Cold foam drinks are everywhere in Sydney. Here’s where to find the best

There’s one garnished with an iridescent citrus-infused bubble, others thickened with cream, finished with orange zest and served atop cold brew coffee, like a Mont Blanc.Good Food Guide reviewersJuly 31, 2026The cold foam trend has defined the ’20s coffee scene, creeping across menus worldwide like a creamy, whipped version of John Carpenter’s The Fog. But its roots stretch back to 2014 at the original Starbucks Roastery in Seattle. The international coffee giant popularised the low-temp take on steamed microfoam, aerating cold, nonfat milk into a silky velvet topping for an iced Americano (long black). From there, cold foam took on a life of its own. Seeker’s Passenger Princess signature drink, complete with an iridescent citrus-infused bubble.Dion GeorgopoulosIn Sydney, you’ll often find it thickened with cream, garnished with orange zest, and floated over cold brew, like a Melbourne-born Mont Blanc. Elsewhere, ube turns the foam a pastel purple before it’s layered over a bright green matcha latte. Occasionally, it’s pushed even further. At Cabramatta cafe Seeker, for example, matcha from Shizuoka is whipped into cold foam and paired with jersey milk jasmine tea. The following list is merely a teaser – you’ll be hard-pressed to find a menu without cold foam in the 100 Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2026, available now on the Good Food app and website. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.Sign up An iced plum pistachio matcha at Ard. Dion GeorgopoulosArdOn weekends, long queues form outside Christiana Daaboul’s first bricks-and-mortar bakery in Stanmore, lured by beautiful Instagram photos of Earl Grey black sesame sponge cake, shokupan fairy bread, pistachio banoffee pie and tiramisu.The small, light-filled space on Stafford Road sells around 15 different slices, cakes, buns and breads, along with coffee and specialty drinks such as an iced creme brulee matcha, and a tahini caramel Mont Blanc.Good to know: Outside, there are enough wood benches and stools to seat about 15 people.2A Stafford Street, Stanmore, ardsydney.com.auCafe MonakaLook around at the tables at Cafe Monaka and you’ll notice everyone has ordered the same thing: a plump pink cutlet of shio-koji marinated salmon, rolled tamagoyaki egg omelette, soy-simmered green beans and a bowl of miso soup.It’s the asagohan, a well-portioned Japanese breakfast plate built on the ichiju-sansai principle of “one soup, three dishes”. Green tea is the traditional accompaniment, and Cafe Monaka imports its sencha, matcha and hojicha straight from Japan.2/24 Waratah Street, Mona Vale, cafemonaka.com.auKumquat mont blanc at Ca Phe Mai.Parker BlainCa Phe MaiFrom banh mi filled with bacon and soft steamed egg, to brekkie muffins served with lemongrass pork sausage patties, Ca Phe Mai combines Vietnamese flavours with Australian cafe favourites to create a menu unlike anywhere else in Sydney.The ca phe muoi (Single O espresso sweetened with condensed milk and thick, salted coconut cream) is dangerously good with a thick slice of toasted banana bread, spread with Vietnamese coffee butter, but chicken broth dishes like pho ga and laksa are the real must-tries, made with a 40-year-old secret family recipe.Good to know: This is a day-to-night venue, transforming into a wine bar after dark. Shop 1, 377-383 New South Head Road, Double Bay, caphemai.com.auThe exterior of Flour.Elisa Romeo PhotographyFlourFlour is tucked away on a quiet suburban street, but you’ll have no problem finding it – just follow the long procession of cars. This sunbathed cafe-bakery makes excellent breads, sausage rolls and sandwiches, but most people come for the pastry cabinet.It’s a butter-laden dreamscape of lemon meringue doughnuts, Iced VoVo-inspired finger buns and bruleed custard tarts, plus regular seasonal specials. When the crowds abate, the communal table is a comfortable place to enjoy a specialty coffee, with front-row seats to the glass-walled kitchen.Good to know: Flour closes at 2pm, so you’ll have to hustle.277 Willarong Road, Caringbah, weareflour.com.auHappy Alley in Rockdale.Happy AlleyHappy Alley is a playful remix of artisanal bakery, fast-food restaurant and Levantine flavours, and there’s nothing else like it in Sydney. Brekkie kicks off with house-made spiced sausage on cheesy egg muffins, revving up to crumbed fish sandwiches and “happy pattie” burgers for lunch.The strength of its in-house bakery grows each year, launching a pistachio kataifi honey cake so good it almost rivals those soft, warm cookies served with swirls of vanilla soft serve.Good to know: Expect slim pickings within an hour