bills Darlinghurst — My First Time, One Wrong Suburb, and Pancakes That Made It Worth It

There was a period where I saw these pancakes everywhere on my feed (and I’m quite chronically online) and every time there was a “best brunch” video, Bill’s will be at the top of the list. It’s also one of these places that just have so much lore. I don’t know how confirmed this is but apparently Oprah has dined here and rated the pancakes. We were going to a popup that one of our friends were running in Darlinghurst (shouting to the Findery!) and when bills was suggested, oh boi I was excited.

What followed was a small adventure before the fluffy pancakes were even placed on the table. 🤪

Oops wrong place…

bills has multiple locations in Sydney — Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Bondi, andddd I did not know this. All I knew was that I had it saved on google maps and I just clicked directions and followed the route. Got there first, and saw a small line, no worries I’ll line up for a table. I literally just got a table for us and was walking in when I got a message that I was in the wrong suburb/bills. 😅

I also learnt that public transport between the two locations was pretty bad. It would either be a 20 minute walk or a 20 minute bus. And knowing buses, I’ll take the walk.

But is waiting worth it?

My friends arrived at bills Darlinghurst just after 11am on a Saturday, it was full with a short line outside. By the time I got there at 11:30, we were the second in line and we waited for another 5-10 minutes. However we were just chatting and the time flew by really fast.

The vibeeee

Walking in felt like being welcomed into someone’s home — if that someone had extremely good taste for minimalist decor and a love for marble tables. It’s small and bright, with lots of natural light coming through the windows, perfect for brunch photos. Even though they were so busy, the place has a unhurried energy to it, staff were friendly and genuinely not in a rush to turn the table over. We ended up sitting there for almost two hours and nobody blinked.

Food Time!!

Ricotta hotcakes — $32.50

Okay imagine the japanese souffle pancakes but also have a decent bite, the best description I can come up with is like pillows compared to clouds. It comes with butter, maybe syrup and caramelised banana but we also ordered some extra strawberries on the side. Definitely had a moment trying to capture the syrup pour, my tip is to use the live mode. All of us ordered these and split between two.

Corn fritters — $29.50 This was recommended by our server, and it did not disappoint. I left liking this more than the pancakes, every bite was filled with corn rather than having a lot of batter, the edges were crispy but it still had a solid chew. The contrast between the crunch of the fritter and the creaminess of the avo is so good.

The Verdict

bills Darlinghurst earns its reputation, it’s simple food done exceptionally well. What makes this place special is also the service where we never felt rushed, where sitting there for two hours with friends on a Saturday was perfectly acceptable for a brunch.

The only thing is that it is quiteeee expensive. We were hungry but I think if you get a drink, one dish between two can be filling enough, we just wanted to try more this time.