169 Cafe Randwick: Sydney, AUSTRALIA

September 2023 · 3 min read · Sydney

On a recent visit to Sydney, I overnighted in a quaint Victorian style hotel in Randwick. I don't know the area very well... and in the morning, I went out looking for a bite to eat for breakfast. There was the recommendation from the hotel to try out 169 Cafe which was across the road... and so, I figured... why not, I've got a few hours to kill before the concerts... and I desperately needed to have my morning hit of caffeine!

The Space

When you walk in... well, you really get the feeling that this is a cafe with strong roots in the local community. There appeared to be regulars having loud and friendly chats to the staff and across tables. It was the sort of thing that just brought a smile to your face... these sorts of places aren't so common in the large cities, and to see that in a small cafe on the main street was quite something to experience!

The Food

I generally like to eat a small breakfast at the best of times, and when I'm travelling or away from home... even more so. Lots of restaurant food makes for a poor stomach for me!

So, there was a lot of cooked breakfasts on offer on the menu, but those tend to be a bit too heavy and greasy for me... I was hoping for a Bircher museli or something like that. But even those tend to be gigantic servings in Australia... so, I was pretty happy to see that there were a selection of muffins, breads, and cakes in the display cabinet.

There was the tried and true, banana bread... but I saw this mango and coconut version, and I just had to try out this variant instead! Toasted and with butter... WOW, this beats regular banana bread easily!

Meanwhile, my coffee fix... and this was stunningly decent coffee! Not what I had expected from a suburban local cafe, but Australia has really picked up their coffee game to be known as one of the best in the world!

The Experience

Great atmosphere, excellent food... the next time that I'm in, I will definitely try something a little more substantial for a lunch or something like that. Top coffee... and just the overall relaxed community feel just makes this place a pleasant place to spend a few hours!