Image: TFE Hotels

The inner Sydney suburb of Chippendale has all the gritty charm you’d expect of a once grungy industrial neighbourhood transformed into a funky playground of cool cafés, hipster pubs, hawker-style eateries, and artisan food specialists. It’s fair to say the suburb is now one of Sydney’s culinary hubs, attracting not just hungry locals but visitors from far and wide who come for gastronomic experiences that indulge the senses and, yes, let’s admit it, are the envy of Instagrammers.

One of the most Instagrammable of them all is Bubble Nini Tea, whose Chippendale outlet is one of several Sydney locations combining beautiful floral interiors with exquisite teas. Its handmade pearls are freshly made every day and come with cute names like Those Were The Days (full-cream milk and brown sugar pearls) and It Takes Two To Mango (jasmine green tea, coconut jelly and mango pearls).

Bubble Nini’s Honey I’m Home is especially popular, as much for the vivid purple colour of its butterfly pea flower tea as for its refreshing hints of lemon and mint, topped with a sweet aloe vera twist. Fresh fruit infused teas, Yakult teas, soy teas, and fragrant pure teas make this the destination of choice for tea lovers.

If you’d prefer to kick start the day with coffee, follow the aromas of freshly ground coffee to Wild Flour Café in Abercrombie Street. Under the gaze of a dazzling Frida Kahlo looming large from a giant portrait, enjoy organic fairtrade coffee from Seven Miles Coffee Roasters and choose from an extensive selection of house-made pastries, cakes and Middle Eastern inspired breakfast and lunch dishes.

Tucked away in a Chippendale side street is another fabulous café you won’t want to miss. Old Gold is named for the classic Old Gold chocolate that used to be produced in this red brick warehouse, once owned by MacRobertson’s Confectionery and later Cadbury. The fit-out is a nod to the building’s rich history with chocolate tones in the dark wood furniture, gold in the pendant lights, and a shiny gold La Marzocco espresso machine. This is the third outlet for Sample Coffee, roasted in nearby St Peters.

The Central Park lifestyle precinct also riffs on Chippendale’s rich history. The precinct is centred around the old Kent Street Brewery, built in 1835, its colonial heritage apparent in the restored terrace houses along Kensington Street that are now home to an eclectic array of restaurants, galleries and shops. 

There’s a great choice of eateries in the hawker-style Spice Alley, where you can BYO wine and enjoy a casual and inexpensive meal with Asian flavours, from roti, rendang and rice paper rolls to dumplings, satays and stir-fries. It’s best enjoyed with a group of friends, sharing plates from different stalls.

For sweet satisfaction, head to KOI Dessert Bar in Kensington Street, where the wizardry of ex-MasterChef contestant Reynold Poernomo casts a spell over diners with creations such as his famous Strawberry Pillow (strawberry and lychee mousse with raspberry and almond). His impossibly beautiful cakes and desserts are an Instagrammer’s delight.

Perfectly positioned with walking distance of all these temptations, the Adina Apartment Hotel Sydney Chippendale is a stylish sanctuary on Ivy Street. Its dramatic transformation into an urban lifestyle hotel features retro-inspired décor in 42 spacious studio rooms and apartments. Feel at home with fully equipped kitchen and laundry facilities, 24-hour reception and onsite parking, and take a dip in the pool if you need to work off some of your newly acquired kilojoules. This boutique hotel, with its stunning courtyard, is also perfect for weddings, garden parties or special occasions and best of all, you can buy the hotel out and have the beautiful space entirely to yourselves.

** Peace of mind when you stay with us: Introducing Clean Touch. Note some activities listed may be subject to Covid restrictions.**