Although Sydney’s dining scene might have continued to evolve since we reintroduced the Essential Cafe and Bakery guide last year, some things have remained the same: it’s difficult to get a bad meal in this city, at any price point. Just check out the 100 Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2026.
From Cabramatta to Castle Hill and the city, these are the newcomers drawing crowds, setting trends and reimagining the classics. There are cafes using bubble guns to garnish cold brews, brekkie muffins remixed with soft pandesal rolls, banana ketchup or lemongrass, and pourover brews so smooth and full of flavour they could change how you think about coffee.
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On weekends, long queues form outside Christiana Daaboul’s first bricks-and-mortar bakery in Stanmore, lured by beautiful Instagram photos of Earl Grey black sesame sponge cake, shokupan fairy bread, pistachio banoffee pie and tiramisu.
The small, light-filled space on Stafford Road sells around 15 different slices, cakes, buns and breads, along with coffee and specialty drinks such as an iced creme brulee matcha, and a tahini caramel Mont Blanc.
Good to know: Outside, there are enough wood benches and stools to seat about 15 people.
2A Stafford Street, Stanmore, instagram.com/ardsydney
Adhika
Aileen Aguirre and Francis Dela Cruz are known for showcasing flavours from their homeland, launching Darlinghurst’s Takam in 2023 with inventive Filipino-inspired brunches before reworking it into a dinner-focused spot. Adhika is a win for anyone who missed how they channelled the Philippines into Sydney’s breakfast scene.
There’s an Iced Milo latte, caramelised crumpets and the headlining hamon bulakenya, a mighty remix of a bacon and egg roll served on soft pandesal bread from Doonside’s Starlight Bakery.
Good to know: The drinks are worth your attention too, such as the leche flan latte which smartly repurposes Takam’s creme caramel leftovers.
59 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay, instagram.com/adhika.syd
Cafe Lewi
It took three years for fine-dining chefs John and Leva Laureti to transform a suburban corner store into the elegant cafe of their dreams. People wander in from the street, lured by a counter display of desserts – none so beautiful as the miniature marjolaine, frosted with the flourish of a vintage wedding cake.
The brunch menu convinces them to stay, making the tough call between salmon confit on a crunchy potato base with whipped avo, or the abundantly yolky, teriyaki breakfast bun. This one was worth the wait.
Good to know: Dinner service has started on Wednesday and Friday nights, the former dedicated to steak frites.
8A Victoria Street, Lewisham, cafelewi.com.au
Ca Phe Mai
From banh mi filled with bacon and soft steamed egg, to brekkie muffins served with lemongrass pork sausage patties, Ca Phe Mai combines Vietnamese flavours with Australian cafe favourites to create a menu unlike anywhere else in Sydney.
The ca phe muoi (Single O espresso sweetened with condensed milk and thick, salted coconut cream) is dangerously good with a thick slice of toasted banana bread, spread with Vietnamese coffee butter, but chicken broth dishes like pho ga and laksa are the real must-tries, made with a 40-year-old secret family recipe.
Good to know: This is a day-to-night venue, transforming into a wine bar after dark.
377 New South Head Road (enter via Kiaora Lane), Double Bay, caphemai.com.au
Jinius
Jinius is a one-two culinary punch delivered by Yeongjin Park (the baker-savant who co-founded Tenacious Bakehouse) and Jerry Jeong (a fine-dining chef fresh from six years at Quay). Their cafe, built into a rock escarpment, has a Korean minimalist aesthetic and a pastry cabinet so beautiful it’s practically art.
Queues form on weekends for thick, heady slices of brioche French toast with caramelised edges, figs and brown butter maple syrup, and porchetta banh mi in a crunchy charcoal-striped baguette. Care extends to drinks, from fresh watermelon juice to Ona espresso layered beneath clouds of salted caramel cream.
Best for: A weekday catch-up, when you can walk right in, without a wait.
16 Hickson Road, Dawes Point, instagram.com/jinius.au
Luca Bakery
There’s a lot to notice when you walk into Luca Bakery: the air’s scented with toasted nuts and brown butter, a handwritten sign names the local family who grew the peaches that adorn the thyme-dotted galette, the farmhouse-style counter displays super-sized raspberry marshmallows and frosting-rich carrot cake.
Then there’s the table amassing recipes. People leave them for owner (and former MasterChef winner) Larissa Takchi to recreate in the bakery’s ovens. Takchi’s open invitation to contribute family recipes is part of the warm, inclusive atmosphere the bakery has emanated since opening in 2025.
Must order: A Monte Carlo and any of the “Made from Memory” specials using community donated family recipes.
Unit 4/83 David Road, Castle Hill, lucabakery.com.au
Park St. Diner
It was one of the most visible cafe openings this year: an American-style diner, walled in glass, on the corner of Park Street. There’s nearly always a queue, but it’s a worthwhile endeavour for those who find pleasure in pancakes the size of dinner plates, cheeseburgers with cartoonish good looks, and the liberal use of maraschino cherries (atop Coke floats and a wide range of sundaes – bring the kids).
As is expected from The Grounds of Alexandria team, Park Street Diner emphatically commits to the bit, from themed uniforms to an ’80s pop soundtrack. If you can get on their level, you’ve got a fun morning ahead.
Must order: Honey butter pancakes with a side of maple syrup.
252 Pitt Street, Sydney, parkstdiner.com.au
Primary Coffee
The coffee speaks for itself at Primary. It’s sourced from ethical producers, roasted to taste in small batches, and served simply: a single origin and seasonal espresso blend, filtered or extracted almost any way you like. The understated approach allows you to taste the complexity of flavours in your cup, developing renewed appreciation for the daily ritual.
