Sydney

Armory Wharf Cafe

Partially a bunch cafe with an all day breakfast, also does a mean fish and chips. But, go for the view of the Parramatta river.

Daily 9AM-3PM

Australian Museum

With an international reputation in the fields of natural history and indigenous studies research, community programs and exhibitions, the Australian Museum was established as Australia's first museum in 1827 with unique and extensive collections of natural science and cultural artifacts. The skeleton room, displaying hundreds of animal skeletons, including a blue whale hanging from the roof, is an attraction in itself. The museum also has an exhibit on early man, including species like Homo heidelbergensis that did not reach Australia. There is a cafe next to the entrance that can be accessed without requiring payment for admission to the main exhibition area.

, closed Christmas·free, temporary exhibitions have additional fee

Badde Manors

Cozy vegetarian café with a slightly Parisian bohemian air, particularly known for their great desserts and coffee. Used to stay open very late on Friday and Saturday nights but now has much shorter hours, breakfast and lunch only.

Bar Italia

A Leichhardt institution renowned for their award winning gelato - which attracts lines that go out the door on Friday and Saturday nights (and constantly increases the price). Bar Italia also have a strict rule of nothing but regular milk in your coffee - so if you want soy or skim get your coffee elsewhere. Staff can sometimes be abrupt and rude, but it's well worth it for the gelato. Late at night, you might also spot left-wing politicians holding secretive meetings out the back.

Bodhi

This is an outdoor vegetarian yum cha restaurant located just down the stairs from St Mary’s Cathedral over looking Cook and Phillip Park. It's a vegan restaurant and has a wide range of enticing and tasteful healthy yum cha options (all vegan). Fantastic on a sunny day. Open on weekends too. Kids can run around safely in the park while you linger over coffee.

Brother Katsu

A Korean Cafe & Restaurant. Your main dish of Korean Fried Chicken or Korean Ramen

Mon-Sun 9AM-8:30PM·$15-20

Cafe Jolly

Popular Italian-style restaurant in Leichhardt. Reasonably priced and very tasty food. Extremely busy on weekends, so bookings are advised.

Centennial Park

This is a large formal park in Sydney eastern suburbs with its own internal road and walking trail system, grand avenues, historic buildings, lakes and many groves of shady trees dotted with picnic areas. Bike and walking trails, horse trails and equestrian facilities, some restaurant, cafe and kiosk facilities are available. This park is both a playground and a giant green lung for the city. Popular all days but especially on the weekends. Centennial Park covers 220 hectares and draws more than 3.6 million visitors annually.

April: 6AM-6PM, May to August: 6:30AM-5:30PM, Sept to Oct: 6AM-6PM, Oct to April: 6AM-8PM. Paddington Gates (exit gate) is the last to close every day·There are no access charges to the park, however some sporting facilities and formal activities may attract fees

Gleebooks

Fairly typical independent bookshop with a cafe - new books are on the ground floor and second hand books on the top floor. It also hosts regular events. Another branch is in the inner-west suburb of Dulwich Hill.

Harrys Bondi

Harry's Espresso Bar

This tiny combined espresso bar, cafe, and general store is a little out of the way but is always busy, and for good reason. This is the place to go for a gourmet coffee experience. They offer toast and sandwiches, and a selection of pastries and cakes.

Mon–Fri 6AM–3:30PM; Sat Sun 6:30AM–4PM

Mecca Coffee

Very good tasting coffee with a massive queue of office workers in the morning. Additionally, they sell specialty coffee blends online.

Mon-Fri 6AM-3:00PM·$4 for coffee

Museum of Sydney

Built on the site of the first Government House, erected in 1788 by Governor Arthur Phillip and demolished in 1846. The remains of the building were excavated after rediscovery in 1983 and the original foundations can now be viewed through glass floor panels in the museum. Fascinating changing exhibitions of art and photography, films and state-of-the-art technology spin stories of colonial life, Aboriginal culture, environment, trade, authority / law and everyday dramas and dreams in early Sydney. The Museum of Sydney Cafe, by the museum entrance is not really part of the museum, and is much more a restaurant than a cheap and casual cafe.

Daily (closed Christmas Day and Good Fri)·Admission adult AUD 10, child / concessions AUD 5, family AUD 20, members free (run by the Historic Houses Trust)

Palace Cinema

Palace Norton Street, one of Sydney's most comfortable and well-equipped cinemas, is located amongst the noted restaurants and cafés of vibrant Leichhardt. Norton Street screens a carefully selected range of quality films and is one of Sydney's premier venues for international cinema, hosting the French, Spanish, Greek, German and Italian film festivals each year.

Powerhouse Museum (Temporarily closed)

The Powerhouse Museum is closed (as of February 2024) for refurbishment and does not have an estimated reopening date. Usually, it has a variety of permanent and temporary exhibitions including the King's Cinema, an intact art deco cinema, Locomotive No 1, Experimentations, Ecologic, the Strasbourg Clock, the Steam Revolution and Interface. There is a cafe and museum shop.

