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Casual dining in Sydney

Must do

Centennial Parklands Dining
Manly Pavilion and wharf at Manly Cove. Image Andrew Gregory

Coffee and cakes by the beach

Enjoy lazy Summer days with great coffee, sweet treats and freshly-made gelato in a classic Sydney cafe, found in leafy streets, bookshops and by the beach.

Sydney cafes

Dining at the Opera Kitchen below the Sydney Opera House. Image James Pipino

Soak up spectacular harbour views at Opera Kitchen at the Sydney Opera House. Take your pick of some of Sydney’s best chefs with dishes from Becasse Bakery and Justin North’s Charlie & Co, amongst others. Reward yourself with lunch after a few laps at North Sydney Pool at Ripples Café. Or, for the ultimate waterside café experience, catch a ferry to Fort Denison and enjoy lunch and a glass of wine with dress-circle views of Sydney Harbour.

North of the bridge, enjoy homemade scones and jam on the heritage verandah of Burnt Orange, an elegant 1920s café in Mosman. If you’re serious about your espresso, pop over to Barefoot Coffee Traders in Manly. And to really get away from it all, head to Clareville Kiosk, an airy cottage café on Pittwater.

You’re spoilt for choice with cafes in Sydney’s eastern suburbs – Summer favourites include the Crabbe Hole near Bondi Icebergs, fish and chips at Neilsen Park’s kiosk, and Three Blue Ducks near Bronte Beach. In the inner west, discover the talented baristas at Campos Coffee in Newtown, brunch with motorbikes at Deus Café, or give into temptation at Adriano Zumbo’s patisserie café in Balmain.

Harry's Café de Wheels

Eating a tiger pie at Harry's Café de Wheels, Woolloomooloo. Image Pierre Toussaint

This Sydney icon has been serving tasty pies and peas from a caravan café in Sydney’s Woolloomooloo since 1945. A favourite of late-night revellers and celebrities alike, Harry’s is now classified by the National Trust of Australia.

Café on Sydney Harbour

Catch a ferry from Circular Quay to Fort Denison Cafe, located on a tiny island in the middle of Sydney Harbour. This historic site offers magnificent habour views and a contemporary Australian menu that’s just right for sharing with friends.

Café on Fort Denison, Sydney Harbour. Image Hamilton Lund

Best of Bondi cafes

Work up an appetite in the surf, go for a run along the beachfront promenade or follow the clifftop walk from Bondi to Coogee before indulging in a delicious breakfast at Trio Bondi. Will it be the corn fritters with goat’s cheese and bacon or the mediterranean-style breakfast of haloumi and pancetta? Don’t miss the Crabbe Hole Café at Bondi Beach and the famous Icebergs outdoor pool.

Bondi beach. Image James Pipino

Cafés by the beach

What could be more Sydney in Summer than fish and chips by the beach? For fresh ingredients with a fun twist, Jellyfish Cafe ticks all the boxes. It’s across the road from the North Steyne end of Manly Beach.

Fish and Chips at Bondi Beach, Image Pierre Toussaint

Cafes

Sydney's tourists and locals pile into the multitude of cafés lining the city streets and surrounding suburbs. With some of the best coffee in the world and some of the best food, too, Sydney's cafés are a culture all of their own.

If Italian cuisine is on your menu, head to "Little Italy" Leichhardt which runs the length of Norton and Marion streets. The central Italian Forum is dotted with outdoor cafes, cake shops and Italian delis to keep any lover of Italian food and coffee happy.

Crown, Burton and Liverpool streets in the trendy Darlinghurst and Surry Hills boroughs are lined with an array of cafes. Look out for Coco Cubano and Cafe Fellini, both gems of the cafe scene. Kazbah in Balmain is constantly winning praise for its heavy Middle Eastern-style breakfasts. Likewise, watching a colourful crowd in Newtown and sipping coffee from a cafe window seat on King is equally appealing. One of those places only usually found by local or passers by on foot, Perry Lane is a café and art space in Paddington that also serves some great organic egg breakfast dishes.

Famed for its delicious pies, Harry's Cafe de Wheels in Woolloomooloo is an institution for late-night revellers and people grabbing pies and peas on the run.

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