Cafeography
Sydney · Paddington & Woollahra

Cafés in Paddington & Woollahra

A Melbourne roaster at Five Ways, Oxford Street regulars, a pink courtyard on Queen Street and long-running tables in Double Bay.

Photo: Parth Patel, Pexels License

Paddington starts 3 km east of the CBD, and Oxford Street, which follows a ridge once used as an Aboriginal walking track, divides it between two councils.1 The name came from James Underwood's Paddington Estate, subdivided in 1839, and speculative terraces did the rest: 535 houses in 1862, 2,347 by 1883.1

Woollahra grew up alongside it. Piper Street was renamed Queen Street in 1878, and steam trams arrived from the city in 1881.2 From there the land falls north to the harbor at Double Bay, so a morning here can run from a Melbourne roaster's concept store to a family sandwich counter that has traded since 1999.

Local tip: At Padre Coffee's Five Ways store, hot filter and cold brew come from self-serve taps, so skip the espresso line if all you want is a black coffee.3

At a glance

79Cafés listed
11With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
18:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Bake Bar, from 06:00 (Daily 06:00–18:00).
  • Most listed streets: Oxford St (13), New South Head Road (5), New South Head Rd (4).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (27%), brunch (6%), wi-fi (1%).

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Coffee chains in Paddington & Woollahra

Five Ways and Glenmore Road

Melbourne roaster Padre Coffee opened its first Sydney concept store at Five Ways in June 2023.4 Beans and home-brewing gear fill the retail side, hot filter and cold brew come from self-serve taps, and the baking is bought in: bread from Staple Bread & Necessities, Portuguese tarts from Tuga Pastries and cookies from Cut Lunch Deli.3

Juniper, close by, runs all-day breakfast, burgers, burritos and salads.4 Café Fiveways on Heeley Street keeps an all-day menu, a kids' menu and a full liquor license.4

Oxford Street and the lanes behind it

Four Six Eight is run by husband and wife Cathy and Jacob Lo, with beans from Pablo & Rusty's and tea from Rabbit Hole.4 Arthouse Kitchen sits outside the UNSW Art, Design and Architecture campus; owner Massimo Accetta has fed students, staff and locals for more than a decade on panini, pizza and Italian coffee.5

Jackies Cafe, at 1C Glenmore Road, mixes Australian and Japanese food in a sunny courtyard.4 Paddington Alimentari, on Hopetoun Street, is an Italian deli first, with limited seating, panini and Allpress coffee.4

Queen Street, Woollahra

Queen's Court at 118 Queen Street is a pink 1976 reconstruction of MacDonald's Corner, where William MacDonald's family ran a hardware store from 1887.2 Luxe moved into the courtyard in 2014, taking over the old Bills café, and fitted it with awnings, lounge seats and heaters.6

A short walk away, Plane Tree Cafe trades from 31 Ocean Street, which Woollahra Council's history walk calls the oldest surviving shop in the area; it has been a butcher, fishmonger, boot warehouse and general store.2 Anne Schofield's antiques business still runs from 36 Queen Street, in a building she and Leo Schofield restored in the 1970s.2

Double Bay: Knox Street and Transvaal Avenue

Michael's has been family-owned since 1999, making sandwiches, bagels and salads in the Cosmopolitan Centre on Knox Street, and it pours Grand Cru coffee from 06:00, Monday to Saturday.7 The entrance is on Bay Street.7

Indigo, on Transvaal Avenue, has traded for more than 18 years by its own count. Friends Anthony Moustacas and Christian Verges own it, the outdoor tables are the draw, and fairy lights take over the garden in the evening.8 It opens at 06:30 from Monday to Saturday and 07:00 on Sundays.

Sources

  1. Paddington, New South Wales, Wikipedia, accessed November 2026
  2. Local History Walking Tour: Queen Street, Celebrating 2025, Woollahra Municipal Council, accessed November 2026
  3. Padre Coffee, Time Out Sydney (June 16, 2023), accessed November 2026
  4. 15 Of The Best Paddington Cafes, Australian Traveller (October 28, 2024), accessed November 2026
  5. About Us, Arthouse Kitchen, accessed November 2026
  6. LUXE Bakery Makes a Home in Woollahra, Daily Addict (May 14, 2014), accessed November 2026
  7. Michael's Double Bay, Michael's, accessed November 2026
  8. About Indigo, Indigo Double Bay, accessed November 2026
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In Paddington & Woollahra, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Open by 6am Brunch Bakery cafés

FAQ

Paddington & Woollahra cafés: questions

Where is the Padre Coffee store in Paddington, Sydney?

Padre Coffee is at Five Ways on Glenmore Road in Paddington. The Melbourne roaster opened it in June 2023 as its first Sydney concept store, with beans and home-brewing gear on the retail side, self-serve taps for hot filter and cold brew, and baking from Sydney suppliers.

What is the history of Queen's Court on Queen Street in Woollahra, Sydney?

Queen's Court at 118 Queen Street is a pink 1976 reconstruction of MacDonald's Corner, where William MacDonald's family ran a hardware store from 1887. The Bills café once traded in its courtyard, and Luxe took over that site in 2014.

Which cafés in Double Bay, Sydney, have been running for a long time?

Michael's in the Cosmopolitan Centre on Knox Street has been family-owned since 1999 and pours Grand Cru coffee from 06:00, Monday to Saturday. Indigo on Transvaal Avenue, owned by Anthony Moustacas and Christian Verges, has traded for more than 18 years and is known for its outdoor tables.

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