The Potts Point locals take their coffee very seriously, with one of Sydney’s best cafe strips sitting about 200 metres off of Llankelly Place. So if you want a quick espresso standing up, a long weekend brunch or a sandwich to eat in the park, head to The Pedestrian Laneway. It’s where the locals go.
Room Ten, Llankelly Place
The one that started it all. a tiny opening crammed with tables that spill onto the laneway, Room Ten has been pulling shots at 10 Llankelly Place since 2010. Serving Mecca coffee with a house blend for milk drinks and a rotating single origin for black. The Brekkie Rice (creamed red rice with quinoa, walnuts, stewed rhubarb and dukkah) is a local institution, and the slow-cooked brisket sandwich is the lunch order. Open 7am to 3pm daily. Seats are scarce, but that’s part of the charm.
Piña, Orwell Street
Directly across the laneway sits Piña, Room Ten’s slightly flashier sibling. Same management, bigger menu, weekend queues that tell you everything. The all-day menu does breakfast classics with a twist: think extra-fluffy scrambled eggs with chilli oil on thick-cut toast. The sides are a genuine highlight, and specialities like spicy corn ribs, charred cabbage and hash browns make a meal on their own.
Algorithm, Potts Point
The newest arrival. Algorithm built a devoted following at its Marrickville original before opening a Potts Point outpost — bright, minimalist, with a vinyl station tucked in the corner for rainy days. It’s already busy, which says a lot in a suburb this spoiled for cafes. Worth visiting early before the word spreads further.
Truffles, Llankelly Place
Another Llankelly institution, Truffles does the more generous end of breakfast. Think proper plates, quality local produce and reliably excellent coffee. It’s the pick when you want to sit down properly rather than perch on a stool.
A.P Bakery, Potts Point
Tucked into Potts Point, A.P Point is a small takeaway window with a lot going on. Take you pick from the delicious selection of breads and pastries, viennoiserie, pies, cream puffs, sandwiches, muffulettas by the quarter or half, sesame-crusted bagels, and their signature Reuben Hills coffee to go.
Tips for the coffee crawl
- Beat the weekend rush. Llankelly Place is at its busiest from about 9am to 11am on weekends. Before 8:30am you’ll walk straight in almost anywhere.
- Weekdays are the local secret. The same cafes, half the queue, and the laneway at its village-y best.
- Take it to a park. Fitzroy Gardens and the surrounding pocket parks are made for takeaway coffee — especially on a crisp winter morning.
A neighbourhood built for coffee
Few suburbs in Sydney pack this much good coffee into so few streets, and fewer still do it with laneway tables, village energy and a genuine sense of community. It’s one of the everyday luxuries of living here — and one of the best reasons to visit.
Hungry for more? See what else the neighbourhood does well in our guide to the bars of Potts Point, or browse the rest of our local guides.