Bringing a splash of greenery and some of the area's best eats to a Parramatta backstreet, Circa Espresso has carved out a name for itself as one of the best cafes in Western Sydney. Its sibling venue Lucien Baked Goods continues the team's hot streak but with an increased focus on the sweeter side of life. Lucien brings Circa's passion for top-notch flavours to the world of baked goods, swapping crab fettucini for decadent cheesecake, and trading the train station for the Parramatta ferry terminal. Located down by the river on Phillip Street, the part-bakery, part-cafe boasts a hefty sourdough sandwich menu and a range of snacky delights that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. If you head in on the hunt for the baked good of your choice, you can expect the likes of croissants, brownies, pistachio scrolls and Persian love cake. As for the sambos, there are seven to choose from, including a loaded reuben, a smoked salmon and goats cheese combo, and a confit duck sandwich topped with pickled carrot, onion jam and salted zucchini — plus some classic breakfast faves like avocado toast, plus a bacon and egg roll. Head Pastry Chef Aeline Ribis and the Lucien team bake several times a day to ensure the goods are as fresh as possible. If you want to make sure you'll get your hands on something specific, including Lucien's range of next-level cakes, you can pre-order online. If you've got a birthday coming up and want to go above and beyond your standard Woolies mud cake, you'll find party-ready black forest cake, choux crown cake, and huge share sizes of tiramisu, custard tart and passionfruit meringue tart. Rounding out the offerings is a robust range of drinks. Whether you're a flat-white lover or a cold-brew fanatic, you'll find Circa's signature in-house coffee, alongside a range of tea from Ms Cattea (the coconut truffle white tea sounds particularly alluring) and other miscellaneous drinks like smoked cola, lemon myrtle kombucha, Egyptian iced tea and iced chai.
