Latteria

What is it with Sydney and tiny venues? It’s as if the smaller the place, the more determined people are to queue up and squeeze in to nab a seat. Latteria on Victoria Street is no exception.

This Darlinghurst cafe is long and extremely narrow, with floor-to-ceiling refrigerators and shelves brimming with an array of colourful cakes, pastries, Italian soft drinks and the legendary focaccias (the spinach and bocconcini is the winner here). On the opposite side of the room, an old display cabinet hosts a collection of old coffee pots and Italian knickknacks that add a sense of history to the place.

Tiny steel tables with wooden stools line either side, leaving barely enough room for customers to apologetically squeeze past one another and tables often need to be shared. But it all adds to the charm of the place and makes you feel part of this little Italian scene, accentuated by the native-tongue chatter between staff and loyal customers.

Those lucky few who are quick off the mark can grab an outside table and watch the colourful characters of Darlinghurst wander by.