The 6 Best Cafes in Paddington for a Coffee, Breakfast or Lunch

I’m on a mission to discover the best cafes in Australia. This time, I’m in Sydney, visiting incredible cafes in Paddington.

After a really hard couple of years of COVID. Cafes are doing it tough. My local café has always been a popular place for me to meet friends, catch up on the news, or just sit back and relax. Now sadly, you can walk through any town in Australia and see local cafes who have had to close their doors.

I want to help in any way I can. So, I have decided to dedicate my blog to finding the best Cafes in Australia and shine a light on them. It’s time to get out and support your wonderful, local cafes. I have already uncovered fabulous cafes in Bondi, amazing cafes in North Sydney and brilliant cafes in Surry Hills. Now, I’m in Paddington.  

Paddington is Sydney’s favourite heritage village between Sydney CBD and Bondi Beach. One of Sydney’s most desirable suburbs, Paddington is a lively area with busy shops and a cluster of boutiques that showcase Australian fashion design. Style really meets taste in this trendy inner Sydney neighbourhood. Paddington is home to sophisticated art galleries, boutique shopping and delicious dining. Boasting a well-deserved reputation as a fashion destination in Australia. Paddington blends pop-up markets run by emerging designers with flagship designer boutiques selling uber trendy crafts and clothes. You will also find a thriving restaurant and cafe scene in Paddington.

I’m determined to go right round this beautiful country of ours and narrow in on regions, cafes and coffee roasters to find exactly where the best cafes are.

Who does the most delicious avocado on toast? Where is the best espresso bar? Who serves up a killer piccolo latte? Do cafes in Paddington have a better eggs benedict than cafes in Port Macquarie? What’s the answer to the age-old question; cappuccino verses latte.

Knowing exactly where to go to get delicious eats and smooth coffee is so hard. No one likes being disappointed with a bad breaky. So, I’ve done the hard yards and narrowed it down to 6 of the best cafes in Paddington.

I’m so excited to share. Let’s get going

The Contenders

Morris

Located at 33 Albion Avenue Paddington. Morris provides something for everyone. From locals looking for a slow delicious breakfast, to cash strapped students in need of a quick lunch. Morris’s owners opened the café to share their love of food and coffee, with the Paddington community. I love to sit by the wide-open window at Morris, sipping my delicious coffee looking out to the beautiful tree-lined street.

The Fun Guy Toastie is my favourite at Morris. It is house-made vegan kimchi, mochi, shiso leaf, garlic mushrooms, Korean bean paste on Sonoma sourdough. There is a bursting poached chicken sandwich with tarragon, caramelised-onion and lemon-mayo. There’s also a roast mushroom, feta and zucchini house-made pickle version.

The spicy fish tacos are next level and the Marrakech bowl of melting 12-hour slow-roast lamb, cauliflower, shredded raw cabbage, labneh and crunchy lentils is fabulous and comes filled with herbs and toasted nuts.

Coffee options include cold brew, filter and delicious blends from Five Senses Coffee Roasters.

The giant cookies look fabulous, my children are convinced they are best with a hot chocolate or an old school milk shake.

Barbetta

Located at 2-8 Elizabeth Street Paddington. Barbetta is a lovely authentic Italian café in the heart of Paddington. Barbereta has something for everyone. From delicious food and coffee, to cooking classes and a selection of meals available to take home from the small provedore.

You can learn how to create beautiful, traditional Italian food and bring a touch of Barbetta into your home. The Barbetta Muesli is amazing for breakfast. It is raspberry, nuts, seeds, dried mango, organic coconut and maple muesli with seasonal fruit, organic coconut yoghurt and chia. The Superverde Breakfast Bowl is also excellent. It is spinach, broccolini, zucchini, avocado, roast pumpkin, chickpea puree, poached egg, red quinoa, toasted flaked almonds and lemon oil.

Lunch is a more traditional affair. There are classics such as carbonara, eggplant parmigiana, pork and veal meatballs, and calamari fritti. There’s also my favourite Italian dish, a mouth-watering Lasagna.  

Four Six Eight

Located at 468 Oxford Street Paddington. Four Six Eight is a simple cafe with a gorgeous courtyard, perfect for catching the afternoon sun. With a focus on great food and coffee, quality local produce and amazing service, it’s the perfect café for a delicious weekend breakfast or brunch.

