Bakeries

Tuga has the most droolworthy pastries you’ll find. They’re famous for their pastel de nata (Portuguese tarts) but we are also fans of their donuts and pies. Each week there is a pastry special, think Rocky Road, Mojito or Biscoff to name a few.

Bar Lucio is a great little pastry shop in Rosebery serving up donuts, morning buns, focaccia and coffee. A great vibe and easy to pick something up on the run.

Anything but Humble has probably got our favourite pies around. They are not your run of the mill pie, they are hectic. Think layers of crispy pastry, with interesting fillings, like pork and crackling and even a cheeseburger sausage roll.

Goodwood in Marrickville do some great bread and pastries but my all time favourite pastry resides here. This is the lemon myrtle cinnamon scroll. Think morning bun + cinnamon scroll + donut all in one. They’ve also got an amazing vanilla slice. Be sure to arrive early as they sell out fast.

Lorraine’s is a place I love in the Sydney CBD for their Mascarpone Cake – it’s a Lightened mascarpone, layered with crisp coconut dacquoise and fresh strawberries.

Tokyo Lamington do an innovative take on the traditional lamington. Their OG lamington is by far our fave, but the yuzu meringue is also excellent. They have a few regulars and then change it up a bit for special events, such as a new range over the Christmas season. I also love their onigiri using rice specifically brought from Japan and now they’ve also even got pies.

Croquembouche is a local patisserie, always a great lineup of pastries, croissants, sandwiches and our favourite French galettes.

Cafes and coffee

We love the menu at Great Scott in Mascot, especially the curried eggs with roti, pickles and kasundi. Their bacon and egg roll is also crazy good. Little Marionette coffee is brewed and they make a good cup.

Our Father is stylish, light filled cafe with pastel pink and white interiors, interesting and tasty food, as well as excellent coffee in an comfortable setting in Buraneer. I love their Bircher!

Ashfield Apothecary is a great cafe with excellent coffee and the best Persian Love Cake. The atmosphere is friendly and very hospitable.

Panivore is our favourite for coffee. It is local to us and we visit practically everyday. Not only do we love their coffee, their food is excellent too – brilliant sandwiches and salads and their amazing service too.

We’ve long loved the Stitch coffee and have enjoyed visiting their schmick flagship coffee shop in Broadway.

Slowhand is another favourite of ours, located in Mascot close to the train station. It’s all about great coffee and quality food, prepared well and we love the incorporation of pickled products as well as native ingredients.

Paramount Coffee Project (PCP) in Surry Hills is another of our faves. They’ve got a huge range of coffee style, always perfectly poured. My favourite brekkie meal going around is here – their scrambled eggs on rye are extra special. We also like that the menu is bit different than at your ordinary cafe.

Other

I wasn’t really sure of what category to put these under as they are individual, but they deserve a mention.

Tart by Ursula bakes and delivers French savoury quiche or sweet tarts to your doorstep. We’ve tried a few and love them so much, in particular the asparagus and leek. Ursula also makes cookies and nougat.

Three Blind Mice is a new addition to Mascot, a providore of high quality meats and cheese, as well as amazing toasties and Genovese coffee.

Dog Friendly

We’re always up for dog friendly places so our toy cavoodle Lottie doesn’t miss out. Plenty of cafes have an outdoor area, making them dog friendly, but we love a few pubs where you can take your dog indoors. Our favourites are the Duck Inn, at Chippendale as well as the Carrington and Trinity Bar in Surry Hills. The Carrington even has a dog menu – meat, veggies and cookies.

We hope these blogs help you find some new places to try.