It’s hard to imagine Curl Curl without Emelia’s.
The little vegetarian restaurant has been a fixture on Griffin Road for over four decades, but now Emelia’s is facing the end of its time at its long-standing location. The landlord has chosen to reclaim the building, and with no lease currently in place, the restaurant has been given short notice to vacate.
“It’s always really hard when you don’t have a huge amount of time to move a restaurant and a whole business,” owner Damien told Northern Beaches Living.
The news has come as a shock to Damien, who has operated the restaurant for the past seven years. Having worked at Emelia’s before taking over ownership from Eliza Maloney and Matt Walsh, Damien has continued the cosy restaurant’s legacy of offering comforting, hearty veggie-forward meals.
Emelia’s is known for its crowd-pleasing lentil burgers, vegetable lasagna, curries, nachos and wraps. Image: Emelia’s Facebook page.
Over the decades, Emelia’s has built a loyal customer base and a reputation as one of Sydney’s longest-running vegetarian eateries. Its casual, welcoming cafe-style atmosphere has earned it a cherished place in the community.
“The Northern Beaches are so expensive, and the rents here don’t make it feasible,” Damien said about the possibility of relocating the restaurant to another commercial premises.
With another location off the table due to rising commercial rents, Damien is now exploring the idea of launching a food truck version of Emelia’s. He aims to remain in Curl Curl, but that presents its own challenges. Food truck spots in the area are currently fully allocated, and securing approval from the local council will require both persistence and public support.
The fabulous Nomad Creperie and coffee vans currently serve from the car park along Curl Curl Parade beachfront. Image: Nomad Creperie.
“I really want the food truck to go through, but there currently aren’t any food truck spots available in Curl Curl,” Damien shares. “There are a few spots elsewhere, but I can’t take Emelia’s out of Curl Curl, it’s been there so long.”
“I’ll have to put a petition into to Council now to see if they can add another spot in the carpark in Curl Curl for Emelia’s Food Truck.”
Damien has been granted a lease extension until December, giving him a few more months to gather community backing and wind down the restaurant. During this time, he plans to begin a petition to demonstrate support for allowing a food truck version of Emelia’s to operate locally.
We’ll continue to keep you updated with Emelia’s and what’s happening with Damien’s council application. Fingers crossed, we can find a way to keep this Curl Curl institution serving our community for another 45 years.
Emelia’s Vegetarian restaurant
45 Griffin Road, Curl Curl
