Less than six months after opening a second Kosta’s Takeaway in Circular Quay, boss Benji Terkalas is back on the blower with news of a third: “We just took over a place in Rosebery that also used to be called Kosta’s Takeaway – it’s so fucking weird, bro!”

Yep, that is weird. But what’s even weirder is that the new shop – now the group’s flagship – sits right next door to an auto shop, just like the Rockdale OG.

“We always knew we’d outgrow [Rockdale]. We’ve been looking for a HQ, ideally it was going to be a warehouse. But when we went past this, it’s such a mad area. The name was just a bit too close to home so we went for it.”

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The blue-hued new site, which opened Wednesday last week near The Cannery on Dunning Avenue, is easily the biggest Kosta’s yet: “There’s no hole in this one,” says Terkalas, who is stoked to have proper dine-in space for the first time. “We’ve even got plates!”

More space means more room to cook (“a range hood!”), so the team has added smashed beef burgers – supplied by Marrickville’s Whole Beast Butchery – to the line-up. Terkalas says the Rosebery HQ will also act as a prep kitchen for the other two shops:

“We’ve been gypsies for the last six months. Half the staff in the CQ store room, half in Rockdale. And I think my dad is about to kick me out of Rockdale as well so we needed to make some room. He’s had enough.”

The site’s bigger kitchen also comes with huge talent to match. Head chef Ed Lipowicz (ex-Hello Auntie) is joined by pastry chef Emi Echizenya (ex-Lilymu), with Zach Livingstone (ex-Gildas) moving up to group chef and Ester’s Jono Fisher providing creative direction.

The icing on the proverbial cake is a swag of new “Vietnamese bakery-style” items, including fluffy cheese and bacon rolls, plus classic custard tarts and apple crumble served in tin foil. You can also snag a bolognaise sausage roll, and a tribute to Kosta’s roots in the form of custard-piped doughnuts riffing on galaktoboureko, Greece’s custard-y filo dessert.

The old Kosta’s on Dunning Avenue was where a tradie could get a banh mi, a large cappuccino and a tart all under one roof. Aside from a room refresh designed by Sean Tran, the new Kosta’s hasn’t changed much. Get a killer sandwich, a cap courtesy of South Sydney’s White Horse Coffee and a treat like you’d find at a classic Vietnamese train station bakery.

Kosta’s Takeaway Rosebery
38 Dunning Avenue Rosebery

Hours:
Mon to Fri: 6am–3pm
Sat: 7am–3pm

kostastakeaway.com