Did somebody say "Brunch"?

Breakfast is the perfect meal for catching up with friends and starting the day. Here are some of Sydney's top spots.






Kitchen by Mike (85 Dunning Ave, Rosebery)
Here's how it works at Kitchen by Mike: you take your enamel plate and point to the things you want to put in your mouth. The chefs behind the counter pile your plate and you just pay for each item individually once you're ready. It's kind of like a big party buffet, only made by an ex-head chef of Rockpool.

Cornersmith (314 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville)
Cornersmith's ploughman’s changes almost daily – it depends on what is in season. It could involve a chorizo scotch egg, sardines, black lentils and beetroot, zucchini and fetta salad, figs, free-range ham, aged cheddar married with a spicy house made tomato chutney, crusty rye bread and maybe even pear slices for a palate cleanser.

Reuben Hills (61 Albion St, Surry Hills)
Take a seat at the blue-tiled communal table out the back and check out the hot floor staff as they serve up some of the area’s best coffee.
Try a baleada while you’re here. The Honduras dish is a tortilla filled-then-folded with black beans for the veggos or pulled pork for the carnies. It’s a hefty number, and will most likely keep you going all day.

Double Roasters (199 Victoria Rd, Marrickville)
Taking up residence in an old warehouse that faces onto Victoria Road, Double Roasters aims to pack as much of the good stuff onto a slice of bread as is humanly possible. The croque monsieur is a monster of a toasted sambo on inch-thick pieces of bread with cheese sauce and ham in the centre and a golden cheese crust.

Joe Black (27 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills)
Tucked up on the business end of Commonwealth Street, it’s not about what’s on the menu, but how they do it at this inner-city hideaway. The usual suspects are all there - BLAT, bacon and egg sambo, granola - as well as the thoughtful additions of a roast veggie sandwich for meat-free types, and a savoury, vegan-friendly option of mushrooms and hummus on rye bread.

Four Ate Five (485 Crown St, Surry Hills)
This unassuming place is doing exceptional food, great juices, Single Origin coffee, and top of the line sangas. Order the pulled pork sandwich with striations of sweet, sweet meat that meld seamlessly with cooling fresh cucumber and apple spiced up with tomato chutney and slathered with aioli on dark sourdough.


Flour and Stone (53 Riley St, Woolloomooloo)
Who doesn't like brekkie dessert? Nadine Ingram, the master baker behind designer cookie business Cookie Couture, has opened up a new bakery right in the heart of Woolloomooloo. Think lemon drizzle cake, chocolate tarts, cinnamon buns, and a hazelnut torte that will leave you weak at the knees.

Revolver (291 Annandale St, Annandale)
This Annandale cafe does a big breakfast that is a thing of wonder: a veritable feast of house-made baked beans, mushrooms, bacon and pork sausage topped with two baked eggs, served in a cast iron pan. Starring alongside the breakfast is ‘flavoured oil' - Revolver's riff on chimmi churri – that should be applied liberally to anything within reach.

bills (433 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst)
Bills is one of those rare Sydney cafés that offer the whole package – we're talking service, food and interiors. Sit at the massive communal tablea nd order the classics such as the ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter and banana or the creamy scrambled eggs and the oft-emulated sweet corn fritters. It's a classic for a reason.

Fratelli Paradiso (12-16 Challis Ave, Potts Point)
The menus on the chalkboard are all in Italian, but not to worry – there’s a swathe of hot waiters to translate for you. Either drop by in the morning for the baked ricotta with stewed fruit or a fresh pastry; or if you aren't averse to a little pasta for breakfast order the amazing lasagne.