The 65 best cafés in Sydney right now

Sydney has a growing list of once-neglected heritage buildings that have been transformed into trendy eateries. Parramatta North's Havenstone is the latest addition to this list, set in a lovingly restored sandstone building from 1888. Today, this historic building and its sunny surroundings create a peaceful backdrop for all-day breakfast and lunch. The best bit? Your four-legged friends are welcome to come, too.

Haberfield is one of most proudly Italian suburbs in Sydney. And into this staunchly Italian scene bursts Happyfield, a bright yellow corner café slinging Canadian-style pancakes and Five Senses coffee. Co-owners Jesse Orleans (a native Canuck) and Chris Theodosi met while working at the Grounds of Alexandria where they hatched their plans for a proper, North American-style diner dedicated to pancakes and breakfast burgers. And here it is. Come hungry.

Christopher Thé took some time to contemplate his next move after leaving the award-winning Black Star Pastry – which he founded in 2008 – back in 2019. After massive success, including creating the world’s most Instagrammed cake, Thé retreated to his roots and found that he was at his happiest when cooking honest, joy-sparking food with a small team to a local community. That’s when his latest venture, a gorgeous café and cake shop called Hearthe was born. Found on Douglas Street in leafy, sleepy Stanmore, the sunny Art Deco-style space showcases local and native Aussie ingredients throughout Thé’s seasonal and spectacular menu.

So many things about Valentinas are surprising. Like its location, on a suburban stretch of Livingstone Road. You don't expect to find such a perfectly realised vision of mythological American dining in among the Federation homes. It’s also surprising that so many people want to get their hands on the crumbly, short, cathead biscuits with a heart attack’s worth of whipped maple butter and blueberry jam that even at 11am on a weekday there’s not a spare chair to be had and people milling on the footpath. The menu also features bronzed hunks of fried chicken sandwiched between golden biscuits and gravy with fries. And a breakfast sandwich packed with a juicy, rustic sausage patty, melted cheese and a fried egg served on an English muffin. There’s nothing on the menu here that Elvis himself wouldn’t consider a rounded start to the day, which is also to say that there is nothing here for Buddha bowl enthusiasts. And we love it.

Bondi is a natural fit for Blackwood’s second outpost, seamlessly fitting in with the suburb’s laid-back coastal charm. You’ll find the casual diner on a sun-kissed corner at the buzzing Seven Ways hubs on Glenayr Avenue. Here, you’ll see Bondi’s breakfast crowd bonding over blueberry and ricotta hotcakes; truffle chilli scrambled eggs; corn and zucchini fritters; or Blackwood’s can’t-take-off-the-menu Morning Glory egg, chorizo and kale spectacular.

Life’s good at Good Ways Deli. Found on Redfern’s Cooper Street, the sunny corner shop has been slinging fresh sambos, retro treats, good coffee and nostalgic drinks since it first opened back in 2021. The team bakes sourdough ciabatta using organic flour each morning, all pastries are made in house, and sandwiches are made fresh to order. Must try: Good Ways Deli’s famous kangaroo mortadella sanga which is loaded with Whole Beast Butchery kangaroo mortadella, LP’s Quality Meats salami cotto, ham, provolone cheese, pickles, white onion, iceberg lettuce and a special sauce. Be sure to keep room for a treat.  

Our fair city's poster children for pickles and ferments keep it light and fresh on an ever-changing menu that celebrates the seasons with elegant simplicity. If a humble plate of summer's best tomatoes, figs, berries and baby burrata soused in cherry gazpacho doesn't get things off on the right foot, then what else possibly could?

“A Portuguese oasis in Petersham,” is what Jose Silva and wife Basia wanted to create with their corner-eatery Lunas, named after the couple’s daughter. And we’d say they’ve pretty much nailed it. The all-day café serves classic breakfasts with Portuguese flavours – think hotcakes with a Portuguese tart custard, cinnamon, raspberries and vanilla ice cream; and chorizo scrambled eggs with onion, sobrasada (cured sausage), chives, coriander, and gordal olives. Take a seat in the courtyard which overlooks the verdant garden, lush with herbs, citrus, fig and pomegranate trees.

