Seven Next-Level Brekkie Rolls to Get in Sydney That'll Put a Pep in Your Saturday Morning Step

If you’d like a wholesome start to your Saturday morning, head to Acre on the lower north shore. The sprawling 2000-square-metre cafe is filled with soothing water fountains, banana trees and sun-dappled seats — oh, and one helluva brekkie burger. The burger in question sees a soft milk bun filled with maple bacon, Italian sausage, a free-range egg, salad, a golden-fried hash brown and tomato chutney. It’s kinda like a fancy McMuffin. We suggest you pair it with a coffee (of course) and a soul-restoring Immunity (orange, carrot, turmeric and lemon) or Botanical (apple, spinach, kale and cucumber) juice for good measure.

The brekkie roll at Newtown’s Cuckoo Callay is definitely the most OTT version on this list. In fact, it’s not even on a roll — it’s served on a toasted croissant. Inside that croissant, you’ll find triple-smoked bacon, a 63-degree poached egg, tomato relish, fried shallots and — wait for it — bacon mac ‘n’ cheese. Called Return of the Macdaddy, it’s the cafe’s most popular dish for good reason. Add on a coffee or a mimosa — because if you’re going all out, you may as well go all out.

One of the oldest cafes in Balmain, Contessa is home to one of the suburb’s most exciting brekkie rolls. It loads up a toasted milk bun with hickory-smoked bacon, fried eggs, caramelised onion, cheese, homemade tomato relish and mayo. It’s a delightful mess, which will definitely require a napkin or two. You can add on a hash brown for $2 — so you may as well add on two. Or, if a hair of the dog is what you require, you can order bloody marys, espresso martinis and mimosas. Go down this route, however, and you might find yourself returning for a second brekkie roll on Sunday.

Image: Arvin Prem Kumar

With just four ingredients, the tamago sando at Barangaroo cafe Devon may seem simple, but it’s restorative powers are strong. Soft, fluffy white bread. Buttery, salty scrambled eggs. Sweet and tangy kewpie mayo. And a big punch of umami from furikake. You’ll feel a bit better just thinking about it. Excitingly, this baby will set you back just $9 — so you could even get two (trust us, they’re that good). If you can stretch the budget though, the cafe serves it with shavings of fresh truffle during winter for $20.

With a bold Luchetti Krelle-designed fit-out, house-roasted coffee and a menu of well-made cafe favourites, Matinee is one of Concrete Playground’s favourite breakfast spots. It would come as no surprise then that it’s also home to an excellent breakfast burger. Served with your choice of either thick-cut bourbon bacon, smoked salmon or herb-roasted mushrooms, the brioche roll is also stuffed with a fried egg, house-made tomato relish, hollandaise and a hash brown. We suggest you add on a serving of hand-cut potato chips with paprika salt, too. As an added bonus, Matinee accepts bookings — so you don’t need to spend your Saturday morning lining up for a table.

The breakfast roll at Bondi Beach’s New York-inspired Lox Stock & Barrel is part reuben, part egg and bacon roll, and part smashed avo. It’s a multi-layered beast of pastrami, fried eggs, swiss cheese, avocado, rocket, chilli and relish. The cafe bakes its own bread, smokes its own meat and makes all of its own sauces, so you know it’s going to be good, too. Grab a bag of house-made bagels to go and head for a brisk walk along the beach — the sea breeze is sure to rejuvenate you, too.

So, you love eggs benedict, but on this particular Saturday morning you don’t love the idea of using a knife and fork. Bake Bar has the solution: eggs benny in a roll. The bakery and cafe is slinging these genius salmon brekkie rolls in Rose Bay, just a hop, skip and a jump from the beach. Served on a house-baked onion roll, the sambo contains layers of baby spinach, tomato, spanish onion, capers and salmon, as well as the all-important poached egg and lush hollandaise sauce. Knock back one of these messy (and delicious) rolls, then dive in the ocean and you’ll be feeling 100 percent.