Kelby's Cafe

When visiting Sydney over the weekend we found this cafe to get us some breakfast at. The cafe had very nice decorations and extremely friendly staff. We had a couple of allergies (Celiac (gluten intolerance) and sunflower seeds) which the owner was very helpful with informing us which options we had and what we should avoid. There was a ton of options and the food was DELICIOUS with generous portion sizes. Extremely happy with our visit and will definitely return when we visit Sydney again :-)

Tried this cosy café for lunch last weekend and was pleasantly surprised by the menu variety! They seriously had something for everyone 😋 We tried the fruisli, Dannish fetta salad and grilled chicken breast sandwich. Everything was delicious and the coffee and customer service were top notch! 🙌🏻 Definitely going back soon!

Great service, great ambiance - loving the decor - and food was on point. Got a BLT and chips. Chips weren’t super crunchy like I normally expect but considering they were actual potatoes and I got my choice of sauce free of charge, it was a brilliant side for the delicious BLT. Well worth popping your head in for a lunch break or while you’re waiting for a train. I was intending to attach a photo but could help biting into it...and who wants a photo of a half eaten BLT? You’ll have to come check it out for yourselves.

After starting out as a staff member at the original Kelby’s Café, Moe Issa not only moved into an ownership role, he also expanded the business. The recent move into competitive Surry Hills comes after Issa put his own stamp onto the popular Marrickville original by redecorating it and bringing flavours from his own childhood onto the menu. The new café is situated right at the bustling bus stop on the corner of Elizabeth and Devonshire Streets. While from the outside it looks like a takeaway shop, once you’re seated, you’ll find Issa has worked hard to drag your eyes away from all the traffic. Faux brick walls, a cheeky mural of the owner, and a gaggle of exposed Edison hanging over a large central table help to give this space the same cosy feel as his other café. The extensive all-day breakfast and lunch menu has all your regular café favourites, along with a good number of Lebanese and Egyptian inspired items. The Chicken Shawarma Pocket ($12) takes pickles, tabouli and marinated chook, and stuffs it into a pita bread pocket for ease of eating, with extra lemon and yoghurt sauce on the side. Getting them to add some chilli wasn’t a hassle either. Being a hot day, I ate mine with a Make-Your-Own Juice ($5.90) combination of pineapple, mint, ginger and lemon, that was sharp and enjoyable (and freshly squeezed to order). With the weather still warm on my next visit, I opted for the Mojo Mint Frappe ($6.90) made by blending apple juice, pineapple juice, mint and ice. It arrived with an embarrassed counter-hand and a tell-tale orange hue that suggested the juicer hadn’t been cleaned properly after the last drink. While they did offer to make me a new one, I drank the slightly off-kilter combination because I don’t like wasting food or drink. I teamed it with the Kelby’s Hash ($19.90) a breakfast selection that’s flavoursome enough to also work as lunch. Presented in a cast iron pan, it’s a well-handled mix of baked, skin-on potatoes and tasty hunks of sucuk (Turkish beef sausage) gentled with golden fingers of pan-fried haloumi, baby spinach and caramelised leeks. The oil-free mix is topped off with two perfectly poached free-range eggs, dribbled judiciously with a light Hollandaise. While at just shy of twenty bucks it isn't a cheap lunch, with the generous amount of buttered sourdough they present with it, you're not going to walk away hungry from it. With both visits producing something tasty, I reckon I'll return to explore the rest of the Kelby's Cafe menu - it's a good addition to this part of Surry Hills.

Just had breakfast there - best coffee I’ve had in a long time, our meals were sensational, super fresh and flavours were perfectly balanced. The owner Mo was a delight to talk to. We actually had a voucher and walked away saying to each other we should have paid full price cos it was such an awesome experience. This is the first time I have ever written a review for a restaurant - so yeah - was very good xxx

Kelby’s Cafe is 10/10. It took me a while to decide what to order for breakfast, as there were so many delicious sounding options on the menu. I went for one of the specials including pumpkin hummus, guac and a perfectly cooked poached egg, amongst other things. The produce and flavours were spot on... and a lot of care taken with the presentation. Such good value too. Owner and staff were really professional and friendly. Fitout was nicely done and it was super clean. Looking forward to my next visit.