There's something sexy about La Buvette. Maybe it's the font, or the gilded panels, or the sidewalk…read moretables under the leafy trees, but I just feel much more posh, put together and chic than I actually am when I'm sitting here. I feel so much more 'La Buvette' than 'The Refreshment Stand.' And that feeling is addictive. It could also be the food. As you'd pick up from the telltale noun gendering, the menu is French inspired with an Aussie twist. So while you'll surly find your Salad Niçoise, crêpes and baguettes, you'll also sit down to one of Sydney's best breakfasts and killer coffees. The vegan brekkie is a standout, as are the strawberry pancakes and eggs bene. The specials on the blackboard are drool-inducing as well, but I can never make it past the breakfast menu.

This is, without doubt, my favorite brunch place in Sydney…read more The coffee is so reliably good you could time your watch by it. Everything they do, they do well: the wait staff are always friendly, the location is great (the footpath has just been expanded into the road so there's more outdoor seating than there used to be)... and you're never let down by the food. There's just something about sitting out on Challis Ave with friends, perhaps with the paper or a book, that makes this place classic Sydney.

This area is spoilt for choice when it comes to cafes and this place advertises that it has been…read morearound since 1984. We ducked in here for coffee and a dessert as the place we had gone to for lunch did not have any desserts. While we waited for our coffee, we got to see all the main meals being carried out from the kitchen. They all looked pretty good. The place was packed too. Our coffees were nice. Our vanilla slices needed a knife and fork to dismantle them. Worth a second visit.

I was searching for lunch in Balmain and wandering the streets when I heard the word "Reuben" and…read morewas stopped in my tracks. While in NYC recently I had fallen in love with these pastrami filled beasts with their oh so tender and flavourful meat *drools*. So when I started enquiring inside about if the sandwich was served on rye bread, I noticed to my dismay that they used.corned beef and not pastrami .... :-( But... I had already sat down, and still needed lunch, so as is my way, I ordered their burger. I had intended as a backup plan to try their kransky hot pot special, but it appears it had already sold out. AND THE BURGER WAS DELICIOUS!!! Next to the mass of thin fries (that were so plentyful I could not get through them all) was a burger consisting of a juicy burger lavished with bacon, cheese, caramelised onions and plenty of love. Even the bun was awesome, giving me good purchase as I demolished this amazing lunch item. Even thinking about this burger now just makes me drool... I them finished off the meal with a nice little mac. It was pretty damm nice (though not as good as the burger...). That said... it was still one of the better cafes I have found in Sydney, and so well worth checking out if in the area. Cafe Summary ------------------------ Passion for Coffee - 7/10 Coffee beans - Morgan's coffee Crema (1=burnt, 10=velvet) - 7/10 Special coffees avail? - N/A Special Features ------------------------ Toilets

Astor Espresso is part of the old Valhalla Cinema on Glebe Point Rd. Always crowded in the mornings…read moreand lunchtime, it has a buzz and the people serving and the owners seem to remember everybody - though how they do it I don't know. They leave you feeling as if you're a personal friend. I have asked many people and they all say the same thing. They serve wonderful coffee and a great breakfast. The food is simple eg: avocado on toast and bacon and egg rolls. The only thing I would warn you about is the seating outside: unfortunately the awaning doesn't offer much protection from the sun so unless it is overcast, I would suggest finding a place inside - as minscule as it is.

A trip to Astor is necessary if only to taste the Haloumi Stack. With pesto, roasted tomato, two…read moreslabs of grilled haloumi, baby spinach and poached eggs atop toasted Sonoma sourdough, this is the best breakfast you can get in Glebe - and for only $12.50. The place was packed when we arrived, and we were lucky enough to catch a table just as a couple were leaving. We ordered our coffees and they arrived within a couple of minutes, both delicious and decorated with a perfect six leaf fern. The girls that worked there were super smiley for an early Saturday morning and the cafe's easy breezy vibe transports you seaside (except I'm yet to taste coffee this good near Sydney's beaches.) Food = fantastic. Coffee = fantastic. Service = fantastic. Value = fantastic. A smiley start to my Saturday.

I live for a terrific morning latte…read more For me what defines the perfect latte is first off having almond milk to make my latte. The final grade is where the foam does not dissipate from the point of creation til the end of consumption with might I add the foam art still intact till the very last drop! Here their overall grade is an A for meeting the criteria with a plus for exceptional service, ambiance, music, and clean comfort rooms.

Another great little cafe in dear our old Marrickville!…read more One of my friends told me she likes this better than Cornersmith, I was like HOW DARE YOU! BLASPHEMY! Hush your mouth, chile! But then I was like... *whispering*... omg we have to try it! Better than Cornersmith? I don't believe it. So here's the deal... West Juliett is fabulous. The coffee is great, breakfast was delish, the staff were attentive and super nice and you know what makes it trump Cornermith? One itty bitty thing: West Juliett is very, very spacious and you can hang out there a bit after breakfast and drink your coffee or juice or whatever and have a chat. You can't do that at Cornersmith, the place is teeny tiny and there are always people waiting for tables. You gotta be in and out and that's it. Not at West Juliett. It's pretty big. But yep... Loved West Juliett. I am so, so spolit with all these fab cafes around me. All my favourites are in my own backyard, more or less!

