Preach Cafe: Bondi Beach cafe crowned best in Sydney’s east

The results are in and now we have a winner for the best cafe in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, as voted by you for the Delicious Local cafe competition.

Fares Derbas at his cafe Preach in Bondi. Picture: Supplied

Fares Derbas is shaking up the Bondi Beach cafe scene.

A Greenacre local, who always dreamt of opening a business in sunny Bondi, or as he calls it “the most beautiful place on earth”, serves up Lebanese-inspired meals for a Bondi crowd, with vegan, gluten-free and meat options.

Fares Derbas at Preach cafe in Bondi. Picture: Supplied

When he opened the cafe more than four years ago, with business partner Ahmad Klink, some people didn’t think he could sustain a venue on what was then the less fashionable, more touristy end of Campbell Pde.

But now the insta-famous Preach Cafe in Bondi Beach has been voted, by the public, the eastern suburbs’ number one cafe as part of the Delicious Local cafe competition.

Preach cafe in Bondi has more than 18K followers on Instagram. Picture: Supplied

“I’m pretty stoked about winning,” an ecstatic Derbas said.

When you work hard towards something little things (like this) keep you motivated.”

Derbas said the last year has been pretty tough, with Bondi Beach wiped out by early COVID-19 cases and the lasting loss of tourists and international travel.

But he said this has forced him to focus on his local customers, who, working from home, are discovering Preach for the first time.

With 18.4k followers on Instagram, Derbas also said Sydneysiders are travelling some distance for a Preach coffee or meal they saw online.

Preach cafe in Bondi. Picture: Supplied

Starting his hospitality career in his 20s with a Frozen Yoghurt store, Derbas, now 34, went on to open the franchise Nutrition Station in Bondi Junction before launching Preach in 2016.

“We’re different. We don’t want to do the same old thing,” Derbas said.

You can’t be stale in Bondi ... Bondi beach is a tough market. There’s so much competition so you need to do something a bit different. Our menu is a bit diverse. We cater to everyone - gluten free, vegan, meat eaters - and with a Middle Eastern twist on most of our foods. It has made us stand out from the rest.”

We want to establish ourselves as a household name. We want people to think Bondi Beach and think Preach.”