FOOD & DRINK Features
Sydney Cafes with a Twist
In a city full of cafés and restaurants it can be difficult to find one that’s unique. But if you know where to look, Sydney has a niche café to suit everyone. Here are our picks for the best unique cafes.
Café Belle Fleur
26 Mitchell St
Croydon Park, 2133
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For an unexpected al fresco delight, head to Café Belle Fleur in Enfield. Located inside a Flower Power nursery, this café has some indoor seating but it’s the courtyard outside that excels. You can enjoy cherub water fountains trickling peacefully while birds chirp in the onsite aviary. Café Belle Fleur offers breakfast, lunch and dessert plus larger-than-life drinks. To follow the floral theme, try the frangipani tart. It’s delicious!
Grounds of Alexandria
7A Huntley Street
Alexandria 2015
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Set in a former pie factory, Grounds of Alexandria has taken the Sydney café scene by storm. It features a rustic décor inside and a picturesque garden. The wholesome menu includes a range of bakery treats and vegetables grown onsite, but freshly ‘ground’ coffee is the real star of this show. Grounds’ has a coffee research and testing facility to continually refine their techniques and a range of beans from Colombia, Ethiopia, Brazil, Uganda and India.
Betie’s Café
309 Princes Highway
Kogarah, 2218
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Betie’s Café is in an antiques store so you can browse vintage wares and get a tasty treat while you’re at it. Southern Antique Centre sells everything from clothing and cameras to furniture and jewellery. The décor is vintage, adorned with retro posters and Betty Boop dolls. It features a homemade, largely gluten-free menu served by the very people that cook it.
The Pastizzi Café
1/523 King Street
Newtown, 2042
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Sydney has some unique cuisines as well as locations. The Pastizzi Café in Newtown is a Maltese outlet that turns pastizzi into an art form. Alongside the traditional cheese and pea pastries, they do modern flavours including chilli con carne and bacon and egg. If you’re in the mood for something sweeter, try a cheese and cherry or chocolate and ricotta combination. They also brew a tasty coffee and sell other food items throughout their long trading hours.
Photo by christianocious via Flickr
INC.
93 Cronulla Street
Cronullla, 2230
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INC. in Cronulla offers unusual seafood options in a quirky décor. You can sink into a velvet couch and read the specials on the spray-painted walls. For a tasty meal with a twist, try the crab tacos that don’t just have crab meat but crustacean legs fried in the shell.
Photo by duncan via Flickr
Purple Goanna
137 Redfern St
Redfern, 2016
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Native Australian foods can be extremely hard to find in Sydney. For an unusual take on distinctly Aussie foods, you can’t go past Purple Goanna in Redfern. They use kangaroo, barramundi and crocodile for regulars like burgers and salads. Purple Goanna puts a unique spin on native Australian flavours such as lemon myrtle in mayonnaise, quandongs in peach pie and crocodile tail in boscaiola sauce.
Photo by Purple-Goanna-Catering
Writer & Photographer – Jennifer. H
