The best breakfasts in Sydney

Order the: Ottoman eggs

This breakfast – fit for kings, queens and sultans – is all about texture: a base of garlicky labne, surrounded by brown butter and fried sage, is topped with a disc of eggplant fried in a katsu-like shell. It’s crisp and golden on the outside, meltingly tender on the inside and topped with two spot-on poached eggs and a nest of fried leek for crunch. House-baked focaccia takes it firmly into all-day breakfast-brunch territory. Throw in Parramatta’s best coffee and it’s a place to go back to, over and over.

Order the: pancakes

If you are the sort of person who looks at pancakes on the menu but can’t quite commit to a full sweet breakfast over savoury, fear not - you can order those fluffy, golden frisbees individually with a shot of grade-A maple syrup. The savoury stack adds on fried eggs and crispy bacon, while the sweet solution brightens things up with Chantilly creams, fresh berries, Pepe Saya butter and a dusting of icing sugar. Sounds like a happy breakfast deal to us.

Order the: Truffled chilli scrambled eggs

Truffle in the morning could go one or two ways, and usually it’s too overpowering and takes over the dish. Not with Blackwood Bondi’s offering. Here, thick-cut sourdough is topped with soft and buttery scrambled eggs, a fresh pea mash, chunks of salty and creamy feta, and a drizzle of truffle chilli sauce, which plays more of a side-character role. Add in fresh mint and crunchy cucumber, and you’ve got yourself a flavour-packed brekkie and fuel to walk along the coast.

Order the: Avo Show
Single O has always been about pushing boundaries, be it championing single-origin beans way back when, or introducing a self-serve batch-brew bar stocked with four rotating single-origin coffees. You'll find twists on breakfast classics, including blackened corn fritters or banana bread with espresso butter, but the highlight is the avo show. We know that avocado toast isn't anything new to Sydney but this rendition of caraway seed rye, achiote cashew cheese, pickled fennel, seasoned crumb, chilli oil and sweet lemon aspen gets our vote.

Order the: Chilli scrambled eggs

The general rule of thumb on Piña’s all-day menu is that it serves breakfast classics with a touch of class. So, instead of scrambled eggs, you get super fluffy, chilli oil-infused scrambled eggs on an extra thick slab of toast. Piña’s side game is strong, and mixing and matching sides is all part of the fun. The spicy corn ribs, charred cabbage and salty hash browns are a vegetarian combo of legends, while the smoked ocean trout and wagyu pastrami really round out the dish. 

Order the: Monkey bread

Get your day off to a rolling start with all-butter pastries at this cult-followed Manly bakery. It’s not surprising that one of their best sellers is the monkey bread, which involves them cramming muffin tins with the offcuts of the croissant dough, held together with banana, caramel and cinnamon – it’s set to take the crown from banana bread as the best breakfast cake. The sugary cinnamon morning bun is another front-runner, but we also can’t resist Roller’s rotating monthly specials – take the kimchi three cheese or hummus eggplant croissants. 

Order the: Chilli scram

Mecca, who has been nailing the Sydney coffee scene for more than a decade, also serves up a top-notch breakfast menu. For first-timers, we recommend the chilli scram with fluffy scrambled eggs, red chilli ferment and nori shell, all piled up on toasted Brickfields sourdough. Coffee is a non-negotiable when you’re in Mecca land and you’re spoilt for choice with house blends, plus rare and exotic beans from around the world. 

Order the: Mushrooms on toast
This isn't your usual mushies on toast, oh no. The rich and buttery mix of portobello, king brown, oyster mushrooms and whipped ricotta, all served on Brickfields rye is outstanding. The real kicker though is the mushroom “jerkey”, slow roasted, pressed leather of seasonal mushrooms are salty, chewy and give a killer umami hit.

Order the: Soufflé pancake
Taking inspiration from the ultra-light and fluffy Japanese spin on this classic breakfast dish, Edition’s cloud-like soufflé pancake is a must-order at the Scando-Japanese stalwart. Ultra-whipped, and rising high, the toppings change with the season – it might be mango, peach and cream cheese in summer, or sencha cream, rhubarb and elderflower in the spring. Whatever the flavour, the dish never fails to impress, nor does the dark, moody space or the exceptional coffee. Win. 

