Marlowe’s Way

A little hideaway café where they know how to make good coffee, the cabinet food is tasty, and they play excellent records by bands I’ve never heard of.
We went a little after 200 PM, so we didn’t have much of a wait for beer, coffee, or food, but I can see how the place would get swamped early in the morning or right around lunch.

This is a great local breakfast spot that is tucked away down an alley in downtown Sydney. The café has a great musical vibe and the food was delicious. A hidden local gem for tourists and locals alike.
The sourdough toastie with double smoked ham, chili jam, gruyère cheese, and an egg is absolutely amazing. It’s a popular spot amongst workers nearby so be prepared to wait if you are planning on stopping by here just before work starts. Oh, there coffee here is great as well.

Looking for a lunch spot our first day in Sydney I turned to my trusty advisor, Unilocal.Near Circular Quay, we wanted to avoid the standard tourist traps.
As we were here during the holidays, I called the number listed for Marlowe’s Way to see if they were open. The call went to voice mail, but straight away I received a call back to confirm they were open.
Lucky us! Marlowe’s Way turned out to be just what we were looking for. We ordered the salmon board and spring salad – fresh, light, tasty and satisfying. Check out the pics!
We were so pleased we came back the next day for a quick brekky and coffee.
Best part is Marlowe’s Way is tucked back on a laneway so it’s away from the hustle, bustle and touristy traps.

Tucked away in Bridge Lane which is closer to the intersection of Pitt & Bridge streets, you’ll find a true jewel of a coffee joint, Marlowe’s…and it’s a beautifully quaint little hole in the wall with surprising seating capacity for breakfast in the Sydney CBD.
Table service and speedy too?! Yes! Absolutely and with a smile! The crew working the small kitchen works clean, lean and efficiently, like someone smarter and with more kitchen experience once said, a tight kitchen crew is like a gang of rock band roadies that’ve been together a long time.
The end result, you get in and out in no time at all even through the morning crowd, but you feel like you’ve enjoyed the luxury of a languid breakfast experience with all your needs attended to with absolutely no hurry at all! Truly one of the exceptional café experiences I’ve ever had.
It’s always nice to see someone doing things right and with love. It comes through in the way the place is put together, the décor which is quirky but neatly arranged, the ordered chaos of bric-​à-​brac seemingly carelessly stacked about, the coffee, the food and if that isn’t proof enough that they care, they spin vinyl! When somebody cares enough to spin vinyl in the age of Spotify, I have to take my very small hat off in reverence.
Again, I’m known to rail against places that are all about ambience with mediocre food, and here, I have to offer kudos to the crew that did a very nice extraction on some nicely roasted beans. Never mind that the beans probably weren’t roasted on site, but they were given due respect in the way the brew was extracted. I had 2 coffees to be sure and they were both great. The espresso and the latte were done right and the breakfast sandwiches perfecto!
It is amply apparent to me that Marlowe’s Way was built and is held together with love, and it shows. Good on you, Marlowe’s Way! Stick around a long long long time, please!

When working in Sydney near Australia square this small café was my go to for coffee and a small brekkie to eat. The staff are very friendly and if you strike up conversation will likely remember your name. The coffee here is good and the brekkie roll with scrambled eggs and pancetta, topped with relish is delicious. Thanks Marlowe’s for never disappointing!

Great little spot for breakfast, lunch and coffee. I had the salmon open plate for breakfast. The size was just right and the flavours went very well together.
A great little spot tucked away in an interesting location with a good vibe.

Amazing breakfast sandwich. Top 3 I have ever had. Excellent mix of texture and flavor with the jam along with the cheese and egg.

Stopped in based on the Unilocal reviews. They make a great cup of coffee. Off the beaten path, you’d never see this small place so it’s mostly locals. I’ll be back.

Very good coffee. So good we returned a couple hours later for afternoon macchiato. Right combination of creaminess and bite. No wait to order but a wait both times for the coffee to be made. Certainly the best we tried in the area-​really the best we had in our four visits to Sydney.

I’ve only been here for a coffee a few times and the first time was awesome, the other times weren’t as awesome… but that’s also because this place gets packed.
I won’t forget how awesome the first time was though.
I mean, waiting 10 – 15 minutes for a coffee is pretty ridiculous so it better be good right? Well it is pretty good, but when it’s in the morning between 7−10am just expect to wait a bit for your coffee and since they’re in a rush don’t expect the coffee to be too hot or extremely well prepared.
The baristas are great otherwise, they remember your name and the vibe is über hipster in contrast to where they’re located. I would ideally come here between 10−11am or 2−4pm to get a proper cup of coffee and to beat the morning and lunch rush.
Will have to come back to try their food.