There is definitely a Scandinavian influence on the interior, with a touch of vintage. The breakfast menu is made with produce from the surrounding area. If you are heading to Four Six Eight for breakfast, the Baked Porridge is fantastic. It includes dried apple and almond muesli, baked with coconut cream mixed with egg and milk, organic turmeric blended with dandelion root, served with a mix of poached and fresh fruit, coconut yoghurt and honeycomb.

I also love the Bruschetta. It’s a tomato medley with avocado, house made almond infused pesto and handcrafted mozzarella on sourdough.

Lunchtime offers simple smoked salmon or poached chicken sandwiches and the signature roasted-duck steamed buns served with house pickles or braised-pork-belly.

There are also delicious rice paper rolls and for the first week of each month there is a sushi salad of salmon and scallop with shredded egg crepe and pickled ginger. Coffee is by Single Origin Roasters, including cold drip from Kenya, and there’s even cold-pressed almond milk.

Omeio

Located at 31 Macdonald Street Paddington. Omeio is a neighbourhood cafe and deli, on a lovely residential street in Paddington. It’s a wonderful little place, where local families drop by to buy milk, and stay a while to chat to their neighbours. This place oozes community.

Owner Niko Giourgas always greets every customer who comes into his fabulous café by name. Omeio’s loves to support great local producers. Sourdough is from Organic Bread Bar on South Dowling Street. Pickles are sourced from Sydney’s Westmont, and smoked hot sauce comes from Church Farm in Billinudgel.

The cafe menu is delicious and includes home-made Greek-inspired meals, such as moussaka and spanakopita. There is also a delicious Cheese Tomato Toastie with roasted tomatoes, relish, and provolone cheese, seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano and olive oil. The Avo on Toast is also amazing with oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil.

At the deli counter, there’s a small selection of delicious meats and cheeses, ready to be taken on picnics. Coffee is sourced from boutique roaster The Big Marquee and the beans are grown exclusively in Queensland.

Köket

Located at 202 Oxford Street. Hidden at the back of the Funkis shop, in a space the used to be a storeroom, is Koket. Koket is one of my favourite Sydney cafes. I have spent many a day sipping delicious coffee in the café, which is an alley-like space that spills out onto a wonderous sunlit courtyard.

Koket’s mission is to share Swedish culture. With inspiration taken from Scandinavian cuisine, the café offers a range of flavours appropriated to Australia and the best local produce.  Köket source only the freshest produce from their local suppliers and aim to deliver the highest quality organic and sustainable menu. 

You won’t find any Swedish-style meatballs or drip coffee here. Allpress coffee and organic milk is used for coffee blends. Organic bread is used for sandwiches and locally grown organic vegetables and eggs are used in their delicious dishes. Koket also stocks other beautiful Scandinavian products with a modern twist. It’s well worth a visit to check them out.

The counter is adorned with mouth-watering cinnamon buns, pretzels and sandwiches. On the menu, there’s an amazing Skagen inspired salmon. It is smoked salmon, crème fraiche dill, mayonnaise, zucchini, lemon and organic sourdough. A delicious Green Quiche is made from locally sourced organic eggs and vegetables. But my favourite dish at Köket is definitely the Avocado on Surdeg. It is avocado, fresh thyme, zucchini, Meredith goat cheese on organic sourdough or Nonie’s gluten free Bread. I love to add a boiled egg. It’s the best breakfast in Paddington.

Ampersand Cafe Bookstore 

Located at 78 Oxford Street Paddington. Ampersand sells delicious bites, hot and cold drinks and books. It’s a very popular takeaway spot with loyal customers consisting of locals, students, nearby retailers, and passers-by. With their delicious coffee, amazing eats and wonderful books. Ampersand really has their formula honed to a fine art

Located on arguably the busiest street in Sydney. The coffee is excellent but there can sometimes be a bit of a wait. Ampersand serve Allpress coffee beans and use the Carmelo blend which has a rich, creamy, caramel, nutty flavour. While waiting for my coffee, I generally wander upstairs and peruse their wonderful bookshelves. You can usually find a quiet nook in this space and remove yourself from the hustle-and-bustle of Oxford Street.

All books are second hand and are listed for remarkable prices. Whether you are searching for a novel, a biography or even an art book, you will find it at Ampersand.

Other than the fabulous books and great coffee, Ampersand also has some lovely baked goods on offer. The Brownies are amazing, and the walnut and cinnamon slice goes so well with a delicious coffee and a great book, any day of the week.