First impressions: “Wow, look at this cool vintage place!” But then the very next thing you see is a tacked-on sign over the doorway saying “Licensed Venue” in an incongruent style, partially obscuring the authentic restored signage. Weird. Are you that desperate to appeal to Glebe’s spectrum of functional alcoholics? Don’t get me wrong, I love a cafe-turned-bar (like my […]
Dispensary 1908, Glebe
Khamsa, Erskineville
Khamsa is a bright, open air, vegan middle eastern cafe that opens up onto a little laneway courtyard just off King St. On a sunny summer’s day, it’s positively beachy. There was a beautiful array of vegan baked goods and middle eastern pastries on offer and I was keen to try, well, everything. The banana bread was a little loaf […]
The Wedge, Glebe ⭐
As I approached The Wedge this morning, there was a young, well-dressed guy sitting on the footpath outside, drinking a coffee and asking for spare change. Welcome to Glebe. The Wedge has been an old favourite of mine since it was just a little wedge of space down the side of Cowper St. Now it’s all grown up, is fully […]
Rising Sun Workshop, Newtown ⭐
The Rising Sun Workshop is arguably the best cafe in Newtown, and with its long history of Good Food Guide hats, I am not exaggerating. This vintage motorcycle workshop turned urban-Japanese restaurant is an incredible fusion of cool that’s simultaneously upscale, minimalist and soaked in grungy Newtown vibes. Rising Sun might be a hatted restaurant, but it’s also very much […]
Leaf Cafe & Co, Top Ryde City
Leaf Cafe is an open-plan cafe right next to the indoor playground at the Top Ryde City shopping centre. It’s not a bad place to sit while your kiddos play, or to come for some quiet after dropping them at school, as I found out when it first opened back in 2016. Today, however, I had a much more hectic […]
Badde Manors, Glebe
Having opened its doors in 1982, back when an exclusively vegetarian restaurant was progressive and rare, Badde Manors is the kind of place that made Glebe cool. I can literally remember my Grandma raving about it 30 years ago. I also love that it’s open late and I’ve enjoyed many good times in their oddly-shaped booths with friends and sticky […]
White Rabbit, Marrickville
I had a bit of a mixed experience at White Rabbit. For a start, I was expecting West Juliett, which had been in that location since my big boy was toddler-sized, munching on their eggs and soldiers. But I guess cafes come and go, and White Rabbit has been there for the past two months. They’ve turned the side room […]
Maeda, Newtown
The stars have aligned – I’ve found Maeda and I feel enlightened. Their coffee was simply perfection in a cup, with a rich flavour and gorgeous velvety texture. Achieving the ideal temperature, ratio and texture of the milk, let alone balancing the complex factors that contribute to a good espresso shot, is both a science and an art and Maeda […]
Little Bear, Big Bear Neutral Bay
I used to be a regular at whatever cafe was in this spot 10 years ago, but Little Bear has only been here for 3 weeks. The place was a little sparse in terms of signage and decor, but being brand-new certainly explains that – cafes tend to develop character with age. For example, Rising Sun Workshop is absolutely oozing […]
Little Tanya, Newtown
There’s a Little Tanya in every family: loud, sticky and unattractive. I might be able to overlook her lack of visual appeal if she served me an awesome coffee, but that was looking less likely by the second. Turns out the coffee was a lot like the one I had at her neighbour’s place, Chill Cafe. You could definitely taste […]