1
Cafe Taza - Sydney CBD
from 149 Google reviews.
Local businesses, no chains · Updated October 2026
The cafes of Sydney
As of October 2026, the three most fairly rated local cafes in Sydney, NSW on Not a Chain, with chains left out, are Cafe Taza - Sydney CBD (4.9 from 149 Google reviews), Kosmos Espresso Cafe (4.8 from 165 Google reviews) and Joe Black Cafe (4.7 from 1,126 Google reviews).
- Cafes compared
- 25
- Google reviews
- 24,652
- Median rating
- 4.5
The cafes of Sydney: the top 22
2
Kosmos Espresso Cafe
from 165 Google reviews.
Building C, 250 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000
3
Joe Black Cafe
from 1,126 Google reviews.
27 Commonwealth St, Sydney NSW 2000
4
Mission Cafe
from 526 Google reviews.
64 York St, Sydney NSW 2000
5
Hustle on George
from 160 Google reviews.
6
Industry Beans York St
from 2,395 Google reviews.
40 York St, Sydney NSW 2000
7
Skittle Lane
from 851 Google reviews.
40 King St, Sydney NSW 2000
8
Marlowe's Way
from 406 Google reviews.
Tankstream Way, Sydney NSW 2000
9
Bearded Bear Cafe
from 103 Google reviews.
570 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
10
Cafe in Sydney - Nth Degree Cafe
from 92 Google reviews.
227 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000
11
Cafe Sydney Restaurant
from 4,072 Google reviews.
Customs House, 31 Alfred St, Sydney NSW 2000
12
Dutch Smuggler Coffee Brewers
from 569 Google reviews.
13
Cross Eatery
from 431 Google reviews.
153-159 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
14
Envoy Cafe
from 280 Google reviews.
15
Sydney City Cafe
from 10 Google reviews.
16
Coffee Pitt
from 904 Google reviews.
17
The Walrus Sydney CBD
from 1,056 Google reviews.
18
Metropole Cafe
from 1,113 Google reviews.
455 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
19
Pablo & Rusty's Sydney CBD
from 789 Google reviews.
20
Gumption by Coffee Alchemy
from 1,351 Google reviews.
Shop 11, The Strand Arcade, 412-414 George StBustling pit stop for gourmet coffees
21
Cafe Alma Sydney
from 414 Google reviews.
1 Harbour St, Sydney NSW 2000
22
Dymocks Cafe
from 535 Google reviews.
Dymocks Building, 428 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
Not a Chain compared 25 cafes in Sydney, NSW, with 24,652 Google reviews between them. Of these, 22 meet this list's method. The median rating is 4.5 from a median of 526 reviews.
Of the cafes compared, the most reviewed is The Grounds of The City, with 6,417 Google reviews at 4.2.
How this list is ranked
Businesses are ranked as in the fairly rated method, but only those whose name and website each appear in no more than two places in Australia are listed, so chains and franchises are left out. Each needs at least five Google reviews.
A business that shares its name with unrelated businesses elsewhere can be left out by mistake, and being part of a chain says nothing about quality.
Questions
- Which local cafes in Sydney, NSW, not chains, are the most fairly rated?
- As of October 2026, the three most fairly rated local cafes in Sydney, NSW on Not a Chain, with chains left out, are Cafe Taza - Sydney CBD (4.9 from 149 Google reviews), Kosmos Espresso Cafe (4.8 from 165 Google reviews) and Joe Black Cafe (4.7 from 1,126 Google reviews).
- How does Not a Chain rank cafes in Sydney, NSW?
- Businesses are ranked as in the fairly rated method, but only those whose name and website each appear in no more than two places in Australia are listed, so chains and franchises are left out. Each needs at least five Google reviews. A business that shares its name with unrelated businesses elsewhere can be left out by mistake, and being part of a chain says nothing about quality.
- How many cafes in Sydney, NSW did Not a Chain compare?
- Not a Chain compared 25 cafes in Sydney, NSW, with 24,652 Google reviews between them. Of these, 22 meet this list's method. The median rating is 4.5 from a median of 526 reviews.
- Can a business pay to be listed or to rank higher?
- No. Every business is ranked by the same published method, and no business can pay to be listed or to move up.