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With photomontages of Bondi Beach scenes running down both sides of its high-ceilinged premises, Bondi Road ekes much mileage out of the surfer-dude theme. It’s fish and chips, Aussie style: breezy, sun-kissed, and booze-addled. The cramped restaurant with its high tables and stool-height seating gets loud and raucous on weekends, when affable Australian waitresses charge the narrow aisles like linebackers to distribute glasses containing cloth-napkin-rolled place settings and a paper menu you’re meant to fill out with a stubby pencil, like the SATs. The concept is simple and appealing. Pick a fish (Pacific varieties like Tasmanian sea bass, New Zealand “groper,” and the crowd-pleasing barramundi), pick a cooking method (grilled, breaded, or fried), and pick a side, $18 total. Of all the combinations we tried, beer-battered barramundi with skinny chips or fat “potato scallops” fared best. That might have been because of its affinity for the roster of Australian and New Zealand beers, from the familiar and delicious Coopers Sparkling Ale to more-obscure imports like James Boag’s Premium Lager and Bluetongue pilsner. — Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite

The chef will happily do a seafood tasting menu for larger parties.

Reservations
Reservations are only accepted for groups of six or more.

Salt-and-pepper squid, $9; fried barramundi and chips, $18; James Boag’s lager, $6; pavlova, $5

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

• Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite's Full Review (11/27/06)

Featured In

• New York's Best Cheap Eats 2007 (7/30/07)
• Restaurant Openings: Bondi Road and S'MAC (6/26/06)