Your guide to Sydney’s best brunch spots

Brunch is a national sport in Australia, and Sydney excels in it - from glorious bottomless feasts to scenic seaside repasts, this city has it all. Here’s our roundup of the very best places to get your brunch on.

The Grounds of Alexandria

An all-in-one events hub that includes an animal farm and garden as well as a café, bakery and bar, The Grounds of Alexandria creates a fully immersive dining experience. The breakfast menu at the café features a dedicated “free range eggs” section with standouts like a fried egg brekkie burger and eggs Benedict with radish and zucchini. Don’t worry if you’re a late riser; the lunch menu includes plenty of all-day breakfast options, too. 

If The Grounds’ Inner West location is a little too out of your way, you can visit the CBD branch instead - The Grounds of The City. Here, you can escape from your busy workday and enjoy the old-school, coffeehouse-inspired decor. 

Reuben Hills

A favourite among Sydney’s discerning coffee crowd, this boutique micro-roastery has been in Surry Hills since 2012. While you might initially visit for the coffee, you’re bound to make repeat trips for the food, which changes according to the local produce on offer. The breakfast menu items reflect the owners’ coffee buying trips to Africa and Central South America – think soft baked eggs with a side of chorizo, or ricotta pancakes with habanero and rum-infused maple syrup. For comfort food at its finest, try the signature Not Reuben sandwich, made with melt-in-your-mouth wagyu salt brisket.

Three Blue Ducks 

With six locations across Australia, Three Blue Ducks is a modern success story. It all started with a group of friends who bonded over their love of surfing, fishing and no-frills cooking. Using the freshest produce New South Wales has to offer (the restaurant swears by ethically and sustainably sourced produce), the chain’s Sydney branch delivers brunch staples like bacon rolls and perfectly poached Turkish-style eggs. The Rosebery location in particular is home to a wood-fired oven, two charcoal pits and a 500kg Argentinian grill, so there’s always something smoking in this charmingly rustic space. 

Mecca Coffee   

No brunch is complete without a cup of joe, and Mecca Coffee knows it. Coffee geeks will salivate over the premium house-roasted beans sourced from Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. The CBD branch is rather compact, so it’s best to get your brunch to go – and pick up some beans and coffee-making gadgets while you’re at it. 

At the more spacious Alexandria venue, you’re free to lounge in the garden while tucking into a decadent peri-peri fried chicken roll or a reimagined French toast served with poached apple, fennel floss, and buckwheat. We recommend visiting on Saturday mornings to partake in coffee training and tasting sessions. Looking for something a little stronger? Cocktails, draught beer and wines are also served at this hour – great for fans of boozy brunches.

Speedos Café 

The Instagram-famous Speedos Café serves up excellent brunches alongside picture-perfect views of Bondi Beach. Breathe in the fresh sea air while being treated to delicious vegan brunch items, including colourful acai bowls packed with seasonal fruit and nourishing plates of chickpea falafel with lots of veggies. Those with gluten- and dairy-free dietary needs will find themselves with plenty of options as well. Vibrantly decorated and with a casual beachside atmosphere, this is the ideal place to kick back and recharge after taking a dip in the ocean.

Babylon 

Inspired by that famed wonder of the ancient world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, this sprawling restaurant specialises in Middle Eastern-style cooking. A ritzy marble-covered indoor dining space leads up to an airy rooftop bar decked in hanging greenery. And between 11am and 12.30pm every Saturday, you can indulge in one of the best bottomless brunches in Sydney. Make the most of the free-flow meze and mimosas offer by sipping on your drink while enjoying Mediterranean bites such as homemade falafel, hummus, wood-fired chicken skewers and Turkish Delights.

Bills

No brunch compilation would be complete without this institution. In 1993, self-taught cook Bill Granger founded the first branch of Bills . The rest, as they say, is history. The restaurant’s creamy scrambled eggs, ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter, and sweet corn fritters have singlehandedly shaped the Sydney brunch scene. 

In addition to four locations in Sydney (Double Bay, Surry Hills, Bondi Beach, and Darlinghurst), Bills has now also expanded to Japan and Korea. We’re firm believers in the adage “if it ain't broke, don’t fix it” – but if you’re on your nth visit and craving something different, we suggest ordering the Bloody Mary, spiced with a healthy dose of Korean chilli.