Ground espresso, North Sydney

Piazza d’oro coffee. 101 pacific highway, North Sydney. Named after the ground floor, this lobby cafe/restaurant is a haven for suits who are looking for a place to spend their lunch-hour. Not cheap, but still fairly priced for north Sydney. Staff are professionally distant, rather than friendly. A big range of lunch options. The decaf …

TJ’s coffee house, penshurst

TJ’s coffee house, Penshurst Piazza d’oro coffee. A little hole in the wall, with a broad coffee menu and a number of food choices. A few small tables and chairs outside, where you can get some fresh air, and watch for your train. Decaf is disappointing: a few technical errors, and no crema to speak …

Blend on george espresso and sandwich bar, Circular Quay

Blend on george espresso and sandwich bar, circular quay Piazza D’oro coffee. 200-210 George St, Circular Quay. Two shops next to each other share the same signage. Coffee orders are shouted across the open space, along with order numbers: not the most tranquil place in the world! When your order is ready, you put the …

Oakvale Café, Pokolbin

Oakvale café, pokolbin Piazza d’oro coffee. 1596 Broke Road, Pokolbin. Not every winery in the Hunter Valley has a café attached, but Oakvale has “espresso” written on its gates, so we decided to call in. The background noise is a mix of radio and cellar door wine spiel; a range of reasonably priced food options …

Café manhattan, York St Sydney

Café manhattan, york st sydney Piazza d’oro coffee. Apart from the 1920’s font on the signage, there’s little to draw attention to this place. The seating – indoor and outdoor – is fairly spacious; table service is an option, but it seems that the takeaway crowd account for most of its trade: there’s plenty of …

Alley Break, Cronulla

Alley break, cronulla Piazza D’oro coffee. 2 Kingsway, Cronulla About as close to the beach as you can get without sweeping sand from under the tables. A little pricey, but not beyond what you’d expect for the location. Seats about 40 people in close-together outdoor tables. Coffee is pretty slow in arriving. When it’s brought …

Café Bello, Burwood

Café bello, burwood Piazza d’oro coffee. 100 Burwood Rd, Burwood. A Burwood institution; fairly high prices, largely due to its Vurwood-road-but-in-Westfield location. Normally I’m scared away by a breakfast menu where the meals include chips, and indeed this is a reflection of the target demographic – the whole family, including the older generation. There are …