I've got plenty of affection for Gnome. Oh Gnomey. Such a cutesy little cafe that charms me inside almost every time I pass. The sidewalk seats are where you want to read the paper with your morning coffee. Smokey house beans with fried egg - really good. Hearty, filling and full of smoky paprika and chipotle flavour. I've tried a dozen bean breakkys and this ones the best. read more

A perfect little spot for weekend brunch and surprisingly...also a pretty chill spot to have a drink in the evening! Gnome checks all the boxes for a Surry Hills cafe - good food, good coffee, good people watching and drinks. The cheese plate and the meatballs are some of our favourites. read more

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Gnome is my kind of cafe. Why, you might ask? There are plenty of cafes around that area and a lot of them are great, but this is the sort of place where you want to sit at one of the tables outside with your laptop, grab a coffee and do some work on a sunny afternoon. The place is tiny but it makes up for the smallness in other aspects: simple menu yet delicious food, great coffee, friendly staff. I had the pesto eggs which is basically green eggs and ham and if they still have that on the special board, I'd definitely recommend it. read more

Gnome Cafe - Pesto eggs with ham, house-made chutney and toast - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Surry Hills, NSW

I didn't use to be that fussy about my coffee because ristrettos don't exist in Oz so the rest didn't matter. Well now it does: my coffee was as disappointed and the food was nice and refreshingly original!! I ordered - with a smile - a large strong latte, and I got a warm-verging-on-getting-cold regular flat white. I didn't return it because I don't waste food, it's like my only life rule. Not even fussed over the wrong order. But I was disappointed the coffee wasn't nice. They lost one star because of that! But then they brought me this little treasure of a brioche bun with hummus, kale, slow cooked pork and a fried egg: a slice of Australia meets Lebanon and they go to bed together in France and geez Louise is that encounter a success. Go for that! The venue was nice and the girl who served wasn't overly happy about the socio economic condition of her existence that morning but hey, we all have shit days and she did her job with a very dignifying absence of hate. A shame for that coffee, I recommend it nonetheless as I could have been unlucky!! (If they fry that egg in duck fat, imagine the gastrogasmic result!!) read more

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Coffee, cozy window seat and nowhere to be - is there anything better on a Sunday? Gnome feels like you've popped into your friend's Parisienne apartment - a happy discovery while exploring Surry Hills on a perfect autumn morning. I arrived before the line-up started, as the sidewalks start to fill up around 10am on the popular Crown Street cafe strip. I had a almond milk cappuccino with local honey and caught up with the print news world. They do a varied and interesting cafe menu featuring eggs, museli, dairy free smoothies and impressive looking pastries. Seating is ideal for a solo or couple date, any bigger and you'll be struggling to comfortably fit. Service is friendly and prompt, I appreciated that I felt no pressure to chug my coffee and rush my reading. A quaint neighbourhood gem that made me smile. read more

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Gnome...more like Nom, amiright? I'll show myself out... (coffee is alright, food is fresh and good. Try the meatballs.) read more

Gnome Cafe - Meatballs - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Surry Hills, NSW

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Gnomes are tiny, ugly little things placed in gardens to make people happy. Gnome on Crown St is quite like this: a tiny little thing placed on the side of the road to make people happy. The main difference being that there is nothing ugly about this little Gnome. Open for breakfast and lunch, and for dinner/drinks from Thursday to Saturday (soon to be Tues - Sun), Gnome is a cute little bar that sits nicely within the Surry Hills landscape. The coffee is a pleasant surprise (although I should say I've come to expect good coffee from cafes rocking the rustic look) and the menu is equally as pleasant - short and simple with an injection of imagination, everything comes under $15 and each is almost as annoyingly tempting. The bircher muesli looked delicious, topped with poached pear, strawberries, yoghurt and pistachio. I tried the poached eggs on grilled polenta with asparagus and truffle salt ($14) - not only tasty, but a great gluten free alternative. The staff here were really friendly, and outside the shop was a great place to sit and watch Surry Hills folk ride past on their fixie bikes. Be careful if you're coming in a big group, as it's highly likely that you will logistically not fit either in or outside Gnome. It's also probably not the best place to take kids - regardless of the rude little gnome in the corner giving you the bird, there's not a lot of pram room and unless your little gnomes are the still and silent type, there's not much room for them either. To be honest, I hate garden gnomes, but I'd be delighted to find this little Gnome in my backyard any day. read more

