The new tourism marketing strategy for NSW, announced on October 8, shifts the focus to showcase Sydney’s “first light” culture of morning activities, the outdoors, and our “vibrant brunch scene”. They’ve just discovered what we’ve known all along – that our cafe scene is the best and sunniest in the world.

From now on, we won’t be the only ones trying to get into the top 20 new and best cafes on this list.

But what a lot we have to share. This year sees a rise in Japanese cafe culture, booze for breakfast, coffee in cans, more high-tech precision, and more low-tech passion. Our cafe culture is evolving into something that makes staying home look about as interesting as, well, staying home.

Fermenting like miso in the backstreets of Sydney for years, the many purveyors of Japanese cafe culture are now joined by Filipino, Indonesian, Thai, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese and more, each with its own unique coffee ethos.

In truth, there’s barely a dinkum Aussie cafe that doesn’t list matcha or miso on the menu; but the joy is in the fusion, when Asian flavours and mindsets meet Sydney’s craze for coffee, a sunny table on the street, and eggs from breakfast to brunch and back.

Look at Tento spilling into a tiled courtyard in Surry Hills, populating it with black sesame lattes, real chai and iced matcha. The menu runs to ochazuke, Japan’s addictively comforting breakfast rice doused with a broth of Japanese green tea. Come at night for ramen, nigiri and a matchatini, which is as green as it sounds.

Onigiri gets its moment in the sun at the new Domo Three Nine in St Peters, proof that you can indeed live on small rice packages and gelato; and Filipino pan de sal buns underpin the menu at street-side Tita in Marrickville.

Then there’s the ambitious new Ona flagship in Marrickville, with its horse-shoe shaped bars dedicated to espresso, filter, or coffee-based drinks, each with its own equipment and dedicated barista. Whether you dive deep into provenance and flavour profiles or just have a cracking brunch, the aim is to raise the level of appreciation and connection to omakase-style levels.

But for everyone pushing one way, there’s another pushing back. At Bronte’s little One Four Three, Charles Babinski has installed one charmingly manual, lever-operated espresso machine, toasties made with Iggy’s bread, and not much else. And that’s more than enough.

Berkelo Bakery

With picnic tables in the native garden, birds in the trees and a shipping container acting as a sourdough bread shop, this is Berkelo Bakery founder Tom Eadie’s most charming spot yet. Line up for a bright and buzzy Single O Killer Bee espresso and sit around the fire pit with a ham and cheese croissant or a fluffy buttermilk scone. Also on site, Berkelo Kitchen, a cottage diner for sourdough pizza and spelt pasta.

205 Mona Vale Road, Terrey Hills, berkelo.com.au

Cafe 143

In a crazy push-button world, kicking back at this chilled cafe watching the manually operated levers of Charles Babinski’s La Marzocco Leva machine does the heart good. For the former US Barista Champion, it’s a rewarding and interactive way of making (Mecca) espresso, but he’s not fussed if you want a mocha, vanilla latte, honey shakerato or cold brew instead. Add a sopressa toastie made with Iggy’s bread while you’re there.

143 Macpherson Street, Bronte, instagram.com/cafeonefourthree

Domo 39

An ode to the versatility of rice, from the teams behind Marrickville cafe Kurumac and Mapo Gelato. The fridges are stocked with grab-and-go onigiri for commuters and Sydney Park picnickers, but they’re best made to order, when crisp sheets of nori envelope fluffy triangles of still-warm rice, gently flavoured with shiso, roe or pickled mustard leaves. The signature soft-serve “rice cream” is a toasty vanilla, coiled into paper cups with a sprinkling of rice puffs, fast-consumed beneath the 10-kilogram rice sculpture suspended from the ceiling.

5/2 May Lane, St Peters, instagram.com/domothreenine

Effie’s

How pretty, how cool. From the roastie toastie (roast veg and pesto), to the kid’s funny-face bikkies and gorgeous poppies plonked in a vase, Effie’s is all sunshine and light under its pressed-metal ceiling. The Mecca coffee is sturdy and well made, whether taken through the coffee window, at a share table or in silent communion with your laptop. By night, the natural wine bottles mounted on the stark white walls act as a visible wine list.

