Best brunch cafes in Rockdale

Best brunch cafes in Rockdale, ranked

1. #1Sandwich Lab for a slow weekend brunch with sandwiches

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Chapel Street Reserve, 5 min walk

   Weekend mornings at Sandwich Lab on Princes Highway run until 3pm, with a counter that bakes its pastries daily. Breakfast and lunch are both served, and the menu lists a pulled beef Reuben and a meatball sandwich on baguette. Pastries are baked fresh each day, so a sweet bite can come with the coffee.

2. #2Xtract Coffee for eggs on toast and a Lebanese platter

   $🌳 Yamba Woora Reserve, 7 min walk

   On Walz Street, Xtract Coffee opens at 5am on Saturday and closes at 2pm. Order the eggs on toast, which customers call generous, or the Lebanese tapas platter with dips, pickles, a boiled egg and warm pita. Children are well catered for, with a kids menu and step-free entry. Yamba Woora Reserve sits a 7 minute stroll from the cafe.

3. #3Happy Alley for a steak with fries and matcha

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Chapel Street Reserve, 2 min walk

   Happy Alley on Bay Street is open on weekends from breakfast onwards. The steak with fries and chimichurri is the plate customers name most, and matcha drinks are praised in recent visits. Vegetarian dishes are listed, though the menu has no kids section. Happy Alley is two minutes from the park, Chapel Street Reserve.

4. #4Soul Mill Woodfired Pizza for a long Sunday brunch

   $Outdoor seating🌳 Chapel Street Reserve, 4 min walk

   Soul Mill Woodfired Pizza is a family-run cafe on King Street, open on Sunday until 5pm. Breakfast, brunch and lunch are served, and the oven-baked burger with sujuk is the one to order. The steak wrap is another plate customers name. The room is cosy and suits families, with a kids menu and outdoor seating for a sunny morning.

5. #5Knead Bakehouse for a pastry and a bold coffee on the weekend

   $🌳 Chapel Street Reserve, 4 min walk

   Knead Bakehouse is a bright bakery cafe in Tramway Arcade, open on Sunday from 6am and on Saturday until 2pm. The Latin chicken pastry costs $9, with a flaky pastry and creamy chicken inside. Regulars describe the brew as bold, and an oat iced latte has a good crema. A chicken caesar and a salmon focaccia are also served.

6. #6EXPRESSO CARTEL for a takeaway brunch on the go

   $🌳 Chapel Street Reserve, 5 min walk

   A takeaway coffee counter, EXPRESSO CARTEL, runs from a spot on Railway Street inside the station. It opens from 9am on Saturday, so it suits a weekend start on the way out. Next to the coffee you can grab a wrap, a croissant or a fruit cup. One customer recalls an avocado chicken wrap that was packed neatly.

7. #7Boschetto Cafe for steak, breakfast tacos and baked eggs

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Chapel Street Reserve, 5 min walk

   Boschetto Cafe is a cafe on Princes Highway where weekend brunch is served from 7am on Saturday and Sunday. Start with the steak, or try the breakfast tacos and the baked eggs on garlic toast. The plates are bright and carefully put together. It is open into the evening on Saturday, and it has a kids menu and vegetarian dishes.

8. #8HEY BAY BAÉ - Cafe for a pistachio croissant on a weekend morning

   $Outdoor seating🌳 Chapel Street Reserve, 2 min walk

   Inside a pharmacy on Bay Street, HEY BAY BAÉ - Cafe opens at 9am on Sundays and closes at 3pm on Saturdays. Regulars ask for the pistachio croissant first; the Portuguese tart and mini almond pastries come up too. Cappuccino is the coffee regulars come back for, and iced chocolate is also served. Lunch is served too.

Compare best brunch cafes in Rockdale

The table compares price, brunch, outdoor tables, weekend opening and the nearest park for each cafe.

How we picked best brunch cafes in Rockdale

The list ranks by average score, with a discount for cafes that have few scores, so a handful of reviews cannot push one to the top. Each cafe is then judged on brunch: the dishes on the menu, weekend hours, the coffee and outdoor tables. A cafe's own description of its menu is drawn on when it exists, and complaints are reported only when several reviews repeat them.