Rolling Penny might come off as easy-going on the surface, but this is the kind of place where a bacon and egg roll means smoky speck, a free-range poachie, aioli, mixed leaves and housemade tomato relish on a Brickfields milk bun. And that is exactly why we love it.

How the hyper-efficient staff manage in what some would call a world-record-setting shortage of space remains a mystery, but they get the breakfast essentials really right, time and again. And they've got a fiercely loyal contingent of Potts Point locals to prove it.  

Legendary Melbourne coffee roaster Padre Coffee has made the move to the bright side, opening up its first ever Sydney concept store in Paddington’s Five Ways. Not sure what a concept store is? Basically, the new Padre Coffee space is a heaven for coffee lovers, with an espresso bar, self-serve taps for hot filter and cold brew, a retail section so you can shop Padre’s signature espresso blends and home-brewing equipment, and a whole section dedicated to learning and training – all under the one roof. Coffee geeks, drink your heart out.

Bacon and egg rolls are a dime a dozen in Sydney, but frequent flyers in the café breakfast game get very good at picking up the little differences that make the ordinary extraordinary – and a lot of it comes down to condiments. Sure, tomato or barbecue are your entry-level offerings, and Soulmate, a sleek, modern café on a sunny corner in Newtown’s backstreets, has them on the appropriately labeled ‘basic BAE roll’. But then, there’s the Soulmate BAE roll, which spices things up with sambal and then cools it off with a herb mayo between the soft leaves of a potato bun. If condiments don’t impress you much, there’s also the option to supersize your roll with a hash brown, extra bacon, a second egg or avocado.

Possibly the decade's most mystery-shrouded bakery, All Purpose Bakery aka A.P. Bakery has found its permanent home atop Surry Hills' Paramount House Hotel. The licensed all–weather rooftop terrace serves up a selection of fancy pastries that change daily, banging brekkies, pizzas and breads made from ancient and artisanal grains, plus croissants stuffed to the brim with LP's Quality Meats ham with gruyere cheese. Come early to (try) and beat the crowds.

What do you get when you combine two award-winning chefs, fresh produce the colour of the rainbow, some of Sydney’s best pastries and a sweet little spot in Rosebery? Enter, Salma’s Canteen, the new venture by Michael Rantissi of Kepos Street Kitchen and Andy Bowdy of Saga. As well as salads, expect pastries, cakes and treats by Bowdy, including a salted honey tart; yuzu cheesecake; savoury puff pastry tarts topped with seasonal vegetables; and passionfruit and fennel seed palmiers. Plus, a deli-section with loaded sangas and dips. There's a handful of indoor and outdoor seats, and if you’re on the go, you can order takeaway.

Opened at the start of 2023 by the team behind next door's Butterboy and nearby Rollers Bakehouse, Norma’s Deli is named after owner James Sideris' grandmother. The all-day bakery, café, diner and grocer is found at a sprawling site that sits just below the Corso. Longtime Manly and Northern Beaches locals will know the space well – for years it was usually a discount or less-than-average souvenir shop. So to see the area snapped up by good hands is like a breath of fresh, salty, gorgeous air. Come for a cracking pork souvlaki; house-made goods like moussaka; freshly baked sourdough and Single O coffee.

Oh Boy is the dreamy café found at Sydney's beloved harbourside pool – the Andrew Boy Charlton, and it's now got a fresh look, a load of new offerings and bottomless brunch. Oh boy, indeed. We say come swim some laps, and settle in for a great brekkie coupled with cracking views afterwards.

Pillar is one of the only cafés in the Inner West that pours cult-followed boutique roaster Skittle Lane for their house-batch brews. They share the spotlight with a revolving catalogue of reserve filters from guest micro-roasters across Australia. Think big names like Market Lane and Stitch Coffee, alongside Melbourne roasters Bredda Coffee, Newav Coffee and Path.

