Best breakfast and brunch in Marrickville
Ask any Inner West local where to get breakfast, and you’ll be halfway to Marrickville before they’ve finished the sentence.
Sydney’s Marrickville has quickly become a hotspot for good beer, good food, and good times. Its mix of classic cafés, Greek and Vietnamese eateries, vegan-friendly menus, artisanal bakeries, and small bars makes it both a destination and a local favourite.
But before you join the queue for a pork roll or wander up Victoria Road in search of a craft brew, it’s worth starting your day with a Marrickville breakfast or brunch to fortify yourself for the adventures ahead.
We’ve rounded up some of our favourite spots — and because it’s us, all of them have vegetarian or vegan options. So, whether you’re after the best Marrickville breakfast, a long and lazy brunch, or just a quick coffee or tea in one of the many excellent Marrickville cafés.
Quick picks - where does your mood take you?
| Mood | Go to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 🌱 Vegan or plant-based | Miss Sina | 100% vegan |
| 🥯 Favourite bagels | Brooklyn Bagel Boys | Award-winning authentic New York bagels and schmear. ‘Nuff said. |
| 🕰️ Long, lazy brunch | Matinee Coffee | All day menu and bottomless batch. |
| 🦄 Something different | Tita Carinderia | Filipino silogs and pandesals from the Donut Papi team. |
| 🥐 Grab 'n' go | Goodwood Bakery | The plain croissant topped Good Food’s blind taste test. |
The Full List – Best Breakfast & Brunch Cafés in Marrickville
Miss Sina
📍 132 Illawarra Rd | Website
When this fully vegan cafe landed on Illawarra Road, it felt like the food deities had spoken. Cinnamon scrolls? Addictive. Pies, pastries, cakes? Equally divine. Too much for breakfast? The savoury menu is just as irresistible. Right now, they’re in their ‘bagel era’ with classics like ‘egg’ and ‘bacon’ — or our favourites, The Reuben and Buffalo Chicken.
Tita Carinderia
📍 Shop 4/359 Illawarra Rd | Instagram
The Filipino street-food inspired carinderia turns silogs and house-made pandesal into a breakfast worth lining up for. Go classic with a full Filipino brekkie, Tita hotcakes or vegan adobo rice, or splurge on a pandesal muffin stacked with egg, cheese and a hashbrown dripping with banana ketchup (yes, it’s a $17 McMuffin — and yes, it’s worth it). Sweet tooths are covered too: tres leches, pandan treats and all the pastries you’d expect from the team behind Donut Papi. Hidden just off the main road, the queues tell you everything. Pro tip: get in early, or be ready to wait.
Matinee Coffee
📍 23-29 Addison Rd | Website
It’s always showtime at this Addi Rd favourite. Grab a coffee to go or — say it with me — all-day breakfast with bottomless batch brew. Vegetarian and vegan options abound, from in-house sweets to classics, burgers, sandwiches, and bowls.
Brooklyn Boy Bagels
📍 19 Carrington Rd | Website
These might be the best bagels in Sydney — and the world agrees, with international awards to prove it. In Marrickville, this casual spot welcomes walk-ins and drive-ups. Go for a toasted Everything Bagel with plain schmear, or seasonal specials on seeded, plain, pumpernickel, jalapeño, pumpkin or rainbow. Grab a giant cookie or challah loaf for later — and don’t forget the ‘kawfee.’
More in the Polish–German tradition than Brooklyn Boy’s New Yorker style, this retro-chic diner serves up seriously stuffed sandwiches. There’s the classic lox bagel, of course, plus plenty of veggie options. Our pick? The Katsu Bagel with halloumi, tonkatsu sauce, and miso mayo (swap in tofu to make it vegan). Bonus tip: order the latkes. You’ll thank us later.
Two Chaps
📍 122 Chappel St | Website
The wild-fermented bread and pastries, hand-made daily, are peak Marrickville, but so is the veg-forward day menu. Think spiced rhubarb & strawberry pancakes, bircher and sourdough crumpets. Hot burgers and sandwiches are also on deck. Walk-ins only during the day, so get in early. Come back at night for an elevated set menu.
Kelby’s Cafe
📍 122 Chappel St | Website
Enjoy a Kelby’s hash, Lebanese brekkie, or — our favourite — Egyptian breakfast, alongside the ever-popular halloumi stacks and omelettes your way. Sit inside the bustling space or take a seat on the corner of Marrickville Rd and Malakoff St to watch the world go by. Goodwood Bakery is right next door, too. In July, they announced they were changing their name to Moe’s Table.
Warren & Holt
📍 415-421 Illawarra Rd | Website
Named for the wool merchant and his once-dominant Gothic mansion in South Marrickville, this bright café is the total opposite — a friendly, open space serving fresh, healthy, and vegan-friendly bowls, plates, and drinks. The camera will eat first with food this pretty, but you won’t wait long before tucking in.
Valentina’s
📍 132 Livingstone Rd | Website
An American-style diner on the northern edge of Marrickville’s map, always buzzing so best to get in early. It’s an all-day breakfast feast: Tina classics, burritos, pancakes, and stacked sides. Vegetarian and vegan options abound — don’t miss the Vegan Burrito. And save room for pie, or grab a Grumpy Donut to go.
Illi Hill
📍 72 Illawarra Rd | Website
Just across from the Henson, Illi Hill is a reliable all-day cafe covering the bases from granola to hotcakes. Think smashed avo with beetroot hummus, a green omelette, mushroom toastie or a spicy, tomatoey shakshuka — simple, fresh and always satisfying.
Vesbar Espresso
📍 1 Warburton St | Instagram
Conveniently located just across the road from the Marrickville station (or construction site for the time being), here’s a perfect, dog-friendly spot to grab a cup of coffee and maybe a little bite as well. Dealing mostly in takeaways, indoor seating is limited and mostly outdoors. Still, a good range of eats and it’s always hopping.
Special Mentions
This is just the tip of the iceberg — Marrickville’s breakfast and brunch scene keeps growing, and there’s always something new popping up.
Beyond the sit-down brekkies, there’s cult-favourite Coffee Alchemy for your morning brew, the Mitchell Street outpost of Bourke Street Bakery, and the award-winning Goodwood. And of course, if you’re chasing a true 2204 classic, Marrickville Pork Roll is slinging its legendary rolls from 6:30am, seven days a week.
Map of Marrickville breakfast spots
Tips for breakfasting in Marrickville
Beat the brunch rush – Weekends get busy from 9 am. If you’re not into queues, get in early — or maybe go mid-week if you can.
Skip the parking drama – Trains (to Sydenham and Tempe) and buses drop you right near most cafés.
Get off the main road – Some of the best finds aren’t on Illawarra or Marrickville Road.
Bring a keep cup – Coffee culture is big here, and most spots are BYO-friendly.
Check Insta first – Seasonal specials and one-off dishes often pop up there.
Pup-friendly patios – Plenty of outdoor tables for you and your doggo.
Plan your Marrickville day
Want to kick on for the full Marrickville experience? (Apart from joining a pork roll queue, of course). If you’ve had a lazy brunch, most breweries open from around midday — but early birds can start at Pickled Monkey from 11am on weekends, while Batch Brewing on Sydenham Road opens from 10am Friday to Sunday.
➡️ Be sure to explore all of the breweries in the area with our Marrickville Brewery Map.
