It may look shabby, but when it comes to coffee, Bar Italia in Leichhardt is the real deal, as you can tell by the sign on the counter: NO SKIM MILK, NO SOY. They care so much about coffee that if you ask for a low-fat doggaccino or for some other new-fangled drink, the boys behind the counter are likely to come round, pick you up, and throw you out. But if you ask them for a real coffee, they’ll make you one to linger over in the shady courtyard round the back.
Bar Italia is, of course, run by Italians. After World War II, the Australian government encouraged European migration, and since it was cheaper to come here than the US or Canada, the Italians came in droves, bringing their brand new espresso technology with them. This gave Australia, and New Zealand, a coffee culture comparable to Italy; we were enjoying espresso while the rest of the world was drinking filter. Today, metropolitan Australians won’t tolerate bad coffee, which is why the international coffee chains have struggled to get the sort of foot hold herethey have elsewhere.
Many of Sydney’s landmark cafés are, like Bar Coluzzi in Darlinghurst, run by Italians. Coluzzi doesn’t have much in the way of décor, apart from the many photos on the walls of famous patrons and ordinary regulars. But the coffee is a winner, as you can tell by the number of people prepared to drink it while sitting on milk crates on the pavement outside. When speaking of coffee in Sydney, the name Campos can excite plenty of controversy. Legend has it that to get a job at the tiny Newtown café, baristas have to prove they can make 30 perfect coffees in 15 minutes. The place is so highly regarded, that Sydney’s coffee cognoscenti have been known to have shouting matches about whether the reputation is deserved. You’ll have to try it for yourself.
If you’re not in any of these neighbourhoods and you need a caffeine hit, don’t despair. By and large, coffee standards are high across the city. If you see a café with stacks of magazines and newspapers, go in; the reading material is a giveaway that they take pride in their coffee and expect you to linger over it. And they’ll probably let you have skim or soy milk, too.