Paramount is always pumping, and it's no mystery why. Not only is it housed in one of the city's sexiest Art Deco buildlings, in one of its buzziest neighbourhoods, but the team also has the food, coffee, design and service brief down to a science. On the menu, there's a bit of Japan, a tad of Korea, a hint of L.A. and a nod to the American South – and that's exactly what makes it the kind of Sydney café we can't get enough of.

Daniel Blackman is the OG founder of one of Sydney’s best cafés, Potts Point’s Room Ten. Now, along with partner Faye Montalban, he’s opened up another spot in Darlinghurst called Kaska, with a focus on house-made ingredients and local produce. Brunch, anyone? Come for generous servings, hearty flavours, and fresh, seasonal produce. Oh, and the  ‘best ploughman's in town’, with smoked leg ham, cheddar cheese, jammy egg, house-made pickles and sourdough.

The finger bun of childhood memories has been given a makeover at Humble, the cult bakery and café on Holt Street, Surry Hills. Humble is from the all-star team behind Porteño, Wyno X Bodega and Bastardo, which all happen to be found on the same drag (if this was a game of Monopoly, the Porteño group would be making it rain). It's not all about the humble finger bun, however, as you can get your hands on seriously good sandwiches, treats and coffee here. And if you're lucky, you may even nab a seat outside to enjoy them.

How lucky are we that one of the best bakeries in town doubles as one of the best cafés? Grab a window seat and gorge yourself on all the ace pastries, from croissants and dazzling Persian love cakes to addictive cheddar and chilli scones. Or, live large and conquer the almighty bacon or broccoli sangas. If carb loading is on the itinerary, make this your very first stop. There's also one in Marrickville.

Bondi has got a new kid in town, and it’s exactly the sort of place you’ll want to stroll to in swimmers, post-dip. Glory Days is found at the newly restored Bondi Pavilion (and is neighbours to Promenade Bondi Beach) overlooking the glorious famed stretch of sand. You can spot the café a mile away, thanks to chocolate and vanilla umbrellas – the colours reminiscent of Paddle Pops enjoyed in the sun. Come for breakfast classics, and an all-day lunch menu with dishes the colour of the rainbow. Waiters sport white T-shirts with the phrase ‘Every day vacay’ on the front, and we gotta say, sitting here at Glory Days, we kinda agree.

This Surry Hills stayer slays it across the board, so expect a queue that's every bit as long at peak hour as it was back when they unlocked the doors in 2012. But, know that the coffee (roasted upstairs) and Central and South American accented all-day eats (think chilaquiles and huevos divorciados) are absolutely worth it. Bonus points for the immaculate industrial fitout.

Bill Granger's scrambled eggs, ricotta hotcakes and corn fritters are pretty much the Holy Trinity of Sydney Breakfast. They're the dishes that spurred the global obsession with how we like to eat in the AM, and they're still just so darn good, every time, even after all these years. The Darlinghurst and Surry Hills outlets are no less outstanding, but the fact that you can walk up to the Bondi branch fresh from a swim with sand between your toes is clutch.

Make friends with Ken and come to this cracking European-style deli and café slinging hearty brunches, delicious sandwiches on freshly baked baguettes, cured meats and cheeses and pastries. Basically, it’s exactly the sort of food you want to munch on while people-watching in Rushcutters Bay.

White Rabbit is a café that has proved so popular that it’s made like a bunny and procreated in Drummoyne, Double Bay and, now, Marrickville. Yet while White Rabbit has become a little chain of sorts, there's nothing cookie-cutter about these family-owned cafés (except for their delicious monster dark chocolate and sea salt cookies) – each spot caters to its local community and vibe. The Marrickville outpost serves up a delicious parmesan- and herb-crusted chicken sanga with brown butter aioli, cabbage, fennel slaw and pickles on sourdough. They also have an on-site bakery shop serving up Sonoma bread and great pastries for you to take home.

