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Best Cafés in Sydney (2026)

Sydney has a strong café culture, and breakfast and brunch are treated as serious meals. Specialty coffee is easy to find, and Single O on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills is a good place to start, with its own roasted beans and seasonal single origins. Nearby, Bourke Street Bakery has been baking pies, sausage rolls and ginger brûlée tarts since 2004, and bills on Crown Street serves the relaxed all-day menu that made the late Bill Granger famous.

For a weekend brunch in a garden setting, The Grounds of Alexandria is one of the city's most popular destinations, though queues can be long, so arrive early. Those with a sweet tooth should visit Black Star Pastry on King Street in Newtown for its Strawberry Watermelon Cake, or Gelato Messina on Victoria Street in Darlinghurst, which stays open late every night. Most Sydney cafés open early and close by mid-afternoon, so plan coffee and breakfast for the morning. Weekday visits are calmer than weekends at the busiest spots, and takeaway is a quick option when tables are full.

6 places · Updated October 24, 2026

Our top 3 cafés in Sydney

  1. The Grounds of Alexandria Garden café, AlexandriaA café, garden and bar complex in a former industrial site in Alexandria, popular for weekend breakfasts among planted courtyards and seasonal displays.
  2. Single O Surry Hills Specialty coffee café, Surry HillsThe original café of Sydney specialty roaster Single O, on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills, serving its own coffee alongside breakfast and lunch.
  3. Bourke Street Bakery Surry Hills Bakery café, Surry HillsThe original Bourke Street Bakery, opened in Surry Hills in 2004 and known for its sourdough, pies, sausage rolls and ginger brûlée tarts.