Eight New Cafes and Specialty Coffee Shops in Sydney

Melbourne has long been lauded as the cafe capital of Australia. But we’re spoilt for choice in this town of ours. And while specialty roasters and long-held faves abound – it’s always nice to try somewhere new.

Here are eight newcomers to add to your rotation, including a creative coffee house in Cabramatta, a Northern Beaches opening from one of Sydney’s favourite roasters, the first spot to nab a Lune croissant outside of Lune, and one Melbourne roaster coming to Sydney soon.

Beta Coffee, Surry Hills

Soundtracked by the gentle rattle of the light rail traversing up and down Devonshire Street, Beta is a specialty coffee shop that’s a stone’s throw from Central Station. The name comes from award-winning owner Maybury’s proclivity for testing and experimenting with approaches to coffee. At Beta, everything is automated – on any given day, you may walk in to find Maybury investigating a new piece of equipment.

Accompanying all the classic black and milky serves is Cafe con Miel. The $15 coffee arrives with Malfroy’s Gold Wild Honey and cinnamon throughout. There’s also pour-over coffee listed at market price, as if it were coral trout on the Clam Bar menu, and a top-notch $6 batch brew.

At Beta you’ll be met with welcoming service sans any pretentiousness – important if you think of yourself as a fan (not a devotee). And maybe think about hitting one of the regular cupping sessions in the workshop out the back.

76 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills
@beta_coffee

Primary, Marrickville

Primary is one of Sydney’s best coffee shops. Chefs (like Trisha Greentree, Isobel Little and Big Sam Young) name it as their favourite, and – in its home on Wards Avenue – it’s an excellent place to people watch. Now owner Dan Kim’s gone again, opening Primary on a Chapel Street corner in Marrickville. The micro-roastery’s single origins power filter and espresso-based cups, and there’s a tight mix of baked goods – Pioik’s pastries and Short Stop’s doughnuts. A salted honey crueller and a double-shot flatty, please.

38 Chapel Street, Marrickville
@primarycoffee_

Seeker Coffee, Cabramatta

Jimmy Truong has transformed a former real estate agency at the entrance to Cabramatta Plaza into a sleek silver hub for playful coffee creations. The specials section is titled “Seeker creative drinks”, which currently includes a cream-topped cold brew with citrus zest and fresh nutmeg shaved over the top, and a frothy oolong, miso, butterscotch and black sesame espresso fredo.

There’s also the Seeker Coffee, the “off-menu experiential coffee-based drink”. On Broadsheet’s visit, we asked for the Seeker Coffee. Truong proceeded to dive into our caffeine preferences, before whipping up a delightfully refreshing shaken yuzu cold brew.

Accompanying the drinks are slices of thick-cut Japanese shokupan with your choice of spread or topping – honey and sea salt; kaya and condensed milk; Nutella and crushed nuts; and double cheese. There’s also the promise of deli-style sandos in the near future, so keep an eye out.

Shop 22, 180 Railway Parade, Cabramatta
@seekercafe

Skittle Lane, Brookvale

One of Sydney’s most beloved roast and brew teams, Skittle Lane, has just opened its biggest outpost – and second Northern Beaches spot. The Brookvale warehouse, just off Pittwater Road, includes a roastery, retail space and cafe – or “coffee bar” as the team calls it.

Adopting the energy of its industrial surroundings, this is a more minimalist approach to a coffee shop than the team’s flashier Circular Quay location, or even the CBD original. But the DNA of Skittle Lane is here in force: coffee with depth and complexity, roasted on-site then served from the hands of friendly, knowledgeable baristas.

8 Orchard Road, Brookvale
@skittlelanecoffee

Susu Lane, Haymarket

Compared to our other newcomers, Susu Lane serves as more of a treat-based destination than a hub for espresso fanatics – clearly signposted by its opening hours (10am till 10pm) and a bright blue neon sign that reads “A little dessert detour”.

The tiramisu latte is decadent and fluffy, with an iced coffee arriving topped with rich tiramisu cream and a lady finger. We think there should be more little bickies served with coffees.

There are sugary bowls of bingsu too, but matcha is Susu Lane’s bread and butter. There’s mango matcha, coconut cloud matcha and matcha layered with strawberry cold foam. You can even order a matcha latte with a hefty slice of tiramisu precariously balanced atop.

18 Park Lane, Chippendale
@susu.lane

Goata Coffee, Bexley

Many of Sydney’s go-to cafes have spaces that are as fancy as their espresso. Goata Coffee is not one of these places, and that’s the charm. Located on a quiet Bexley backstreet, the shopfront is easy to miss – it sports Office Products Depot and Bexley Business Centre signage. But take the no-frills fit-out as a sign: the coffee is the star here.

Owner Isaac Le roasts beans in-house, at the front of the pint-sized dining area. There’s a modest food and drink menu servicing these very beans, with a couple of specialty beverages. On a hot day, opt for Goata’s iced latte, The Velvet Botanic. Or, if you’re in the mood for tea, you want the duo-hued matcha-topped Earl Grey.

29 Albyn Street, Bexley
@goata.coffee

Jacob the Angel, Paddington

Oxford Street just welcomed Australia’s first 25 Hours Hotel – and with it, Jacob the Angel. This gold-trimmed Paddington spot’s drink offering is nothing to scoff at: Ona coffee, Lidcombe-based Tea Craft tea and ceremonial matcha. And while we’re into the drinks list’s local edge, the real drawcard here is the pastries.

Jacob the Angel is the only cafe where you can score a Lune pastry outside of Lune’s own stores. Expect a mix of kouign amanns, scrolls, and, of course, Kate Reid’s perfected croissants. You won’t quite get the full Lune experience – including a queue around the block – but it’s a close second to the real deal.

1 Oxford Street, Paddington
@jacobtheangelsydney

Axil Coffee, Surry Hills

Melbourne institution Axil Coffee has 16 locations down south. And now it’s in Sydney, with a new 50-seater on Crown Street.

The northward expansion comes as Jack Simpson, one of its long-time team members, is crowned the winner of the 2025 World Barista Championship. Competing in Milan last month, Simpson pipped baristas from around the world with his skills.

Along with a full cafe offering in Surry Hills, expect Axil’s beans popping up at other businesses around the city – with the space doubling  as the roastery’s Harbour City wholesale hub.

365 Crown Street, Surry Hills
@axilcoffeeroasters

Additional reporting by Grace MacKenzie.