Urban espresso lounge, coffs harbour
Rio coffee. The red furniture calls out from the street, hinting that the place shows promise. A narrow range of well-executed menu options. Breakfast is served until 11:30. Seating outside is shielded from the sun by umbrellas.
The coffee is fresh, with a thick milk, and [...]
Two good eggs, surry hills
Campos coffee. 2/148 goulburn st, Surry Hills (enter via Brisbane St). I read about this place in delicious magazine, and had to check it out. The food looks extraordinarily good, and with its open plan kitchen, you can see everything being made as you wait [...]
Toby’s estate, woolloomoolloo
Toby’s estate coffee. 129 Cathedral st, Woolloomoolloo. This was the café where toby himself sold me my current coffee machine, many years ago. It’s also the place where I took a couple of espresso courses - I’ve even used their machine when learning how to make an [...]
Le monde café, surry hills
Allpress coffee. 83 foveaux st, surry hills. Cheerful french style accordion music is regularly drowned out by the sound of beans being ground, and coffee being made.
The aesthetic is dark wood, even lining the walls up to the high ceilings, and though the lighting is [...]
Downing centre café, sydney
Caffe di stefano organic coffee. Corner elizabeth and liverpool sts, sydney. Near the courts, lots of glass bricks., soft music. Has the sense of a waiting room: people either drop in, and immediately depart, or stay, with no clear aim in mind.
Coffee is not great; there’s [...]
Grumpy baker, waverton
Allpress coffee. A combination of bakery, gourmet food shop and café, this friendly place even has a space in the back for kids to play.
The music - classic hits - is a little loud for ambience, but it distracts nicely from the sound of traffic. Wide range [...]
Croquembouche patisserie, botany
Numero uno coffee. 1635 Botany rd, botany. An unlikely location for a patisserie with na obvious commitment to high quality food, and where the coffee comes highly recommended. The glass walls work impressively to keep the noise out: the outside tables suffer from the noise of traffic.
Coffee [...]
Think café, milsons point.
Primo coffee. I’ve often walked past this galley-style cafe: kitchen down one wall, seating down the other side. There’s art on the walls, and classical music playing (though the noise of coffee-making drowns it out some of the time).
Coffee is very hot, and though it starts [...]
Chatz corner, hurstville
Caffe migliore coffee. Next to a tiny park: more like a patch of grass, really, is this hurstville institution. Salad bar, snacks, sandwiches, and coffee, and a place to sit outdoors - a rare treat in this town. Staff are enthusiastic and happy, though they don’t [...]
TJ’s coffee house, penshurst
Piazza d’oro coffee. A little hole in the wall, with a broad coffee menu and a number of food choices. A few small tables and chairs outside, where you can get some fresh air, and watch for your train.
Coffee is dispapointing: a few technical errors, and [...]
Boxa bar, hurstville
Schibello coffee. Concrete floor inside, pavers outside with a few extra seats: a pleasant spot for a coffee, if you can get past the widescreen tv on the wall that is always broadcasting sport. A big food menu, though breakfast doesn’t start until
Coffee takes a while, the [...]
Town hall café, sydney
Toby’s estate coffee. Corner kent & druitt st, sydney. Adjacent to the library, this is a place where office workers grab a cup on their way to their desks, either in this building, or in the surrounding area.
There’s lots of natural light for eating in, thanks [...]
Size matters, wynyard
Merlo coffee. Corner of kent st and erskine st. Their claim to fame is a unique approach to sandwiches: you can buy them in different sizes, which works well for them at lunchtime, I’m told. A visit at breakfast sees a more mainstream style menu.
Coffee is, sadly, [...]
Café bolle, neutral bay
Danes coffee. 10-17 young st, neutral bay. A reader mentioned that this place was the original and the best, so I’ve dutifully wandered up to have a look. Inside it’s pretty spartan - somewhere between a café and a takeaway food shop for furniture. Plenty of [...]
Atomic espresso, neutral bay
Toby’s estate coffee. Shop 3, 148 Wycombe rd, Neutral Bay. A little hole in the wall affair with a galley kitchen in the back, but decorated in true style. Rows of patterned canvases line one wall, and there’s enough light to make the space seem welcoming.
Coffee [...]
Espresso @ westpac, wynyard
Espresso di manfredi coffee. Clarence st, sydney. In a giant atrium, dozens of westpac staff stop here to grab their morning caffeine hit. There’s some limited seating, awesome natural light, thanks to the floor to high-ceiling glass, and a general buzz of activity.
Coffee takes a while [...]
Little italy, cronulla
Ducale coffee. Family-friendly pizza restaurant / café overlooking the water (from across the park). A woodfire pizza oven in the corner provides aromas, and a mix of patrons provide the soundscape of this licenced pizza restaurant that stops short of having tablecloths.
Coffee - no decaf on offer [...]
Sidetracked cart, circular quay
Schibello coffee. George st, sydney. Just a cart against the wall of an office building, but there’s usually a queue of people out front, so I thought I’d investigate further. A lifelike toy dog sleeps on a mat in the space where coffees are delivered, and [...]
Jetblack coffee lounge, Cremorne
Danes coffee, 1/271 Military rd, Cremorne. A lot fits into a small space here - there’s tea and coffee on sale, along with a range of bodum and t2 products, coffee courses coming up, and wireless internet for $4 per hour (or $10 for 3 hours).
As [...]
Pastizzi café, newtown
Numero uno coffee. 523 King St, Newtown. Wooden furniture, lots of natural light, and an impressively friendly owner combine to make a place that’s a pleasure to visit. Specializing in pastizzi, this café usually has options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Coffee is good too: separate grinder for [...]