Order the: Shakshuka
Kepos knows full well that in Sydney breakfast goes on well past midday, so the soft-baked eggs and tomato shakshuka headlines both the breakfast and lunch menus. Smart move. Two eggs with just-set whites and runny yolks land in a sea of spiced tomato and capsicum sauce sauce topped with generous spoonfuls of tahini and coriander. Believe us, order a second slice of toast. You’ll want it to mop up every last bit.

Order the: ricotta hotcakes

You definitely want to order the light and fluffy ricotta hotcakes at Bills. They’re a classic for a reason and more dessert than breakfast with the signature honeycomb butter and banana. If it’s something savoury you’re after, the corn fritters here are still some of the best in the city, as are the creamy scrambled eggs.

Order the: PCP burger

A fried chicken burger for breakfast might seem like quite the mouthful, but you'll have no problems devouring the one at PCP. Their famed fried chicken is paired with American cheese, pickles, lettuce and gochujang mac sauce, all loaded on a potato bun. Do yourself a favour and add a side of crispy chats with caramelised soy onion and sour cream. If you're after something lighter, Paramount also serves up house banana and walnut bread, sunrise smoothie bowls, or classic baked eggs in tonkatsu sauce.

Order the: macadamia, honey and thyme twice baked

Just upstairs from PCP, on the rooftop of Paramount House Hotel, is the star-studded All Purpose Bakery. The pastry shelf clears out fast, with favourites including AP's smoked brisket pie; macadamia, honey and thyme twice baked; and ham and gruyere croissant. If you're after something heartier, there's also an all-day brunch menu with beastly bagels, seasonal topped toasts and a juicy BAE roll.

Order the: Breakfast ramen
Half motorcycle workshop, half café, Rising Sun Workshop does breakfast, lunch and dinner with a Japanese bent. That means katsu sandos and gyoza at lunch, yakitori cooked over coals come dinner and a glorious bowl of ramen for breakfast. Said ramen starts with a big beautiful base of rich bone broth infused with buttered toast, then adds firm, stretchy noodles made to Rising Sun Workshop’s own specifications, and tops it off with a just-set onsen egg, shards of crisp bacon and charred tomato: savoury and ultra-comforting.

Order the: shakshuka

If the name didn’t already give it away, this sleek Israeli café specialises in perfectly spiced shakshukas. The OG dish comes in a piping hot pan with baked eggs, tomatoes, onion, capsicum and olives, plus two thick slices of sourdough to mop the dish clean. Jazz up your shakshuka with lamb, chorizo and halloumi, or tofu, smoked eggplant and spinach for the vegans.

Order the: Breakfast muffin

You have to commit to going all in for breakfast at Valentina’s. Everything coming out of the kitchen is doused in a heart attack’s worth of whipped maple butter or American-style liquid cheese, and you won’t regret it one bit. Go for the breakfast sandwich packed with a juicy, rustic sausage patty, melted cheese and a fried egg, served on an English muffin. Your childhood self could fit in a pink doughnut with rainbow sprinkles, so it’s worth a shot.

Order the: Lobster hash

Lobster for breakfast, anyone? This summery cafe in Sydney’s north serves up a butter-roasted lobster tail with crustacean-hollandaise, crispy smashed potato, fried eggs, house pickles, labneh and salsa verde on grilled garlic brioche. It’s a little bit luxe priced at $43, but you can also go for something under the $30 mark, including smashed pea toast, a pulled pork breakfast burger, or vanilla bean French toast.

Order the: Sausage and egg muffin

Willoughby’s favourite laneway espresso bar has given the nostalgic breakfast muffin a gourmet makeover. It’s easy to wrap your hands around the cute circular bun, piled with beef sausage patty, fried egg, American cheese and mustard aioli. Who knew five ingredients squashed together could taste so good? 

Order the: Ploughman's plate
Do you prefer your morning meal to be as precise and segmented as an edible Lego set? The Ploughman's plate at Cornersmith, everyone’s favourite community-focused café, is for you. A big wedge of gentle, creamy and slightly nutty Maffra cloth-bound cheddar, dried fruit, salad, pickles and sauerkraut are joined by two finger-scalding boiled eggs, thinly sliced rye bread and a pat of Pepe Saya cultured butter. Approach it like a cheeseboard, turn it into eggs and soldiers, or treat it like a three-course toast tasting platter – there’s no wrong way to graze. And why not grab a jar of pickles for the road while you're at it?

