Freepour espresso, Marrickville

Freepour coffee. G03-276 Marrickville Road, Marrickville – in the courtyard adjacent to the old post office. Child friendly – high chairs provided and plenty of floor space for strollers, and toys for kids to play with. Diverse range of gourmet salads, a wide breakfast menu with a sense of humour – there’s both a “usual” …

Hernandez Coffee Dean Cafe, Glebe

Hernandez coffee. Corner of Arundel St and Derwent St, Glebe. Walk to the back of this small space, and you’ll see there’s a digital piano in the cafe – I haven’t seen that before! Beyond purchasing coffee, you can find fresh orange juice, a range of Spanish dishes, and one of the best sandwiches I’ve …

fundamental cafe, Balmain

Piazza D’oro coffee. 266 Darling St Balmain. Flowers, plus a red feature wall and black ceiling gives the cafe a modern feel. The soundscape is slightly interrupted by the sound of chairs scraping on the polished concrete floor. It’s child-friendly, in that high chairs are available, and there’s a 6-item kids menu with generous serving …

Lugarno Gourmet Deli Cafe, Lugarno

Toby’s estate coffee. 1022 Forest Rd, Lugarno. This place is mostly a deli on the inside, with some enclosed outdoor seating for the patrons. A sandwich board outside proclaims a coffee happy hour from 7am – 8am. There’s no decaf grinder, but there’s a 50c decaf tax. Milk tastes a little like it’s separated. Hot, …

Loading Dock Cafe, Chippendale

Hernandez coffee. O’connor st, near abercrombie st. Literally situated in the loading dock of a furniture place, this is the most creativeuse of space I’ve seen in a long while. Clear spoken staff, up for a chat. Early days, so the decaf is admittedly lacklustre, but the caffeinated coffee is ground to order, is rich …

Cantine Espresso, Pyrmont

Fix coffee. Corner Ada Pl and Pyrmont Bridge Rd, Pyrmont. Italian flag on the wall to celebrate world cup, and a framed soccer jersey too. Comfortable, low-ceilinged space with the regulars chatting easily in the corner. No decaf grinder, but there’s a metal-lidded freezer where the pre-ground coffee lives in a takeaway container – not …