Australia exported the flat white and the avocado on toast, and it takes both more seriously than you expect.
Australian coffee culture came from postwar Italian and Greek migration, which brought espresso machines to Melbourne and Sydney in the 1950s, well before most of the English-speaking world. It developed largely independently of the American chains, which is why Starbucks famously failed here and closed most of its Australian stores in 2008.
The result is a country where an ordinary suburban café makes better coffee than most specialist places elsewhere, and where the barista is a career.
How to order
Flat white — espresso with steamed milk and a thin layer of microfoam. Australian or New Zealand in origin, disputed between the two, and the default order.
Piccolo — a single ristretto in a small glass with a little milk. Stronger, smaller.
Long black — hot water with espresso poured over it, so the crema survives. Not an Americano, which is the other way round.
Short black — espresso.
Magic — a Melbourne invention that has spread: a double ristretto with milk in a 160ml cup. Some Sydney cafés will look blank.
Batch brew and filter are widely available now.
Ask for the milk you want — oat, almond and soy are universal and usually cost a little extra.
Brunch
Sydney takes weekend breakfast seriously to a degree that surprises visitors. Kitchens open from seven, the good places have queues by nine, and bookings are frequently not taken.
The clichés — avocado on toast, ricotta hotcakes, corn fritters, shakshuka — are clichés because they were invented or refined here, and they are usually done well.
Expect to pay more than you would for lunch.
Where
Surry Hills — the highest concentration. Bourke Street, Crown Street and the lanes between them.
Newtown and Enmore — cheaper, scruffier, excellent.
Bondi and Bronte — beachside, busy, with a strong fitness-and-coffee culture that is a genre in itself.
Redfern, Alexandria and Marrickville — where several of the city’s roasters are, often with cafés attached.
Paddington and Woollahra — smarter.
What it costs
Coffee runs to a few dollars more than most of Europe; brunch is a substantial line in any Sydney budget. See how much Sydney costs.
Tipping
Not expected. Australian hospitality staff are paid a legal minimum wage that is high by international standards, plus penalty rates at weekends — which is also why menus often carry a 10 or 15 per cent surcharge on Sundays and public holidays. That surcharge is not a service charge and it is not a tip; it is the weekend wage loading, and it will be printed at the bottom of the menu.
Rounding up or leaving small change is appreciated and not required.
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