The Four Sydney Coffee Shops Top Chefs Recommend Over and Over

When we chat to chefs about their top recs around the city, certain spots come up more than others. The date-night bar – with mochi and saké – loved by Mimi Wong, Danielle Alvarez, Joe Valero, O Tama Carey and Cam Votano, for example. Or Newtown’s drink-and-snack spot chosen by Paul Farag, Lizzie Hewson and Carley Scheidegger. It’s the same with coffee.

We all play favourites when it comes to our morning cuppa. And sure, our picks are often dictated by what’s close to our home or work. But there’s a reason these four cafes are frequented by Sydney’s top chefs. Plus, an honourable mention to a Summer Hill beauty.

Room Ten, Potts Point

This Potts Point hole-in-the-wall (Andrew Hardjasudarma’s sibling to Pina) has been known for standout coffee, simple salads and sandwiches since 2010. There’s a fresh fit-out at the laneway joint, and the machine is supplied by Mecca beans – bringing the likes of Josh Niland, Trisha Greentree, Neil Perry and Big Sam Young.

10 Llankelly Place, Potts Point 

Artificer, Surry Hills

Dan Yee and Shoji Sasa opened their little coffee-only spot on Bourke Street over a decade ago. Pop past in the morning for a gentle crowd of people spilling into the footpath, and a steady stream of cups fuelled by house-roasted beans being sent out from the counter. This is where you’ll see Brendan Pang and The International’s Sol Yoon when they’re looking for caffeine, and Trisha Greentree if she’s switching up from Room Ten.

547 Bourke Street, Surry Hills

Primary, Potts Point and Marrickville

Dan Kim was one of the first Sydney coffee roasters to put the “special” in specialty coffee. He did that by zagging from established cafe-aesthetic norms (exposed bricks, blackboard menus) in favour of a serious, minimalist design at his Potts Point coffee shop. It’s a tremendous spot for people-watching, as well as when you need high-quality single origins – just ask the Ace Hotel’s Isobel Little, Trisha Greentree, Christine Manfield and Big Sam Young. Late last year, Kim opened his first outpost, on an industrial corner in the inner west.

1/9 Ward Avenue, Potts Point
38 Chapel Street, Marrickville

Single O, Surry Hills

This icon in the cafe scene has been a steady support for Lennox Hastie, who got his fix while he was searching for a space for Firedoor, then through its construction and the “crazy hours” of the early days. The Reservoir Street cafe was a leader in Sydney’s third-wave coffee movement – and has continued its popularity with precise roasts and blends, which Olympus chefs Ozge Kalvo and Oscar Solomon both get around. 

60–64 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills

Honourable mention

That quartet of coffee shops are old faithfuls in Sydney, all serving top cups for over a decade. But Lottie’s Joe Valero and The Bat & Ball’s Cam Votano both head to Solstice, Summer Hill’s little cafe from Ben Johnson (of inner west micro-roastery The New Paradigm) and Carolin Jung. It opened in 2024, with shots of New Paradigm’s single-origin beans poured from a restored Synesso MVP Hydra machine. 

117 Smith Street, Summer Hill