24 cafe rooms in Sydney we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Sydney | Cafe across every city.

Specialty coffee is one of Sydney's defining food cultures, with roasters and cafes clustered thickest through Surry Hills and the inner west. Single O and Reuben Hills in Surry Hills are touchstones for the city's third-wave coffee scene, while The Grounds of Alexandria turned the cafe visit into a destination in its own right. Newer rooms like Paramount Coffee Project keep the standard high across the inner city.

Single O Surry Hills ★ 4.8

Café · $

surry-hills · 60-64 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Sydney specialty coffee pioneer on Reservoir Street, Surry Hills. Single O has roasted since 2003; the milk-on-tap system and filter flights set the room.

Reuben Hills ★ 4.8

Café · $

surry-hills · 61 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

South American-leaning cafe and roastery on Albion Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. Regular booking for Sydney's brunch and specialty-coffee scene.

Paramount Coffee Project ★ 4.7

Café · $

surry-hills · 80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

PCP on Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, Sydney serves rotating roasters and a Pasi Petanen-trained breakfast menu inside the old Paramount Studios building.

The Grounds of Alexandria ★ 4.3

Café · $

alexandria · 7A/2 Huntley Street, Alexandria NSW 2015

Industrial-coffee compound on Huntley Street, Alexandria, Sydney. Roastery, garden cafe, brunch counter and a kids' farm; weekend queues from 9am.

Bourke Street Bakery Surry Hills ★ 4.7

Café · $

surry-hills · 633 Bourke Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

The original Bourke Street Bakery on Bourke Street, Surry Hills, Sydney since 2004. Sausage rolls, sourdough loaves and a takeaway counter daily.

Two Good Co Cafe ★ 4.6

Café · $

rosebery · 44 Mentmore Avenue, Rosebery NSW 2018

Social-enterprise cafe on Mentmore Avenue, Rosebery, Sydney. Strong specialty coffee, all-day breakfast and a regular crowd of local diners.

Edition Coffee Roasters ★ 4.7

Café · $

darlinghurst · 60 Riley Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Scandi-Japanese cafe and roaster on Riley Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney. Open kaiseki-style brunch, beans roasted on-site, sake and Scandinavian pastries.

Bills Bondi ★ 4.5

Café · $

bondi · 79 Hall Street, Bondi Beach NSW 2026

Beachside Bills on Hall Street, Bondi, Sydney. Ricotta hotcakes since 1993, all-day breakfast menu and consistent weekend queues on the deck.

Rocker ★ 4.5

Café · $

bondi · 115 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi NSW 2026

Coastal all-day cafe on Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi, Sydney from Three Blue Ducks' Darren Robertson. Single-origin coffee, beachside seating, brunch counter.

Brickfields ★ 4.6

Café · $

chippendale · 206 Cleveland Street, Chippendale NSW 2008

European bread bakery and cafe on Cleveland Street, Chippendale, Sydney since 2012. Regular booking for Sydney's brunch and specialty-coffee scene.

Cabrito Coffee Traders ★ 4.3

Café · $

cbd · Shop 5, 47-49 King Street, Sydney NSW 2000

CBD specialty cafe on King Street, Sydney. Rotating local and overseas roasters, breakfast bowls and a small counter for stand-and-drink commuters.

Haven Specialty Coffee ★ 4.5

Café · $

newtown · 287 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042

Newtown specialty coffee on King Street, Sydney. Daily roast rotation, simple toasted-sandwich menu, a steady commuter and student lineup before 9am.

Paper Bird ★ 4.4

Café · $

potts-point · Shop 2, 81 Macleay Street, Potts Point NSW 2011

Vietnamese-leaning cafe on Macleay Street, Potts Point, Sydney. Banh mi, Vietnamese coffee, walk-in friendly weeknights and weekend brunch counter.

The Paddington ★ 4.3

Café · $

paddington · 380 Oxford Street, Paddington NSW 2021

All-day pub-cafe-restaurant on Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney from Merivale. Sydney brunch and specialty-coffee staple with a consistent local crowd.

Toby's Estate Chippendale ★ 4.4

Café · $

chippendale · Building 12, 1 Central Avenue, Chippendale NSW 2008

Toby's Estate roastery and cafe at Central Park, Chippendale, Sydney. Single-origin filter coffee, espresso flight, walk-in friendly weeknights from open.

Cuckoo Callay ★ 4.1

Café · $

newtown · Newtown Station, Shop 7, 308 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042

Newtown station-platform cafe in a heritage 1908 ticket-hall on King Street, Sydney. Regular booking for Sydney's brunch and specialty-coffee scene.

Devon Cafe ★ 4.4

Café · $

surry-hills · 76 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Modern Asian-Aussie cafe on Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. Sydney brunch and specialty-coffee staple with a consistent local crowd.

Harry's Cafe de Wheels ★ 4.1

Café · $

woolloomooloo · Cowper Wharf Roadway, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011

Sydney's heritage pie cart on Cowper Wharf, Woolloomooloo. The Tiger pie (mash, peas, gravy) has been served from this Navy-yard caravan since 1938.

Lazybones Lounge ★ 4.1

Café · $

marrickville · 294-296 Marrickville Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

Inner-west cafe and supper club on Marrickville Road, Sydney. Daytime espresso, evening jazz and a small French-inflected menu that runs late on the weekend.

Porch and Parlour ★ 4.0

Café · $

bondi · 31 Wairoa Avenue, North Bondi NSW 2026

Bondi beach cafe on Wairoa Avenue, Sydney. Acai bowls, smoothie bowls, paleo plates and a sand-floor crowd of post-swim regulars. Daily 6:30am-3pm.

Two Chaps ★ 4.2

Café · $

marrickville · 122 Chapel Street, Marrickville NSW 2204

Modern vegetarian cafe on Chapel Street, Marrickville, Sydney. House pasta at lunch, brunch plates that lean seasonal Aussie veg, slow-roast specials.

Speedos Cafe ★ 4.0

Café · $

bondi · 126 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi NSW 2026

Surf-club-corner cafe on Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi, Sydney. Power breakfast and acai-bowl menu, perched directly over the sand at North Bondi.

Charmed by Redfern ★ 4.2

Café · $

redfern · 82 Redfern Street, Redfern NSW 2016

All-day brunch cafe and bar on Redfern Street, Sydney. Brunch classics, weekend specials, evening wine list; one of Redfern's quiet favourites.

Gelato Messina Darlinghurst ★ 4.5

Cafe · $$

darlinghurst · 241 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Late-night gelato counter on Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney. The salted caramel with white chocolate is the takeaway icon; closes 11pm.