10AM-5PM·Free (plus paid exhibits)

Rushcutters Bay Park

Busy on weekends with walkers, people exercising their dogs, picnickers and local people playing informal ball games. The park has a cafe located toward the centre near the water that serves light meals, drinks and other refreshments.

Open access all hours

Rushcutters Bay Park

Busy on weekends with walkers, people exersising their dogs by throwing balls and frisbees to them, picnickers sit about on the lawns and local people play come together to play informal ball games. The park caters for community sports such as cricket, rugby union and soccer. The park has a cafe and kiosk located toward the centre near the water that serves light meals, drinks and other refreshments.

Open access all hours

Sappho Books Cafe & Wine Bar

A large general second-hand book store with an upstairs area and café in its leafy courtyard, which becomes a wine and tapas bar at night. Decent books and decent coffee.

State Library of New South Wales

Includes a large exhibition space with changing artistic, historical and cultural exhibits. The Mitchell Reading Room is a historical large open book-lined room, and worth a look inside. The reference library is a modern addition, and really only of interest for research. The library collection includes a copy of every volume published in New South Wales, and many rare texts. There is a cafe on the ground floor near the entrance to the reference library and the bookshop.

Free

The Art Gallery of New South Wales

the leading museum of art in New South Wales and Sydney, and one of Australia's foremost cultural institutions. It holds significant collections of Australian art, and presents nearly forty exhibitions annually. British Victorian art, along with smaller holdings of Dutch, French and Italian painters of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, and a collection of modern British masters, European modernists and European classical art. The collection includes work by Reubens, Picasso, Van Gogh and many others. There is also an impressive collection of Asian, South East Asian, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. The new North Building has an extensive collection of contemporary art, including the dark 'Tank' level in the basement - a cavernous and strange area that used to hold fuel for shipping. Not all of the collection holdings are on exhibition at any one time and the gallery occasionally rotates significant works on exhibition. The building itself is a much-photographed sandstone structure with a large formal entrance. There is a popular cafe inside the gallery, with views over Wooloomooloo.

Daily, Wed until·Free admission with charges to some 'feature' exhibitions

The Grounds of Alexandria

A bustling favourite for brunch and lunch for urbanites, famous for its extensive collection of coffees. Sit in the rustic garden complete with cute farm animals, where there are food/coffee vendors on the weekend, or queue for a spot in the restaurant.

Waterview Cafe

Lilies on the Park Cafe

A cafe within the Waterview centre at Bicentennial Park. It serves breakfast and lunch 7 days a week.

Daily 8AM–5PM·AUD 15-30

3 Addictions Pizza Espresso Bar

Neutral Bay and Cremorne. 3 Addictions is a traditional Italian pizza restaurant. Chefs are members of Associanzione Verace Pizza and ensure specific principles are followed to ensure an authentic Neapolitan pizza.

$15-25

At Home Thai Cuisine

This is an informal cafe. It has excellent service and great food at modest prices. Very difficult not to like.

A$15-20 for mains

Bill and Toni's

One of the original restaurants of Little Italy on Stanley St. Pastas, but the schnitzel with cheese is a highlight. Have your post-prandial coffee and gelato or cake in the San Siro coffee lounge downstairs.

Daily 11AM-10PM·Under $15

Bills

Cafe renowned for its scrambled eggs, sweet corn fritters and ricotta hotcakes. A Sydney favourite when it comes to brunches. Also has branches in Darlinghurst (433 Liverpool St) and Woollahra (Queens Court, 118 Queen St)

Daily 7AM-10PM·Expect to pay $40-50 for two with coffees and juices

Blackbird Cafe

Moderately priced and popular cafe one level up at Cockle Bay Wharf.

Cafe Sydney

Tucked away atop the Customs House right next to Circular Quay, Cafe Sydney sneaks under the radar of most casual visitors, but the outdoor seating here has some of the best Sydney Harbour views around and draws plenty of locals as well. The pricy but well-crafted food is Mod Oz, try the Bay Bug salad or the tarragon gnocchi and expect to pay around $100/head for a full meal. There's also a bar area with complicated cocktails but no views. Reserve several weeks in advance, especially on weekends.

Captain Cook Cruises

The Sydney Harbour Explorer Cruise allows hopping on and off at a number of attractions, or a 1½-hour cruise of the harbour. Coffee cruise departs at 10AM and 3PM.

EITHER OR

Artisan and minimalist cuisine with great coffee. Creative dishes.

Harry's Cafe de Wheels

A piece of Sydney history, right on the water at Woolloomooloo. Stand up against the van, and grab a pie, peas and mash. There are another couple of franchises open now, in Capitol Square and at the airport. Ignore them, this is the original, and it isn't about the pies. Open early, and late.