Just Open: The Roots Next Door, North Sydney

One of North Sydney's coffee hot spots has branched into wining and dining.

The Roots Next Door has opened on the Pacific Highway end of Elizabeth Plaza, directly opposite The Roots Espresso. It offers white-marble benchtops, neon signage, a thumping hip hop soundtrack and killer cocktails.

The bar's owner, Brett Conway, snatched up the space next to his hole-in-wall coffee joint as soon as it came on the market last year.

"It's always been a dream to open a bar," Conway says. "We've been heavily coffee focused since the beginning with The Roots Espresso but we also love food and wine."

Next to a meat safe on the counter curing biltong, Yotam Ottolenghi's Jerusalem cookbook rubs spines with Dan Wilson's dude-foodie Huxtabook. Both have influenced a menu that features haloumi covered in honey, oregano, and pomegranate seeds ($14), fried cauliflower with tahini, parsley, and lemon ($14), and lamb shoulder with chimichurri, Israeli couscous, currants, almonds, and tzatziki ($26).

There's also the thick, meaty and cheesy "Yeezus burger" ($11) available to eat in or takeaway all day.

Quality cheese and charcuterie is available by the gram and there's plenty of Australian wine by the glass from a smart and compact list.

"We've tried to source wine that's really clean, easy drinking, and affordable," Conway says. "We've also spent time making sure all our wines are unique and not the kind of thing you can pick up at the major bottle shops."

Shop 8, 2 Elizabeth Plaza, North Sydney, Wednesday to Friday, midday-10pm, therootsnextdoor.com