Cafe XXII

This café is another that seems to suffer from the fact that it is surrounded by great competing options, in this area.
Whilst the coffee here is ok, it’s the service that lacks the niceties that one expects when visting a café. To be fair, until I had been on this side of the road I never even knew this place existed — which is rather poignant.
Since it is opposite (apposite?) Antidote, it’s not surprising as that café lures you in with their signature scents and coffee alchemy.
I haven’t eaten here, and I’ve only been once. Would I be back? No, because I can get a far superior coffee and a smile 15 steps over the road.
I’d give this a 2.5 (I am in a rounding up mood so it’s getting a 3).

Avoid at all cost!!! Undercooked sausage (pink and soft in the middle). Undercooked fried eggs. Overcooked bacon with left over black bits from dirty oil. Mushy and oily hash brown… Average coffee. Waiters are helpful but not well trained nor do they speak English. This place used to be great, what a shame!!!

Excellent coffee shop and on the weekend a great brunch. Menu is always interesting and the staff are lovely. Little blonde girl is great for a chat

Café XXII Pyrmont — One of the worst Eggs Benedict I’ve ever experienced.
As someone who’s worked in, owned, and operated restaurants, I’ve never really written reviews before. I appreciate how hard the gig is, and how one single experience a customer has may not accurately reflect the true nature of the kitchen, or the service.
My experiences here however do see me now breaking my own rules.
We arrived and sat at a table with a coffee spill that staff never wiped down.
We watched wait staff floating around aimlessly looking for the table who ordered two coffees. We watched the table next to us walk off. Then we watched as three staff argued about who’s fault it was they couldn’t find the table that ordered two coffees.
Ordered our own meals. Friendly service from the first person we encountered.
My breakfast arrived — Eggs Benedict… Un-​toasted english muffin. Cheap ham was cool-​room cold. Egg oozing water. Hollandaise had the consistency of vinegar (and tasted so too).
Worst Eggs Benedict I’ve ever experienced. (And that includes the places who’ve served pre-​mixed hollandaise.)
Worst still was the staff attitude; totally indifferent.
Took the food away; uneaten — charged full price — no real acknowledgement.
This was the third time over two years we’ve tried Café XXII under the new owners. Each experience has been similar, though nowhere near so appalling as this instance.
Sad. Under the previous owners this place was fantastic.

This place is great for that menu that they have (with the lunch specials where you can pretty much get what you want on the dinner menu for not so much money).
Unfortunately everything that we ordered (or rather tried to order… two of the things weren’t on the menu, and they were the two that we picked) was lacklustre and fairly bland. That and there was a hair in the pasta, the waitress was really apologetic but then they overcharged us (as in for the pasta, and the two items that we couldn’t even order)…

Excellent food and nice neighborhood restaurant. eggs, bacon, toast delicious… good solid place

Enjoyed a delightful breakfast in this unassuming little café on my last day in Sydney. The rustic interior was cozy and inviting, with lots of great smells swirling around. It was very difficult to pick a dish from the many delicious offerings, which included truffled scrambled eggs and a «full» breakfast (like what you’d get in the UK). I opted for the buttermilk pancakes with caramelized bananas and praline butter. Perfectly fluffy pancakes, brulee-​like bananas and real maple syrup were a perfect foil for the rich, strong coffee. Add some nicely smoked bacon, and you’ve got yourself a sturdy breakfast to fuel a day of sightseeing.
I will definitely come back next time I’m in Sydney.

A favorite restaurant of ours when we lived in Sydney five years ago, we recently returned with a bunch of friends. While the owners appear to have changed, much of what we loved about the restaurant remains the same.
This restaurant is the epitome of knowing who you are and executing well. The chalkboard rotating menu keeps the food fresh, but still offers something for everyone with a risotto/​pasta, meat, chicken and fish options (vegetarian options also available). They always have their signature calamari, but no longer have a bruschetta options (which we missed having). The atmosphere is very intimate as the restaurant doesn’t seat very many people — perhaps 20 or fewer inside and about the same number outside. The service was good, however the waiters no longer have the blackboard menu memorized to recite to you (which was an impressive feat) rather there are printed menus in addition to the blackboard which I suppose makes it easier for the vision– or listening-​challenged.
Food continues to be well-​prepared at this neighborhood gem nestled away from the touristy areas of Darling Harbor and the casino scene of Pyrmont.

I have been a regular at Café XXii for many years.
It has always been one of my favourite spots in Pyrmont for its location, good service, good coffee and good food.
It was recently taken over by new owners. They are really lovely and hardworking and care about the customers and regular clientele. It’s a good thing.
Union Square is one of my favourite parts in the area and is «THE HUB» of Pyrmont. School teachers and students flock to the square by the dozens on a regular because it holds a great amount of history. Union Square is a main pathway through Pyrmont to Darling Harbour or the city; it’s a busy square and has that European feel to it.
Café XXii is conveniently located on a corner in the square and occupies a beautiful sandstone heritage listed cottage. XXii has great outdoor seating and a cosy indoor setting. In the winter months it is very warm and comfortable inside.
The diverse menu consists of Mediterranean & Modern Australian dishes and the meals taste delectable. I can honestly say I have never had a problem with a meal that I have been served at XXii. Make sure you check out their signature Calamari it is delicious.
The staff at XXii are really friendly and provide great service. Ladies make sure you say hi to Alyssio, the Italian Barista or perhaps the French waiter or Sam the gorgeous Mediterranean owner. They are all lovely, helpful and make you feel welcome and are available for your viewing pleasure. Talk about a place having an international feel, I now speak 3 languages after visiting XXii.
I would recommend you make a visit to Café XXii if not for the food, try the coffee it’s always «made with love».

