Best Brunch in Sydney: Your List of Weekend Cafe Hangouts

When it comes to weekend rituals, nothing beats a brunch session on a Saturday or Sunday. Come rain, hail or shine, Sydney's best cafés are constantly thinking up new ways to draw in the hungry mid-morning crowds (hello bottomless brunch!), with drool-worthy plates of breakfast salads, granola bowls, twists on smashed avo on toast, and of course the perennial favourite – the humble bacon and egg roll. When it comes to brunch, Sydney’s café scene has it all. We've selected some of the greats to help you decide where you’ll be heading this weekend. Here’s our edit of the best brunch in Sydney.

Girdlers

Girdlers is made for long, lazy brunches. It’s also a health lover’s haven that’s known for its acai bowls and its sweet and savoury buckwheat crepes. Get one loaded with smoked salmon, toasted almonds, avocado and a drizzle of cauliflower sauce, or start your day with the ‘cacao split’, filled with banana and healthy Nutella. The coffee’s excellent, and there are a few flavours of kombucha on tap.

Dee Why, Manly, Warringah Mall and Avalon

Norma's Deli

From the team behind Roller's Bakehouse and Butterboy, Norma's Deli is Manly's coolest venue creating a big buzz! And for good reason.

Walking down the stairs into Norma's, you're immediately transported to a charming and busy Greek deli. If you can peel yourself away from watching the bakers work their magic in the open-plan kitchen (they're seriously hypnotising), it will take you a while to choose just one or two delights from behind the glass window of glorious treats.

Honestly, between the buttery croissants, Nonna-approved baklava and other drool-worthy creations, it's like picking a favourite child. They offer both a lunch and breakfast menu with standouts including the tzatziki, egg and cucumber, the taramasalata toast, Norma's pastito and their zesty spanakopita. 

74 The Corso, Manly

Olea

If you ask us, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and pancakes are the most important part of any breakfast so it makes sense that we’re absolutely in love with Olea’s ricotta hotcakes with banana and whipped honeycomb butter. If you prefer to start the day with something savoury, check out the zucchini and celeriac fritters served with yellow beetroot salad and house-made hummus or Spanish-baked eggs.

If you don’t tend to roll out of bed before lunch, you can stop by for a mid-day feast of Nonna-approved paninis packed with meatballs and porchetta as well as fresh spaghetti limone and crispy skin barramundi served with brodo. Wash it all down with a signature cocktail, or a glass of wine or sink a sweet cold-pressed juice while you drink in the architecture of this sun-soaked Linfield café.

8-10 Tyron Road, Lindfield 

Bills 

It surely is blasphemy to have Bills excluded in any cafe roundups in Sydney - especially the best brunch spots. A pillar of the brunch scene, Bills doesn't just have one cult dish but a series. If you haven't yet tried the Ricotta Hotcakes with Banana and Honeycomb Butter or the Sweet Corn Fritters with Roast Tomato, Spinach and Avocado Salsa, we're officially rescinding your brunch aficionado titles. These are brunch scene staples. But you'll have to make multiple trips to sample the other gems on the menu, too. 

Surry Hills, Bondi Beach, Darlinghurst, Double Bay 

A.P Bakery

Be drawn in by the beans, beats and baked goods at A.P Bakery. Having gained an impressive cult following, the pop-up patisserie is known for serving up some of Sydney's best baked goods. Choose between sweet and savoury treats such as dark-chocolate croissants, potato hash, a fig, olive oil and ricotta danish, and their signature egg bun. Soft, flaky, and perfectly golden, these are some of the best pastries in Sydney guaranteed to keep the sugar cravings at bay. You can find them on the Paramount House Rooftop from Thursdays to Sundays or catch them at one of our favourite Sydney markets on Saturdays, as well as a few other locations around Sydney. 

Multiple Locations 

Rushi 

Rushi is a hidden gem in Sydney's South serving up impeccable brunch options, including their iconic Yariman Roll. This beauty consists of a soft milk bun, filled with parmesan shallot scrambled eggs, avocado, crispy bacon and siracha mayonnaise. Their fluffy hotcakes are also a winner. If you're looking for a drink, their coffee is top-notch, but their Mint Slice latte is the real winner. Tucked into the front of a bike shop, this petite cafe is worth a road trip! 

Sitchu Tip: If you find yourself in The Shire and seeking lunch, Rushi's sushi is some of the best in Sydney. 

Shop 2/ 25-35 Kingsway, Cronulla 

Blackwood Bondi

Effortlessly fun and beachy, this café is run by three mates and it's open seven days a week for brekkie, brunch and lunch and casual weekend dinners. The bright and flavoursome menu at Blackwood Bondi swings broadly between bold Mediterranean classics, French favourites, and fresh and fun Asian influences. Go in for Morning Glory egg, chorizo and kale, cult-classic blueberry and ricotta hotcakes and hangover-curing lunches like the chilli chicken schnitzel sandwich. The Biscoff latte is also a must. 

Bondi Beach & Cronulla

The Navy Bear

Sitting pretty on the harbour, The Navy Bear makes for a picture-perfect brunch destination. Serving up all your breakfast faves, alongside plenty of dietary-friendly options, you can't go past the smashed avo toast with pickled jalapeno, coriander and lime on sourdough. A brunch feast fit for a queen!

1C New Beach Road, Darling Point

Misc.

Brace yourself for a pretty big call on our part… We believe Misc. restaurant is to Western Sydney what Totti’s is to the Eastern Suburbs. With delicious food, breathtaking scenery and perfectly puffy flatbread, this epic 300-seat is pure delight. Nestled within Parramatta Park, designed by Nic Graham (QT Hotels) this modern courtyard restaurant is the brainchild of restauranteur and Gogglebox-er Jad Nehmetallah.

Describing his vision for the restaurant, Nehmetallah says “we’re sophisticated but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. [This is] a spot for Western Sydney to proudly call their own.” The menu from executive chef Sebastian Geray and industry heavy-weight Joel Bennetts is an approachable Mediterranean menu with a delicious selection of all-day eats.

Bynes Avenue, Within Parramatta Park

Valentina’s

It’s official, Marrickville’s (and all of Sydney for that matter) has a massive crush on Valentina’s, the Inner West’s go-to all-day diner. They’ve got (you guessed it) all-day breakfast with biscuits and gravy, short stack pancakes with butter and maple syrup or you can commit fully to their American dream and get a slice of pie and a snickerdoodle. From 11 am you can order from their lunch menu. Think fried mortadella sandwiches and fried chicken biscuits!

132 Livingstone Road, Marrickville

Love brunch and want to find more places to dine? Be sure to check out our killer round-up of  Sydney’s best bottomless brunches. Or if coffee is more your thing, why not explore Sydney’s diverse café scene by checking out some of the city’s best new cafés and coffee roasters.