Black Penny

Very casual and hipster atmosphere. They have indoor and outdoor seating, and I believe there’s even an upstairs area? (Possibly?)
When I went, it wasn’t too busy, and I grabbed a seat inside. The barista/​waiter was very kind and prompt to wait on me. The latte that I got was pretty good, as was the chai that I also ordered. Instead of having sugar packets available, they have them in ramekins on the tables, as well as silverware and napkins in tins. Not sure if this is just this café or if it’s an Australian thing, but the chai came out in a pot rather than being served just one cupful and had a high proportion of milk that the tea actually looked like milk with some of the spices mixed in. (I’m used to the American way of being served one mugful of chai with less milk so that it’s more latte colored.) Nonetheless, it was still quite tasty.
I ordered the Bourke Street Smash, and I waited for about 30 minutes before asking the barista/​waiter how much longer my dish was going to be. He said he would check on my order and found out that there had been some type of mix up in the back an so they would start on my order right away. Because of this mistake, this dish and my chai were on the house. Not a biggie because I wasn’t in a rush and wasn’t hangry yet, but I must say the barista/​waiter was exceptionally graceful and kind in the way he handled the situation. He was very sincere with his apologies and did it twice! He also was mindful in letting the other barista know when I was checking out that I was only being charged for the latte I originally ordered.
When I finally got a taste of the Bourke Street Smash dish, it was like fireworks in my mouth. So delicious! The combination of the chutney with avocado, swiss cheese, and fried egg made it worth the wait. I said to myself that I would try a new place every time during my visit here in Sydney, but I might have to break that rule for this place.

Cool little café on the corner of Bourke Street and Cleveland Street. Nice to sit outside and watch the world go by. Coffee is good and their food menu is great. Service is good and the staff are very friendly. Will need to go back and try their twice cooked meatballs and sourdough. Yum!

Had the Tues $ 12 burger. never again. There is absolutely no value. The burger tasted funny n was small n didn’t come w any fries. There are plenty of places you can get a nice burger n fries for tht price. Save your money n time.

This place is definitely a local, and where I go for coffee in the morning (due to proximity and value.)
It’s a place to hang out with friends at night or even get some work done during the day.
Can’t say I’ve had the cocktails besides Bloody Mary’s but the staff are super friendly, they play good music through the weekend, and they have cool art exhibitions once in a while. Don’t expect fancy food, it’s pub food after all but they have several specials like 50 cent wing’s on Mondays.
Great casual hangout.

Drink/​atmosphere review! Twice I have been here… Twice the bartender staff upstairs was simply amazing. Like whiskey? Good quality stuff? Real tequila? Go here… Talk to the dude with the dreds (he clearly either owns the place or is some epic manager). He is always there… And he is passionate about good quality whiskey, rum, and tequila.
The vibe here is chill, approachable, friendly, and knowledgable. This is NOT a place where some random college people make your drinks. This is a place where the people are passionate about what they do and have ownership in the establishment.
This is awesome. Price is to be expected… Not high but not low either… It is fair for what you get.
Go! It is a great place and it is now my go-​to place when I come to sydney!!!

Tried out a couple of cocktails.
The jugs appear to be better value for money.
There was nothing flashy about the drinks we ordered. So all in all a little pricey for 2 glasses of alcohol.
Still they were not horrible. The atmosphere was nice for a rainy Tuesday evening.
We may go back at some point to try a jug and some food.
The drinks were a pavlova on the right and a sunshine something or other on the other right.
I would say meh at this point, but I need to try the food and a jug first.

Meh. Sort of a cute/​cool bar. Definitely very «Surry Hills» looks-​wise, but we were NOT impressed by our cocktails. Their take on an Old Fashioned tasted like watered down whisky with ice and marmalade. We were planning on ordering food, but decided against it after the drinks were off. Better off heading down the road to Vasco for cocktails!