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The vibe
Purveyors of excellent specialty coffee and good times, Single O has been a pioneer of Sydney’s café scene since it opened with a bang in 2003. Found on a cool, industrial-style corner space on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills, this place pumps with both Sydneysiders and tourists from morning until it closes at 3pm. Sustainability has been at the heart of Single O since its inception, with the team committed to sourcing ethically and environmentally responsible beans. They also have a solar-powered roastery in Botany, co-created an innovative milk-on-tap system that swapped plastic milk bottles with 10L bladders – creating an 80 per cent reduction in plastic wares – and their current mission is to halve carbon emissions by 2026 and achieve Net Zero by 2030. How good’s that?
The food
Single O has an all-day menu, which is great news if you’ve had a big one and still feel like eggs and bacon at noon – just a note that the kitchen closes at 2.15pm. Expect jazzed-up café fare featuring Aussie ingredients and Asian flavours, like their take on eggs Benedict with smoked pork, yuzu hollandaise, cucumber, mint, coriander, pickled apple and chilli oil. Or try the crisp corn fritters, which come topped with romesco sauce, avo, guindilla and a coriander vinaigrette.
Lunch-wise, the mothership bowl – featuring brown rice, egg, pickled cauli, kraut, edamame, roasted mushroom, chard and a macadamia saltbush crumb – is a serious health hit. Our lemon pepperberry chicken toastie with olives and confit garlic came with a tonne of melted halloumi and mozzarella. But the olives tasted like the ones you get at Pizza Hut, and it needed more seasoning. Next time, we’re going for the tom yum salad with crisp rice, charred oyster and shimeji mushrooms, carrot, cucumber, heirloom tomatoes and a peanut crumb instead.
The drinks
Single-origin espressos, pour overs, cold brews – you name it – Single O has got it, and its coffee remains some of the very best you can sip in this town. Whether you’re after a long black made with their Reservoir house blend that has a vibrant acidity, or a filter made with ethically sourced Ethiopia Aricha beans, featuring notes of apricot, berries and guava, you’ll find your perfect brew here. Single O also has its own self-service batch brew bar, offering a choice of four single-origin coffees from a tap at the touch of a button.
Want something else? The non-coffee options include fruit juices, teas, sodas and a couple of 18+ offerings, such as ‘whatever beer we have’, a mimosa and the Filthy Mary – Single O's riff on a Bloody Mary made with filter coffee, vodka, tomato juice, lemon and a salt and pepperberry rim.
Time Out tip
Coffee fiend? Single O has daily coffee flights, including the filter flight, which comes with a taste of three of their feature origins from their taps. It’s a great way to find out what your jam is.
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