Effie’s: the Balgowlah local that does both
Coffee from 6am. Natural wine and small plates Thursday to Saturday nights. The Balgowlah local that does both, a short walk from the studio.
← The Journal · Café · Fairlight
Boté: coffee on the water in Fairlight
Some cafés have a water view. Boté sits on the water. It’s at the end of Bolingbroke Parade in Fairlight, on the pontoon at the edge of the marina. From Bare Studio it’s an easy walk.
The name is said “boaty”. On a clear morning, with a flat harbour and boats at anchor in front of you, the setting does most of the work.
Coffee in hand, feet nearly over the water, boats coming and going. A good way to start a day on the Northern Beaches.
What it is
Boté is a small, owner-run takeaway café in a big position. Coffee is by Mecca. Pastries come from Staple and cookies from Butter Boy. Order at the window, then find a spot on the pontoon.
The pontoon is the point. Picnic tables and white umbrellas sit right over the water. Kayakers paddle past. Yachts come and go from their moorings. Seats go fast on a sunny weekend, so it pays to be early.
The deck at Boté on a summer morning, seen from the trees above.
Who runs it
Boté comes from Sam and Anya, the couple behind Effie’s on Sydney Road in Balgowlah. Both places share the same approach: good produce, warm service, and a feel that belongs to the street it’s on.
You notice it in the coffee. You notice it in how easily the café sits in its spot.
Long tables on the pontoon, with the moorings and bushland behind.
How to find it
Head to the end of Bolingbroke Parade in Fairlight and you’ll find it at the marina. Boté is open daily from 7am to 1pm. There’s no need to drive.
Jules and Andrew’s tip
This is often the first place Jules and Andrew suggest when guests ask about coffee on their first morning. It’s close, it’s good, and it’s the kind of thing guests remember about the trip.
Go early, while the harbour is still quiet. Take your coffee out to the end of the pontoon and stay a while.
Good to know
- Boté, 1B Bolingbroke Parade, Fairlight NSW 2094
- Phone 0456 797 300
- Open daily, 7am to 1pm
- Takeaway coffee, pastries and cookies
- Mecca coffee, Staple pastries, Butter Boy cookies
- Pontoon seating over the water. First in, best fed.
- Same owners as Effie’s in Balgowlah
Staying nearby
Bare Studio is a self-contained studio suite in Balgowlah, an easy walk from Boté and the Fairlight foreshore.
More from the Journal
Other places Jules and Andrew recommend
Manly to Shelly Beach: the walk to do first
Twenty minutes along the coast from Manly, with a swim at Shelly Beach and coffee at The Bower on the way back.
All of this is close by
Get close to the action.
Book your local stay.
Bare Studio is a self-contained studio suite in Balgowlah. Boté and Effie’s are an easy walk away, and the coastal walk from Manly to Shelly Beach is close by. Jules and Andrew live on-site and know every place in the Journal.