After 10 years, owner Dan Kim opened his first working roastery at Primary’s new Marrickville cafe, a place of clean lines, vinyl records, and one exception to the rule: a specialty einspanner, topped with whipped, house-made vanilla cream.
Good to know: Primary just introduced cupping sessions for anyone keen to learn more.
38 Chapel Street, Marrickville, primarycoffee.com.au
Seeker
You’ll find the new wave of cafe culture at Cabramatta Plaza, brewed behind a glass block counter. Here, baristas blur lines between specialty coffee, Chinese tea and Shizouka matcha, creating texturally complex and strangely compelling drinks.
Dubiously named “Love Oolong Time” pairs Greek-style freddo espresso with the floral umami of oolong miso butter, while “Passenger Princess” garnishes a pandan matcha latte with Thai milk tea foam and an iridescent citrus-infused bubble. Food is limited to pastries and shokupan toast, but options abound outside.
Good to know: Watch socials for pop-ups – the last one had Freedom Plaza pumping.
180 Railway Parade, Cabramatta, instagram.com/seekercafe
SIT
First, there was Baba’s Place: a hatted Marrickville restaurant where Eastern Europe meets Western Sydney. Now, from the same team, there is SIT: a cafe with intentional eclecticism and Mediterranean-ish food, like Baba’s well-travelled grandchild with a penchant for freddo espressos.
There are two absolute must-tries: the pot-set yoghurt with honey and walnuts, and the pancakes. The former is a textural joy so delicious you’ll question everything you knew about yoghurt; the latter, a perfectly cooked vehicle for maple syrup and a paper-thin sheet of butter that slowly, theatrically, melts in.
Good to know: Dog-friendly footpath seating is now available.
387 Illawarra Road, Marrickville, comesit.com.au
Stitch Coffee
Stitch Coffee is taking over Sydney, opening three cafes this year, including a working roastery in the industrial heart of Marrickville. Run clubs convene here, people bring their dogs, and Tenacious Bakehouse croissants are the snack of choice, dusting crumbs across the concrete courtyard.
No two drinks look the same: there’s the toasty hojicha latte topped with cold foam, a nitro-brewed coffee brightened by yuzu, and the viral watermelon cold brew, served in a coupe glass and scattered with rose petals. Forget your usual order: fun, experimental drinks are the specialty.
Good to know: If you’re after a more substantial meal, check out Stitch Coffee at the QVB.
15 Sydney Street, Marrickville, stitch.coffee
Sundays
Some people wait up to an hour to get their hands on the cinnamon scrolls at Laetitia Loefti’s micro-bakery. The pillowy swirls of soft, sweet dough, slathered with spoonfuls of vanilla and cinnamon cream-cheese icing, are worth every minute.
Loefti ensures customers try her scrolls when they’re at their best, with constant batches coming out of the oven, and maybe even her mum on hand to carefully temperature-check each one.
Must order: Don’t sleep on the pistachio scroll special if it makes an appearance.
211 Bondi Road, Bondi, instagram.com/sundaysbondi
Taguan Cafe
Taguan promises a “home away from home” for the Filipino diaspora, but everyone’s welcome. In November, the cafe moved into a two-storey terrace with a cheerfully lived-in feel – mementos on the walls, golden pothos trailing the ceiling, trays of warm pandesal rolls lining the counter.
Brunch here blends tradition, innovation and fun: toasties pull apart in streaks of purple ube halaya and molten cheese; queso fundido, warm in the iron skillet, leans into richness with crumbled longganisa sausage; and pork adobo, from a family recipe, is the comforting signature dish, tart and tender, on a bed of garlic rice.
Good to know: The ube matcha might be the most expensive drink, but it’s worth every dollar.
274 Abercrombie Street, Darlington, taguancafe.com
Valet
Once, this cafe was a milk bar. Now, it’s all polished glass and concrete. Sleek? Yes. Intimidatingly popular? Maybe. But there’s soul here – at the communal timber table, lush with florals; and the coffee bar, where baristas favour passion over pretense.
Allow them to guide you through a pourover using house-roasted Catapult Coffee, or try the signature cold brew, indulgent with maple milk foam and orange zest. Arrive early for Tenacious Bakehouse pastries like the yuzu kouign-amman, each bite a shattering crunch of golden viennoiserie.
Good to know: Ask about the mineral concentrate droplets that boost your pourover.
599 King Street, Newtown, instagram.com/valetnewtown
Willy’s Deli
It doesn’t take a big space to make a lasting impression. Butcher Ryan Watson and chef Joshua Bell opened Willy’s in a two-seater shopfront in Fairlight this year. It’s packed with neighbourly hospitality, from the crocheted blankets for cold customers to freshly baked choc-chip cookies on the counter.
Beyond the impressive line-up of specialty drinks (hello, lamington hot chocolate with choc-coconut cold foam), the focus is on sandwiches. Each uses free-range meat produced by regenerative local farmers, and you can taste the quality.
Must order: Try the grilled porchetta on Turkish bread, with salsa verde, whole grain mustard, apple and cabbage.
Unit 1/154 Sydney Road, Fairlight, instagram.com/willys_deli
The 100 Essential Cafes and Bakeries of Sydney 2026 launches on Friday, July 24. All venues are reviewed anonymously. The best way to experience the guide is the Good Food app, where you can search via a map or collections. It’s available as a standalone subscription and is included in premium digital Sydney Morning Herald subscriptions. Download it from the Apple App Store or theGoogle Play Store.
The guide is published in the Good Food lift-outs in The Sydney Morning Herald on Friday, July 24, and Sunday, July 26, and the following week on Friday, July 31, and Sunday, August 2.
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