One Another is the neighbourhood café that every suburb longs for. Everything on the shapeshifting all-day breakfast menu is well priced, and seasonal produce at peak freshness is always a guarantee. In autumn, that might mean an elegant spin on fruit toast with tender cubes of spiced apple, ricotta and rosemary. Come spring, asparagus appears alongside perfectly poached eggs, crisp potatoes and rich miso butter. The Sample coffee is on point, as are the irresistible housemade pastries. Good morning, indeed.

The striking, dramatic and very pared-back Scandi-Japanese aesthetic here is impressive enough, but then out comes that signature soufflé pancake: whipped to within an inch of its life, risen high in the oven like a phoenix and finished with toppings that range from mango, peach and cream cheese to sencha cream, rhubarb and elderflower. The dish has a 20-minute wait time, but boy is that time well spent.

You're here for the Ottoman eggs, are you? You and everybody else. It's a day starter that's achieved cult status in this breakfast-loving town like so few dishes can, and it proudly puts Parramatta on the map as a breakfast destination. Not a fan of creamy labne layered with fried eggplant, brown butter, crisp sage, crunchy leeks and poached eggs? Fret not. It's all killer, no filler – and that includes the coffee, roasted in-house. It's no wonder Circa Espresso was People's Choice Award Winner in the Time Out Food & Drink Awards 2022 and 2023.

This Surry Hills institution made big waves in 2019, with a slick refurb, the installation of a self-service batch brew bar and a serious menu update that reads like a glossary of native Australian ingredients, executed with restaurant-level technicality. If this is the future of Australian breakfast, things are looking bright.

It's far cry from a carbon copy of its older OG Alexandria mega-café sibling, but it's every bit as intricately detailed, taking inspiration from grand Parisian brasseries and the clubby interiors of glamorous vintage train carriages. What's happening on the table in front of you is no less enticing, be it a coffee tasting board or a lunch of lobster brandade on toast.

Sydney's never-ending love affair with ramen reaches all-time highs at this Newtown café-cum-motorcycle-repair-shop, where breakfast ramen is the order of the day. It’s a beautiful big bowl of rich, fatty buttered-toast-infused bone broth with bacon, tomato and an egg. Should you sleep in, there are three ramens to choose from at lunch (including a wicked vegetarian option), as well as dynamite katsu burgers. 

This Canberra import has made a name for itself sourcing and roasting some of the tippity top coffee in the country, and its minimal, miniscule Marrickville outlet is a caffeine fiend's paradise. There are separate menus of blends and single origins for black and white coffees and a pricey reserve list for filters, so don't hold back and nerd out hard – the staff know it all back to front and are more than happy to guide your journey. 

The crew at Barrel One Coffee Roasters have finally burst their Northern Beaches bubble and opened a café south of the bridge. Loyal fans will be pleased to know that Potts Point is following suit of its siblings with deli-style sandwiches and bagels that give the Big Apple a run for its money. The pastrami bagel (by Brooklyn Boy) still reigns supreme and goes down well with a batch brew featuring Barrel One’s single origin of the day.

Getting your mitts on quality coffee in the CBD still isn't as easy as it should be, but thanks to one of Melbourne's great specialty roasters, we've now got one more address to pin if we're on the hunt for a pick-me-up. And while you're in this oh-so-very Melbourne white-on-white coffee clinic, be sure to admire the baristas at work on the beauty of the La Marzocco Modbar system.

Ever wondered if there was somewhere out there you could find a croissant made with activated charcoal dough, piped with crème patissière and raspberry gel, dipped in caramelised white chocolate? Well, head to Manly and wonder no more. 

