bambini espresso, sydney
Calima Coffee. 299 Elizabeth St, Sydney. Just back from Elizabeth St at the south end of Hyde Park, this place is only open on weekdays, 6:30am-4:30pm. There’s outdoor seating for 12, and indoor seating (along the window) for another 4, where you can sit and read some [...]
gusto cafe, penshurst
Toby’s estate coffee. 23 The Strand, Penshurst. New kid on the block, this place raises the bar of coffee at Penshurst. Clean, contrasting red and black on a wooden floor, this place has a modern feel.
Staff are chatty, there are two cooks working away in the kitchen; [...]
george st cafe, burwood
Mokador Coffee. 26 George St, Burwood. near the train station, this is a cafe with a big sandwich bar, and a good range of breakfast options from the bay marie, and the staff are helpful, and suggest options.
The decaf comes pre-ground in a translucent container, and [...]
mission cafe
Genovese coffee. 3 Little Queen St, Chippendale. In the middle of an obscure side street, a trip inside is a breath of fresh air: sculptures and paintings on the walls, a complete contrast in style to the alley outside. Though there’s not much natural light, the lighting manages [...]
two brothers cafe, milsons point
Paul Bassett coffee. 55 Lavender St, Milsons Point. A truly beautiful spot for a cafe - on a still day, you can sit outside, and look at Sydney harbour. The interior of the cafe doesn’t disappoint either: the indoor space is split between a modern [...]
bar bellaccino, Circular Quay.
Crema D’oro coffee. Next to the Marriott hotel, near Circular Quay. Unusually for the city, there’s a queue to order coffee here. Though the staff know all the regulars, none of them talk to each other: it’s strictly get the coffee and run. There are a [...]
cafe omelette, surry hills
Bun Coffee (roasted in Byron Bay). Shop 1, 99 Devonshire Street Surry Hills. Just a short walk from Central station, this little place proves popular with local office workers and hipsters alike. With a broad range of fresh, tasty-looking food that’s ready to take away, this [...]
buzz espresso bar, cronulla
Campos coffee. Shop 6/28 The Kingsway, Cronulla. As you can tell from the photo, it’s pretty cramped here - one group of customers have a stroller with them, and so it’s a little tricky to move through to get a seat. Once seated, you will realise [...]
Oh, what a Bite! North Sydney - West St
Caffe Di Gabriel Coffee. West St, North Sydney. This is a renovated sandwich bar where nothing is as you’d expect. The staff are friendlier, the food fresher, and the coffee is better.
I’ve never heard someone in a cafe say “bless you” [...]
Epi d’or, Kirribilli.
Toby’s estate coffee. Shop 11, bligh st, kirribilli. A short walk from milson’s point station, this tasteful, hole-in-the-wall shop sells a range of breads, freshly ground-to-order coffee, and a variety of french food.
Coffee is well made: a bit hot and delicate at first, but the more you [...]
Velluto nero café, sydney
Velluto nero coffee. 259 clarence st, sydney. Rated just yesterday by the smh’s good living section as the best coffee in sydney (though it was an odd set of places, to be sure), I couldn’t resist having a look at this place. The outside is nothing [...]
On the grind café, north sydney
Karmee coffee. 50 Berry st, north sydney. Next door to a pub, in the lobby of an office building, this glass-walled space is well lit, and staffed with a friendly barista. A small menu with some classic items, and plenty of space to pause [...]
Grab & fly, christchurch international airport.
Surprisingly, once you prepare to board, there’s the opportunity for fresh food and even for passable coffee. They even accept australian currency, though they give NZ change.
Coffee is good: well above airport standards: you can taste the coffee above the weight of the milk. [...]
Cityside café, christchurch international airport
Picco premium coffee. A spot for weary travellers to gather and grab some standard airport fare: pastries, the ubiquitous ham-and-cheese-croissants, and some toasted paninis, salads, or yoghurt cups. Food is not incredibly fresh, but it’s not too bad for an airport lounge.
Coffee is not too [...]
c1 espresso, christchurch
C1 coffee. High st, christchurch. Themed after an old cinema, with a range of trendy, bohemian types, there is a rich scent of coffee throughout the inside of the place.
Coffee is good: there’s a thick head of foam at the top to keep the heat in, and [...]
Home espresso, north sydney
Jack Hanna espresso, Di Lorenzo decaf. 107 Mount St North sydney. A brand new café in north sydney: using the special blend made by Jack Hanna, 2007 latte art champion, these guys are serious about their coffee. With brown and neutrals as a colour scheme, and [...]
Café fix, sutherland
Mokador coffee. Corner of flora st and merton st, sutherland. On a recommendation from a friend, we turned up back here again: eating nooks galore, and a broad menu with a couple of off-beaten-track menu options.
Coffee is okay. Neither hitting the high notes nor the low, it’s [...]
Dolce espresso, oatley
Schibello coffee. 18 letitia st, oatley. The first thing that strikes you as you enter this indoor/outdoor café is how narrow the building is: so much seating, and a sense of luxury and space is created in a building that is an odd shape. Staff are unintrusive, [...]
Tidz across the park, oatley
Tidz coffee blend. 2/12 oatley pde, oatley. Wooden floor and furnture, seating about 30 between indoors and out. A range of soft drinks, including some organics, are in the fridge, and though I coukdn’t see a menu, there are certainly cakes and gelato.
Coffee is quite [...]
brasserie bread, banksmeadow
Allpress coffee. 1737 botany rd banksmeadow. It’s a long walk past the bread counter, all the way to the espresso bench in this bakery / café. Seating almost 50 in a modern, refurbished warehouse space, there’s a window into the bakery proper where a superb array [...]