Kana Sushi East Ryde & Fox and Bird Cafe

Visited East Ryde’s only local café and it’s such a hidden gem. Located right next to the bus stop and children’s play park, it’s super convenient with plenty of parking available. What makes this place stand out is the split menu between the café and Kana Sushi — the variety is huge. We ordered a mix from both menus and honestly loved everything. The smashed avocado toast was perfection (just look at those eggs!), and the ebi burger and donburi bowl were such unique finds — you rarely see these at cafés. The salmon sashimi was incredibly fresh and thick cut too. The absolute star of the meal was the katsu curry. Amazing value at under $20 for such a generous portion, and the flavour was super authentic. Their drinks are also worth a mention — the coffee and matcha paired perfectly with the food. Halfway through our visit, we even noticed the local MP stopping by for a Q&A session, which really shows how much of a community hub this place is. Definitely a hotspot for locals and well worth checking out.

Since they also sell sushi, I didn’t expect much from the café food, but the bacon and egg was surprisingly light and delicious. On top of that, it’s only $15 including coffee. Highly recommended!

A peaceful local cafe serving a very generous serving of Japanese katsu curry. The katsu was crispy and chicken was not dry at all. I really enjoyed the smoothies here especially the strawberry one. This place does takeaway sushi rolls and nigiri too.

After a local brunch place closed down and after a bit of hunting, this became a hidden local gem to get decent and reasonably priced brunch. Very quiet and relaxed however it feels in recent months there’s been a change in staff. Food quality and presentation has been more miss than hit, but the coffee is fantastic. I had issues ordering with the QR code outside and it was getting gusty, so moved to an indoor table. I managed to order after a few more tries and then picked up the complimentary water to sit down for a chat with my guest until the food arrived. I should note that staff had seen us come in and knew we were there. Mid conversation, a lady emerges from the kitchen area maybe 5-10 minutes later and asks “are you going to order food or not?” She had a very abrupt and accusatory tone which took me aback. I assured her we had ordered on the system and confirmed what was on it. In hindsight, I wish I had just cancelled the order and left after such a rude interaction. It spoilt the enjoyment of the meal and what was meant to be a relaxing start to the day. I haven’t been back in 4-6 weeks since this incident and have since found another place with great food without the attitude problem.

I gave them 5 stars before, now I’ve now downgraded it to 3 stars (1 star for the service) I’d like to share some feedback regarding my recent visit. After being seated, my partner and I used their online system to place our order. A few minutes later, a woman—who I believe was a member of the kitchen staff—came over to us. Without any greeting and with a poker face, she bluntly asked, “You guys ordered food or not?” When we told her we had already ordered online, she just walked away without saying another word. I was honestly shocked by her behavior—it was incredibly rude. We arrived around 1:30–2:00 PM, close to the cafe’s closing time, so perhaps the kitchen staff were frustrated with receiving more orders. But still, this is part of the job, and good customer service is one of the most important factors for a cafe’s success in a local community. Fox and Bird has always been one of my favorite local spots, but if I experience this kind of service again, I won’t be returning