There are hundreds of excellent places to get a cup of joe in Sydney. And a hundred more ace wine bars. But we’re hard-pressed to think of a venue where you can get a cup of specialty coffee and pastry in the morning, only to return in the evening for food from an award-winning restaurant, paired with French drops. And saké. It may sound like it won’t work, but it does – Kahii is a sleek Japanese-inspired café and kissaten (tearoom) by day, and a sexy wine bar at night. And, they roast their own beans, resulting in a smooth, complex, and fruity cup of coffee.

It doesn't get much more Inner West than this laid-back Marrickville haunt behind a roller door on Chapel Street, with plenty of exposed brick, communal tables, mismatched furniture and an entirely vegetarian menu. House-baked sourdough is a great place to start, but the made-from-scratch ethos is alive and well on each and every plate.

Nothing wakes you up quite like a croissant smothered with bright green pandan custard and a trad Thai iced tea with condensed milk, which is exactly why you should get the day going with a real bang at this East-meets-West café in a jampacked Southeast Asian grocer from the brains behind the Chat Thai empire.

You will be tempted to raid the entire counter at all-star baker Nadine Ingram's Woolloomooloo HQ, piled high with lemon drizzles, canelés, meringues and all manner of baked goodness. But by no means does that mean you should skip the epic spanakopita, flaky pies or sausage rolls.

Nostalgia is alive and well at this Marrickville showstopper that references the look and feel of old-school milk bars and arthouse cinemas. The food side of the equation, meanwhile, takes a creative, globetrotting approach with options like Persian rice pilaf and pork cassoulet, while tricked-up sides (popcorn chicken, falafel) and housemade desserts sweeten the deal.

Fans of sweet breakfast should flock to Meet Gerard for the yoghurt panna cotta, which is widely considered a must-try, served with honeyed puffed rice, housemade granola and fresh fruit. Avo toast gets an upgrade here as well, courtesy of pickled chilli, yuzu, sesame seeds, feta and coriander. Bullseye.

Harry's has proudly served the residents of Bondi since 1997, which is a medal-worthy achievement in its own right. So, too, are the famous Crispy Rolled Egg, spiced with black lentils and smoked paprika (with chorizo on the side FTW), and the house-cured pastrami salmon. 

The wood oven is the shining star at this Annandale bakery, café and general store, churning out loaves of sourdough, rye with malt molasses and caraway, and so-called gluten-free 'Life-changing Bread'. Order a Ploughman's Plate and soak in all that rustic, artisanal charm. 

It's home to the mi goreng toastie that nearly broke the internet and that is pretty much all you need to know. It will all make sense after one bite of the tangled mass of instant noodles soaked in spicy mayo and sandwiched between two slices of white bread, made extra rich by melted cheddar and a fried egg.

You will have to combat Disneyland-like wait times, prams larger than a Smart car and squadrons of Instagrammers for a spot at this Alexandria theme park of a café, but there's nothing else quite like it. 

If you want a lesson in how to shakshuka, hit up this long-lived modern Middle Eastern favourite in Redfern. Be warned: a visit might also make you crave falafel for breakfast for the rest of your days.

Craving a little slice of NYC in the CBD? Wedge yourself right between the teensy tables built into the bench outside of Regiment, order a bagel and a cared-for filter coffee and watch the world go by.

These coffee titans supply beans to dozens of quality establishments across town, but a pilgrimage to the Alexandria HQ is a must for any caffeine worshipper. Thankfully, the food is no afterthought either. 

When Four Ate Five opened in 2010, we gave it our first ever five-star café review. The interior's more streamlined, the menu slightly more Middle Eastern, but snagging a table is still a competitive sport.

Your morning coffee and toastie go the extra mile at Two Good Co Café. Housed within Darlinghurst’s Yirranma Place, this social enterprise café provides employment opportunities for vulnerable women, while serving wholesome menus curated by Sydney’s top celebrity chefs. You can eat well and feel good with freshly baked treats, toasties and seasonal salads from guest chefs like Matt Moran, Kylie Kwong and Neil Perry.

Erskineville's best café kicks major goals, not only for a punny name, but also for consistently cheery service, ace coffee and food that is far more accomplished than you'd expect from a kitchen with a few hot plates and one chef.

