Mid-Range in Sydney

Single O ★ 4.8

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

Sydney specialty pioneer on Reservoir Street, Surry Hills. Single O has roasted at this site since 2003; the solar-powered roastery now sits in Botany.

Young Henrys ★ 4.8

newtown · 76 Wilford Street, Newtown NSW 2042

Newtown craft brewery on Wilford Street, Sydney. The Newtowner pale ale is the menu signature; street-art tank room and a year-round food-truck rotation.

Izakaya Gaku ★ 4.8

five-dock · 175 First Avenue, Five Dock NSW 2046

Izakaya Gaku in Sydney: japanese sushi room. Five Dock omakase-style izakaya from a Tetsuya alumnus. 12 seats, sake list deep enough for a third.

Tip: Bookings open four weeks ahead; ask for the bar counter to watch the line.

Edition Coffee Roasters Haymarket ★ 4.8

haymarket · 6 Steam Mill Lane, Haymarket NSW 2000

Japanese-Scandinavian brunch and roastery on Steam Mill Lane, Haymarket, Sydney. Soufflé pancakes, udon with bacon dashi, single-origin pour-overs.

Mamak ★ 4.7

haymarket · 15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket NSW 2000

Late-night Malaysian on Goulburn Street, Haymarket, Sydney. Roti canai, satay and char kway teow; open daily 11:30am-2am Friday and Saturday.

Tip: No bookings; the queue outside is part of the ritual Walk-ins usually OK.

Bills Darlinghurst ★ 4.7

darlinghurst · 433 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Bill Granger's original Bills on Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney since 1993. The ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter went global from this counter.

Tip: Walk-ins only; arrive before 9am to skip the weekend wait Walk-ins usually OK.

Reuben Hills ★ 4.7

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

South American-focused roaster on Albion Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. Russell Beard's team roasts on-site behind the cafe; single-origin only across drinks.

Sample Coffee ★ 4.7

st-peters · 118 Edgeware Road, St Peters NSW 2044

Specialty roaster on Edgeware Road, St Peters, Sydney. Transparent pricing tag on every bag; seasonal single origins from East Africa and Central America.

Wayward Brewing Co ★ 4.7

camperdown · 1/4 Gehrig Lane, Camperdown NSW 2050

Camperdown brewery and beer hall on Gehrig Lane, Sydney. 24 rotating taps including the Charmer India red ale and the Keller Instinct Kellerbier.

Pepito's ★ 4.7

marrickville · 276 Illawarra Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

Pepito's is tucked into a side-street terrace on marrickville road, the rockabilly peruvian taberna runs nightly live music and pisco-driven cocktails.

Tip: No bookings; the Friday-night live-music slot is the busiest.

Sippenham ★ 4.7

sydenham · 282 Unwins Bridge Road, Sydenham NSW 2044

Sippenham is sydenham wine bar in a converted shopfront on burrows road. 30 seats, ex-ester somms running the floor, blink-and-miss-it from the train station.

Tip: Bookings open three weeks ahead; the Tuesday-night chef collaborations are the sleeper hit.

Bills Darlinghurst ★ 4.7

darlinghurst · 433 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Bill Granger's original Bills on Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney since 1993. All-day brunch menu, weekend queues, specialty-coffee program.

Single O Surry Hills ★ 4.7

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

Specialty coffee anchor on Reservoir Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. Coffee flights, simple breakfast bowls, the city's longest-running specialty espresso bar.

10 William Street ★ 4.6

paddington · 10 William Street, Paddington NSW 2021

Italian-leaning wine bar on William Street, Paddington, Sydney. Antipasti, daily pasta, the city's first natural-wine bar by-the-glass list since 2010.

Tip: Limited bar stools; arrive early or settle for the bench seats outside.

Mecca Coffee ★ 4.6

alexandria · Building 6, 85 Dunning Avenue, Alexandria NSW 2015

Specialty roaster at the Cannery in Alexandria, Sydney. Paul Geshos's roastery has supplied Sydney's specialty cafes since 2007; tasting flights at the bar.

Modus Operandi ★ 4.6

mona-vale · 14 Harkeith Street, Mona Vale NSW 2103

Northern beaches craft brewery on Harkeith Street, Mona Vale, Sydney. Awarded GABS multiple times; the Former Tenant red IPA is the brewery signature.

Saigon Things ★ 4.6

strathfield · 28/45-47 The Boulevarde, Strathfield NSW 2135

Saigon Things is strathfield vietnamese cafe with a tight pho-and-banh-mi menu and a vietnamese iced coffee that the inner-east doesn't yet know about.

Tip: Order the iced coffee and the special pho; ask for extra herbs.

Ester Bar ★ 4.6

chippendale · 46-52 Meagher Street, Chippendale NSW 2008

Ester Bar is the walk-in stand-up bar inside ester on meagher street, chippendale, sydney. same wood-fired snacks as the dining room, no booking required.

Tip: Sit at the bar after 9pm; the natural wine list is the same as the dining room.

Devon Cafe Barangaroo ★ 4.6

barangaroo · Shop 19, 200 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo NSW 2000

Modern Asian-Aussie brunch cafe on Barangaroo Avenue, Sydney. Korean fried chicken bao, Devon Benedict and matcha pancakes; harbour terrace seating.

