Marickville General Store

The Verdict

Eleven years ago, Bespoke & Grind opened its doors on the strength of owner and head chef Mao's vision: bring the warm, village-style hospitality of her childhood home in Japan to Marrickville. Her husband Michael, armed with two decades running venues through Sydney's nightlife scene, joined not long after to help turn it into the kind of local institution you plan your week around. Now, the pair have expanded next door with Marrickville Park General Store.

If you've never made it in for breakfast, that's your first order of business. Almost everything on the menu is made in-house, from the sauces to the salad dressings to the all-butter pastries that make the grab-and-go cabinet dangerous territory. Regulars keep coming back for the creamy mushrooms on toast (think fresh cream, shallot, pecorino and truffle oil piled onto sourdough), the green eggs with green shallot and ginger scramble, Asian slaw and house chilli crunch, and a Japanese breakfast that goes all in: grilled miso salmon, yaki-onigiri, tamago-yaki, pickled daikon and a green tea and bonito dashi.

The General Store next door is a different kind of project, but it comes from the same place. When the neighbouring space became available, Mao and Michael saw the chance to build something Marrickville didn't quite have: a hub for picking up quality everyday essentials, discovering local producers, and running into your neighbours while you're at it.

Every inch of the fit-out was designed and built in-house, with Michael and close friend Hurricane Goodman (both with backgrounds in set building) working around carefully sourced antique furniture and rescued plants to make the space feel like it's been there for decades. Turns out, in some ways, it has. During the renovation, a local resident mentioned the building once operated as a general store generations ago, and sure enough, stripping back the old paint revealed original exterior tiles and a vintage "Tobacco" sign hidden beside the front entrance.

The details keep telling the story. The logo nods to the palm trees in Marrickville Park, and swallow motifs run through the store in honour of the swallows that nest outside each year.

On the shelves, you'll find the same local suppliers Bespoke & Grind has trusted in its own kitchen for years: sourdough and viennoiserie from Fuel Bakery, premium meats from Dulwich Hill Gourmet Butchers, artisanal cheeses from Vannella Cheese, and seasonal vegetables from The Vege Box. Alongside them sits the café's own pantry, including the famous house-made chilli crunch, house granola, daily pastries and ready-made dinners built for busy weeknights, whether you're feeding a family or just yourself after a long day.

It's a fitting next chapter for a couple who've spent over a decade building something Marrickville actually needed. Pop in for breakfast, then next door to pick up ingredients for dinner. Simple as that.

Photo credit: Leigh Griffiths