Definitely one of the best espresso bars I have been to. There’s a reason why you always have to wait for that cup, it’s that good. They also serve cold drip if that’s your fancy.
There’s always vinyl records playing on turntables, and great tunes. It makes the place really loud for conversations, but good place to chill with drink. It also has a full bar if you want to hang out after work for a beer.
I am glad it’s hidden away in the alley, because I can’t imagine the wait if EVERYONE knew about it.

What a great café in the CBD! I don’t think I’ve ever had a terrible coffee here. I’ve also been here on a Friday night for a glass of wine and some cheese — it’s nice and cosy with a relaxed atmosphere and a bit of jazz playing in the background. The staff are always very friendly as well. The only downside is that it’s not always the fastest place to get a coffee in the morning if you’re in a rush.

The only reason this place isn’t getting a 5 is because I haven’t eaten here (yet) however they get full marks for welcoming atmosphere, friendly staff, sweet tunes and awesome coffee.
It took the barista 3 times before they remembered my name and the staff are consistently friendly which is amazing that people have that much energy at 7.30 in the morning (must be the coffee).
Also great if you like vinyl and great classic tunes, they always have some awesome song playing and you can buy records there too!
Everything I need for my local café in the city.

A cute little hidden gem in the middle of the city is what this place is. I had read the good reviews, and knowing it was less than a 5 min walk from my work, decided to try it for lunch.
I ordered a sandwich which was nice but nothing I’ll remember in a few weeks or months to come, pretty standard. The coffee, however, was pretty impressive and definitely left a long lasting memory.
I guess what I liked the most about this place was the atmosphere — very European, yes, undoubtedly hipster, but so warm and cozy that for a few minutes you kind of forget that you are right in the middle of Sydney CBD.

This is solely discussing the coffee. Maybe if I tried the food I would change my review.
But the coffee here is fantastic! It is a dark bean but the bite of it is not that strong. So it has a smooth finish. I was really impressed with the taste.
It is hard getting a dark bean that is not that strong but this place has it down pat!
It is a little bit hipster, but I am willing to forgive that for the awesome coffee. Also the staff here are extremely friendly and happy to be doing what they are doing.

Their cold drip coffee is amazing.

Every Sydneysider has their favourite café — this is one of my top 3.
Convenient location — down an alley on the corner of Pitt and Bridge. Cute venue that appears to have been almost cut out of the side of the building. Coffee is consistently deliciuos and strong.
The tiny, busy, venue seems to always have a seat available — a credit to whomever designed the layout.
As an added bonus, they’re open late-​ish (9pm Mon-​Friday) and serve a couple craft beers on tap (Young Henry’s and another). I’ve also taken advantage of their delicious cocktail menu.

Tucked down a cute little laneway off busy Bridge Street in the city lives this tiny gem. It’s small but eclectic, and what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in substance ‘n’ style.
I’ve been here twice in the last 3 weeks and they generally have a couple of specials available in addition to the regular menu. They craftily cater for both herbivore and omnivore by creating dishes that can exist solely as a vegetarian meal or the option to have a protein paired with them.
Today I opted for the cous cous salad special, adding chicken. The salad consisted of roast pumpkin, chick pea, snow pea, coriander, raisins, cherry tomato and almonds. The balance of flavours was delightful and contrasted beautifully with the light, fluffy and slightly buttery goodness of the cous cous and the charred chicken.
The serving was generous and satisfied my hunger. It was also quite well priced for a niche city venue. For the drinkers there also appeared to be a few tap beers to choose from. I noticed Coopers Pale Ale, and Young Henry’s cider. There may have been more tap beers on the other side of the service area.
What I hadn’t noticed on my first visit was that the music filtering through the café is played on a record player. As in vinyl. As in awesome. The soft sounds of slow soulful r ‘n’ b and jazzy notes drift and delight as you enjoy your meal.
There really is only one drawback, and it’s bound to happen when you’re so cool. The place is busy, meaning that you might not get a table. The café does do takeaway meals, but the real charm of the place is eating-​in. I missed out earlier in the week and was disappointed. The downside to being great, won’t hold that against them.
Will eat here again, and often.

Some very unique craft beers on tap. Small venue. Mysterious lovely smell we thought was paprika, garlicky, cinnamon, smokey barbecue, brown sugar something something. They said it was just their croutons baking but I’m not so sure. They’re up to something.
Something good.