If someone were to pose the question, “What do Colonel Sanders, Frank Sinatra, and Prince Harry have in common?”, you’d no doubt be baffled – and with good reason. If they were to further ask, “What’s the link between Brooke Shields, Arthur Beetson, and Sir Richard Branson?”, you may assume that they’ve firmly lost the plot.

But these disparate celebrities share a link to local streets that is undeniable – all have, at some point at least, been patrons of the legendary “pie cart”, Harry’s Café de Wheels, on the foreshore of Woolloomooloo, between the Finger Wharf and Garden Island, celebrating an incredible 90-year anniversary this year of the first incarnation of the business.

Long before the hipsters of the world hit on the idea of food trucks and easy van-based culinary offerings, Harry’s was an old-school Sydney favourite – a paragon of pie-based fare that fed generations of Sydneysiders.

From rough and tumble dock workers to gangsters of many and varied descriptions, to Navy personnel from Garden Island, to hungry nightclubbers on a big night out, and many others, Harry’s has been a Sydney institution since 1936.

First opened by enterprising Sydneysider Harry Edwards way back in those tough inter-war years, “Harry’s”, as it was originally known, quickly became a favourite of local workers and residents alike. In those pre-internet days, news spread by word-of-mouth about its tasty offerings and the then-nondescript cart became embedded as a Sydney icon.

When WWII erupted, the business went into hiatus when Harry enlisted and, like many Aussie men of his generation, saw action in the battlefields of the Middle East, where he earned the nickname of “The Tiger.” Returning to Sydney in 1945, he reignited the business and made the telling introduction of what to this day stands as the signature dish – a pie laden with mushy peas, mashed potato and gravy – aka “The Tiger.”

When the local council gave Harry grief about having a “permanent” premises on the site, the ever-intrepid Harry came up with a plan to thwart the inspectors, adding wheels to his cart and moving it 12 inches each day so as to render it a “mobile” (and not-permanent) establishment. Thus, “Harry’s Café de Wheels” was born, with the bonus of lending a sophisticated European sensibility to its moniker.

And since those early days, it has attracted a colourful clientele of notable Sydneysiders and visiting overseas luminaries. In a case of perhaps “What’s all the fuss about Aussie pies?”, it became a magnet for the rich and famous, an egalitarian space where even the most wealthy or notable still had to perch by the roadside with fork in hand, savouring the fare on offer.

Still to this day offering variations of “The Tiger”, alongside a wider selection of tasty treats, on a sunny midweek day in 2026, it’s fascinating to imagine all those who’ve passed by this iconic site.

Think of it – imagine the legendary Arthur Beetson shooting the breeze with Frank Sinatra whilst tucking into a meat pie with mushy peas? Can you visualise Olivia Newton-John in conversation with Pamela Anderson over a veggie Tiger? The mind does indeed boggle. Yet beyond all the legends and famous names, to this day the appeal remains much more down-to-earth; honest fare, warmly served, and the enduring simple pleasure of a good old-fashioned Aussie pie.

Harry’s Café de Wheels info:

https://www.harryscafedewheels.com.au/

By Adam Gibson 

Photo by Adam Gibson