of closing.13 Bay Street, Rockdale, happyalley.com.au Haven Specialty CoffeeWhichever of Haven’s five locations you visit, expect Scandi-minamilist lines and a menu that squeezes hits into every square inch. Owners Kit Tran and Herman Chiu roast coffee beans in house, and all the staples are present and correct, but next-wave drinkers can expect the lychee coconut water under cold matcha foam or cold brew topped with peach-infused cream to hit the spot.Food? Pandan-coconut French toast and Mont Blanc cake are standouts on an inventive Asian-inspired brunch menu.Must order: Chilli scramble with roasted peanuts.7 Crewe Place, Rosebery, havencoffee.com.auHome Croissanterie. Brook MitchellHome CroissanterieArrive early at Home Croissanterie, lest you’re met with empty shelves. Specials like the strawberry cream croissant disappear first – they are brushed in rose syrup, with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream and strawberry compote-marinated strawberries.No matter, the staples are as solid. Potato and sea salt croissants are the signature; sausage rolls are flaky and generous; and matcha (from Simply Native Japan) is among Sydney’s best when served as a creamy cold-foam latte. Outdoor seating is limited, but nearby green spaces are aplenty.Shop 1/418 Darling Street, Balmain, homecroissanterie.comJiniusJinius is a one-two culinary punch delivered by Yeongjin Park (the baker-savant who co-founded Tenacious Bakehouse) and Jerry Jeong (a fine-dining chef fresh from six years at Quay). Their cafe, built into a rock escarpment, has a Korean minimalist aesthetic and a pastry cabinet so beautiful it’s practically art.Queues form on weekends for thick, heady slices of brioche French toast with caramelised edges, figs and brown butter maple syrup, and porchetta banh mi in a crunchy charcoal-striped baguette. Care extends to drinks, from fresh watermelon juice to Ona espresso layered beneath clouds of salted caramel cream.Shop 8/16 Hickson Road, Dawes Point, instagram.com/jinius.auKhanom HouseSelf-taught Thai baker Yeen Veerasenee is a market stall success story. Buoyed by the popularity of his matcha Basque cheesecakes, Veerasenee opened his first brick-and-mortar in a light-filled corner of Chippendale in 2025.Returning customers will note some welcome changes since then: more outdoor seating, more drinks, and more pastel green in the pastry cabinet. Veerasenee has a penchant for pandan, using the tropical plant’s natural dye and earthy vanilla flavour to make seven-layer honeycake, custard-filled doughnuts and cream buns. You can even try it in Khanom House’s signature drink, paired with matcha foam.Good to know: There’s barista-made coffee to pair with your cake.15 Meagher Street, Chippendale, instagram.com/khanomhouse.sydThe Magic Brew garnished with orange zest at Mamuki. Nick MoirMamuki Bake BarThe second evolution of Mamuki is a sanctuary of calm – ambient lighting, soft jazz, unobtrusive service (the original is in Enmore). That is, until you open the menu to find more than 20 variations on matcha, made every way: whizzed into acai smoothies, topped with tiramisu, swirled through yuzu soda and coconut water.Overwhelmed? Lean on classics like the hojicha latte, creamy and familiar, with notes of roasted nuts and chocolate. The food menu offers a comparatively tight selection of Japanese classics, with a standout tamago sando, a potato roll sandwich with scrambled eggs gently folded around soft-boiled eggs, jammy and marinated in soy. Best for: Instagram-worthy matcha creations and homey Japanese brunch.16 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, instagram.com/mamuki.bake.barPillarPillar doesn’t give much away with its stark, monochromatic design, but order a coffee and things suddenly burst into full colour. Beans are primarily sourced from Eastwood’s Block Coffee Company, and the mix of single origins and blends are up there with the best.Pick a pourover for the most variety, or try the Wilton, a cold brew capped with orange-flecked sea-salt foam and lychee notes. For brekkie, the Philly cheesesteak toastie goes maximal, but just know that sweet specials, like limited-edition tonka tiramisu, can steal the show.1 Unity Place, Burwood, pillarbrewers.comSeeker’s signature drinks: Molly Had A Dolly and Michael Jackson. Dion GeorgopoulosSeekerYou’ll find the new wave of cafe culture at Cabramatta Plaza, brewed behind a glass block counter. Here, baristas blur lines between specialty coffee, Chinese tea and Shizuoka matcha, creating texturally complex and strangely compelling drinks.Dubiously named “Love Oolong Time” pairs Greek-style freddo espresso with the floral umami of oolong miso butter, while “Passenger