Top Cafes to watch in 2019
It’s no secret that Sydney is home to some of the best cafes in the world. With the standard of café food in Sydney now restaurant quality, you don’t have to travel much further than your local eatery to grab a premium quality feast.
As Sydney cafes continue to experiment with classic café dishes, we’re seeing many experimental and wonderful flavours, and ideas emerging in local cafes. With no limits on the level of creativity now offered by Sydney venues, café food has sure come a long way from choccy milkshakes and soggy sandwiches.
With the rise of social media, your average diner is now more informed than ever and is pushing café owners toward excellence. We’ve put together a list of some of our predicted top Sydney cafes to watch for 2019.
Social Hideout: After opening their doors last month, this Waterloo hotspot is already attracting huge popularity, with diners, bloggers and foodies queuing up for bright purple Taro Hotcakes, Red Velvet Eggs Benedict and drinks served in mini bathtubs. Dubbed Sydney’s prettiest café, decked out in 17,000 flowers with a mural of Audrey Hepburn and colourful neon lights, it sure lives up to the hype. The food and experience is unlike any other in Sydney at the moment. We expect the buzz around this colourful café to remain for a long time to come.
Holly: Bondi’s newest addition. Seasoned café owners Justin Stevenson and Laura Hayes have combined to develop Holly. With a chef curated menu, and a palm-springs meets art deco interior, this little café slots nicely into the Bondi café scene. The holly overnight oats with mango, lime, coyo, freeze-dried apple and walnut crumble epitomises Bondi in a breakfast dish.
Auvers: The café that doubles as a trendy art gallery, this Rhodes breakfast institution is packed out every weekend with eager diners awaiting their famous Matcha hotcakes. This Japanese, Australian, French fusion is regularly pushing the boundaries for what you would expect of café food. Onsen eggs, Pandan, Taro, and Miso are all familiar flavours on this menu – reiterating the Japanese inspired twist. Try the signature Matcha Pancakes with matcha glaze, sponge, red-bean paste and raspberry sorbet or the Eggs Benedict with smokey pulled pork, onsen egg, ponzu hollandaise, and corn salsa on a toasted croissant. It’s no surprise that they will be opening a second location due to popular demand in Darling Harbour’s upcoming food precinct, Darling Square some time in 2019. Watch this space – big things to come.
The Galley: Waterfront dining – does it get any better? The views from the Galley, situated on Rozelle Bay, are some of Sydney’s best and a well-kept secret. Located at Sydney Boathouse on Sydney Harbour, The Galley, boasting panoramic views of the gorgeous waterfront and cityscape is reason enough for a visit. It just so happens to be an impressive backdrop for a delicious menu, that boasts an array of seasonal café and brunch favourites. Seafood dishes seem appropriate, given the location. The prawn linguini with juicy prawns, chorizo, tomato, zucchini, spinach and a subtle hint of garlic oil is perfectly light yet satisfying. It’s already becoming a hit with local dog owners and cycle crews while bloggers are loving having their photos overlooking the multimillion dollar superyachts. At a venue like the Galley with its amazing waterfront views, great food and beautiful weather, long lunches should be a welcome addition to your weekend plans.
Culture Bean: Culture Bean is a healthy food lovers haven, and an iconic Acai bowl destination. This rustic little Kogarah café has withstood the test of time since opening their doors five years ago, and it’s easy to see why. While the acai bowl trend that swept the nation may seem like a faint memory to many, Culture Bean’s famous Instagram-worthy bowls have been recognised as some of the best in Sydney and have diners travelling far and wide just to get a taste. Capitalising on a new wave of health-concious diners, Culture Bean offers their customers a fresh, seasonal, refined sugar free menu that tastes so delicious you’ll forget it’s good for you. Culture Bean lets you jump on the healthy bandwagon as it embraces all things virtuous – think fresh juices, superfood smoothie bowls, coconut yoghurt, spirulina and chia galore with a variety of vegan options to boot.
The Tiny Giant: This little Petersham café is always pushing the envelope for crazy café creations. There’s no shortage of desserts masquerading as breakfast here as fairy floss creeps its way into sunrise suspects. Unleash your inner child and treat yourself to their signature brioche toast with mixed berries, Canadian maple syrup, mascarpone and Persian pashmak. Famously bringing to life a Willy Wonka inspired breakfast menu in 2018, we can’t wait to see what this café has got in store for us in 2019.
Social Brew: An oldie but a goodie, Trip Advisor’s reigning number 1 Sydney Café is here to stay. A little off the beaten track from the touristy Darling Harbour strip, there’s a reason that Social Brew has guarded the top spot on the café throne for over a year. A must try foodie destination, Social Brew gets the café classics right. Making its way onto the Urban List’s 50 Best Breakfasts in Sydney, you know they must be doing something right. Try the Double Double toasted sandwich with doubled smoked black forest ham, double cheese and honey mustard will ensure double happiness. Their French head chef has just launched a new amazing menu that pushes the boundaries of café fare with exquisite new flavours. Oh and did we mention they are fully licensed? Wash down brekky with Mimosa… don’t mind if we do.
