Yes, Pilgrims is a vegetarian cafe but even carnivores should feel compelled to visit this Sydney breakfast spot. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will be impressed by the generous portions and creative combinations on the menu.

,Hidden behind Enmore Road in a sleepy backstreet, Soulmate stands out in the stacked Inner West cafe scene. The work of the accomplished team behind some of the best cafes in northwest Sydney, this is a go-to spot for good coffee and loaded sandwiches. 

This all-day diner and aperitivo bar opened in Bondi in 2022 from the team behind The Shire’s beloved eatery Blackwood Pantry — and it quickly claimed a position as one of the best breakfast spots in Sydney.

Organic and sustainable ingredients are carefully curated to create a Scandinavian-inspired menu at Funkis Köket, which mirrors the calming minimalist aesthetic of this Paddington haunt. 

If your breakfast game is in need of a little shake-up, you’ll find yourself in excellent hands at Quick Brown Fox. Continuing to infuse Sydney’s cafe scene with some fresh ideas, the eatery is dishing up tried-and-true classics alongside contemporary creations. 

On a Saturday mornings nabbing a table at Contessa Balmain proves an almighty challenge. The Sydney cafe has been an institution on Darling Street since 1992 making it one of the suburb’s oldest residents. And its popularity comes with good reason.

Burnt Orange has a fascinating history. It was originally a golf club before being converted into a clubhouse during the Second World War for the army stationed at the nearby barracks. 

After spending “many hours kicking the footy or pushing the kids on a swing and wishing we could get a good coffee nearby,” Caleb and Belinda Maynard decided to make their hopes a reality by creating this lovely cafe in the outfield of Yeo Park.

Are you guilty of taking photos of your brunch before taking a bite? No judgement here, just a friendly piece of advice: make sure you add The Mayflower to your hit list. 

Bar Mammoni was the final piece in Circular Quay’s expansive Hinchcliff House — home to Grana, Lana and Apollonia (which is on our list of the best bars in Sydney). 

Alex Elliott-Howery and James Grant are the partners behind Cornersmith, which, apart from the cafe, also includes a picklery and cooking school. Their focus on ethical, sustainable production of food and business practices is exemplary. 

Good Ways Deli has built a cult following for its fresh, piled-high sandwiches and standout coffee since opening in Redfern in 2021. 

Kick-start your day, or enjoy a post-workout energy boost with Bare Naked Bowls. Fresh and nourishing, the eponymous bowls are packed with açai, yoghurt, smoothies or rice and topped with colourful fruit and veg to fuel you for the day ahead.

From Nutie and Bourke Street Bakery to Paramount Coffee Project, Surry Hills is home to an overwhelming number of great cafes. One of the neighbourhood’s hottest spots, SOUL Deli, is offering something different.

,Within the same warehouse space as Koskela, you’ll also find Three Blue Ducks. This is the second Sydney outpost from the Ducks and is headed up by Masterchef Australia judge and former winner, Andy Allen. 

,Looking to start your day with something a little different? Head to the southern end of Newtown’s King Street where you’ll find fresh and unexpected ingredients being piled onto Brickfields bread or between soft, fluffy milk buns at Rolling Penny.

Lavender Bay hot spot Loulou offers Sydneysiders a taste of everyday French life. The bistro-bakery-delicatessen is a local favourite on the lower North Shore, with the team providing everything from a morning coffee to a champagne lunch.

At upper North Shore spot Goodfields the good feels abound. From 6am daily, the coffee window is open and the machine up and running, tempting early morning commuters with brews from Five Senses.

,This Sydney cafe, located just a five-minute walk from Parramatta Station, fuses Middle Eastern influences with modern Australian eats resulting in hearty, flavour-packed brekkies, brunches and lunches. 

,The Marickville cafe combines classic diner stylings and southern dishes with the best of Australian cafe culture to create one of the most hyped brunch spots in Sydney’s Inner West.

Bondi is already a hub for top-notch cuppas and smashed avo, but that didn’t stop the Sydney suburb from scoring a second outpost for North Sydney’s Glory Days located within the revamped Bondi Pavilion. 

On any list for Sydney’s best breakfasts you have to include the reliably lovely Bill’s. With that sun-kissed dewy-skinned legging-clad Bondi crowd, this is not a place to contend with an intense hangover. 

Sydney’s Room Ten has achieved the zeitgeist of the Melbourne-style laneway espresso bar: excellent coffee served with unpretentious chic in an impossibly trendy Potts Point back alley. 

Two Chaps is one of the best things you’ll find behind a garage roller door in Sydney. The cafe has a strong following among vegetarians and pastry lovers, and for a good reason — everything on the menu is vego, and they bake all their own pastries. 

Happyfield is a relatively new addition to Sydney’s cafe scene, but it has already become home to the best breakfast in Sydney. It takes inspiration from the classic American diner with bright yellow interiors and a menu packed with breakfast and lunch staples.