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Coffee: Toby's Estate Passion: 7/10 Crema: 6/10 It is really strange visiting this cafe after so long. It had held up quite well in terms of fond memories of cafes in Surry Hills from the time that I was a scout for Yelp, but... I can not say I was excited with what I had today. I started off with a $5 aeropress of Costa Rica Granitas de Altura that, being $5 a cup, I was quite hopeful for a great experience. Well.... it tasted like someone had watered down an espresso they had pulled a with no crema, and no exceptional taste. The only positive was that due to the lack of taste I am unable to say it tasted bad, but is was certainly very average. To make sure the next coffee had a bit of a kick, I went for a Casablanca House Blend espresso, which had a kick, but certainly didn't rate close to the coffees I have been luck enough to be drinking. It did seem to be a cafe filled with latte drinkers and as such, they are probably really happy with the coffee available, but... it didn't do it for me today. So I feel a little ripped off, in the same way I feel watching one of my favourite childhood shows Monkey Magic now and seeing how bad the "effects" were. I know the people here can make awesome coffee, they have the right equipment, so I guess I can only blame the Toby's Estate beans. With the appearance of so many awesome cafe options in Sydney, if you end up here you will be fine (and the food looks great), but if it is awesome coffee you want, perhaps you might want to look elsewhere.... **sigh** N.B. There is #powerwhoring available at multiple tables inside but you will need to keep "paying rent" as space/tables are quite limited There is no public WiFi available read more

Gnome Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Surry Hills, NSW

As a coffee shop, when you're on a street where coffee shops and cafes are a dime a dozen you need to have an x factor to survive. gnome does have something special. For a start, it is pint sized. This place must be less than 20 square metres. This immediately creates an ambience of intimacy and warmth. The serving counter dominates the room. Behind this counter are 3 very friendly assistants - a barista, a food preparer and a 'front of house' person. They work well as a team and add to the welcoming vibe. I love the decor. There are some large old maps of the continents. There's something about maps. They immediately transport you another place and as I was drawn into these I was no longer on Crown street, Surry Hills. If I can spend a few hours reading a book or browsing the papers, or even playing a few rounds of backgammon in a cafe, then it is the type of place I will go back to. Gnome is that kind of place. I really enjoyed the music too. nice chilled beats at a good volume. It wasn't really about the food or the coffee, which were fine too. read more

Gnome Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Surry Hills, NSW

I popped into Gnome on a weekday for lunch and was seated at one of the few outdoor tables (correction: one of the few tables total) and got down to some serious menu browsing. I had only ever ordered coffee from this darling little corner cafe and now it was time to chew on something. But what? With a menu that offers a plethora (or, maybe half a plethora... a pleth) of salads, sandwiches and nibbles, it took a while to decide. Finally when I figured I might like to use a fork and not just my two hands like a cave person, I cast my eyes to the salad portion on the menu. In a fit of insensibility and pressure, I ordered the salad with the least amount of comprehensible words in the description. WWWOOOOOWIE aren't I fancy?! So my warm pork salad came with "radicchio" and "muscatels" ($14). Hum *scratches head.* Am I not sophisticated enough to know what these things are (if know what they are, then please don't answer that)? Turns out the pork came atop a bed of greens and with large saltanta-like things. Thank you "muscatels" for revealing your identity. I found the pork to be a little difficult to navigate with its fatty sections and uber crispy skin. The flavour was good though. I don't suppose I would have this mystery salad again, but I didn't hate it. Way to go Gnome for being fancy beyond your years. I feel all the better for it. read more

