Aussie diner is stunned after cafe breakfast at Piña costs him more than a plane ticket

An avid foodie was left stunned after breakfast with a friend at a cafe cost almost $150 – or the equivalent of a plane ticket to the Gold Coast.

Mark, who shares reviews of cafes on social media for his brand Breakfast Shirts, visited Piña in Potts Point, inner-city Sydney, along with his friend John on Saturday. 

He spent $47 after building his own breakfast with a $32 steak and egg plate, $6 avocado, $4.50 bacon and a $3 hash brown. 

The pair also ordered and shared the cafe’s popular $26 congee dish.

Their meals came to a total of $143.55, which also included three coffees and a weekend surcharge. 

The eye-watering bill is higher than a Jetstar flight from Sydney to the Gold Coast – with airfares starting at $132. 

‘I’m not ripping on anyone for pricing or anything. I’m just saying $47 each for this plate,’ Mark said in a TikTok video. 

‘Fifty bucks for breakfast, before coffee, crazy times man.’

Piña is a popular breakfast and lunch venue that attracts queues every day. 

Mark praised the cafe’s food and service despite the cost and having to wait 20 minutes for a table.  

‘Coffee was sensational, this congee is out of this world. Credit where credit due, this place f***ing slaps,’ he said. 

‘I love it when a place lives up to its reputation. That was f***ing awesome. Coffee was mint, (the) breakfast was one of the best I’ve had all year. 

‘That’s when I’m happy to drop $150 at breaky for two people. That’s more than fine when it’s that good.’ 

Social media users slammed the breakfast bill, with many agreeing that $47 for one plate was  ‘outrageous’. 

Others explained patrons were dining at a high-end cafe in an affluent suburb and urged Mark to visit brunch spots ‘out west’ for a cheaper meal. 

Meanwhile, some defended the prices, adding Piña had earned its reputation of being one of Sydney’s best breakfast spots. 

‘Pina is the best cafe in Sydney,’ one person wrote. 

‘You said it – lives up to the reputation. As a local who LOVES Piña, it slaps every. single. time,’ another commented. 

A third added: ‘Piña is Sydney’s best breakfast imo (in my opinion) and has earned the hype for sure’. 

Despite waiting 20 minutes for a table and paying $143.55 for breakfast for two people, Mark said it was worth it and he would definitely eat at PIÑA again 

In another video shared to Breakfast Shirts’ Instagram, Mark defended the cafe’s prices. 

‘People doing good food and good s**t should charge accordingly,’ Mark said. 

‘There should be a spectrum of what you spend on breakfast. Like shoes, you can buy $20 shoes or you can buy $200 shoes but as soon as you talk about expensive breakfast people get all defensive. 

‘Cafes gotta make money too. The place was packed… because they do good s**t. Cafes and business people should be rewarded for being good at business.

‘If you can charge because you are good and you offer something that is good and you make more money because of that, than fair play’. 

The self-confessed ‘excessive breakfast spender’ said he would not hesitate to spend $143 for breakfast at Piña again.  

‘Would I pay $143 again for two people? Yeah I would. It was mad. I had a mad morning with my mate.. had amazing food,’ Mark said. 

‘I’m an excessive breakfast spender. Yes it was expensive, but I back it and I’ll be back for sure.’

Mark also noted there were cheaper items on the menu and that his bill reflected his preferences when it comes to ordering breakfast.