Little Bear Pantry - in Neutral Bay, New South Wales, Australia

I just love their coffee and they have best sandwiches ever.Staff are very nice and friendly they always give positive vibes which makes you happy ! Definitely would recommend trying the food!

Good coffee. Getting a good coffee should be table stakes at any cafe in Sydney. Or at least you'd think so, right? But if you're a picky coffee drinker like me, then you know that's not the case. A little backstory for you. I moved into Neutral Bay about a year ago, and one of the first things I did was get a coffee at Little Bear Cafe. I went there simply because it was close to my office. This first coffee was excellent, so I made the mistake of thinking all coffee in Neutral Bay was good. First impressions count after all. But then I started venturing out to other cafes for a bit of variety, and I was surprised at how inconsistent the quality was. Not terrible - because you wouldn't be able to survive if you had terrible coffee - but inconsistent. Some days would be a good coffee, other days not so good. Milk was too hot. Milk was too cold. That kind of thing. I found myself coming back to Danny and the team at Little Bear Cafe, because I needed a consistently good coffee. LIfe’s too short for unreliable coffee my friends. But consistency doesn’t just apply to coffee. It also applies to things like… cleanliness. Next time you're at a cafe getting a coffee, watch how the barista cleans the bench and the machine. Notice if they use the same cloth to clean and wipe up spills on the bench as they do to wipe down the steaming wand. Or if they use gloves when preparing food, watch if they take money in the same hand they’ve put a glove on. If that's the case, then you know their standards of cleanliness are not high enough. None of those concerns at Little Bear Cafe. They are sticklers for cleanliness consistency as well. The summary so far: excellent coffee, excellent hygiene. Consistently delivered. But now we move onto their food, which sadly is not as consistent. Here I’m talking about the menu, and when it’s available. The menu items themselves are always very high quality, don’t get me wrong. But the menu changes regularly - which some people might like I guess (I don’t). And when it’s available also changes. At the moment, their full menu is only available on weekends. Two of my favourite offerings: the Katsu chicken burger, and their custom Bacon and Egg roll - are to die for. They are so good. For the Katsu Chicken burger they use succulent, juicy chicken, cooked fresh, on a beautiful burger with coleslaw, sauce, and fries. It's fantastic. I used to regularly get this during the week, but they've taken it off the weekly menu. You can only get it on weekends, which brings a tear to my eye. Likewise, the bacon and egg roll - I used to love getting one in the mornings - but that's only available on the weekend as well. And it's no ordinary bacon and egg roll. It has a special aioli, and the bun they use is excellent. To be fair, they do have a selection of pre-made rolls and food items available in the glass container, and they also have an impressive range of Butter Boy doughnuts and cakes if you’re interested in enjoying on a sugar coma in the afternoon. I try to avoid these, they're so good! That’s my only gripe. Don’t make me wait until the weekend. The struggle is real. I’m getting to end of this review now, but a few final items to mention. Consistency also applies to the quality of the staff. Danny, who runs and manages the cafe, is proactive about processes and politeness in his staff. They're well trained, and he takes pride in giving them extra training. One of the current staff has now been trained up as a barista, and whilst I was initially apprehensive about the consistency and quality of the coffee they might prepare, I'm happy to say my fears were unfounded. She prepares an excellent almond flat white for me every morning. One final comment: it's not the coffee quality alone. It's not the consistency alone. It's also the community. Over the past year, I've become friends with all the staff, more so than I have at any other cafe or food place in the past. There's never a dull moment nor a conversation topic that can't be discussed. Enjoy. Five stars from me.

Great coffee and friendly service. Always enjoy getting my coffee here in the morning!

Great spot, always an easy spot to grab a quick bite before (or during some-times). Coffee quality, staff always up for a chat whenever.

Our daily coffee, always great. Decent paninis and great pastries. Dedicated young staff who are always committed to giving a great service! Highly recommend

First spotted Little Bear Pantry when it was at the front of Big Bear SC as covid hit. Quickly settled in to the place - good coffee and good banter, the corner stone of any good coffee shop. Then Danny and crew got pushed in-side which looked grim at first, being out of sight, but quite the opposte is the case. A better atmosphere (no traffic noise, just the background buzz of a shopping centre) and plenty of seating. Top that off with an array of sweet treats and a smorgasbord of ready to go and made to order food and it is my daily go-to. Heres to the next five years.