LATEST UPDATE July 2025. Tropicana's quality has declined since its new renovations. The menu no longer includes favourites like corn fritters, making visits unpredictable. Who has to ring up to see if items will be on offer? On multiple occasions, pizzas took too long to arrive, leading me to consider finding a new spot for breakfast and lunch. read more

This is good place... Good service! Good food! Bakery is very sweet A lot of menu choices... I'm recommend for everyone! read more

Tropicana Caffe - Italian Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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Q: what do you do when you order a big bowl of spaghetti e olio and you grab the parmesan shaker on the table and the lid falls off and dumps a buttload of parmesan, way more tahn you ever would have allocated, all upside your bowl of deliciousness? (see photo evidence). A: You mix that ish in and get busy, son! So it was a disaster, an unmitigated disaster, and I was so hangry I was about to strangle someone, but when life gives you lemons you throw them at someone whose face you don't like because that makes you feel better, right? So I scooped as much excess Parmesan as I could into a napkin and the rest I mixed into my piping hot pasta and say whaaaaa, the result was astonishing, it became more than the sum of it's parts. Tropicana? More like Tropican-do. Or something even funnier because that's all I could come up with right now, give me a break, it's not even 10am yet. read more

Tropicana Caffe - Noooooo! The cap came off the Parmesan. - Italian Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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Living locally this is another favourite!! I love that I can either have a huge pig out with a massive bowl of pasta or grab a healthy salad if I'm not super hungry. The spaghetti gamberi is a winner! For $19.90 it's a HUGE bow of pasta in a tomato white wine sauce filled with yummy prawns. You also have the option to get creative with the pasta. I get them to make me fettuccine Napoletana with bacon, olives and chilies. On occasion they have home made gnocchi and its to die for. With the salads I can't go past the chicken salad that comes with potato wedges in it!!! I also love the summer salad with chicken. The wine is so cheap and its not a bad drop. You can get a bottle of house red for $15 or a glass for $3. If you're looking for a quick cheap delicious eat than Tropicana is your place! read more

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Tropicana café may or very well may not be your cup of tea. If you're a green tea drinker then I'm going to say you're fairly health conscious and with that very clear scientifically unstable conclusion I would say you're going to like it. They have about 8 to 10 different hearty salads, one that comes with tuna and egg plus lots of salad bits or the chicken salad which comes with grilled individually sliced pieces of chicken and sliced avocado and potato wedges (yes, I know, so good) and tomato and all the rest of the salad bits (because, really, who cares). If you're a black tea drinker then you're like me and if you're like me you love pasta. I go for the pasta I can't remember to spell or pronounce (Aunnlulta?) You can choose the pasta (fettuccine, penne, spaghetti etc) and then it comes with chicken, mushroom and zucchini in a cream sauce. It was really very good. No unnecessary superlatives there. If you're an iced tea drinker I'm going to say you like sandwiches (they tend to go very well with iced tea) and if you're going for the Focaccia sandwiches go for the pollo: chicken, avocado, cheese and lettuce. Another brilliant invention along with the light bulb. This is a bit of a trendy place but if you were anything that would mean the opposite you wouldn't be in Darlinghurst to begin with so I wouldn't worry about it. Tell the lovely lady or the crabby guy behind the counter what you want, give them the number of where you'll be sitting (look behind you and at the ceiling) and wait for the obligatory 5 minutes for your food. read more

Tropicana Caffe - Italian Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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Let's start with a bit of Sydney history. The original Tropfest film festival (hopefully everyone knows about this - as it's amazing) was called Tropicana Short Film Festival, and started in the very cafe over 10 years ago. More than 200 people showed up for that first screening. Inspired by the turn out, John Polson decided that a full-fledged short film festival was the next step. The meals are relatively cheap in comparison to other sit down restaurants in Darlinghurst, although it is more of a take-away service, and less than an adequate level of food. I've had salads there which were dry, and my friends chicken schnitzel was very thin. This is a great meeting spot in Darlinghurst, as many people know where it is, and the coffee isn't horrible. I'd only recommend the cheap breakfasts, as they're very hard to screw up. If you're in the mood for a bit more of a vibe, I'm sure you're the more lively and culture type (as you're on this awesome website) then hit the streets and avoid this place. Good history, but not so good present. read more

Tropicana Caffe - Italian Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

Very nice spot and it's popular, lots of food options and great atmosphere. Great coffee always and snacks ! read more

Tropicana Caffe - Italian Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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For a place that is touted as somewhere to 'sit and be seen' Tropicana is remarkably humble for what is a Sydney institution. A great spot for a quick causal lunch or dinner, 'Trop' has a cool canteen vibe. The system works by pre-ordering/pre-paying at the counter then the food is brought to your table. The atmosphere is typically bustling with an eclectic, but never too cool, crowd. The food is simple Italian dishes done well. My personal favorites are the Invernale Pasta (try it in a pink sauce) and the Chicken Salad which is big enough to be a meal in itself. The value is excellent with the average meal price at $15-$20. Tropicana is cash only. read more

Tropicana Caffe - Italian Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

You know Tropfest right? Well this is the place where it all started....a cafe on the famous Victoria Street Strip... I think this place has been here for forever - or at least i can't remember a time when it wasn't around. it's one of those Sydney icons that everyone knows... It opens at 6am so its a great place to visit if you have an early start. The dishes are simple - nothing too fancy - but they do the job of helping you feel satisfied.... my morning suggestion would be Uova in Cocotte (Vegetarian) - $10.70 Hash brown, mushroom, onion, 2 eggs, tasty cheese & toast... Now if you're getting up late in the day, may i suggest you stop by for salad. Of course I'm going to recommend - the Tropicana Salad - cos & rocket lettuce, tomato, boiled egg, tuna, grilled capsicum, sun dried tomato & tropicana dressing. ($12.70).... it's really really delicious and suprisingly exciting for a salad.... Its a chilled place - so don't expect anything fancy - it's a great place to grab a cheap snack with a friend or to watch the interesting crowd which makes its way from Kings Cross to Darlinghurst. read more

