Sydney’s Best Coffee

Calling all coffee connoisseurs – from boutique roasteries to couture cafes, Sydney is your playground. These days it’s not just about Surry Hills. Whether you’re after a piping hot shot of espresso or a delicate pour over, here’s our guide to finding the best coffee all over Sydney this Winter.

Gumption, The Strand, Sydney CBD

You never need an excuse for a caffeine hit, but shopping can defeat the best of us. Located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, inside The Strand Arcade, Gumption is your go to spot for a mid shop pick me up. The Strand’s beautiful art deco arcades are home to some of Australia’s best artisans, from couture designers to milliners. Gumption shows the same kind of attention to detail. Owned by Coffee Alchemy, one of the city’s best boutique roasters, the café keeps things pure. You won’t find a chai latte in sight. Order a ristretto and sip it sitting under the Strand’s stunning glass atrium.

The Grounds of Alexandria, Alexandria

With markets, hot donut stands, florist and farm animals, a trip to the Grounds is a sightseeing adventure in itself. If you’re in town on a weekend, you really will need that coffee. The crowds descend on this urban oasis, but put your name down for a table, grab a coffee and explore. The Café’s Coffee Academy uses German Probatone roasters to experiment with single origins and single estates, which you can sample each day in the café. The baristas are busy with a dedicated Filtered Coffee menu – the tasting board for two is a great place to start.

White Horse Coffee, Sutherland

Thanks to an influx of hipster cafes, restaurants and wine bars, you can now find everything from cold press juice to single origin coffee in the Sutherland Shire. White Horse Coffee is largely responsible for giving this region a caffeine injection – it all began at their Flora St cafe, with Brother Fox and Sister Fox following soon after. There are four single origins to try – with a new showcase every week. All are roasted by White Horse at their Kirrawee roastery. If you’re embracing the healthy scene happening down south, try the Swiss Water Decaf. It comes straight from Canada, where the roastery sends their beans to be decaffeinated in a chemical free process.

Single O, Botany

There’s not a single Sydneysider who doesn’t know about Single Origin Roasters (well in the coffee crowd anyway!). These guys are old hands, but they certainly don’t rest on their laurels. Located inside The Mothership, aka the headquarters and roastery, the Single O café runs the Reservoir blend but also showcases a new single origin each week. They dabble with singles from Guatemala to Burundi. Pull up a stool at the 8m concrete brew bar and watch the baristas work their magic.

Ruby’s Diner, Bronte

Infamous for its superfood muffins and paleo pastries, this Eastern Suburbs favourite is also raising the bar when it comes to your morning brew. Like many cafes around Sydney, Ruby’s serves Single Origin beans, but they’re doing things a little differently. Settle in to try a floral cold drip from the in house slow brew bar, with a bowl of coconut quinoa bircher muesli to supercharge your day.

Roastville, Marrickville

The long held dreams of hospitality experts George and Destiny Choutis to open a café where the coffee roasting coffee happens in house were finally realised last year when they opened Roastville. This trendy warehouse conversion in Sydney’s Inner West has its very own roaster set up out the back, and is kept busy producing fresh roasts three times a week. Grab a seat at the communal table, order a rich cappuccino and treat yourself to a little something from the homemade cakes cabinet – our pick are bacon maple glazed donuts.