Set Your Alarm: This Sell-Out Microbakery Is Waking Up the Inner West
Words by Lucy Christopher · Updated on 22 Jul 2026 · Published on 22 Jul 2026
If you want a taste of Tittynope Bakery, you need to set an alarm.
By 8.30am on any given weekend, this stretch of Smith Street fills with a queue of locals clutching takeaway coffees, dog leads and screenshots of the latest menu teasers from Tittynope’s Instagram, like jumbo brown-butter choc-chip and yuzu-marmalade cookies. Owner Grace Kim greets the diehards at the front around 8am as the doors open, and the display is completely cleared out by around 10.30am.
Twelve months ago, Kim was doing the corporate thing, with her lifelong love of cooking relegated to a hobby. “If someone asked me what I would want to do with my life if I could start all over again, the answer would always be, unequivocally, a chef,” she says. “But as a grown woman in corporate leadership, miserably well paid, the golden handcuffs didn’t come off overnight.”
In 2024, she took a year off to travel “on a budget” with her partner. “We realised we didn’t need a lot to be happy and healthy,” she says. “It really helped us enjoy the passage of time and live on less.” So, when they got back, she swapped her desk for a kitchen, and taught herself through cookbooks and late-night Youtube sessions. Six months later, she had her own pop-up space.
A true hole-in-the-wall, Tittynope – a bit of 18th century English slang meaning the crumbs left on your plate – takes over the front window of neighbourhood bar The Temperance Society. There are a few tables out front for lingering, but it’s very much a grab-and-go spot.
Trays and trays of baked goodies lie side by side – extra gooey cinnamon buns; American-style blueberry or peach pies; and canelés in flavours like espresso, black sesame and oolong – with handwritten labels to guide you. Focaccia slabs might be loaded with ’nduja, stracciatella and vodka sauce one day, or with crème fraiche, pancetta and fresh chives another. Rustic, oversized scones come with zucchini and melted gruyere, or strawberry, ricotta, jam and cream. If you’re a savoury snacker, the scrolls hit the spot, with ham, Jarlsberg and Dijon, or smoked salmon piled on whipped cream cheese.
“Building the menu is the most exciting part of the week,” Kim says. “Sometimes it’s based on my mood and what I’m craving. Sometimes I take inspiration from my favourite bakeries or cookbooks.”
It might be the kouign-amanns that really justify the alarm clock. Kim’s versions of the crunchy, caramelised Breton butter pastries come with decadent toppings like cereal milk, Crunchy Nut cornflakes and cream; fresh banana, miso dulce de leche and Biscoff crumb; or strawberries and matcha crème patisserie.
Each piece is handled like a precious gem, plated on a silver tray, boxed and handed over in a brown paper bag for your triumphant walk back past the queue.
Ultimately, the joy this new nook brings to Summer Hill is sparked by a simple intention. “I hope people feel cared for,” Kim says. “That I gave them something to look forward to on the weekend, and the treats they bought brought joy.”
Just make sure you get there before the crumbs disappear.
Tittynope Bakery
Hours:
Sat & Sun 8am–midday (or until sold out)
