For adults there is quality food and coffee (and sometimes booze). For the kids there are playgrounds, cubby houses and budget-friendly menus, often with grab-and-go snacks.

We’ve pulled this list together for Good Food’s Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2, celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 11 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the city’s best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. (These reviews also live on theGood Food app, and are discoverable on the map.)

Now, all you need is a bit of sun for a fun day out.

Outfield

Pack your picnic rug and pooch, this family-friendly cafe is perfect for play dates and lawn parties. The sunny deck welcomes all, with toys, games and live music in the park. Nourishing dishes include seeded bagels, three-cheese omelettes and a halloumi and egg roll sweetened with pumpkin jam. Team them with an iced chai or bush tea, and pick up some house-made pickles to take home.

Good to know: Pre-order a picnic pack for a party on the greens.

230 Victoria Street, Ashfield, outfield.com.au

Pico in Curly

It’s hard to drive by Pico without pulling in. On a sunny day, the setting is idyllic: children playing beneath the tall eucalyptus tree, picnic tables loaded with strawberry-studded slices of tres leches cake, and dogs lounging on gingham rugs, salivating over stacked brekkie rolls. The cafe fare is solid, but the Brazilian baked goods, such as soft pao de queijos (cheesy bread rolls) and golden twists of grostoli (fluffy fried dough), are better.

Good to know: Young ones are catered for with a kids’ menu, cubby house and toys.

1/31 Brighton Street, Curl Curl, instagram.com/picoincurly

Splash

The chip butty with curry sauce at Splash is a culinary wonder – the thick white bread double-buttered and steamed to ensure the carefully laid fries stay put. Spiced with warming flavours (ginger, cinnamon, turmeric), it’s honestly one of Sydney’s best sandwiches. As a bonus, the park-and-pool-adjacent cafe is firmly kid-friendly, stocked with grab-and-go snacks, picnic rugs and custom legionnaires hats for sale (no hat, no play, after all).

Best for: A sunny day on the green, dogs and babies in tow.

2A Station St, Petersham, splashpetersham.com

The Grounds of Alexandria

This mega-cafe has been kid-friendly since it opened in 2012. Remember Kevin Bacon the pig? (And the time Kevin was pig-napped and found three weeks later in Victoria?) Kevin permanently left his sty a few years ago, but lately there has been a Snow White-themed garden, Lego workshops and the occasional magical rainbow unicorn show. The coffee goes OK too.

Best for: School-holiday workshops and high tea.

7A/2 Huntley Street, Alexandria, thegrounds.com.au

The Tuckshop

If only school tuckshops were as bright and buzzy as this smartly renovated spot. From fresh milkshakes to hearty burgers and nourishing mushroom rolls, The Tuckshop is the place to pick up treats for the playground or an after-sport snack. Rather take a breather? Find a shady spot on the patio for a full-blown brunch – there’s Single O coffee and freshly made focaccia sandwiches.

Best for: The whole tribe, including the family pup.

1/78 Glenhaven Road, Glenhaven, tuckshopcoffee.com.au

Good Food’s Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2, celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 11 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the city’s best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. Download the Good Food app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to discover what’s near you.