Tropicana Caffe - Cafe interior - Italian Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

For years I've had a dream of writing and starring in a sketch comedy show that catered to my darker sense of humour and acerbic wit. And now, after months of talk and planning, months of writing and compiling, we were meeting a man who had read the pilot and wanted to direct it. These were exciting times, all the hard work looked like it was leading to something, if excitement was an oven mitt, I'd have an oven mitt inside me. We were meeting at Tropicana Cafe in the Cross, or Darlinghurst (A confusing geographical uncertainty.) The cafe is large and very cafeteria like on the inside; outside, the tables are spaced between heaters and are on a quieter street of the cross and thus you aren't subjected to the heroin addicts who spend their days and nights asking for money and try to guilt trip you into paying for their next score. Tropicana is in the clean side of the Cross. We have a coffee and discuss the premise of the show, talk about what our options are, how we want to pursue them and what we could each be doing to strive for the finished product, but most of all we had to see if we liked each other. We did. So perhaps my view of the Tropicana is flavoured by the affirmation of having someone appreciate my work and wanting to see it realised, but now the Tropicana is melded with good thoughts and exciting oven mitts in my mind. Good coffee, good meeting. Good. read more

Tropicana Caffe - Italian Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

From Order To Table: Mediocre timing. Out of a can onto a plate shouldn't take long. Service-ometer: Cookie cutterless. Rude and unhelpful. Stomachability: You'll eat it because you bought it. Digest suggest: Don't. Ridiculously poor service. No card, only cash (which is suggested from the ATM inside - which I assume since ATMs were deregulated they also own and are making an extra $2 per person). Ridiculously poor quality of food. Pasta tasted like it came from a can. Eggs tasted like they were from very sad, caged chickens. Don't even start me on the bread. Over priced, awful food and poor service. What more could you not want? Oh and the ambiance is uncharmingly cheap. read more

The fish and chips were delicious! I had a pistachio cannoli and I must go back for another one. We visited the cafe at about 10pm and had to wait for a while for someone to take my order but the food was worth the wait in the end. The smoothies were heavenly. The cafe is spacious and very clean! read more

Cheap and value for money. Quick service too, Free wifi, take away orders, Phone orders, open early morning until late. The salads are huge!!! Breakfast until 4pm ;)) pasta from 11am! Cash ONLY - ATM onsite :) I recommend this place to anyone :) Enjoy! read more

Loses stars because of the rude service. I have noticed it's worse in the mornings, so I go to one of the smaller more friendly cafes in the area that actually give a crap about you giving them business. On the plus side their food is fast and tasty. I'm a big fan of the salads. read more

Annoying waitress who would keep checking on your table's stuff, for example she would take up the sugar, take a look, and put them down very loudly. Did that twice when I'm still sitting here. But didn't bother to look at any other guests' table. It's not busy hour, I had my order and after finished it, just want to sit here and relax a bit. There are people been here longer than me but didn't bother. I guess I'm the only one who is not allowed to do so. The food and environment looked very nice, but you can not stay! Just pick up your order and GO AWAY is what the waitress make you feel read more

Would never return. Two orders of pancakes with maple syrup placed, along with coffee. One order came out almost straight away, second order had to be chased. If you are dining with someone you kind of want to eat with the person, seems logical. Think the only reason that the first order came out so quickly was that it had most likely been made the day before. Pancakes were terrible. Staff member of no assistance at all at finding what was happening with the order. When order did come out, they had it wrong and proved that the first order was stale. Just avoid this place. They don't deserve any support. read more

Doesn't take cards.... Cash only... Modern city, problem about time to modernize payment processing. Coffee is decent and food was good though. read more

Great place for a big salad or a pasta. Cash only. Nice, but no fluff. Open late. Good to know about!

Not my favorite cafe. Service was ok overall but not impressive. It seemed strange you have to claim a table number at the time of order (numbers hang from the ceiling above each table). What I was really wanting was a place to grab a coffee, have some food, and catch up on emails. This is not the place to be extremely productive. To use the wifi you must ask for the password at the register. The voucher is only good for 60 minutes and works on a single device. I was most annoyed by having to ask for a key to turn on an electrical outlet to charge my laptop. I have never come across locked outlets before. The cafe has a single key that ends up getting passed around from table to table. You're lucky to get a 10 minute charge before passing the key. Overall this place was just ok. Large dining room but nothing special. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect neighborhood cafe. read more

My hotel is across the street from this restaurant and they open early. I love this place. Everyone say that Sydney is expensive but for 20 bucks of breakfast and fresh squeezed orange juice, you can't beat that. I paid more for this in NYC and the quality of food is mediocre. This is real breakfast with real bacon. Not the thin sliced we are used to I'm the states and they have free wifi. 5 Stars! read more

I'm giving the Trop 5 stars for their free-fast wifi! Their food is pretty good too - fresh and tasty. Seems to be a popular place with the locals as well. read more

Used to be one of my favorites but unfortunately has changed hands. Food and service are now terrible. What a shame. Never going back.

Visiting for a few days and came upon this restaurant for dinner. It was quick, tasty and reasonably priced. Warning, they only take cash.

Bad service and the staff members I encountered have poor attitudes and are not willing to assist customers who are not familiar with their seating, ordering, and other food service protocols. Inn addition, customers are told at the last moment that this is a 'cash-only establishment, which is a deal-breaker for many customers. I won't be returning. read more