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Best cafes in Alexandria

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Coffee Creative leads this list of the best cafes in Alexandria for coffee and food. Its espresso and empanadas set it apart, and each pick below gives one reason to visit a different cafe. Read down for the reasons, then check the details at the end.

Quick picks in Alexandria

  • Best espresso: Coffee Creative, for a well balanced shot and a basics coffee course advertised behind the bar.
  • Best for a weekend brunch: That Place Next Door - TPND, with wide doors, generous plates and bottomless brunch on weekends.
  • Best for a regular weekday breakfast: Cantine Verte, open 6:30am to 2:30pm on weekdays with consistently good coffee.
  • Best cheap lunch: The Pan Cafe, with a $10 lunch special built around poke bowls.
  • Best matcha stop: Macondo Cafe, where the strawberry matcha is the drink visitors order most.

Best cafes in Alexandria, ranked

  1. #1Coffee Creative for espresso and empanadas

    $🐕 Dogs insideOutdoor seating🌳 Dibbs Street Reserve, 2 min walk

    Coffee Creative is a small, family-run cafe on Mitchell Road, and its espresso and empanadas are what to order. The espresso is well balanced, and two visitors single out the barista Ash. It is the only pick here with coffee classes on offer, advertised on a chalkboard behind the bar, including a basics course. Dogs are welcome inside, and the closest green space is Dibbs Street Reserve, two minutes on foot.

    Best for: Espresso and empanadas

  2. #2The Pan Cafe for a cheap poke bowl lunch

    $🌳 Janet Beirne Reserve, 6 min walk

    The Pan Cafe on Doody Street is built around poke bowls, with burgers, wraps and fresh juice also on the menu. The teriyaki chicken poke bowl from the lunch special is the dish to order. Customers describe the staff as warm and the orders as fast. Weekday hours run from 6am to 3:30pm, Saturday from 8am to 2pm, and the cafe has step-free access. Janet Beirne Reserve is about six minutes on foot.

    Best for: Budget poke bowls and fresh juice

  3. #3Cantine Verte for a regular weekday breakfast

    $Outdoor seating🌳 Lever Reserve, 6 min walk

    Cantine Verte works a short weekday timetable, 6:30am to 2:30pm, covering breakfast and lunch. Scrambled eggs and the salad bowl with rice, avocado and nori are the orders to make. Regulars say the coffee is consistently good, and the staff remember them. It opens on weekdays only, so weekend visits need another stop. Lever Reserve can be reached on foot in about six minutes.

    Best for: Weekday breakfast and healthy lunch

  4. #4That Place Next Door - TPND for weekend brunch

    $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Alexandria Park, 1 min walk

    That Place Next Door - TPND is a relaxed cafe with wide doors that open the room onto the street. The southern fried chicken maple waffle and a long black are the orders to make. Bottomless brunch runs on weekends, and the room stays manageable when it is busy. Weekend trading starts at 7am, and dogs can sit at the outdoor tables. Alexandria Park is a one-minute walk away.

    Best for: Weekend brunch with the family

  5. #5Cafe Without A Name for jalapeno chicken melts

    $🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Alexandria Park, 5 min walk

    Cafe Without A Name operates out of a warehouse on McCauley Street, and the jalapeno chicken melt is the order to make. The bacon and egg on Turkish bread is the other plate that comes up often. It serves breakfast and lunch from 6am to 2pm on weekdays and also does catering. Leashed dogs are allowed at the outside tables, and a walk to Alexandria Park takes about five minutes.

    Best for: Quick weekday breakfast and catering

  6. #6The Grumpy Barista for avocado toast and coffee

    $$Outdoor seating🌳 Eveleigh Green, 2 min walk

    The Grumpy Barista on Henderson Road is known for its sourdough avocado toast with a hash brown. Its coffee is Toby's Estate, and the drinks list adds teas, kombucha and milkshakes. Tables on the footpath sit under an orange awning, which suits a sunny breakfast. It opens at 7am on weekdays and 8am on Sundays. Eveleigh Green is a two-minute walk away, and the Will Walker wrap is the lunch pick.

