In typical Phil Wood and Lis Davies fashion, the business/life partners have quietly opened a cafe worth shouting about. Cafe Cressida, named for the couple’s daughter, is the little sister to Ursula’s Paddington. Dressed head-to-toe in pastel pink, with California curves and towering palms to complete the kitschy look. Ticking all the boxes, Cressida is open daily for breakfast, rolls right on into lunch, and serves a laid-back but deeply refined dinner from Thursday to Saturday. Brunch classics of granola with Greek or coconut yoghurt; dippy eggs and soldiers; caramelised sugar French toast; and warming chicken congee are a great way to start a lazy day. If you’re in a hurry, grab and go from the bakery’s selection of pastries, quick salmon bagels, and local names like Nornie’s gluten-free bread or Iggy’s sourdough. 118 Queen Street, Woollahra; cafecressida.com.au.

In Sydney, it was avid restaurateur Bill Granger who taught the locals how to do brunch in the ’90s. At this – the original Bills in Darlinghurst – ricotta hotcakes and corn fritters flew off the menu, and they still do. Now, Bills is more of an empire than a cafe. Openings in Bondi, Double Bay, and Surry Hills follow the same fresh, pastel-leaning fit-outs, evoking a distinctly Australian energy. At Bondi, queues are common but well worth the wait when you’re presented with velvety scrambled eggs or that most-Australian staple of smashed avo on toast. Despite the breakfast institution’s international outposts in England, Hawaii, Korea and in Japan, the Darlinghurst eatery that started it all remains an understated and elegant must-visit. Beautifully decked out with timber chairs, 1960s Castiglioni wall lights and Holmegaard glass pendants. There is tobacco leather banquette seating and the food comes out fast and excellent. 433 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst; bills.com.au.

From the folks behind Calibrate and SML comes At Neutral, a clean-lined cafe serving house roasted coffee and colourful brunch fare. It may have a different name and menu, but there’s no denying the family resemblance. All three spaces share the same light-filled interiors, where swathes of oak meet curvilinear shapes and sleek monochrome details. Instead of bacon and eggs you’ll find the house cured salmon on toast topped with whipped chive cream, blueberry stained onions and a scattering of dill fronds and sliced grapes. 9 Rangers Road, Neutral Bay; instagram.com/at_neutral.

When chef Robin Butler headed out of the kitchen and took over the running of Rolling Penny in 2020, things went from good, to great. Butler’s breakfast fare wouldn’t be amiss at some of Sydney’s best restaurants, with slow-cooked enoki mushroom jerky perched on whipped feta and poached eggs; Brickfields focaccia, Ortiz anchovies and the mellow heat of ‘nduja with fresh zucchini flowers; and of course, really good coffee from the Little Marionette team. 583A King St, Newtown; rollingpenny.au.

Rising Sun is a membership-style motorcycle workshop, a cafe, an event space in a beautifully converted warehouse as well as a restaurant that turns out some of the best breakfast (and lunch) ramen in Sydney – it comes with buttered-toast broth, bacon, egg and tomato. The Newtown-based workshop and cafe has breakfasts ranging from furikake rice with pickles, sprouts and nuts, Hokkaido milk buns stuffed with egg, cheese and a kimchi slaw. Lunchtime options bánh mìs after midday, and more ramen – there’s even a veg option. 1C Whateley Street, Newtown; risingsunworkshop.com .

Set in a heritage house enclosed by a white picket fence, new cafe Percy Plunkett could be at home on a film set. An almost year-long refurbishment of the heritage building at the entrance to Nepean Village on Station St strikes a balance between the classic and the contemporary. The 120-seat cafe houses a range of dining spaces, from an outdoor deck — where blankets are provided for warmth — to cosy indoor nooks. The modern Australian menu offers variety, from gnocchi in a truffle sauce to a Reuben sandwich, as well as a rotating roster of creative specials. 146 Station Street, Penrith; percyplunkett.com.

With its bright pink exterior and crowds streaming in and out of Marion Street’s best squeeze, Dom Panino is hard to miss. It’s also a sandwich shop and cafe that you’re not going to want to miss. Subs inspired by Nonna’s of yore and absolutely banging coffee, Dom Panino’s is an instant hit given it only opened mid-2023. Get in early. 122 Marion Street, Leichhardt; dompanino.com.au.

