Sydney's Best New Cafes of 2017

The Walrus is nearing on two months open, yet it still qualifies as one of the newer cafes in Sydney’s CBD. It looks it too — the decor is bright but pared-back with neutral tones accented by plants and a distressed brown banquette by the floor-to-ceiling windows. These windows remain closed during the colder months, but in warmer weather, they’re opened to let in the breeze.

This the cafe we want near our office — it does reliable coffee, serves food that spans from salads to hearty burgers, and has a team of attentive but non-intrusive staff. Aside from the small issue of the missing nuts, there’s not much to complain about. Here’s hoping they iron out all the kinks so you can add them to your list of CBD go-tos.

For the past 11 years, wife and husband duo Sam and Michael Kern have been dishing up decadent breakfasts and sumptuous lunches from Parc cafe in Randwick. Now, it’s time for the local mainstay to turn over a new leaf. Earlier this year, Parc reopened its doors as Tucker, with a renewed focus on wholesome eats and more options for foodies on the go.

“Over the last three or four years, takeaway has grown incredibly,” says Sam. “So we’ve changed the style of service to suit that.” Rather than going for a complete renovation, the Kerns have instead rejuvenated, extending on what they’ve already found so successful. “We do heaps and heaps of takeaway salads and meals,” Sam says. “We’ve got a big fridge in the front of the cafe, but we’ve found that we can’t keep up with production.” Cue the installation of a new production kitchen that’ll keep their signature salads stocked constantly in the shop, ready to service everyone from long-staying brunchers to tradies swinging through between jobs.

Launching a burger joint in the first week of the new year is an ambitious move, but that didn’t stop the people of Penrith from flocking to their new local early 2017. It seems that the curiously named Burger Head’s only new year’s resolution is to satiate the hunger of western Sydney.

Collaborating chefs Richard Borg (ex-Momofuku Seiobo), Josh DeLuca (ex-Quay) and Timothy Rosenstrauss have clearly drawn some inspiration from inner city restaurants, they’ve also made the Burger Head menu their own. Among the wooden, grey, small bar-style interior is an epic artwork depicting Mona Lisa’s torso, arms, and classic 16th century Italian landscape — but instead of her head, a gargantuan burger sits atop her shoulders. ‘Burga Lisa’. It’s beautiful, but perhaps a little terrifying; if it’s off-putting, there’s a spacious shady courtyard outside too.

The Grounds of Alexandria-inspired Flower Child Café has been open in Chatswood, inside Westfield, for just over a year and the team has already expanded to a second location at Westfield Warringah. Co-founders Chris Lu (Bondi Hardware, Happy as Larry Pizza Truck) and Adam Choker (ex-manager at The Grounds of Alexandria) are taking their same philosophy and holistic approach to the northern beaches, this time with a venue that doesn’t just seem outdoors, but actually is.

While Flower Child Chatswood acts as a indoor garden that naturalises an otherwise typical shopping mall, Flower Child Warringah is actually located outdoors. The large windows allow for a flood of sunlight into the restaurant, which sits in the open mall’s ground floor courtyard. The space has again been designed by ACME & Co (The Grounds, Archie Rose, Fred’s, Charlie Parker’s) and features an open plan kitchen, whitewash timber, custom tiles, and a colourful, floral-textured interior, all of which are meant to give the venue a “beachy and tropical” feel that acts as a nod to their northern beaches location.

Pizza-on-wheels food truck Happy as Larry has found a permanent park in Sydney’s CBD. The team will now be slinging their wood-fired favourites from their new flagship shop in the MetCentre. The casual Italian eatery is a laidback lunch affair with a main bar feature made from sheets of recycled shipping container — a thoughtful nod to the brand’s food truck roots.

The team behind this venture includes Happy as Larry co-owners/childhood friends Anthony Severino (head pizzaiolo), Chris Lu (Bondi Hardware) and Adam Choker (The Grounds of Alexandria), the latter of whom also co-own Flower Child Chatswood and recently opened the aforementioned Warringah outpost. The made-to-order cafe menu is focused on pizzas and pastas. Severino spent the last few months perfecting his own dough recipe and, as with the truck, his pizzas pay homage to the Neapolitan classic while being noticeably lighter, crispier and topped with non-traditional ingredients.

