Sydney has a great cafe culture but it is one of those ones where you need to be in-the-know. Some suburbs will seem like they have never heard of the cafe while others are simply pumping with them and pumping out some great coffee while they are at it.
There are definitely a few ‘not to be missed’ Sydney favourites so let us give you the low down on our top 5.
Bourke Street Bakery
This little Surry Hills treasure has become something of a Sydney institution since it opened its doors in 2004. Everything you see here is lovingly made by hand. It is more of a coffee, bread and pastries place than a sit down brekky place so bear that in mind. There is a selection of meal type options such as pies and quiches if you want something more than a croissant.
Forget getting a seat unless you get lucky. There really aren’t that many and the locals have got nabbing them down to a fine art. Oh and be prepared to wait. There could be a bit of a line snaking out the door and down street but that just shows you how good it really is.
The trouble with the term cafe is that it is such a loose description of a venue. You have no idea what to expect. For some places it means breakfast only; others have food throughout the day; and some don’t really do food at all except cakes. I think to be classed as a cafe you must be able to eat one meal there in the day – so lunch or breakfast. If it only does dinner, it’s a restaurant.
Cafe Sydney is one of those ‘is it a cafe or not’ places. It is super swanky with a view to die for and screams more restaurant to me than cafe. BUT I did ask around a number of long term Sydneysiders when I was compiling this list and everyone insisted Cafe Sydney should be included. So here it is. You won’t be disappointed if you go there, just be prepared to be having an “eating out” experience as opposed to a coffee and cake one. This cafe is particularly handy if you are staying in a nearby hotel such as the Shangri-La Sydney.
Pull up a pew with the latte swilling set. This is the place to be seen when it comes to brunch. The bills story is actually a pretty good one.In short he is a self taught cook and had opened his first bills (this one) by 22. Not bad.
When you walk in you will see a great big communal table in the centre of the room. You can get in and dine with everyone else or grab a table on your own. This is a popular venue so there might be some waiting. A great choice for a rainy day as it doesn’t really do outside seating and then you won’t mind. It is a touch more expensive than your average cafe down the road but the quality is so good it won’t bother you.
The Bathers’ Pavilion is very popular due to the divine location and delightful food. It doesn’t take bookings so you won’t ever miss out. Just rock up and be prepared to wait and if you get in quickly then it’s a bonus for you.
Located right on Balmoral Beach the view is absolutely smashing. The Cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and again is a little more expensive than your average run of the mill cafe but it’s worth it. There is nothing average about this place.
This one is a firm favourite with the Bondi set. Run by a brother/sister team they have got the combo just right: fresh local produce served with a nice laid back groovy vibe to suit the beachside suburb. Anyone like me who thinks it is too damn hard to get a decent poached egg in this world needs to come here. Those babies are poached with perfection. And to top it all off the pricing is brilliant.
