Bench

A great spot to grab breakfast after a swim!
I met a girlfriend for a walk and breakfast mid week and this was a great spot to go. It has a large area for outside seating and lots of space around the tables (ideal for prams). As the name implies though, there are no chairs with backs if you need that support.
We ordered 2 juices (ginger ninja and greenfields — $ 7 – 8) and they were delicious. They are pressed juices, so no pulp which I didn’t realise but tasty none the less. I also had banana bread with cinnamon butter. I have a sweet tooth though so this suited me! The banana bread was great.
You order at the counter and although there was a lot of staff, I was waiting 2 – 3 mins before even being acknowledged. The food and drinks came out quickly which was good.
The one concerning thing was that we watched a waitress use a cloth on the pavement to wipe up a spilt juice. We didn’t then see her use it elsewhere but it was worrying.

Eaten here twice for birthdays and both times the food was amazing.
Service can be slow when busy but always very respectful when reminded to get the beer you ordered 15 mins ago.
Food speaks volumes to why people will put up with slightly slower service.
Will eat again next time I’m out that way

Never been but will come back again… Yes, can see why some could see the staff not as attentive but 1) it’s Manly 2) it’s Mexican = relaxed, chilled and with a balmy night, good food and a cool duo playing — nice.
Oh, the food. Had need fajitas and no complaints.

Fantastic café in Manly just off the promenade, this place benefits from its position inside a large courtyard area. The café has heaps of outdoor seating under umbrellas (which are rather effective even on very rainy days).
A friend and me have stopped here for brunch the last couple of weekends and its been great. First time we had the bacon and egg roll, which was pretty good and stacked with a good amount of bacon, an egg, and tasty aioli on a fresh bun. Coffee was a flat white with a tasty crema — hit the mark.
The second time we came unfortunately we had missed the cut off for breakfast, but noting that we were again craving bacon the staff pointed us to the all day breakfast section of the menu. Shortly thereafter we found ourselves chomping on the breakfast sandwich, which was even more stacked with bacon than the bacon and egg roll (although at a bit more cost, and without the egg, but compensated by avocado. mmmm…). On the second visit I also tried a mango smoothie… mmm again!
10% surcharge on weekends, so its a bit pricey but given its Manly I guess its OK for the area. The quality met our expectations, so we walked away happy and full ready for what remained of our Saturdays.

When its a cold winter morning, and you feel good half way through a morning walk… here is the place to go!
I had the porridge that came out steamy warm, served with skim milk, vanilla poached pears and stewed rhubarb (with brown sugar on the side). It was so enjoyable! And the price was great… only $ 8.50 for a large bowl, which for manly is pretty good.
Service was fast, the heaters were great, and from what I saw of everyone elses meals, there is a lot of variety and choices available for all taste types! Definitely recommended!

Lunch doesn’t get much easier and enjoyable than this. I swear some cafes just like to over complicate things — this place has menus on the table, you order at the counter and food and drinks are brought to you by waiters. Does it need to be more complicated than that?
The staff are knowledgable and understand what needs to be done to make my meal vegan while plus one chows down on the biggest beef burger I’ve seen in a while.
Most importantly, the coffee is killer. Really, it’s good coffee.

Good place for dinner with friends.
Love the fajitas, love the habanero sauce… it’s kicking…
Service and location are good.
I recon this place is good for restaurant hunters and like to try something different.

if there trying to suck at customer service I believe they won. I should also point out its not just them its Australia as a whole. the concept of «service» for casual dining or even coffee seems to be non-​existent here.

For Australia Mexican food, it wasn’t bad. They mainly specialize in fajitas and each serving comes with a smorgasboard of toppings to choose from. The guacamole was pretty legit.
FYI– it is not BYO
Main complaint– the fact that it is cash only and the service was mediocre. They either approached you too often or they couldn’t be found. And took issue with the fact that they said it was cash only because it was ‘truly mexican’. Same guy looked confused when we asked him «hablas espanol?»

Bench looks pretty cool, and would probably be good with small kids who needed room to roam, but I’m not a huge fan.
In the crowded coffee jungle that is the lower north shore — and especially Manly — you need to be consistently producing the goods, but I’ve found the coffee at Bench a bit up and down and the service pretty grizzly. Seating in the shared courtyard is uncomfortable, and it’s either baking hot in the sun with no air moving or a wind trap that creates a sort of willy-​willy of napkins all around you.
That said, I have been back, so it can’t be all bad … it’s away from the ‘madding crowd’ and an easy place to identify as a meeting spot.