As the story goes, Bills founder Bill Granger is responsible for first popularising smashed avocado when he included a recipe for ‘avocado toast’ in his debut cookbook in 1999. Now, 25 years on, Bills the cafe has evolved with the times but still represents quintessential Sydney – beachy, fresh and luxurious. You can still order the avocado, dressed up in chilli, lime and coriander. Locations also in Surry Hills and Darlinghurst (as well as the UK, US, Japan and Korea). 79 Hall Street, Bondi Beach. bills.com.au.

What it lacks in size, this Chippendale bakery makes up for in flavour. Perfectly crusty, chewy sourdough loaves draw a line on a Sunday morning, while Mecca coffee and a counter flush with the likes of spiced Persian love cake, pandan choux, black sesame coconut cookies, apple tarts, savoury galettes and lamingtons soften the wait. The daily breakfast and lunch blackboard menu might include the cult broccoli sandwich, toast with avocado, or toasted muesli with fruit and yoghurt. 206 Cleveland St, Chippendale. brickfields.com.au.

Brunch has a soundtrack in this cool space just off King Street: the low purr of motorcycles being fine-tuned downstairs. Upstairs in the AM, it’s all about the breakfast ramen: a bowl of bone broth tinged with the smoky whiff of buttered toast, and filled with tangled noodles and the holy trinity of bacon, grilled tomato and egg. The breakfast plate brings together maple-glazed pumpkin, fried kingfish, a dashi egg and other Japanese-inspired umami bites; the space balances the industrial and the personal; and Single O coffee ensures you stay sharp enough to dodge any Vespas on your way out. 1C Whateley St, Newtown; risingsunworkshop.com/

Cornersmith has become Sydney’s community hub for ethical, sustainable and DIY cooking and eating – offering workshops on everything from pickling to managing food waste. The Marrickville cafe offers an assortment of plates that offer a bit of everything– maybe pickled mackerel or ham with cheddar, boiled eggs, fruit or house-made preserves. It’s fully licensed now, so you can add a Bloody Mary. 314 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville. cornersmith.com.au.

The future of Sydney breakfast is not avocado or acai, but instead, it’s noodly, spicy and funky. Run by the owners of Chat Thai, Boon is ahead of the curve, serving savoury congees, croissants smeared with sweet pandan spread and an assortment of proteins paired with nahm prik, a Thai hot sauce. If you want to savour the Thai spices and ferments at home, Jarern Chai is the attached grocery store. 1/425 Pitt St, Haymarket. booncafe.com.

The Grounds of the City, the metropolitan sister to the bucolic The Grounds of Alexandria, evokes the luxe brasseries and coffeehouses of New York and London. Booze is served from 10am. Enjoy your single-origin coffee with old school fare from the house-made crumpets to the wild mushroom feuillete – a puff pastry parcel filled with mushroom, poached eggs, sheep’s curd and hazelnuts. Keep an ear out for the squeaky wheels of the cake trolley. Shop RG 12, 500 George St, Sydney. thegroundscity.com.au.

A much-loved industrial outpost in suburban Marrickville, Two Chaps offers a completely vegetarian menu, always vibrant with interesting greens and local produce. They also bake their own breads and pastries on-site using sustainable and organic Australian flours. Come back on Thursday and Friday nights for hearty pasta dinners. 122 Chapel St, Marrickville. twochaps.com.au.

Home of one of the best coffee-roasting operations in the city, Mecca extends the same care and imagination to its food output as it does its beans. Dishes change with the seasons, but don’t pass up the mushroom ramen if it’s available. It’s also one of the few spots where you can find creamy nitro coffee on tap. 26 Bourke Road, Alexandria. mecca.coffee..

This could be the most beautiful cafe in Sydney. A concrete-and timber bench-clad foyer with lofty ceilings and natural light, PCP as it calls itself, is built into Paramount House at street level. The menu changes frequently but think; fried chicken waffles with maple bacon and pickled green apple, walnuts, radicchio and gravy; panko crumbed boiled eggs with smoked ham hash and kale; and miso-caramel doused shokupan French toast with zesty yuzu. Paramount Coffee Project was established as a collaboration between Jin Ng of Paramount House, Mark Dundon of Seven Seeds and Russell Beard of Reuben Hills and it’s still going strong after opening in 2013; a feat these days, but with coffee and breakfast this good it’s not hard to see why. 80 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills; paramountcoffeeproject.com.au.