Paramount Coffee Project, Sydney, New South Wales © Paramount Coffee Project
10 of Sydney's best coffee shops
In a city that takes its coffee seriously, these cafés are known for serving up the perfect cup.
By Ute Junker
If you love good coffee, you've come to the right place. From lattes and flat whites to the power punch of a double espresso, Sydney offers a variety of ways to get your daily dose of caffeine. Whatever your drink of choice, these cafés are guaranteed to please even the most particular coffee connoisseur.
Room Ten
Where: 10 Llankelly Pl, Potts Point
First, you have to find it: tucked down a pedestrian laneway, Room Ten's location falls into the “hard to locate” category. Even then, if you are not paying attention you might walk right past this simple hole in the wall, where low stools are pushed up against tiny tables. That would be a shame. As well as dishing up delicious breakfasts, Room Ten is known for having some of the best coffee in the inner city.
Gumption
Where: Shop 11, The Strand Arcade, city centre
Looking for a caffeine hit in the heart of town? Gumption has what you need. Situated in the city's lovely Strand Arcade, Gumption takes a back-to-basics approach to serving up coffee. Coffees come in one size, there is no food menu, no high-tech machines and no attitude: just quality coffee served with a smile. Insider tip: on a hot day, the cold drip is the perfect way to cool down.
Artificer
Where: 547 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
Minimalist design, no food and just a few scattered seats. The focus at Artificer is purely on the coffee, and it's done exceptionally well. The team regularly buy small quantities of the best beans and roast them to bring out the inherent qualities in that particular batch. So stop in often to see what they are roasting.
Campos Coffee
Where: 193 Missenden Rd, Newtown
This pocket-sized hotspot is the hub from which the successful Campos Coffee empire has grown, and few places are more efficient at serving coffee. The aroma of single origin coffee hovers above the Missenden Road premises, where a trio of well-trained staff seem to work in sync with the jazz soundtrack. They claim to make an astonishing 200 cups an hour and watching them work, we’re prepared to believe it.
Cabrito Coffee Traders
Where: 10-14 Bulletin Pl, Sydney
Sightseeing can be hard work. If you find your energy flagging somewhere between the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, look for the tiny laneway known as Bulletin Place, where Cabrito Coffee Traders will provide you with a pick-me-up. Look for the small goat logo above the door, or simply follow your nose – at Cabrito they roast their beans on-site.
Paramount Coffee Project
Where: 80 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills
Let’s be honest: this airy space is so inviting, we would probably still drop in even if the coffee was just passable. Fortunately for us, at the Paramount Coffee Project they know their beans. The café showcases a rotating selection of roasters from around the world, changing every four to six weeks. As a result, this is a great place to start the day with a coffee and a smashed avocado on toast.
Barefoot Coffee Traders
Where: 18 Whistler St, Manly
Sometimes, you want to sit down and relax over a cup of coffee. Sometimes, however, you just need a quality caffeine hit. That’s what Barefoot Coffee Traders in Manly does best. Don’t ask for decaf: they don’t serve it. Just enjoy your single origin coffee, wander down to the beach and wonder, does life get better than this?
South Coffee and Food
Where: Tower 1/100 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo
You would expect Sydney’s newest dining district, Barangaroo, to have some seriously good coffee on offer and South Coffee and Food does not disappoint. This sleek café in the lobby of Tower One, is the first Sydney outpost of Melbourne’s well-loved Dukes Coffee Roasters, known for sourcing only sustainable and ethical beans.
The Grounds of Alexandria
Where: 7a/2 Huntley St, Alexandria
One of Sydney’s favourite foodie playgrounds, The Grounds of Alexandria offers 1800 square metres (19,000 square feet) of gastronomic delights, from a café and a bakery to a vegetable garden. At its heart, however, is some serious coffee love, including an on-site roaster and even a coffee research facility. If you can't make it to Alexandria, grab a takeaway from their location in the city centre.
Read next
Sydney's best brunch spots
Celsius Coffee Co
Where: Commuter Wharf, Holbrook Ave, Kirribilli
If the good folk of Kirribilli leap out of bed eagerly every morning, we know why. Not only can they take the ferry to work – one of the loveliest commutes in the world – but they can enjoy one of the best coffees in town on the way, courtesy of Celsius Coffee Co, which also dishes up a seriously tasty breakfast.