Romanas offers yummy Campos coffee and good food. Is run by lovely and friendly staff! The owner is lovely! Has comfy bench couches inside and a comuneral table in the middle. Outside seating is great as its on the right side of the road and gets all the sun! Especially good for breakfast. Very quick for take away coffee.

Cafe Berlin is situated in the center of Balmain shopping centre. It gets very busy on weekends! The BLT with avocado is a great option as well as there muffins! baked fresh every morning, they always have the best flavors. Good coffee as well.

Badde Manors is great if you feel like something delicious! I've had the nachos there, however I often go when I feel like some cake! The sticky date is delicious! Its also nice that you can sit on the street- great for people watching. Service is a little average, but relatively good value.

The Annandale is a great pub to watch live music! It is one of the only pubs still standing that really supports and encourages local musicians. I've been to nights where numerous bands have played, and they were all great! The main room is massive and can fit a real crowd, and there are afew bars so you never get stuck in a line for long! Although it is in need of a make over, I think the Annandale is great, a real Aussie pub!

Maisy's is one of the only good cafe's that I knw of that opens 24/7! If youre not feeling like a drink, Maisy's is a good cafe to just hang out at. The Chai is really good! melas are also ok, a little over priced though. Offers a comfy and cosy atmosphere

Kazbah has great food for breakfast, lunch or dinner. My favourite is the breakfast- the tajine (meet or vegetable) is great to share (it is made to order for as many people as you like). It is a perfect mixture of flavours with the perfect amount of spices! The fresh juices are great and coffee is good. Good idea to book on weekends! Although seating is limited outside, those tables are lovely in summer!

Mamak has o be my favourite restaurant in Sydney. It is affordable and delicious. You must try the roti canai (orignial roti) as it comes with beautiful dipping sauce. I would also recommend the beef or chicken skewers as the nutty satay sauce is amazing and comes with chunks of cucumber and onion. Also try the chicken curry (kari ayam)- it's a real winner! Apart from the wait, the service is amazing and staff are efficient. For dessert- get the ice cream with the roti cone (sorry forgot the name) its amazing! Mamak also tends to be quite spicy so order a drink!

Marigold offers a great Yum Cha. Has a good atmosphere and gets very busy on the weekend! However its good to go early during the week to avoid the queues and get better service. The people offering the dumplings and food are very efficient and once you get the attention of a drinks waiter, service is good. They also offer a great parking special. Just next to the entrance, there is a small car park. It has valet parking and the parking is very cheap! It is less than $5 an hour if you get it stamped with your bill from the Marigold which works out better than street parking in the city! From the car park just get the lift straight up to level 5 and start eating!

The Grounds offers a complete dining experience! Situated in busy Alexandria, the cafe is buzzing! I visited there on a Thursday morning and I didn't have to wait long for a table, however I have heard on the weekends it gets crazily busy! Our service wasn't the fastest or most friendly, however the food definitely made up for it! We tried the breakfast board (highly recommend) and the eggs covered in fried quinoa. Both were amazing! Coffee was yummy and the fresh orange juice hit the spot. Make sure you take a wonder in the beautiful garden or sit and have a take away amongst the herbs. Great decor and well worth a visit!

I love that Zara is now here in Sydney! Although it is more expensive to buy here than overseas, the options they have are endless. It is also better priced than a few other Australian brands (like Witchery and Country Road- as their manufacturing is also done overseas). They have new styles all the time, and they are right on trend. Although the shop is very busy, often messy and understaffed, the constant influx of clothes outweighs all the cons! I recommend to go early in the morning and not at lunch time.