'Bring it back to life': Former 'Sydney institution' Badde Manors cafe for sale
What’s next for Sydney’s famous Bohemian corner cafe that “changed the city forever”?
That is the question on everyone’s lips as inner-west Glebe’s former Badde Manors continues to attract queries after being listed for $2.9 million.
Set on one of the inner-west suburbs’ most prominent corners, the historic venue at 1/37 Glebe Point Road once possessed the cool factor as a go-to hangout for uni crowds.
Locals and University of NSW students spent their days sipping on coffee, smoking and eating vegetarian food, with their conveniently-located campus just 200 metres away.
In 1982, Badde Manors, then owned by Robert Sebes and his wife Judy Backhouse, opened its doors on New Year’s Eve following an “agonising” two-year fit-out, curating the unique eclectic aesthetic, using scavenged and recycled items.
An inner-west alternative scene was born, and the venue “became a Sydney institution”, according to a report about the cafe in the Sydney Morning Herald, declaring that “Badde Manors changed the city forever”.
“It was one of Sydney’s first vegetarian cafes and helped spark its coffee culture. It was a haven for all who frequented the place. A place of acceptance and diversity: a haunt for the up-and-coming and the-down-and-out,” it reads.
A former Badde Manors employee remembered the cafe fondly too, writing on an online forum: “Badde Manors was a diverse, inclusive space where you could bring your full self to work – any ethnicity, any gender, any sexuality, any class – at a time before that was cool or acceptable or a requirement of HR.”
Fast forward a lifetime, and then some, and the property is listed for sale via private treaty with Ray White Commercial (RWC) still boasting two crucial ingredients – excellent street visibility and high foot traffic on the city’s fringe with shops nearby.
Interested parties have pounced, keen on “bringing it back to life,” says agent Kristian Morris.
“A few parties are floating on the periphery, and we’re making some progress,” he adds.
“When you mention Badde Manors Cafe, everybody knows it.”
While capital investment and a dose of TLC are in order, the vacant site has value-add potential in a location made even better with excellent transport links, including Central Station.
Following its success under Sebes, the property reportedly changed hands in 2004, with another long stint by one family who’ve had it for the past 20 years.
More recent reviews described delicious food, friendly staff and a warm and welcoming atmosphere, where one could settle in and “watch the world go by”.
The fully-fitted-out cafe comes with a cute courtyard, dual street frontage, a mixed-use design with back-of-house storage, an office, and a residential space upstairs.
“On the first floor, residents will enjoy a thoughtfully-designed residential area that includes one self-contained one-bedroom apartment, a cosy studio apartment, and three well-appointed rooms with shared amenities,” the listing reads.
“This unique mixed-use asset captures the essence of community and opportunity in the heart of Glebe.”
The land, on the corner of eatery-rich Glebe Point Road and Francis Street, spans 225 square metres while the cafe area covers 314 square metres.
Glebe will always be a special place for Sydney’s tertiary students with the University of Technology, the University of Notre Dame and Ultimo TAFE also close by, and is home to mostly singles and renters aged 20 to 39.
But gentrification has also changed the suburb, which is filled with terrace row houses and heritage-listed Georgian villas, attracting those who can afford $3.5 million for a three-bedroom home.
The Glebe foreshore has been revitalised with a 2.5-kilometre waterfront path, now a favourite for walkers and cyclists seeking a scenic and convenient route into the Sydney CBD.
The property is for sale via private treaty with RWC.