Reuben Hills ★ 4.6

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

Latin American brunch and roastery on Albion Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. The Colombian arepa, huevos rancheros and single-origin filter coffee.

Bella Brutta ★ 4.5

newtown · 135 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042

Sicilian-leaning pizza on King Street, Newtown, Sydney. Long fermented dough, tinned-fish toppings, a list of negronis and aperitivos. Open Tue-Sun.

Coffee Alchemy ★ 4.5

marrickville · 24 Addison Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

Marrickville roaster on Addison Road, Sydney. The Roastworks crew sources direct-trade from East Africa; the AeroPress brew bar is the technical demonstrator.

Akasha Brewing Company ★ 4.5

five-dock · 5 Lord Street, Five Dock NSW 2046

Five Dock craft brewery on Lord Street, Sydney. Hop-driven IPAs, regular GABS awards, a chilled taproom in the inner west. Open Thu-Sun from noon.

Mamak ★ 4.5

haymarket · 15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket NSW 2000

Late-night roti canai counter on Goulburn Street, Haymarket, Sydney. Open daily till 2am Friday and Saturday, 1am other nights; cash and card.

Ho Jiak Haymarket Late ★ 4.5

haymarket · Shop 6, 87-93 Hay Street, Haymarket NSW 2000

Late-night Malaysian on Hay Street, Haymarket, Sydney. Char kway teow, nasi lemak and curry laksa till 1am Friday and Saturday, 11pm earlier nights.

Gelato Messina Darlinghurst ★ 4.5

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.

Ramblin' Rascal Tavern ★ 4.5

cbd · 60 Park Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Late-night cocktail dive on Park Street, Sydney CBD. Hot dogs at midnight, espresso martinis, the city's loudest sound system at 1am. Tue-Sat 5pm-3am.

Metro Brew'in ★ 4.5

marrickville · Suite 04/76A Edinburgh Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

Metro Brewin in a Marrickville warehouse is the hip-hop diner with housemade baguettes, steak frites and beignets under murals of Drake and J Cole.

Tip: Order the steak frites and a beignet to finish; the music is loud.

Bistecca ★ 4.5

cbd · 3 Dalley Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Bistecca is florentine-style steak house hidden under glasshouse on spring street, sydney cbd. bistecca alla fiorentina by the kilo, no menu posted online.

Tip: Bookings open one month ahead; ask for the Florentine carved tableside.

Brickfields ★ 4.5

chippendale · 206 Cleveland Street, Chippendale NSW 2008

European bakery and cafe on Cleveland Street, Chippendale, Sydney. Sourdough loaves at the counter, weekend queues from open and savoury baked goods.

Chaco Bar ★ 4.4

potts-point · 186 Victoria Street, Potts Point NSW 2011

Yakitori counter on Victoria Street, Potts Point, Sydney. Chicken skewers cooked over binchotan, ramen at lunch, sake and Japanese whisky list.

Ho Jiak Haymarket ★ 4.4

haymarket · Shop 6, 87-93 Hay Street, Haymarket NSW 2000

Junda Khoo's Malaysian flagship in Haymarket, Sydney. Nasi lemak, char kway teow and curry laksa on the menu; the Strathfield original opened in 2017.

Chat Thai Haymarket ★ 4.4

haymarket · Shop 1, 20 Campbell Street, Haymarket NSW 2000

Amy Chanta's flagship Thai room on Campbell Street, Haymarket, Sydney. Boat noodles, Bangkok-style street snacks and the Thai dessert counter at the front.

Olympic Meats ★ 4.4

marrickville · 176 Marrickville Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

No-frills Greek grill on Marrickville Road, Sydney. Walk-in only, BYO, nothing over A$21 on the menu, and a long queue of locals from 5pm every night.

Kepos Street Kitchen ★ 4.4

redfern · 96 Kepos Street, Redfern NSW 2016

Modern Middle Eastern cafe on Kepos Street, Redfern, Sydney. Chef Michael Rantissi's shakshuka for breakfast, mezze plates and lamb shawarma at dinner.

Tip: Daytime walk-ins, evening bookings; the Friday set menu is a sleeper hit.

Toby's Estate ★ 4.4

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

Toby Smith's roaster on 1 Central Avenue, Chippendale, Sydney. Single-origin espresso, filter brew counter, the founding Sydney specialty-coffee roaster.

Ona Coffee Marrickville ★ 4.4

marrickville · 168 Marrickville Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

Canberra-born Ona Coffee in Marrickville, Sydney. World barista champion Sasa Sestic's roasting house; competition-grade espresso and filter at the counter.

4 Pines Brewing Company ★ 4.4

manly · 29-43 East Esplanade, Manly NSW 2095

Brewpub opposite Manly Wharf on East Esplanade, Sydney. The 2008 northern-beaches original, four Sydney venues, on-site brewing and a wood-fired pizza menu.

Philter Brewing ★ 4.4

marrickville · 5/12 Sydenham Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

Marrickville taproom on Sydenham Road, Sydney. Easy-drinking sessionable craft beers and a 24-tap card with seasonal limited releases. Open Wed-Sun.

Frankie's Pizza by the Slice ★ 4.4

cbd · 50 Hunter Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Sub-street rock-and-roll bar on Hunter Street, Sydney CBD. Live bands nightly, pizza by the slice, the city's most reliable 2am venue. Open Wed-Sun.