Six Best Cafes In Sydney’s Inner City And Inner West

Everyone knows that Sydney runs on caffeine.

Great coffee and tasty snacks are the key ingredients to kickstarting your business meetings, school drop offs, work afternoons and weekend brunches.

ALEXANDRIA

MEET GERARD
54 Henderson Road, Alexandria
Open Monday to Saturday 7am to 2pm
Sunday 8am to 2pm

A local gem, Meet Gerard is a cafe in Alexandria that is big on flavour despite its small size. Meet Gerard offers specialty roasts from Coffee Alchemy, a range of teas from Chamellia, and the always-popular Sticky Chai. If you’re an early bird, be prepared for a Milk & Honey ‘breakfast story’ featuring yoghurt panna cotta and honeyed house-made granola. If a light lunch is on the cards, check out the 12-hour pork sandwich with crunchy apple slaw, coriander, and Asian-style crunch. And who could go past the ‘Best Ever’ roast chicken sandwich?

GENOVESE COFFEE HOUSE
1-3 Lawrence Street, Alexandria
Open Monday to Sunday 7am to 3.30pm

Photo from Genovese Coffee House Instagram page

This is the closest you can get to Italy in a cup. When you visit Genovese Coffee House, you’re stepping into an authentic Italian experience. The Genovese family have been roasting and brewing coffee for decades and they know the secret ingredient to next level caffeine.

At Genovese Coffee House, the coffee is strong, the panini is fresh and the ricotta cannoli and hazelnut amaretti are to die for. Sit and relax with a pressed focaccia and a cappuccino or throw down a piccolo at the stand-up espresso bar.

Delicious grazing plates are available on weekends for leisurely brunch with friends.

ERSKINEVILLE

SHENKIN
51-53 Erskineville Road, Erskineville
Open Monday to Sunday 7am to 3pm

If you are searching for a smooth, intense coffee hit and a mouthwatering Middle-eastern inspired menu, look no further than old favourite Shenkin. They have been roasting and brewing their special coffee blend since 2006. Their delicious tahini, dips, pita bread, bagels and shakshuka are made in-house while their pastries are baked using recipes unchanged since the 1800’s.

You’ll love the leafy outlook at this Erskineville cafe. They even sell coffee beans and pods so you can experience the Shenkin brew at home.

Shenkin has also grown over the years with three locations to choose from in Newtown, Enmore and Erskineville.

REDFERN

GOODWAYS DELI
1/20 Cooper Street, Redfern
Monday to Friday 7am to 3pm
Saturday and Sunday 8am to 2pm

Photo from Goodways Deli website

The good guys at Goodways Deli take their Aussie treats seriously with house-baked vegemite scrolls, lamingtons, Kitchener buns, curried egg sambos, and even kangaroo (yes, kangaroo) sandwiches on their delicious list of deli goods. You can jumpstart your day with a cup of coffee or chai, then cool down in the afternoon with a Milo thickshake.

This old-school corner deli is mostly takeaway but has a couple of sought-after outdoor tables. Shop the Goodways General Store for tees, totes and tea towels.

ROSEBERY

MOON AND BACK
7/2 Crewe Place, Rosebery
Open Monday to Friday 7.30am to 3.30pm
Saturday 8am to 4pm
and Sunday 8am to 3pm

Photo from Moon and Back Instagram page

If you love fancy cakes and clean lines with a Japanese aesthetic, check out Moon and Back in Rosebery. This is the Sydney version of a sister cafe-gallery originally opened in Kyoto, Japan in 2020. Here, your caffeine hit could come in the form of coffee sourced from Artificer in Surry Hills, or matcha and roasted green tea (hojicha). Their unique sweet treats created by pastry chef Carol Xu, are so heavenly they may as well have been made on the moon. A delicious range of teas are imported from Japan and Taiwan while the gallery/lifestyle store has a curated selection of ceramics and artworks. Definitely worth a visit.

NEWTOWN

ROLLING PENNY
583A King Street, Newtown
Open Monday to Friday 7am to 3pm
Saturday and Sunday 8am to 3pm

Photo from Rolling Penny Instagram

The brother and sister team at Rolling Penny – a small but sassy Newtown cafe – admit that the weight of pastrami they use on their Reubens should be illegal. And the proof is in their latest edition lunch menu featuring a fennel salami sandwich with gruyere, green olive tapenade, onion sprouts, oxheart tomatoes and roast pimento chilli aioli.

With coffee roasted by the Little Marionette and a bloody mary made with 100% Russian vodka, Rolling Penny is a destination not to be missed.