Princess” garnishes a pandan matcha latte with Thai milk tea foam and an iridescent citrus-infused bubble. Food is limited to pastries and shokupan toast, but options abound outside.Good to know: Watch socials for pop-ups – the last one had Freedom Plaza pumping.180 Railway Parade, Cabramatta, instagram.com/seekercafeSelf Raised Bread ShoppeYou’re knee-deep in suburbia, on a quiet street lined with single level federation homes. There’s the usual suspects: a fish and chip shop, a convenience store. Then, you notice all the people: families, couples, all ages, queuing outside Self Raised Bread Shoppe for Boston cream doughnuts, stacked ciabatta sandwiches and Milo topped with cold foam.This is quality fare, minus (most) of the fads, and its launch in 2023 heralded a period of strong westward growth in Sydney’s cafe sector.Good to know: Sister shop Self Raised Snack Shoppe can be found in Bexley North.45 Jubilee Avenue, Carlton, selfraised.com.auSundays in Bondi.Edwina PicklesSundaysSome people wait up to an hour to get their hands on the cinnamon scrolls at Laetitia Loefti’s micro-bakery. The pillowy swirls of soft, sweet dough, slathered with spoonfuls of vanilla and cinnamon cream-cheese icing, are worth every minute.Loefti ensures customers try her scrolls when they’re at their best, with constant batches coming out of the oven, and maybe even her mum on hand to carefully temperature-check each one. We like the cold foams, too. Must order: Don’t sleep on the pistachio scroll special if it makes an appearance.211 Bondi Road, Bondi, instagram.com/sundaysbondiTaguan CafeTaguan promises a “home away from home” for the Filipino diaspora, but everyone’s welcome. In November, the cafe moved into a two-storey terrace with a cheerfully lived-in feel – mementos on the walls, golden pothos trailing the ceiling, trays of warm pandesal rolls lining the counter. Brunch here blends tradition, innovation and fun: toasties pull apart in streaks of purple ube halaya and molten cheese; queso fundido, warm in the iron skillet, leans into richness with crumbled longganisa sausage; and pork adobo, from a family recipe, is the comforting signature dish, tart and tender, on a bed of garlic rice.Good to know: The ube matcha might be the most expensive drink, but it’s worth every dollar.274 Abercrombie Street, Darlington, taguancafe.comCold foam is everywhere in Sydney. Dion GeorgopoulosTenToThe courtyard restaurant-cafe is hemmed in by concrete and humming with morning energy, steam rolling off hand-built clay bowls of rich tonkotsu ramen and salmon ochazuke dressed in a delicate blend of green tea and dashi. This is TenTo’s high-impact take on Japanese brunch fare, informed by its mastery of soup stocks, specialty coffee and hand-whisked matcha.Try the snack menu with crisp katsu eggplant and house made miso cheese; opt for the minimalist Mont Blanc, finished with clouds of Hokkaido-style vanilla cream; and return for dinner (with sake) when you invariably want more.Good to know: Co-owner Ryota Kumasaka makes those gorgeous rough-hewn ceramics, and you can purchase them to take home.3/8 Hill Street, Surry Hills, tento.com.auWilly’s Deli’s lamington hot chocolate. Willy’s DeliIt doesn’t take a big space to make a lasting impression. Butcher Ryan Watson and chef Joshua Bell opened Willy’s in a two-seater shopfront in Fairlight this year. It’s packed with neighbourly hospitality, from the crocheted blankets for cold customers to freshly baked choc-chip cookies on the counter.Beyond the impressive line-up of specialty drinks (hello, lamington hot chocolate with choc-coconut cold foam), the focus is on sandwiches. Each uses free-range meat produced by regenerative local farmers, and you can taste the quality.Must order: Try the grilled porchetta on Turkish bread, with salsa verde, wholegrain mustard, apple and cabbage.Unit 1, 154 Sydney Road, Fairlight, instagram.com/willys_deliSeeker owner Jimmy Truong.Dion GeorgopoulosCan’t see your favourite cafe? Chances are it’s in another category. Explore the full list of the 100 Essential Cafes and Bakeries of 2026 in the Good Food app. It’s available as a standalone subscription and is included in premium digital Sydney Morning Herald subscriptions. Download it from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.Good Food reviews are visited anonymously and paid independently. A venue can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the 100 Essential Cafes and Bakeries guide.More:Essential cafes and bakeriesFor subscribersCafe MonakaFlour DrumTenToDrink trendsGood Food recommendsSelf Raised Bread ShoppeFlourHaven Specialty CoffeeKhanom HouseHappy AlleyHendrix Coffee CoJiniusCa Phe MaiSundaysWilly’s DeliFrom our partners