Gnome Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Surry Hills, NSW

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Gnome Cafe! Dumb name, great place. I suppose it's gnomish in size: a small place, with a bit of outdoor seating and a great aesthetic going. The food is made with care, and while the serving sizes are small, they make up for it in quality and presentation. Best of all: the AFFOGATOS. Basically when I think of Gnome, I think of Affogato. Can't seem to disassociate the two concepts. Excellent coffee, excellent ice cream and ... Oh My ... they've put them together. I know Gnome didn't invent the affogato as a concept, but whoever invented it ought to be chuffed that Gnome is doing such a great job of it. read more

A small corner cafè wine bar on Crown Street Surry Hills with indoor and outdoor seating. This rustic little cafe is associated with Brewtown Newtown, so you know they have decent coffee. The staff here are friendly and welcoming. This cafe is a great spot for taking in the action of Surry Hills. I visited this place for lunch. The menu is small with light breakfast and lunch options available at a decent price. I ordered the slow roasted lamb roll and a their cafè brewed Egyptian Rose iced tea. The lamb roll was nice enough and the iced tea was refreshing and sweet. I also had a coffee to go and it was as good as expected. It is worth a visit to this friendly little cafè to take in a bit of Surry Hills. I will be back to try their breakfast menu. read more

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I'm really enjoying exploring the Surry Hills area, and Gnome cafe is a good addition to my growing collection of cafes in the area. This small little cafe can be found on crown street amongst a small collection of bars, cafes and boutique shops. The inside area looks a little cramped, the tables are close together and small (gnome-sized?) - but it doesn't really seem to matter, in a way it adds to the atmosphere. I wouldn't come down here with a laptop to get some work done, but I would definitely come for a casual chat with a friend. The staff are friendly, the banana bread (with ricotta and honey) was great, and I was definitely a fan of the coffee: Coffee: Double macchiato Bean: Tobys Estate Crema: Good, very thick, 9/10 Overall Taste: 9/10 Served in: Small glass (+1) Preparation: Well made, crema came through the milk very strongly, not too much mlik, which was well frothed. read more

One of the best cafes i have found in Sydney, the greatest compliment I can give it, is that it would be at home in Melbourne. Very friendly staff, nice corner location in Surry Hills and the best coffee I have had so far in Sydney. Add the small but focused food selection and you have a winner. Do get there early on weekends to get a seat though. read more

Gnome Cafe - Funky Gnome Espresso. My cafe in Surry Hills Sydney. An unusual modern retro coffee machine and great baristas. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Surry Hills, NSW

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If you're unfamiliar with the techniques of artisan slow dripped coffee, take this as an education. The rich fruity flavours, and light coffee aroma, makes this more of a tea experience, than an espresso to the tongue. I strolled in after seeing the inexpensive prices that are a welcomed surprise to the regular Surry hills/Darlinghurt eateries. The old maps of Europe & Africa that cover the walls, add to the intellectual vibe experienced by the insightful and passionate baristas. Not only does Gnome serve a great Latte, plus a hand picked range of coffee beans to take home to your 16 bar pressurised espresso machine, it hosts a eat in and takeaway menu that is even mouth watering to read. Try the bircher muesli with strawberry, lime and pistachio nuts, this type of breakfast puts eggs on notice. read more

Gnome remains one of my favourite cafes in Sydney. When I lived here two years ago, I actually based my apartment hunting on proximity to delicious food (and Gnome was just around the corner!). Great sandwhiches, famous coffee, and friendly staff. This is what the cafe culture of Sydney is about. read more

Honestly this place is over rated. It is good coffee but not great coffee. 4 ate 5, which is across the road, had better coffee, food and service. I think that this comes from my general dislike for Toby Estate's coffee. But the service here is slightly pretentious which doesn't add to it. If you are looking for a good cafe there are so many in this area, that gnome is good but no where near great. read more

The BEST dirty chai latte on soy ever!!! Great service, beautiful atmosphere and really positive attitude of staff. Worth the flight from Brisvegas! read more

