a perfect representation of what we do, who we are and what we set out to create when we built Happyfield over 5 years ago."

While the venue may be ticking on as a brekkie/brunch/lunch spot for now, something exciting is around the corner: Happy Nights.

"We plan to expand on the hours of operation and open the Happy Shop a couple nights a week," Jesse shares with us. "After the sun goes down the venue transforms. All the globes switch to rows of red and yellow and the interior lights really showcase the internals of the kitchen, whilst the bright lit menu board pops above the service windows."

For now, stop by on your lunch break for a killer sando, brekkie muffin or stacked burger—it won't disappoint. 

Image credit: Happy Shop | Instagram