When we last went in to Three Blue Ducks Rosebery, the summer breakfast menu featured fancy takes on some breakfast staples – things like smashed avocado, preserved lemon and whipped ricotta bruschetta; and baked eggs with roasted tomato and onion sauce, chickpeas, Persian fetta, fermented chilli and sumac yoghurt – but also innovative breakfasts such as the king prawn and sambal scrambled eggs with sourdough, beansprout and herb salad and nuoc cham. Mouth watering yet?

The pork hash is what gets the people talking at this bright little neighbourhood favourite, tucked away on the suburban backstreets of Ashfield. 

Proper New York-style bagels are few and far between in the Land Down Under, but Lox Stock and Barrel boils 'em daily and gets 'em right, as well as the lox and pastrami that accompany them.

Of course there's a café tucked in a warehouse beneath the approach to the Harbour Bridge. Of course it doubles as a cycle repair shop. And, of course, the coffee is excellent. But note: it's not open on weekends.

The classic shakshuka at this North Bondi café and bakery is the hands-down standout, but there are green and vegan variations on the theme as well. If it's been a real big night, a bowl of hummus with slow-cooked lamb will sort you right out. 

We seem to be in an ongoing love affair with all things Italian, so why should breakfast be an exception? Enter Barbetta with its dashing good looks, cannoli and biscotti and a Carbonara Australiana scramble, complete with hearty cracks of black pepper, bacon and sharp pecorino.

Weekend brunch at this buzzing beachside hangout is peak Bondi, but that shouldn't stop you from joining the shaggy surfers and the Lululemon set, and ordering the green pea pancake and a golden gut turmeric latté. 

Small, simple and much-loved by Lane Cove locals, with very fair prices to boot, Birdwood proves that sometimes less really is more. 

Lasting more than a decade in the Eastern Suburbs is no easy feat, but Ruby's has, and once you enjoy a breezy brekky alfresco here, you'll totally understand why. 

Antoine Moscovitz serves some seriously elegant breakfasts on Saturdays and Sundays inside this beautifully restored heritage buildilng on the Glebe foreshore. Be your best self, make an entrance and get dropped off in a water limo.

Unlike their candy counterpart, Skittle Lane’s interiors stick to a more muted palette of blonde wood, black marble coffee bar and high, white ceilings. It's all very Nordic and elegant. But it ain’t just about Instagram-worthy interiors – these guys are dishing out full-bodied brews. Two large steely silver La Marzocco coffee machines pump out espressi, which are the exact right way to kick start your morning: rich, gentle and very well made. CBD workers know this, so there's a small line snaking out into the adjacent lobby. If you're after a big breakfast, go elsewhere, but they do whip up things on (and in between) toasted sourdough bread. Also try some breakfast dessert – the brioche bun with mascarpone is a perfect Fri-yay morning treat. There are also Skittle Lane cafés in Bondi Beach and Manly.

Coffeeroom Coogee isn’t about long, languorous Sunday brunches – but it has delicious Tuga pastries, sizzling paninis and single origin coffee. The sister of the Eastern Suburb’s bougiest public laundromat, Washroom, Coffeeroom opened its doors during the wintery depths of the pandemic, but despite all odds, they’ve managed to pull through. With very limited space and seating, this hidden treasure works best as a stop-off on the way to work or a weekend walk along the coast.

You’ll find Sub-Station in the food- and drink-friendly pocket of Alexandria that counts Cipro, Bread and Circus and Campos among its prized tenants. You could go the easy route and order the bacon and egg roll fancied up with avocado, spinach and tomato, but where’s the adventure in that? Especially when a quick flip of the menu will reward you with a goat cheese sandwich that will change the way you see cheese sarnies forever. This one sports generous daubs of rich, creamy Meredith Dairy goat’s cheese, sweet roasted pumpkin, grilled ribbons of zucchini and spinach.