    Best for: Sourdough avocado toast and footpath tables

  7. #7Grind Pantry for a slow weekend brunch

    $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Jack Shuttleworth Reserve, 2 min walk

    Grind Pantry runs one menu from breakfast through lunch, open 7am to 3pm each day. Corn fritters and avocado toast with poached eggs are the plates to order, with pancakes and waffles on the sweet side. Berries and flowers garnish the plates. It is the only pick here with a wine list chosen by a sommelier. Dogs can sit at the outdoor tables, and Jack Shuttleworth Reserve is two minutes away.

    Best for: A slow brunch with a wine list

  8. #8Macondo Cafe for matcha and toasties

    $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Turruwul Park, 6 min walk

    Macondo Cafe on Botany Road is a cosy matcha and coffee stop with an outdoor area on the footpath. The strawberry matcha and a double matcha are the drinks visitors order most, and a coconut cream matcha is the newest addition. Chicken and beef toasties are the savoury choice, and the cinnamon roll topped with matcha is the sweet one. Weekday trading runs from 7am to 3:30pm, and the outdoor tables take dogs. Turruwul Park is six minutes away.

    Best for: Matcha drinks and a toastie

Compare best cafes in Alexandria

The details for each pick sit side by side in the table below.

CafePriceBrunchOutdoorDogsWeekendsNearest park
Coffee Creative$✓✓Inside✓Dibbs Street Reserve, 2 min
The Pan Cafe$✓––SatJanet Beirne Reserve, 6 min
Cantine Verte$✓✓–✗Lever Reserve, 6 min
That Place Next Door - TPND$$✓✓Outside✓Alexandria Park, 1 min
Cafe Without A Name$✓✓Outside✗Alexandria Park, 5 min
The Grumpy Barista$$✓✓–✓Eveleigh Green, 2 min
Grind Pantry$$✓✓Outside✓Jack Shuttleworth Reserve, 2 min
Macondo Cafe$$–✓Outside✓Turruwul Park, 6 min
EAT ME Espresso Bar$✓––✗Janet Beirne Reserve, 6 min
Meet Gerard$$✓✓Outside✓Eveleigh Green, 1 min
Ellen$$✓✓Outside✓Sydney Park, 7 min
Weighbridge Cafe$✓✓–✗Perry Park, 1 min
L’Americano Espresso Bar$$✓✗–✓Beaconsfield Park, 1 min
The Copper Mill$$✓✓Outside✓Kirsova 1 Playground, 5 min
Cafe 0.6$$✓✓Outside✓Perry Park, 5 min
ATE 5$✓✓–✗Hughes Avenue Reserve, 7 min
Mecca Coffee Alexandria$$✓✓–✓Perry Park, 5 min
Caffé Molinari–✓––✗Beaconsfield Park, 4 min
Copper Rose Cafe$✓✗–SatDr Darragh Park, 5 min
Genovese Coffee House$$✓✗–✓Jack Shuttleworth Reserve, 3 min
La Cachette Cafe$✓✓Outside✓Harry Noble Reserve, 5 min
Loveat Cafe$$✓✓–✗Janet Beirne Reserve, 9 min
The Grounds of$$✓✓Outside✓Perry Park, 4 min
Sydney Park Kiosk$✓✓Outside✓Sydney Park, 4 min

How we picked best cafes in Alexandria

Cafes are ordered by a weighted score that counts both how well they are liked and how many customers have voted. Each one was also screened for brunch on the menu, weekend opening, dogs and outdoor tables. Notes on food and coffee shaped how each pick was written.

Best cafes in Alexandria: FAQ

Which Alexandria cafe has the best espresso?

Coffee Creative is the cafe most visitors mention for espresso, and its coffee classes are advertised behind the bar.

Which Alexandria cafes let dogs sit outside?

Grind Pantry, Cafe Without A Name, TPND and Macondo Cafe all allow dogs at their outdoor tables, while Coffee Creative takes dogs inside.

Which Alexandria cafe opens earliest on a weekday?

Cafe Without A Name and The Pan Cafe both open at 6am on weekdays, and Cantine Verte starts an hour later at 6:30am.

Which Alexandria cafe is closest to Alexandria Park?

Two cafes sit within a few minutes of Alexandria Park: TPND, one minute away, and Cafe Without A Name, five.