Porch & Parlour started as an idea between mates in 2010. Combining good food and coffee with art, music and people.
Back when rent in Bondi was cheap(er) and Bondi Rescue was still a script, Porch and Parlour was not a venue, but a home. Out the front, overlooking the ocean, there was a rustic porch with a green leather nutuzzi couch, an old guitar and a half-drunk pinot.
Inside (called the ‘the parlour’) there were more instruments, more wine bottles. But also an artist’s studio and a cramped kitchen with paintings, photos and artisan homewares by creative up-starts who lived down the street. Here, on this porch, in this parlour, locals gathered over a shared love for food, coastal views, art, music and wine.
Oh, so much wine. And that’s how Porch and Parlour became known as the community hub. A go-to among the makers, musicians, and curious. But then the lease ended, along with the barefooted, sand-beset hospitality which brought so many people together. So, as regulars and official G&T makers of Porch and Parlour, Sam Smith and Sarah Hendriks-Smith decided to turn the homely venue into a real venue (still homely, though).
They teamed up with friends and many years (and some follys) later, the little venue has become quite well-known, both nationally and internationally. But above all, Porch is still chiefly adored locally. And that’s the way the family at Porch want to keep it. After all, they’re still that hub teaming with delicious food, wine, art, music, flowers, and good people. They’re still that refuge, that beachside home-away-from-home.
We have since evolved beyond our staple breakfast and lunch offering into catering, events, sundowners, flowers & most recently our ceramics brand. Our food is fresh and wholesome, a reflection of the way we like to eat. We cook with health in mind, use local produce as much as possible and support businesses we believe in. No matter what form Porch takes in the future, the vision remains the same; our business is built on the pillars of flavour, freshness, people, culture & community. We hope you enjoy the space as much as we do creating it for you.
