Best Unconventional Breakfast in Sydney
Non-Indigenous Australia has a pretty short culinary history. The First Fleet arrived here in 1788, when Chinese cuisine was already well over a millennium old. But while many of our chefs can't draw on generations of tradition, they're also not constrained by it. They can experiment as much as they like.
Despite this, Sydney's superb breakfast menus can sometimes get a little samey. At heart, many dishes are just clever iterations of toast, eggs or granola.
If you're nodding, you'll appreciate this collection of non-conventional options. For many people, pho, congee or spanakopita are a normal way to start the day. For most Sydneysiders, they're totally novel. And we think that's exciting.
Cafe
X23 Asian Fusion Cafe
Go here for Malaysian-fusion dishes such as sambal-egg-stuffed croissants, waffles with pandan, and nasi-lemak burgers.
Cafe
Cafe Monaka
Decked out in raw oak, this breezy spot is one of a few Sydney cafes serving traditional Japanese breakfasts, plus brunch classics. The tea-house aesthetic is fitting – artisan green teas from Japan are brewed here daily.
Shop
Hungry Paulie
Peppery pork buns and Taiwanese congee with doughnut dipping sticks for breakfast
Restaurant
Lankan Filling Station
The Toasted Godamba Roti is one of the killer dishes on Lankan Filling Station’s recently launched brunch menu. Flaky, buttery roti enveloping melted cheddar cheese, and bacon if you want. Green chilli and red onion give it a little kick, and aromatic curry leaves are like flavour bombs exploding with every bite.
Restaurant
Saint Peter at the Grand National Hotel
The Saint Peter menu changes all the time, but there are two constants on the breakfast menu: it will be weird and it will be delicious.
Cafe
Rising Sun Workshop
Rise with a hearty bowl of ramen.
Restaurant
Balkan Oven
Burek from 6am, every day of the week.
Cafe
Fika Swedish Kitchen
Get acquainted with the Swedish way of life.
Cafe
Boon Cafe and Jarern Chai
Get some Thai in you.
Restaurant
Cairo Takeaway
Enliven your weekend with some Egyptian street food.
Restaurant
Battambang
Try the nom banh chok - a Cambodian dish of fermented rice noodles, fish paste, fresh fish and veggies in a thin curry.
Restaurant
Albee's Kitchen
Some of the best Malaysian breakfast in Sydney.
Cafe
Brainwave Cafe
A playful mix of Thai cuisine and old-school cafe grub. And it's 100% vegetarian.
Restaurant
Sokyo
Here, there's a continental buffet with some great Japanese options (spicy salmon udon, mushroom omurice).