If there is one thing in this world I can't stand it is IOUs. And I apply that antagonism to anything even remotely relatable: the US to China, Rudy Giuliani to 9/11, Penny to Leonard, Leonard to Penny, Ashton Kutcher to his good looks and Charlie Sheen, Charlie Sheen to his last name, Harvard grads to their Harvard-alumni mums and dads etc. But who would believe that that kind of nonsense could make an appearance at a wildly pleasant avant-garde café on Crown St in Surry Hills? So I'm sitting at this café on an otherwise ordinary spring weekday late afternoon drinking a spectacular skim cappuccino and eating a really fluffy orange and white chocolate muffin reading a sub-par column in a mildly interesting weekend magazine when, all of a sudden, a waifish guy of perhaps 35 saunters in and says something like, 'hey man, ... (requests coffee) ... and I'll need to do an IOU'. The sweet guy who brought me my coffee and staked his position by the till was, I have to say, stupendously generous to a fault. 'Uh sure'. Sorry, 'Uh sure?' What the hell is 'uh sure'? But I'm not done. Then the man with no money to his name says, 'I'll come back and give it to you on the weekend.' And the guy whose job it was to be terror proprietor of the till said, 'I'm not here on the weekend.' And then the man with no money to his name says, 'Don't worry, I'm trustworthy.' Uh, can we get a character reference? It kinda doesn't count when it's coming from the person we're supposed to trust. Gnome, a word: you guys are just too cool (seriously, a couple of you have really cool haircuts) to be so incandescent toward someone so insouciant. read more

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My favourite spot in Surry Hills for breakfast. Fantastic coffee and a simple but very tasty menu. Try the Benni roll!

Fantastic coffee. Probably one of the better ones in the area (and that's saying a lot given standards are high in Surry Hills). The food was pretty good, though I've only eaten there the once. Quaint, little 'blink and you'll miss it' type cafe. Love the ambiance and the staff are super friendly. Have since popped in for takeaway coffee a few times, and there's always a queue. The coffee is well worth waiting for though. read more

Cosy little place in a converted house on the corner. Simple dishes, salads & sambos, allied to good coffee. Service was friendly and prompt. Worth a stop in if you happen to be passing. read more

I had breakfast here the other day and it was amazing. The customer service was fantastic and my hot breakfast actually came out hot. So rare for cafes these days. I also had an amazing coffee to finish of my meal. Definitely recommend this place for a nice relaxed brekkie. read more

Feels like new owners and they've missed a trick since starting up. The last two times I've been the food has been way off what it used to deliver. The coffee is still awesome though. I used to give this place 5 stars, but not anymore... read more

Size lets this place down but everything else about it oozes class and charisma. Coffee was well extracted and presented. The service was friendly and informative . Will visit again read more

Great coffee with very friendly staff. Timely delivery of coffee also, which is the only thing you want when you're rushing to a 9am meeting. read more

Don't go here for dinner food. They have an open kitchen so I was watching as the chef re-heated my pre-cooked spaghetti in a plastic container which he added hot water to and shook it up. Needless to say, the spaghetti was over-cooked and the field mushrooms that accompanied my spaghetti literally tasted like wine and soggy mushrooms. Not quite what I was expecting. The chef also used his hands to mix up a salad and then I saw him scratch his head after that and NOT WASH HIS HANDS. He also wiped his hands on a tea towel that I suspect is used as a multi-purpose towel for wiping food off the sides of dishes, drying plates and the like. I was totally appalled. Also, we were charged $3 for a mug of hot water - who does that?! The food also takes a long time. read more

What a great local. Gnome is good spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The coffee, food and service are all great. The drinks menu has a great selection of wines and it even has a local craft beer on it. We had dinner here the other night and the chicken casserole was a real winner. We'll be back. read more

Best spot in Surry hills for Saturday or Sunday brekky.

Cute little cafè, it offers the possibislity of a "mini" egg and bacon breakfast, which is great if you don't want to feel full for hours. Unfortunately the coffee wasn't very good! What a shame! read more