Best cafes in Chippendale

Best cafes in Chippendale, ranked

1. #1Bear Espresso Bar for a coffee and a sweet treat

   $🐕 Dogs outside🌳 Chippendale Green, 2 min walk

   Bear Espresso Bar is a coffee stop on Queen Street, and the espresso drinks are the reason to visit. Coffee drinkers single out the piccolo and the flat white, and the baked cheesecake is the treat to order alongside. The cafe does not serve breakfast or lunch, so it works better as a coffee stop than a meal. It opens at 7:30am on weekdays and 8am on Saturdays, closing at 3pm and 2pm. Headlands Coffee supplies the beans, and dogs can sit outside. On foot, the nearest park is two minutes off.

   Best for: Espresso drinks and a sweet treat

2. #2ZENIUS for brunch bowls and taro drinks

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

   ZENIUS is the Abercrombie Street cafe to pick for a brunch bowl with a drink on the side. Diners come back for the taro and ube matcha drinks, and the cauliflower bowl with beetroot hummus and crispy kale is marked vegetarian and gluten free. The menu also includes a burger, a pandan pancake and shakshuka. It opens at 7am on weekdays and 8am on weekends, and the outdoor tables sit on the footpath. Dogs can sit outside, and a minute's stroll takes you to Strickland Park.

   Best for: Brunch bowls and taro matcha drinks

3. #3Hatch Espresso for a fast takeaway wrap

   $🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 UTS Alumni Green, 3 min walk

   Hatch Espresso is a walk-up cafe on Little Regent Street, built for a quick order. Grab the grilled halloumi veggie wrap, a Lebanese baked wrap, or a pie from the display case. It opens at 6am on weekdays and closes at 2pm, and it does not open on weekends. Visitors describe the espresso as smooth and say a takeaway cup is ready in minutes. The cafe has outdoor tables, dogs can sit outside, and UTS Alumni Green is three minutes away.

   Best for: A quick takeaway wrap on weekdays

4. #4Something for Jess - SFJ Cafe & Coffee for a slow breakfast

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Chippendale Green, 2 min walk

   Something for Jess - SFJ Cafe & Coffee is the cafe for a long breakfast with a book. Diners name the breakfast wrap and the corn fritter benedict, and one visitor says the cold brew is among the best in Sydney. Granola yoghurt bowls and apple pie also appear on the menu. Visitors call the room cosy and relaxed, and the cafe has outdoor seating and vegetarian options. It opens at 7am on weekdays, 8am on Saturdays and 9am on Sundays. Chippendale Green is about two minutes on foot.

   Best for: A slow breakfast with a book

5. #5Flappy Bird for banh mi and a juice

   $🌳 UTS Alumni Green, 2 min walk

   Flappy Bird is the Broadway cafe on this list for Vietnamese food, with banh mi, pho and paper rolls. Order the banh mi with extra pate, which regulars say has fresh bread and a generous filling. The counter has a juice bar with fresh fruit on display, and one visitor praises the salt coffee. It opens at 8am most days and closes at 8pm, with 5pm closes on Sundays. From here, UTS Alumni Green is a two-minute stroll.

   Best for: Banh mi and a fresh juice

6. #6101 KISSA for fried chicken bowls and udon

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

   101 KISSA is the Taiwanese-style cafe on Abercrombie Street for a long, unhurried lunch. Fried chicken bowls on purple rice and king prawn udon in a creamy house sauce are the dishes diners choose. The egg roti with fried chicken comes out as one big plate, with every element on its own. Coffee drinkers who want something other than a standard latte can try the Nutty Cream Latte or the Black Forest cold brew. Its day runs from 8am until 2:30pm, with the outdoor tables open to dogs.

   Best for: Fried chicken rice bowls and udon

7. #7Brews Brothers Coffee and Tea Co for a garlic prawn pasta

   $Outdoor seating🌳 Chippendale Green, 1 min walk

   Brews Brothers Coffee & Tea Co is a Park Lane cafe where the pasta is the main draw. Diners return for the garlic prawn pasta, with its butter-based sauce and a little chilli, and a creamy mushroom pasta also gets praise. Breakfast portions are generous, and the sourdough is singled out. The room is described as cosy and low-key, with tables out on the street. It opens at 7am on weekdays and Saturdays, and 8am on Sundays. Chippendale Green is a minute's walk off.

   Best for: Garlic prawn pasta and a relaxed lunch

8. #8Café Giulia for pancakes and a burger

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Strickland Park, 1 min walk

   Café Giulia is a breakfast and lunch cafe on Abercrombie Street with a menu that runs from pancakes to burgers. Pancakes come stacked with sausages, and the burger arrives with a pile of fries. Smoked salmon and poached eggs on spinach is one of the brunch plates. Lattes get the most praise from visitors. The cafe's own page says it has served Chippendale since 2003, and it takes pre-orders for collection. It opens at 6:30am on weekdays and Saturdays, and it has outdoor seating. Strickland Park is a minute's stroll off.

   Best for: Pancakes, burgers and breakfast with a latte

Compare best cafes in Chippendale

The table below sets price, brunch, outdoor seating, dogs, weekend opening and the nearest park side by side for each cafe.

How we picked best cafes in Chippendale

Cafes are ordered by a score that weighs each cafe's reviews, so a cafe with only a few comments ranks lower. This topic also checks brunch on the menu, weekend hours, whether dogs can sit inside or outside, and outdoor tables. Each entry also reflects what the cafe's own page says about its food and coffee. Cafes with few facts on file were left out.