This is an American review for an excellent restaurant which features great customer service, stiff…read moredrinks and tasty food. If you've spent any time in Australia you can tell it is not big on customer service. Little shop keepers barely get up from their seats to help or God forbid, stop stocking shelves to help you find a shirt. But for some reason Lumiere exists amongst this customer service desert. We were greeted by the friendliest hostess and whisked to a table in the shade on a busy Sunday for lunch/brunch time. Our waitress brought a bottle of rosè before we could even post a story to Instagram. My dietary restrictions were accommodated with a smile. "Why didn't we come here for breakfast lunch and dinner the last 7 days?" So you ask... "How was the food?" Big omelettes. Crispy bacon. Crusty bread.

This has to be one of my favorite Cafe's so far! The staff are friendly, helpful & efficient. The…read moremenu has so many options it will have something for everyone, the coffee is tasty without being bitter & the food is delicious. I had the Corn Stack, which is a corn cake served on a slice of sourdough, with smashed Avo, bacon, poached eggs, tomato salsa. It was delicious, the balance of salty & sweet with the bacon & tomato salsa, off set by the poached eggs adding a sauce to the dish to eliminate any dryness. Presented well & served within a good time of ordering. All in all worth visiting & if I lived in Surry Hills, this place would be my regular!!

Again, I followed an Instagram food blogger's post here to try their boba soufflé pancakes ($20)…read more Only available before 11am, these pancakes took thirty minutes to make, but the waitress was sure to warn me beforehand. The pancakes were delightfully fluffy and jiggly but definitely on the eggy side. The boba pearls were sweet and chewy - perfect! Shareable, the Egyptian tea was refreshing, pretty with the shaped ice and edible flowers, and not overly sweet but had a bit of an artificial hibiscus taste.

The Qube is a cute cafe with simple but delicious ingredients. The servers are nice and friendly…read more Moreover, some of the dishes are priced really reasonably. I enjoyed the warm heater in the cafe in the cold weather. It made the lunch is much more bearable. The dishes are also really delicious. I had the hangover burger with egg, bacon and arugula (10AUD). The burger bun is one of my favorite in Aussie. The egg and bacon came wonderfully together. The arugula goes well and makes the sandwich refreshing. We also had the shaksuka (17AUD) that came in a hot stone plate. The shaksuka came with two eggs, a few giant sausage slices, awesome tomato sauce and the garlic bread. The sausage is abit salty but a great addition to the shaksuka. I also really like the crispy garlic bread and the sauce is very good on the bread. I'll be back again if I want a nice cafe meal. Simple and satisfying!

This place is one of my favourites (as you can see from my past reviews). Last year new owners to…read moreover and this is the first time I've had a sit down meal there since. We had weekday brunch and were easily able to find a table. This is unusual and I'm not sure as to whether to chalk it down to a drop in quality under the new owners or it being late January. I had what was essentially eggs benedict. Don't get me wrong, I ate most of it, I won't lie, but it could have been sooo much better. The eggs were lukewarm, not hot, the toast was burnt around the edges (why wouldn't you just cook some more?) and the dish was very salty. I ordered the smoked salmon and I think that was where the saltiness was coming from- but i think a good chef would have tasted the smoked salmon to know how salty the batch was. As I said, I still ate most of it. I then took home my normal box of pastries- while still yum yum yummy, (sour cherry danish!), they certainly not up the normal standard which is AMAZEBALLS!! So to 'outsiders' the standard may be outstanding, but to regulars, disappointing. They were uncooked and not crispy like they normally are.

A bakery and cafe in one, St Malo was unique on Willoughby Road until a few other places opened in…read more2014. It's still popular with 'Lululemums' and weekend caffeine addicts but there's been a noticeable drop-off in trade as options multiplied. Which is a pity because they still bake some of the tastiest French pastries on this strip. The coffee is consistently excellent and the staff pleasant (although not quite as attentive to clearing away outdoors as I'd prefer in my jaunts here). Personally, I'm not a fan of the croissants I've had here - I find them too flaky (frankly, they explode into buttery, crisp shards when I bite into them that results in immediate clean-up problems). But check out their special cinnamon scrolls that come in a variety of flavours. The plain ones, swept with icing sugar that will make you look like a coke addict if you're not careful, are sweet, soft and buttery.

The cafe has good amount of seating, and we had no trouble getting a table for around 2:00pm for…read morecoffee. I got the Malabar chai, and my husband got a dirty chai. We also ordered an açai bowl to share. The Malabar chai was okay. Very milky and not too much of the chai flavor. The dirty chai was good! The açai bowl was refreshing, but not amazing for us. We lived in Hawaii for a while, so we know what great açai bowl tastes like. Didn't compare to the ones in Hawaii unfortunately.

This is my new favorite spot for brekkie in Manly. It's always crowded but the turnaround time is…read morereally quick. The eggs Benedict is delicious with a big cappuccino. I've also enjoyed the eggs on toast with feta and avocado. Great chai lattes! I really don't think you can go wrong.