281 Sydney Road, Balgowlah, effiesbalgowlah.com.au

Flour

Flour sets the standard for bakery-cafes in Sydney, with two overflowing display cabinets of baked goods, warm contemporary interiors and a house-blend of specialty coffee from local roastery Catapult. The only hitch? Deciding what to order from the team of expert bakers. A maple pecan and brown butter twist? Green goddess chicken sandwich on thick ciabatta? Or the cinnamon scroll with gooey cream cheese frosting? (NB: There’s no wrong choice.)

277 Willarong Road, Caringbah South, instagram.com/weareflour_

Genovese Coffee House

Since 2021, this family-owned Melbourne coffee roaster has offered $2 espressos – if taken standing at the bar, “al banco” style. It’s a sign of tradition echoed in mortadella-stuffed panini and Italian biscotti, bomboloni and sfogliatelle. This is also one of the most chilled cafes in Sydney, the morning sunlight dancing across tables (and the cult Slim Jim Mirage espresso machine) and through the large, airy warehouse.

1-3 Lawrence Street, Alexandria, genovesecoffeehouse.com.au

Happy Alley

Sometimes it’s worth joining the queue. This one flows around communal tables of families with chicken parmi or pastrami sandwiches, beside displays of loaded focaccia and viennoiserie, before arriving at the main attraction: still-warm cookies in flavours such as red velvet and dark cocoa macadamia, served with swirls of vanilla soft-serve. Everything at Happy Alley – which relocated from its tiny, first shop earlier this year – is baked on site. The cinnamon-dusted iced matcha is a must.

13 Bay Street, Rockdale, happyalley.com.au

Happyfield

The vibe is sunny, the theme is North American diner and the food is fast (these days, a one-hour turnaround and you’re out the door). From fat cookies to pancakes drenched in maple syrup, Happyfield spreads joy by the tray load. Now more room next door and an expanded menu combine to make even more people happy, while Single O coffee, ice-cold beer, espresso martinis and negronis turn weekend brunch into a pancake party.

96 Ramsay Street, Haberfield, happyfield.com.au

Harry’s Bondi

An iced matcha latte at this dynamic streetside cafe is bright with blueberry juice and creamy with coconut and almond milks, canned on the spot in a clear cylinder of recycled plastic. It’s just one more way Harry Lambropoulos keeps the cafe scene relevant to a new generation. Add cocktails from 10am and a Friday morning run club, and Harry’s is Bondi Beach in a cup (or a can).

136 Wairoa Avenue, Bondi Beach, harrysbondi.com.au

Haven

This sleek, spacious, tiled cafe in Rosebery is indeed a haven, with restorative espresso, cold drip and batch brew from head roaster Herman Chiu. The Asian-Australian brunch menu is part playful, part serious, with top bagels, fried-chicken waffles, “not a banh mi” brekkie rolls and bowls of XO chilli prawn spaghetti. A brand new Haven, the fifth, is opening in Green Square as we go print.

7 Crewe Place, Rosebery, havencoffee.com.au

Headlands

There is beauty in the simplicity of Headlands, where it’s all about coffee and croissants. Time your visit as the first batch comes out of the oven (baking schedule posted on Instagram) and the scent of honey-glazed pastry, freckled with sea salt, fills the old flour mill. Coffee is roasted in-house, tasted in public cupping sessions and shared with the unpretentious enthusiasm of baristas who work to learn the names and preferences of newfound regulars.

Shop G03, 18 Flour Mill Way, Summer Hill, headlandscoffee.com

Khamsa

Crunchy, herby-green falafels, fluffy on the inside, are Khamsa’s claim to fame and have remained on the menu as the family-owned cafe transitioned to a bigger space in St Peters this year. But it’s the Palestinian bagels (ka’ak al quds) which deserve more attention: soft and light and packed with pickled purple cabbage, tahini, tomato, cucumber and, yes, a handful of falafel. Order with iced hibiscus tea and a cardamon scroll, or come with friends to feast on the 20-strong share plate menu.

Shop 1, 655 King Street, St Peters, khamsa.com.au

L’Americano

Transport yourself to the 1950s on the Italian Riviera (think The Talented Mr Ripley), at a marble-topped table against a wall lined with models of luxury motor yachts. The studied aesthetic of L’Americano comes courtesy of design house Coco Republic, and extends to a menu of crostini, charcuterie and brutti ma buoni biscotti that jump with lemon icing. Match them to Italian wines, espresso martinis or piccolo lattes courtesy of Vittoria Coffee.

