Best cafes in Balmain

Best cafes in Balmain, ranked

1. #1little Ethel’s for a weekday coffee and home baking

   $🌳 Goodsir Street Reserve, 1 min walk

   little Ethel’s is a small weekday counter on Mullens Street, open from 6am to 12:30pm Monday to Friday and closed at weekends. Order the turmeric latte, then pick a blueberry walnut banana bread or an Anzac biscuit from the cabinet, which is mostly house-baked. Staff remember regulars’ orders, so it suits a daily stop on the way to work.

   Best for: Morning coffee and home baking

2. #2cafe d'Yvoire for a long weekend brunch

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Stephen Street Playground, 2 min walk

   cafe d'Yvoire is a corner cafe on Darling Street with a French feel, open daily from 7am to 3pm. Order the baked ratatouille eggs, then finish with the warm apple pie, which is spiced with cinnamon. Portions are generous and food comes out quickly, so it also works for a group lunch. Stephen Street Playground is close for a stop after brunch.

   Best for: Weekend brunch and a warm apple pie

3. #3Sandy bake shop for cakes and cheese scones

   $🌳 Issy Wyner Reserve, 3 min walk

   Find Sandy bake shop in an arcade off Darling Street, trading Wednesday to Saturday from 8am to 3:30pm. Choose the cheese scone, the chocolate cake or the blueberry frangipane tart from the cabinet, which is all baked in the shop. No coffee is listed for it, so this is a cake stop rather than a sit-down coffee.

   Best for: Cakes, slices and party cake orders

4. #4RREE’s cafe for matcha and a weekend brunch

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Ann Cashman Reserve, 4 min walk

   RREE’s cafe is a small, bright cafe on Darling Street, and the coffee is made by the owner, who has years of barista experience. Order the hash potato with mushrooms and a poached egg, or the French toast with strawberries and chocolate. The matcha drinks use drinking-grade Japanese matcha, and the bakes include a salted caramel lamington. Sundays fill quickly, so arrive early.

   Best for: Brunch, matcha and baked goods

5. #5Teras for a traditional breakfast in a shaded courtyard

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Issy Wyner Reserve, 3 min walk

   On Darling Street, Teras cooks Turkish breakfast and lunch under tall trees beside a church. Order the traditional Turkish breakfast or the menemen, served with crisp bread slices. At lunch, the grilled meat skewers come with flatbread, hummus and pickles. Turkish coffee is on the menu, and a dirty chai arrives in a small pot with a strainer.

   Best for: Turkish breakfast and courtyard dining

6. #6Little M for a quick coffee and a house-made muffin

   $Outdoor seating🌳 Issy Wyner Reserve, 2 min walk

   Little M is a small coffee window on Darling Street that trades from 6am until 4pm every day. Most orders are takeaway, though a few footpath seats catch the sun. Ask for a flat white or latte, and pair it with a house-made muffin, such as the nutella and raspberry one. The menu is short, so this is a quick stop rather than a sit-down meal.

   Best for: Early takeaway coffee and muffins

7. #7Hungry Bull Co. Balmain PTY LTD for eggs and gozleme at breakfast

   $🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Ann Cashman Reserve, 4 min walk

   Hungry Bull Co. Balmain PTY LTD roasts its own beans and serves breakfast through lunch on Darling Street. Order the Turkish egg, which customers single out, or the gozleme. The vegan plate is generous, and there are vegetarian dishes, a kids' menu and a babychino for children. Takeaway pastries, rolls and fresh juice are also available.

   Best for: Turkish eggs, breakfast and families

8. #8big tree house Balmain cafe and restaurant x JuJu for a long lunch or evening drinks

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Gladstone Park, 2 min walk

   big tree house Balmain cafe and restaurant x JuJu is an open-plan, all-day cafe on Darling Street, and it is the only pick here with a dinner service. Order the Korean chicken burger, the beef udon or the soup of the day, which customers keep returning for. Dinner runs Wednesday to Saturday until 10pm, with cocktails such as a lychee one. Gladstone Park is two minutes on foot.

   Best for: Long lunches and evening drinks

Compare best cafes in Balmain

The table below sets these cafes side by side on price, brunch, outdoor seating, dogs and weekend opening.

How we picked best cafes in Balmain

Cafes are ranked on an overall score that weighs each customer opinion by how many customers have shared one, so a cafe with a long run of opinions counts for more than one with a handful. Cafes with too few opinions are left out. Coffee and food notes come from what customers mention most often, and hours, brunch, dog and outdoor details come from each cafe’s listing.