Maggio’s Cafe

This is the original Cammeray café. The family that has run it all these years is Sicilian and it shows in the very Italian feel of the place.
There’s the traditional focaccias filled with a range of ingredients and even vegetarian options. This is also the only place along the strip with gelato — perfect for a hot summer’s day.
The coffee is bitter as you would expect and there’s usually a good selection of muffins. The outside seating under shade is a bonus.

It’s hammering down like the end of the world outside and one of the waiters just took time off from serving to help a young girl carry a tray of coffees across the road in the relentless rain.
The owner throws his hands up in the air in jubilation as he recognizes a regular customer just behind me, and he rushes over to pump his hand.
This is to cafes what Cheers is to bars. A homey, homely, welcoming place awash with the very best side of Italian hospitality, where sticky buns and giant cookies decorate the counter and coffees are made with power and precision.
I order baked eggs in a rich tomato basil sauce and sip my piccolo like I imagine Sean Penn might and watch a Honda Jazz get washed down the street by a Sharknado-​sized wave and think, simply, ‘Yes.’

We popped into Maggio for a quick coffee one morning on the way to a meeting. The café was abuzz with people sitting in the various tables and chairs both inside and out. Not a seat was left unsat in.
We ordered our coffees over the loud hubbub of the busy venue and awaited our hot bean filled drinks. Various cakes and sandwiches displayed themselves in the counter display case and I looked at them longingly, my tastebuds tingling.
The inside of the café is small and there isn’t much space as we stand awaiting our order. There are a few tables inside, but most of the seating is outdoors under umbrellas and scattered amongst the paved walkway between the Miller Street and the more suburban streets of Cammeray.

First thing I notice about this café is that it’s an all-​man service café and restaurant — 5 in total at 8am on a Monday morning. Impressive? Not really but what was is the time it took to get my coffee. Even with a half dozen others waiting to order or receive their orders my coffee nearly made it to the table before I did.
Coffee was a tad bitter but hot which personally I’d forsake the one over the other need be. Mario’s is a good spot to stop in the morning to pick up a take away coffee and fresh bagette/​wrap/​focaccia and if you fancy a sweet treat the cup cakes look like the ordered in gourmet delectable kind.
The wee gelato bar, colourful pasta plates handing on the wall and San Pellegrino bottles behind the counter make it clear Maggio’s has that Italiano flavor. The menu reflects this too with plenty of traditional Mediterranean dishes including Spaghetti Alla Carmelina (spag with cherry tomatoes, ricotta and spinach ($ 12.50), a number of tasty looking Insalata’s (salads) and their signature breakfast dish Maggio’s Italian Eggs ($ 11.50). There are a number of gluten free options highlighted and gluten free bread is available for an extra $ 2.
Back to that Gelato. It’s 100% fat free and there are gluten free, dairy free options too. Try the Gelato Milkshakes for a filling breaky boost $ 5.50.
No wireless. A number of hi chairs available for little tots.

This family owned café, described by locals as ‘an institution in Cammeray,’ really brings a community feel to its slightly dishevelled streets. The menu hasn’t been changed in yonks, but that in no way detracts from it as the breakfast and lunch selection is straightforward and full of heart.
The breakfast selection runs through to lunch but I ordered the ‘Cammeray Starter’ which lists sourdough bread with ricotta, avocado and tomatoes in its ingredients. I was excited to see what that would look like in a gourmet spread but it was literally just that, those four ingredients stuck on a plate. Huh. I ended up having a bit of food envy for my friend’s french toast which was made with baguette and came with some delicious raspberry conserve.
The sandwiches were in pretty hefty quantities (I saw quite a few leftovers being shifted back to the kitchen) but with all the outdoor seating a long lunch is encouraged, so you’ve got plenty of time to get your way through them!