Various locations including Balgowlah and Alexandria, lamericano.com.au

Ona

Acclaimed roastery Ona re-opened its flagship store on Marrickville’s Smith Street this year, and it could change how you think about coffee. The leather-bound coffee menu reads like a wine list, divided into milk blends, espresso, filter and mocktails (ever tried a coffee inspired by a Pina Colada?). But for all its coffee bar seriousness, Ona is just a damn good neighbourhood cafe, with a lush courtyard and staff who will cuddle your dog, help you order and serve memorable border-crossing brunch dishes such tteokbokki French toast and smoked salmon ochazuke.

58/60 Smith Street, Marrickville, onacoffeesydney.com

Pina

Is there a Sydney laneway cafe as popular as Pina? The rollicking menu of sandwiches, salads, soft-bun burgers and eggy brunches pull a constant crowd, with the classic omelette and gigantic sourdough pancake claiming the high ground. Owners Andrew Hardjasudarma and Yuvi Thu are just as dedicated to drinks, from the bang-on Mecca coffee and ceremonial grade matcha to an Arnold Palmer sparkling iced tea that sings with summer vibes.

4/29 Orwell Street, Potts Point, order.pinapottspoint.com.au

Sabah

With beige stucco walls, cloud-shaped lighting and gentle house music, Sabah is a Mediterranean oasis in an industrial street. This is a cafe for the social media age, serving photogenic brunch fare backed by big flavours. Take the popular tiramisu iced latte – as delicious as it looks with a sponge finger biscuit dripping in thick, house-made mascarpone. Or the French toast, a novel-sized caramelised brioche with maple syrup and bright pink berries. Pastries come from Tuga; coffee from Toby’s Estate.

52 Carnarvon Street, Silverwater, instagram.com/sabah_sydney

St Judes Cafe

Saint Jude is the patron saint of lost causes – an ironic name choice for a neighbourhood cafe with such enduring success. For more than 12 years, St Judes has been the go-to spot for the quintessential cafe experience: a cosy, light-filled former corner shop, with welcoming staff, vintage prints, indoor plants and squishy leather banquettes, ideal for curling up with a book and a cup of Rush Roasting Co. coffee (or glass of natural wine). The menu is extensive, with brunch classics listed alongside nasi goreng and beef brisket sandos.

728 Bourke Street, Redfern, stjudescafe.com.au

Superfreak

A little 1970s, a little eccentric, and irrefutably cool, Superfreak’s interior is unlike any other cafe in Sydney. Soundtracked by vinyl records, one man settles into the fluffy brown banquette with a bowl of oat, rye and buckwheat porridge (melting, rich cultured butter on top, the thoughtful touch from menu co-creator Michaela Johansson of Aplenty catering) while a young couple spar over sourdough crumpets, caramelised and sticky with berries. Coffee is sourced from Single O and Artificer, and there are smoothies and electrolyte-infused tea for the post-Pilates crowd.

333A Enmore Road, Marrickville, instagram.com/superfreak.syd

Tento

It seems so Australian, that an Israeli coffee roaster, Japanese ceramicist and Brazilian chef can come together in a Surry Hills courtyard to run a hard-core Japanese ramen and ochazuke cafe. In the coffee van, Din Shenkin’s craft extends beyond immaculate espresso to black sesame latte, real chai and iced matcha. In the kitchen, Gabriel d’Agostini builds a flavoursome tonkotsu base that makes ramen with seared salmon sing. And everything is served in or on Ryota Kumasaka’s textural bowls, plates and cups. The “happy salaryman” skateboard and sake vibe now extends to dinner as well.

3/8 Hill Street, Surry Hills, tento.com.au

Tita

Visit this Filipino gem on the weekend when the counter is filled with freshly baked rolls of pandesal, the soft, sweet and fluffy Filipino bread here retooled to masquerade as brekkie muffins and filled with a longganisa (spiced pork sausage) patty, fried egg, American cheese and sticky-sweet banana ketchup. Ideal paired with a Manila latte (coffee over ice with vanilla and condensed milk) or chased with purple ube soft-serve. Friendly counter service, outdoor tables lined in bright plastic, and lacy window furnishings play to a tone of sweet nostalgia, even if Tita is for the right here and now.

4/359 Illawarra Road, Marrickville, instagram.com/tita.carinderia

The winners of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025 Awards will be announced on November 11, presented by Vittoria Coffee and Oceania Cruises. The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025 is on sale from November 12.