Cafes with outdoor seating in The Rocks

Cafes with outdoor seating in The Rocks, ranked

1. #1ASLAN Coffee for a dog-friendly brunch on Nurses Walk

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 First Fleet Park, 2 min walk

   Nurses Walk is a narrow laneway, and ASLAN Coffee fills one side of it with an indoor counter room and a terrace outside. Order the iced latte or the cold brew, and stay for the brunch plates, such as the poached-egg bowl with asparagus or the avocado on a savoury pancake. Dogs can sit outside beside you, and the two-minute walk to First Fleet Park is a short detour. It opens at 7am on weekdays and 8am at weekends, and closes at 3pm every day.

   Best for: Dog-friendly weekend brunch

2. #2The Tea Cosy for afternoon tea with scones and jam

   Outdoor seating🌳 Bushell Place, 1 min walk

   The Tea Cosy is a small tea room on Atherden Street, and its scones are baked on site each day. Have them with thick cream and Australian-made jam, or order The Grandstand for sandwiches, savouries and sweet treats on a three-tiered stand. The courtyard tables are a minute's walk from Bushell Place. It opens at 9:30am on weekdays and 9am at weekends, so go in the morning if you want the scones fresh.

   Best for: Afternoon tea with scones and jam

3. #3Black and White Espresso Bar for a bagel breakfast on George Street

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Barney & Bligh Reserve, 1 min walk

   Black and White Espresso Bar is a calm cafe on George Street, close to the harbour side of The Rocks. Order a bagel with generous fillings, such as the one with bacon, cream cheese and avocado, and ask about the Good Morning Roll the cafe is known for. The house coffee is Single O's Reservoir, with a rotating single-origin alongside it. Barney & Bligh Reserve is one minute away, and the entry is step-free. It opens at 7am on weekdays and closes at 2:30pm on Sundays.

   Best for: Bagels and a quiet sit-down

4. #4Starbucks The Rocks for green tea and matcha in the shade

   $Outdoor seating🌳 First Fleet Park, 1 min walk

   Starbucks The Rocks, at 135 George Street, keeps its tables shaded at the back of a compact shop. The iced matcha latte is the drink to order, and the green tea is the other one to try. Pastries and rolls sit in the front case, with packaged sandwiches and wraps beside them. The park beside it, First Fleet, is a minute's stroll. It opens at 7am daily and closes at 6pm from Sunday to Thursday, and at 7pm on Friday and Saturday.

   Best for: Shaded outdoor seats and matcha

5. #5The Fine Food Store for an all-day breakfast among sandstone buildings

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Foundation Park, 1 min walk

   The Fine Food Store is a cafe in The Rocks Centre on Playfair Street, with all-day breakfast alongside a chicken quesadilla, a pumpkin salad and a ham and cheese toastie. The coffee is roasted on site, and the cappuccino is the drink to order. Foundation Park is about a minute's walk away, and the outdoor tables sit among the sandstone buildings. It opens at 7am on weekdays and 7:30am at weekends, and closes at 3pm.

   Best for: Coffee roasted on site and all-day breakfast

6. #6Bru Lane for takeaway coffee on the walk past Circular Quay

   $🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Bushell Place, 1 min walk

   Bru Lane is a small takeaway cafe on Hickson Road, with little seating, so most customers take their coffee away. Order a latte or a flat white, and pair it with the raspberry pistachio pastry that one visitor recommends. Dogs can sit outside, and Bushell Place is a short stroll away. It is open Monday to Friday only, from 7am to 3pm, so plan a weekday morning.

   Best for: Takeaway coffee on a walk

7. #7Belgian Café for hot chocolate and dessert stops

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Barney & Bligh Reserve, 1 min walk

   Belgian Café on George Street is known for its hot chocolate made with melted Belgian chocolate, which diners name first. The menu runs from breakfast and brunch through to lunch, with Waffle Deluxe and ricotta pancakes in the morning and burgers, salads and prawn pasta at lunch. Tables sit both inside and out, and Barney & Bligh Reserve is a minute's walk off. It opens at 7:30am every day and closes at 9pm, the latest of the picks on this page.

   Best for: Hot chocolate and dessert stops

Compare cafes with outdoor seating in The Rocks

The table compares price, brunch, outdoor seating, dog access and weekend opening for each cafe.

How we picked cafes with outdoor seating in The Rocks

Cafes are ordered by customer feedback, with more weight given to cafes that have heard from more customers. Each shortlisted cafe was also tested on three things for this page: weekend trading, outdoor tables, and whether dogs may sit outside. Descriptions of food and coffee come from what visitors wrote about each cafe.