It’s fair to say that Michael Mu Sung did his market research when it came to flipping his Sydney cafe into a deli. The restaurateur lives right around the corner from the new concept deli, Ken’s Continental, which borders both Rushcutters Bay and Potts Point. There’s no menu, just a chalkboard divided into three sections: breakfast, breakfast muffins, sandwiches, salads and plates. While Jeremy & Sons was known for its sandwiches and soups, Ken’s Continental is more about specialty meats and pastries and giving off cool Euro deli vibes. But it’s not all about the pickles and pastrami either. 3/40 Bayswater Rd, Rushcutters Bay; kenscontinental.com.au.

Practically a household name in Noose and Melbourne, Padre coffee has finally hit Five Ways in Paddington and Sydneysiders are flocking to get their piccolo fix. And, it turns out, their piccolo supplies. The chic Nordic-inspired concept store is as much about upping your at-home coffee game as it is about steaming milk and extracting coffee for your 9am meeting. Portuguese tarts by Tuga and baked goods from Staple are also at the grab and go counter if you’re in a hurry. 241A-241B Glenmore Road, Paddington; padrecoffee.com.au/pages/paddington.

Japan meets Korea meets Inner West steeze and really great coffee. That’s the general attitude when you head to Brighter Coffee in Stanmore. The industrial, multi-level space serves first and foremost as a roastery for Made of Many coffee, with massive industrial ovens taking up a decent share of the floorspace. Beyond that is a really well considered vego menu, great coffee, and a very deliberate-without-trying-too-hard sense of community. 102 Northumberland Avenue, Stanmore; facebook.com/brightercoffee.

Chef and restaurateur Michael Rantissi and Kristy Frawley (Kepos Street Kitchen) have joined forces with Andy Bowdy and Maddison Howes (previously Saga Enmore) to open Salma’s Canteen in Rosebery. The eatery features an abundance of Bowdy’s pastries and cakes alongside Rantissi’s signature salads, which will change with the seasons, as well as vegetables and proteins and dishes to take home for a DIY dinner. The canteen also features a selection of Bowdy’s signature treats such as salted honey tart and yuzu cheesecake. Modelled on a casual, yet contemporary canteen, Salma’s also features a carefully curated array of offerings such as grab-and-go sandwiches and dips. 2/797 Botany Rd, Rosebery; salmascanteen.com.au.

Saltbush, Geraldton wax, lilly pilly, wattleseed and lemon myrtle… there’s nothing more uniquely Australian. And yet, at Hearthe (think “art” meets “heart” meets “hearth” meets “Thé”), you can happily have an eggs Benny and flaky croissant breakfast without really pondering a native foods foray. Pastry master Christopher Thé’s homage to Indigenous ingredients is just part of your brekkie adventure at this Inner West cafe/bakery. 16 Douglas Street, Stanmore; hearthe.com.au.

Nothing is off-limits on the super indulgent menu that includes fried chicken sandwiches, pink lamingtons and peanut butter cheesecake. Ditch the tummy ache and none of the flavour at Marrickville’s new gluten-free kid on the block, Gluten Free Friends (GFF). Brought to us by the genius team behind Redfern’s Donut Papi, Kenneth Rodrigueza, Karen Rodrigueza and Chris Palamara, this new bakery is set to be a safe haven for coeliacs. Shop 4/359 Illawarra Road, Marrickville; instagram.com/glutenfreefriendsforever.

Lox Stock and Barrel has been crafting its own version of a classic European style deli diner on the backstreets of Bondi Beach since 2013. We come here for bagels with smoked lox (salmon) or pastrami and smashed avo – a jumble of feta, mint and avocado. And great coffee. A reuben is wagyu corned beef, Swiss cheese, pickles and sauerkraut, and there’s a grilled spiced albacore tuna sandwich with jalapenos, miso-dressed slaw, cucumber. 140 Glenayr Avenue, Bondi Beach; loxstockandbarrel.com.au.

There’s a place in most hearts for a good sandwich, and this popular brick corner cafe is where that place finds what it needs. A revolving and eclectic range of sandwiches span chicken and mayo, dense, smokey pastrami, or bacon, pickles and kale slaw. What they all have in common is the extraordinary bread turned out by this top-notch Chippendale bakery. Pick up a loaf or stay for a croissant, and definitely get your jaw around something between two slices of bread. 206 Cleveland Street, Chippendale; brickfields.com.au.