Three Blue Ducks - Bronte

Location: A good ten to 15 minute walk from Bronte Beach on Macpherson Street.

Profiled by de groots media: The story behind Three Blue Ducks is simple. A couple of mates who all happen to share a love of eating and cooking decided that they needed to find a job that would not only foster passion for food, but would also let them surf. The answer: to open a cafe in Bronte. At first, the people of Sydney came here to experience the magic of one of the Blue Ducks, former Tetsuya chef Mark LaBrooy. Once the masses got a taste of Three Blue Ducks, in all its effervescent and energetic glory, the rest of the Three Blue Duck story is history.

What started as a casual cafe, the Three Blue Ducks have since taken over the pizza parlour next door, offering the perfect space for a more formal bar and dining room. With Mark at the pots and pans, the other two members in the duck-trio is Sam Reid and Chris Sorrell, as barista. The winning formula of this bustling place is the well-priced menu, house-made pastries and baked goods and staff who look like they actually like they actually want to be there.


If you head there on a weekend, queues wait outside, creating an excited buzz that surrounds the periphery of the 20-seater cafe. By night, however, the vibe is more chilled out. There are no tablecloths or snooty waitresses. The printout menu is without all your usual bows and whistles yet the food impresses with the use of quality produce and some seriously talented chefs.

Anna Lisle