My favourite coffee spot in Pyrmont, and the favourite of many other locals & local workers — beware the queue at 8.45am! However, it’s testament to their consistent quality, so don’t be put off. I also recently discovered they offer a discount for keepcup toting patrons, which provides yet another reason to BYO cup!

I have only ever eaten breakfast at this amazing café but it has always been great. Great enough for me to have returned at least 20 times and I don’t even live in sydney!
The eggs are always cooked to perfection, the pancakes are generous and delicious but my absolute fab is their bircher muesli with fresh fruit.
The coffee is consistently great and the staff are friendly and attentive even during busy times.
I have heard from friends that the food during lunch or dinner is great as well.

This café/​restaurant in Pyrmont wears a barnhouse look that really works for me. The beautiful little building is made of giant sandstones bricks with jutting (dormant) fireplaces and wooden floorboards, decorated with swinging barn house doors and windows. This charming outfit makes the potentially pretentious joint appear cosy and homely, which is a comfort on rainy days (such as this one). The courtyard out the back would be a beautiful open space on sunny days but closes up nicely when it’s miserable outside.
The menu and its accompanying prices caters to Pyrmont’s corporate crowd, and come lunch time the building is filled with work parties who’ve come to XXII for their three course break.
The building is beautiful and the staff are friendly, and whilst I don’t think I’d head there for lunch, I would definitely return for a night time affair. Sharing entrees of goats cheese stuffed zucchini flowers, kingfish carpaccio and Sydney rock oysters, followed by either the truffle risotto or Tasmanian ocean trout and finished with a dark chocolate fondant inside a beautifully lit old barnhouse sounds like the perfect night to me.

Nestled in an unassuming sandstone cottage, Café XXII is a marvelous little restaurant in the heart of Pyrmont. I was attracted by the lovely outdoor seating area, which had a very European feel. Rotate your chairs toward the street if people-​watching is your thing, here’s a good place to do it. But even if you’re sitting outside enjoying the weather, check out the inside of the café. Extremely cozy and rustic, this restaurant is the perfect place for a romantic date or an intimate dinner with friends.
It was kind of an awkward time – too late for lunch yet too early for dinner – as we couldn’t order from the kitchen until later. Nonetheless, our French waiter was very accommodating as we ordered coffees and munched on some sweets. My cappuccino was good, but a bit too milky and weak. The banana bread was scrumptiously moist and so was the orange fig tart. My friends had enjoyed brunch here before and can attest that it was very good. As for dinner, our waiter mentioned that the menu changes every other day and offers Mediterranean fare with an Australian twist. I definitely plan on returning to feast upon their dinner offerings.

Great restaurant, great staff. It doesn’t matter if you go for coffee or go for lunch, everybody is treated the same way. The staff have a laugh with you and the guy at the register (who I think is the owner) is very friendly.
The best restaurant by far in an area that is swamped with mediocre offerings.
The fish dish of the day is always good and the honey and herb roast pumpkin salad is great for vegetarians or you have can have it with chicken if you’re not.

A sandstone cottage turned café perfection? It’s time to relearn your roman numerals.
XXII might take its name from its address, but I like to think it’s a cheeky nod to The Star casino which resides just next door. After all, XXII is so much better than hitting blackjack.
Go here for coffee, for brunch, in fact, for every meal they serve. You won’t be disappointed. Peopled with delightful staff and delicious menus, it’s a Pyrmont spot you’ll come back to time and time again.
So far I’ve sampled the breakfast stack (two free range poached eggs on sour dough/​oven roasted tomato/​haloumi/​fresh avocado/​rocket/​basil pesto & aioli — $ 16.00), the sweetcorn fritters (with smoked bacon/​avocado salsa/​sour crème/​sweet chilli — $ 15.50), the chicken breast romesco & rocket sandwich ($ 12.50) and the grilled haloumi, sweet potato cherry tomato & asparagus salad ($ 14.50).
I’ve yet to experience anything but luck with XXII, and knowing that it’s BYO will surely see me double down for dinner.

I think that XXII is one of those gems that you come across almost by accident and then feel like you have as a cheeky little secret because it’s just THAT good.
Situated in the older, more village-​feel area of Pyrmont, the café is on one corner of Union Square. Its only signage is a discreet ‘XXII’ painted on the wall, although you will see the tables and chairs outside (presuming it is open) so that should give you a fair hint where it is!
It’s not a huge café but the quality is incredible. I used to visit this place regularly for brunch with friends and it was always just amazing. Everything about it is great the freshly squeezed organic juices, the great coffee, and the incredible food. My friends swore by the eggs benedict, where I tended to favour the Union Square breakfast with scrambled eggs which are always soft and fluffy and perfectly cooked. The staff have always been great and really helpful they do tend to be rushing about but can usually quiet easily be flagged down.
I regret that I never had an evening meal at XXII my housemate did and said it was great, and I did always think that the dinner menu looked amazing but I have had a late night coffee and dessert treat and the desserts were so good all our eyes were almost rolling back. I would really have difficulty believing, based on the quality of their other food, that the dinner service wouldn’t be just as good.
There are plenty of hotels in the area, and if you are staying in one of these, I’d urge you to sincerely give the Darling Harbour cafes a miss for brunch at least once to try out XXII. It may not quite have the view but it is still a lovely little spot and the food is ten times as good.