Order the: Mi Goreng toastie
Dutch Smuggler is a hole in the wall that specialises in transforming slices of Infinity Bakery’s traditional tin loaf into killer toasties that demonstrate the stretching potential of good cheese. The best is the Mi Goreng, a genius collision of two great late-night snacks. Dutch Smuggler’s version squeezes in noodles, a fried egg, spring onions, a double meltdown of cheese (oozy mozzarella and sharp cheddar) and a mysterious “magic sauce” between crunchy triangles of bread. Originally a special, it now has permanent status on the menu. We reckon it deserves it.

Order the: Sourdough chocolate croissant
A Sydney institution, Iggy’s is as renowned for its dark-crusted, moist-centred sourdough as it is for the queues out the door. But as much as we love tearing the end off a still-warm loaf on the way home, the sourdough croissants at the site of the original bakery make an even better breakfast. Flaky, seeping butter and with a crisp caramelised base, they're one heck of a mouthful, made more lush when the chocolate is still setting inside the warm shell. Add a filter coffee from the counter, then hit the ocean pool down at Bronte.

Order the: Green pea pancake
This little café up the north end of Bondi Beach is always busy, but it’s well practised at handling the queues outside on weekends. While the Cuban croque monsieur is an honourable mention, the green pea pancakes are where it’s at. Will Smith is said to be a fan (if taking breakfast cues from the Fresh Prince is your thing), but we say you should order it for the crisp green base, the whipped feta, the house nuts and seed mix, the runny-yolked poached eggs and the ultra-fresh topping of avocado, snow pea shoots and herbs. Feeling dusty? Add a Bloody Mary. Garnished with cucumber, celery, pickles, tomatoes and lemon, it’s basically a meal in itself.

Order the: Skagen toast
It's a good thing the menu at Fika is all day, because it would be hard to wait until the afternoon to get your hands on one of Sydney's most sought-after iterations of something-on-toast. Here, a slice of sourdough comes loaded with prawn meat tossed in lemony mustard-mayo, studded with chives and fresh sprigs of dill, and finished with a crown of radishes and a bright orange roe. What a wake-up call. 

Order the: 'Milk and Honey' panna cotta
This corner spot understands the importance of staples on a bacon and egg roll. You can choose to have your milk buns swept with relish, tomato, aioli or barbecue sauce. After something more adventurous than a brekky roll? Gerard has the answer in a signature dish of wobbly yoghurt panna cotta surrounded by a sea of seasonal fruits, honeyed puffed rice and granola – call it breakfast dessert.

Order the: 485 Breakfast Plate
This satisfying Middle Eastern plate of sour, salty and spicy things comes with a warm bagel or pita, which proves to be essential. Dip the dough of your choice in the small bowl of charred eggplant and capsicum salsa, hummus, tzatziki, pickled chilli and a half-boiled egg. The brekky plate also comes with house-made falafel and chopped salad to balance it all out.

Order the: Broccoli sandwich
Brickfields supplies sourdough to a bevy of cafés around the city, and there are good things to be had on a slice of toast or two, but the broccoli sandwich is an institution for a reason. Fat roasted florets tossed through chilli oil, lemon and parmesan all served on a ciabatta roll sauced with chilli mayo. And of course there’s no leaving without ordering a Persian love cake, fragrant with spice and orange blossom. Breakfast dessert FTW.

Order the: Bacon and egg roll
If you just want a simple, hand-held brekky it doesn’t get much better than a bacon and egg roll, and they make a very good one at the Shop, a little café and wine bar on Curlewis Street that’s the size of a walk-in-wardrobe. The kitchen is tiny, but they’ve got their systems sorted so that by the time your coffee is ready they’ve warmed up a soft, fresh brown roll, slapped mayo on both sides, daubed it with chipotle relish, crossed it with two bacon rashers and capped it off with a fresh poached egg.

Order the: corn and quinoa fritters

At this shabby-chic café, you'll find every breakfast classic under the sun. Açai bowls, BLAT rolls, eggs Benedict, ricotta hotcakes, you name it. Regulars rally around the corn and quinoa fritters, which are light and crunchy on the outside, and top and tail a spicy, tart avocado salsa. Complete your plate with smoked salmon, bacon or halloumi.

Order the: Blood sausage with scrambled eggs
If you ignore the fact that you're essentially eating offal, the blood sausage with scrambled eggs, dill yoghurt and red currant jam by the Ducks is well worth it. A super hearty dish with the richness of the sausie and eggs is lightened by the herbs of the tart yoghurt and the sweet tang from the currents. It's been on the menu for years and we'll be the first to revolt if it ever comes off.