Best cafes in Elizabeth Bay

Best cafes in Elizabeth Bay, ranked

1. #1Greenknowe Cafe for Filipino plates and a dessert finish

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 John Armstrong Reserve, 1 min walk

   Greenknowe Cafe has the most varied menu on this list, with Filipino plates beside the usual cafe fare. Order the lomi or the beef tapa with a fried egg, then finish with the ube ricotta pancake or the sticky biko. For drinks, go for the matcha or ube latte, which one customer picked out alongside a Filipino lunch. Groups do well here, and another customer praised the staff for a celebration. It opens at 7am every day, and the nearest park is John Armstrong Reserve.

   Best for: Filipino food and a dessert finish

2. #2Poppi's Place for a reliable morning coffee

   $🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Macleay Reserve, 1 min walk

   Poppi's Place is a neighbourhood stop where the coffee does most of the work. For food, order the egg and bacon roll or a hamburger, which one diner calls good value. Vegetarian dishes are on the menu too. It opens at 7am on weekdays and closes at 4pm, with Saturday hours ending at 3pm, and Macleay Reserve is close by, a minute on foot.

   Best for: Morning coffee and quick breakfasts

3. #3Elizabeth Bay Cafe for breakfast plates and a sit-down coffee

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 John Armstrong Reserve, 1 min walk

   Elizabeth Bay Cafe is the sit-down choice: a corn fritter sits beside the bacon, avocado and tomato on the breakfast plate. Salads and bowls cover lunch, and one customer named the green goddess bowl with poached salmon while another chose the honey-glazed burger. Lattes arrive in a glass on a saucer. Staff are polite and quick, and it opens at 6am on weekdays.

   Best for: Breakfast plates and a relaxed sit-down

4. #4Cafe C&M for bagels and a quick coffee

   $Outdoor seating🌳 Lawrence Hargrave Reserve, 1 min walk

   Cafe C&M (Rushcutters Bay) is where customers start with the bagels. The breakfast range goes further, with avocado toast topped by poached eggs, bacon, feta and beetroot relish. Coffee is Campos, a family-owned roaster, and the weekday $1 coffee with any bagel is worth asking about, though it may have changed. Service is friendly and quick, and Lawrence Hargrave Reserve is a minute away.

   Best for: Early bagels and Campos coffee

5. #5Shuk for shakshuka and a kids menu

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Lawrence Hargrave Reserve, 1 min walk

   Shuk is the place for shakshuka, which comes with flatbread in a black pan. Falafel and chicken wraps are the other mains, and a hefty bacon and egg roll sits on good bread. Flat whites and vanilla lattes get singled out for coffee, and cinnamon rolls are served alongside the drinks. There is a kids menu, outdoor seating, and it opens at 6:30am on weekdays.

   Best for: Shakshuka, families and outdoor tables

Compare best cafes in Elizabeth Bay

The table sets out price, weekend opening, dogs and the nearest park for each cafe.

How we picked best cafes in Elizabeth Bay

Cafes were scored on their average customer feedback, weighted so that a few glowing comments cannot lift a newer cafe past one with much more to go on. Food and coffee came next: what each menu does well, the drinks praised most and what regulars order. Opening hours and the nearest park sit alongside each pick.