Why is it so hard to get a coffee in Sydney after 3pm?

For a country that prides itself on quality barista coffee culture, it’s odd how difficult it is to find a café open after 3pm when I really need a shot. In suburbs like Waterloo, where I live, it’s hard post-3pm but impossible after 4pm.

I know we’re an early-to-rise, early-to-bed city, especially during the week, but there are things we lose by closing our glorious coffee shops so early. Our famed coffee culture is both a world export and a tourist attraction. Want decent coffee in London? Look for anywhere Australian- or New Zealand-owned.

Quick, drink up, it’s 2.59pm!Credit: iStock

While global cities like London and New York have been infested by Starbucksification, which sees soulless, carbon-copy, commercial coffee brands dominate, the story of Starbucks failing to similarly take over Sydney is the stuff of legend. Sydneysiders largely shunned the coffee conglomerate in favour of local, independent outlets that have kept their individual personality. Starbucks only turned a profit in November, the first time in its 23-year Australian history.

One thing in Starbucks’ favour is that it’s open later; the George Street branch closes at 9pm. To remain competitive, our glorious independent coffee shops should do the same. Not just for tourists. For us. Of course, small business owners struggle with staff costs more than the big multinationals and some close at 3pm because it’s too pricey to stay open later.

But there’s a growing appetite for late-night coffee from Sydneysiders. It’s a common gripe I hear: why must coffee shops close so early? In an increasingly globalised economy, it’s an essential later afternoon fix for those working late.

In a recent lively X thread, I encouraged others to share their hidden post-4pm coffee hubs. It’s become a real Sydney hack: knowing where to get an arvo caffeine fix without resorting to Starbucks or even, *vomits-in-mouth-slightly*, Maccas.

“Buy a coffee machine!” I hear you cry. Not the same. Baristas are trained to make the perfect silky smooth cup, infinitely superior to anything I’d balls up using a machine. But it’s more than the taste, it’s the community, connection and social aspect of going out for coffee.

A café is the most reasonably priced public place to meet friends in a cost-of-living crisis when we can’t as often afford to go to a pub. We don’t say: why drink here? You can easily make this at home! The same is true for coffee. But Sydney isn’t keeping pace with the growing booze-free culture. The pub is triggering for some people who want to avoid alcohol. Coffee shops are healthier social alternatives.

When attending the theatre or cinema, a wine can make me drowsy and I doze off. A strong coffee at 7pm helps me focus on the show. It’s also the perfect way to catch up with my chum ahead of curtain up, when I want to give my liver a rest.

Travelling to other cities makes me realise what we’re missing. I’m currently in Buenos Aires, where bookstores double as bars where people can read, alone, until 2am. Cafés themselves stay open until 8 or 9pm as standard. After work, you see buzzy coffee shops hosting post-work catch-ups. Some people sit alone with books, others sip coffee and partake in “meriendas” – a snack tiding them over to a 10-11pm dinner.

If Sydney wants to become a truly global city, we could learn and borrow from places like Buenos Aires, where I’ve joined a “silent book club” which doubles as a “low social battery night”. We meet, chat for half an hour, then settle in with our respective books and a late night coffee. The difference between doing that at home? Introverts get social time on their terms. The public accountability keeps me off my phone and on my Kindle instead.

It’s time Sydney stopped closing some of city’s best assets so early. They’re character-filled hubs which inspire creativity, connection, book reading – and a much-needed alcohol break.

Gary Nunn is an author and journalist. Visit his free Substack here.

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