The times they are a-changin’ down in Potts Points’ Lankelly Place, where Waterman’s Lobster Co. has just revamped as Dear Sainte Eloise and Joseph Hyde has taken up residence in the old Wilbur Place digs. Named for Joseph Hyde Potts, who founded Potts Point in 1830, the community-minded cafe boasts some serious coffees and a menu for any dietary need.

The space is owned and operated by Louise Hunt (previous owner of Surry Hill’s Orto Trading Co and Redfern’s Baffi & Mo), who just returned from sabbatical and snatched up this epic laneway space once the Wilmer pop-up ceased to be. Joseph Hyde is the fourth business for Hunt and the locally sourced, weekly menu is an evolution from her previous operations with some twists on old favourites — think the Croque and Jack, a twist on the croque madame which uses free range, double smoked ham, topped with Monterrey jack cheese and a duck egg, all atop Sonoma sourdough ($15).

There’s a fair bit going on at Chippendale’s Sneaky Possum. Part cafe, part bar, part restaurant and part function space, with a multipurpose area upstairs, the Abercrombie Street venue defies easy categorisation — to the extent that even its owner isn’t entirely sure what to call it. The corner venue can be easily identified thanks to a pair of distinctive murals on its outside. One, by Fintan McGee, depicts Naomi Mayers, former lead singer of The Sapphires and founder of the Indigenous Health Service. The other, by Scott Marsh, is an ode to Sydney’s ibis population.

Wander through the doors and you’ll find Sneaky Possum is split into a number of different sections. A large, brightly lit front bar leads through to a room full of pinball machines and retro arcade games, while out back you’ll find a casual dining area complete with custom built wooden booths. A large open space upstairs, meanwhile, can be everything from a band room to a communal dining area to a gallery. Chef Briony Bradford has crafted a menu with a strong focus on local produce.

In Sydney, Andy Bowdy’s cakes are legendary. But until now, tasting one of them has been relegated to attending a very involved birthday party or some kind of fancy event. The opening of his first standalone cafe Saga presents the first opportunity for the average punter to just walk in a grab one of the baker’s lauded sweet creations since he finished up as pastry chef at Hartsyard. About time.

What sets his famed meringue-heaped, caramel-dripping tiered cakes — served at Saga as mini versions, perfect for one person — apart is that they’re all about reversing the ratio of cake to cream; instead of thick layers of dense sponge, each delicacy is carefully dressed with fat deposits of melt-in-your-mouth cream that, at first, may make you feel a little guilty. But then the overwhelming calm washes over your sugar-filled brain as you realise you don’t care one little bit.

Chef Darren Robertson’s reputation precedes him — those who do not already know him from his time at the tremendously luxe Tetsuya’s or as one of the main minds, and palates, behind Australian restaurant group Three Blue Ducks, will surely recognise him as the newly appointed judge on My Kitchen Rules. Now, the famed chef has opened his new 100-seater in Bondi in the former site of The Hill Eatery.

With Rocker, Robertson is again collaborating with Bondi local Cam Northway (Sweet & Chilli) and the project has moved fast since we first chatted about the restaurant back in March. Running the kitchen day-to-day is Stuart Toon, who has a decade of experience as a butcher working with Jamie Oliver. The precise, seasonal menu will be distinguished by regular specials and fresh ingredients. The coffee bar is currently open seven days a week, offering up single origin brews with takeaway toasties, pastries and cakes. The all-day lunch and dinner service starts from noon, with ‘smalls’ including parfaits, oysters and salads, as well as Welsh rarebit croquettes.

The Grounds’ long-awaited CBD venue opened in time for winter, and is a ‘nod to times past’ with throwbacks to 1920s hospitality, and is distinct departure from The Grounds’ existing vibe. Design studio Acme & Co. have again worked with The Grounds, creating a truly ‘spare no details’ kind of space, from the antique theatre pendant lighting, up-cycled timber floors and marble details to the hand-crafted stained glass windows and custom-made enamel fridge doors. Even the light fixtures have been carefully curated and the cast iron doors were actually hand-casted by The Grounds team.

The Grounds of the City also aims to bring socialising back to the hustle and bustle of city life. Shoe shines for waiting customers, a cake and ‘Tea Lady’ tea trolley that circles the room and a top-of-the-line barista’s bar with ‘coffee sommeliers’ on-hand are a few services on offer at the new venue. The new venue draws inspiration from traditional coffeehouse culture, complete with​ The Barista’s Bar ​fitted with state-of-the-art espresso and filter technology highlighting The Grounds house-roasted coffee and Roastery.