Sydney's best Coffee
Starbucks are all but shutting up shop here because Sydney's sophisticated café culture cannot be chained. Time Out reveals the top 10 places to drink black velvet (check out issue 41 on sale now for the full story on the city's coffee scene)
10 Bill & Toni's
Bill Chiappini learnt to make coffee in Kings Cross after emigrating to Sydney from Sicily in 1957. When his boss lost his café in a high-stakes poker game, Bill was unemployed until Luigi Coluzzi offered him a job and soon, the means to buy Bill & Toni's (then San Siro) in 1964. Almost half a century on - and less than a month after Bill's death aged 78 - you can taste that classic Sydney story in every coffee: strength, tradition, charm... and no bitterness.
72-74 Stanley St, East Sydney 2010 (02 9360 4702). Daily 12 noon-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm. Coffee $2.50-$4, Mains $9-$15.
Deus ex Machina is Latin for ‘God is the machine'. At this café/bike shop, the coffee machine is god. A mix of industrial design and cool art (the owner is Mambo founder Dare Jennings), Deus is more order-and-pay than silver service but the table runners are super nice and the Walsh Bay-roasted Di Lorenzo bean is ace. It's right on Parra Rd so attracts overflow from nearby Newtown, Sydney Uni, the hospital and heaps of fringe businesses.
98-104 Parramatta Rd, Camperdown 2050. (02 9557 6866) Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat & Sun 10am-4pm. Coffee $3, Mains $12.
8 Velluto Nero
Velluto Nero's coffee credentials are immediate the moment you walk in. They come in the form of ‘Bella' who stands sentry at their Clarence Street headquarters - she's big, broad, strong-smelling, hard grinding and sparkling with lascivious intent... she's Velluto's on-premises roaster. From Bella's guts spring six Arabica-dominated blends but our pick is their award-winning, super-smooth, soft-punching Signature Blend.
Shop 3, 259 Clarence St, Sydney 2000. (02 9268 0755). Mon- Fri 7am-4pm. Closed weekends. Coffee $3, Meals $2-$9.
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