Cafeography
Sydney · Surry Hills

Cafés in Surry Hills

Terrace streets uphill from Central, where Single O and Reuben Hills started roasting.

Photo: Virginia Chien, Pexels License

Surry Hills climbs east from Central station, about 1 km south-east of the CBD.1 It takes its name from Surry Hills Farm, the property of Major Joseph Foveaux, itself named after the Surrey Hills in England; Foveaux Street still carries his name.1 Crown Street is the main thoroughfare, and the suburb has one of the highest concentrations of restaurants in Sydney.1

For coffee, Surry Hills is where several of the city's roasters began. Single O opened on Reservoir Street around 2003 and once roasted in the café's back room, Sample started as a small espresso bar here in 2011, and Reuben Hills has roasted above its Albion Street café since 2012.243 Most Surry Hills cafés open on Saturdays, and most have stopped serving by 15:30.

Local tip: Reuben Hills holds a public cupping every Saturday morning and opens at 07:30 at weekends, so a Saturday visit gets you both the tasting and breakfast.3

At a glance

103Cafés listed
16With opening hours
06:30Earliest opening
16:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Dad and the Frog Cafe, from 06:30 (Mon–Fri 06:30–15:00 · Sat–Sun 07:30–15:00).
  • Closes latest: Corduroy Cafe, until 16:00 (Mon–Fri 07:00–16:00).
  • Most listed streets: Crown St (7), Crown Street (6), Foveaux Street (5).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (22%), indoor seating (10%), card payment (5%).

Little Duck Centennial Place

  • 300 Elizabeth Street
  • Mon–Thu 07:00–16:00 · Fri 07:00–15:00
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Coffee chains in Surry Hills

Walking up from Central station

Central station sits on the suburb's western edge, and Single O, on the corner of Reservoir Street and Hands Lane, is a few minutes' uphill walk from it.12 The light rail to Randwick, opened in 2019, and the Kingsford branch added in 2020 stop on Devonshire Street near Ward Park.1 Sample Coffee is further along at 118 Devonshire Street.

Prince Alfred Park is the suburb's largest green space, and its pool reopened after a refurbishment in 2013.1 Blacksmith, at 116 Chalmers Street, opens at 07:30 on weekdays and 08:00 at weekends.

From the rag trade to restaurant terraces

The first land grants here date from the 1790s. Devonshire Street Cemetery, consecrated in 1820, was moved to make room for the railway terminus, and Central station opened on 4 August 1906.1 Light industry followed, the rag (clothing) trade above all, and Surry Hills became a working-class suburb with a reputation for crime and vice. Ruth Park set her 1948 novel The Harp in the South in its slums.1

Cheap property drew families after the Second World War, and gentrification began in the 1980s. By the 2021 census the suburb had 15,828 residents, and 68.5% of homes were flats, units or apartments.1 The painter Brett Whiteley lived here, and his former studio is now the Brett Whiteley Studio.1

Single O, Reuben Hills and the specialty shops

Single O's café at 60-64 Reservoir Street marked its 20th year in 2023. It pours two blends and a rotating single origin as espresso, keeps batch-brew filter on tap at a separate takeaway counter, and seats dine-in guests with full table service.2 It opens 07:00–15:00 on weekdays and 08:00–15:00 at weekends.

Russell Beard opened Reuben Hills at 61 Albion Street in 2012, after selling The Source in Mosman. Beans are roasted on the mezzanine and sold wholesale across Sydney, the menu leans South American, and a public cupping (a guided tasting) runs every Saturday morning.3 The café opens at 07:00 on weekdays and 07:30 at weekends.

Sample's founder, Reuben Mardan, added a roastery in 2014, three years after the first espresso bar.4 Jibbi Coffee Roasters opened on Commonwealth Street in late 2024 to serve its founder's competition coffees; its no-groni is a cold brew steeped with orange zest and hibiscus for almost 24 hours.5

Opening hours and the monthly market

Le Monde and Dad and the Frog Cafe open first, at 06:30 on weekdays. Four Ate Five and Two Good Eggs Cafe, at 144-148 Goulburn Street, follow at 07:00; Two Good Eggs opens at 08:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. Some keep short weeks: little River, at 44 Reservoir Street, trades Wednesday to Sunday only, and Comoros closes at 12:00 on Mondays and Fridays.

On the first Saturday of each month the Surry Hills Markets set up in Shannon Reserve.1

Sources

  1. Surry Hills, New South Wales, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Single O, Surry Hills, Brian's Coffee Spot (August 15, 2023), accessed October 2026
  3. Reuben Hills, Broadsheet Sydney (updated July 10, 2025), accessed October 2026
  4. Sample Coffee, The Way to Coffee, accessed October 2026
  5. Six Sydney Cafe Drinks That Aren't "The Usual, Thanks", Broadsheet Sydney (May 26, 2025), accessed October 2026
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In Surry Hills, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Brunch

FAQ

Surry Hills cafés: questions

Which coffee roasters started in Surry Hills, Sydney?

Single O opened on Reservoir Street around 2003 and once roasted in the café's back room. Sample began as a small Surry Hills espresso bar in 2011 and added a roastery in 2014. Reuben Hills opened at 61 Albion Street in 2012 and roasts on the mezzanine above the café, selling beans wholesale across Sydney.

How do you get to Surry Hills cafés from Sydney's Central station?

Central station is on the western edge of Surry Hills, and Single O, on the corner of Reservoir Street and Hands Lane, is a few minutes' uphill walk away. The light rail to Randwick and Kingsford also stops on Devonshire Street near Ward Park; Sample Coffee is at 118 Devonshire Street.

When are the Surry Hills Markets held in Sydney?

The Surry Hills Markets take place in Shannon Reserve on the first Saturday of each month. On Saturdays Reuben Hills on Albion Street opens at 07:30 and runs a public cupping in the morning, and Single O on Reservoir Street opens at 08:00.

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