Some breweries do amazing beers but ordinary food. Some restaurants serve great food, only to be let down by a generic beer list. Not many places nail both. But Frenchies Bistro and Brewery delivers an exquisite exception.
Located in the trendy industrial space of The Cannery in Rosebery, just 15 minutes drive from Sydney’s CBD, Frenchies offers diners and drinkers the best of both worlds with delicious French-inspired cuisine and stellar European and new world beers on tap.
It’s the passion project of two "Frenchies", brewer Vince de Soyres and chef Thomas Cauquil, who first met in hospitality school back home. Vince started making beer as an intern at one of Frances’ first craft breweries - the Ninkasi brewery in Lyon - while Thomas worked wonders in the kitchens of Michelin star restaurants.
After moving to Australia in 2011, Vince worked at The Little Brewing Company in Port Macquarie (later renamed Wicked Elf, which closed in 2023) while living in his van and surfing every other minute. Three years later, he reunited with Thomas at the Flat Rock Brew Café in North Sydney, conjuring up wild degustation nights with matching barrel-aged beers while hatching plans for their own venture.
In 2017, they launched their own little French revolution in Rosebery, pouring brews rarely made on these shores (think bières de garde and floral IPAs using French hops) and plating up fine French fare and degustation nights that put rivals’ food trucks to shame (no offence, food trucks, I still love you). Since then, Frenchies have grown in reputation and size, extending into The Cannery’s common area to create an almost German beer hall vibe.
In 2023 for their sixth birthday, they scored two huge new presents: opening a bakery and pâtisserie a few doors down; and installing a second brewery double the size of their first behind it. Brewers Sam "Macca" McDonough (from Philter and Shambles) and Garth Jones (Slow Lane) also joined the party full-time.
Helmed by their long-time pastry chef and fellow Frenchie, Celine Vendeville, the pâtisserie sells the bistro’s famous cakes, pasties and sourdough to the public, meaning you can grab a cheeky pie or pain au chocolat to go with your takeaway bières de garde.
“The bakery expansion started really organically,” Vince explains. “Celine’s been making incredible desserts and breads for our restaurant for four years and she was keen to open her own bakery so we were like, ‘Let’s do it together’.”
Behind the delicious displays of eclairs, galettes and tarts, the new brewhouse boasts five new tanks (including two horizontal ones for lagering), a filtration plant and 225 metres of piping connecting both breweries. Most importantly, it ups their total capacity from 12,500L to 38,000L, allowing Frenchies to expand their output and take on more contract brewing.
The expansion coincides with a subtle yet important strategic shift for Frenchies; nothing too drastic - more tweaks to the winning formula than rewriting it completely.
On the beer front, it means refreshing their long-running special release series - the Pretty Please IPA range and The Cool Kids collabs with Hopsters - with colourful new can art and marketing to promote it better and differentiate it from the elegant white tins of their Euro-inspired core range. They’ve also launched an Aperitivo premium spritz which blends 25 (!) spices, fruits and botanicals, with more flavours in the works at time of writing.
The bistro received a bit of a remix too. While the menu still focuses on great local produce and French cooking flare (with an Aussie twist), there’s now also more casual, contemporary options too, with share plates and nightly specials (house-made pasta, steaks and an epic cheeseburger) replacing the more formal degustation dishes of the past.
“It’s all like the same skills, the same attention to detail, the same quality product,” Vince says, “but instead of being presented in a three or five course menu, it's just a little more casual and still very good value for money.”
They've also made a name hosting some of Sydney's best beer events, from their huge Oktoberfeast and Fresh Hop Harvest Festival to the Brewer's Got Talent competition, which sees homebrewers set up stalls and pour for the public in the hope of taking out top honours and making their beer commercially with Vince.
Fine food, beautiful brews and awesome events - it makes their home a must-visit for any self-respecting beer lover heading to Sydney. Bon appetit!
Jason Treuen
