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Sydney: Posto No. 19

Not far from my parents' place in Rushcutters Bay is a charming, bright, clean cafe that I just recently discovered for the first time.

Posto No. 19, entrance/mezzanine level


Posto No. 19 (19a Boundary Street, Rushcutters Bay) (not to be confused with Il Posto in Paddington, Brisbane) is neatly tucked into a shady side of Boundary Street, morphing from a wide, open street-side window and mezzanine dining area, complete with communal table, down to a sunken bar and dining area with cushioned bench seating, and kitchen. The decor is cool, contrasting and shiny, with dark polished concrete flooring, loads of natural light, and lots of glass. Personality comes through touches of beachside retreat and quirky antiques, with neutral colours, stripey cushions, white plates and pastel blue cups, and hand-drawn framed illustrations arranged in an arty bunch on the wall.

Bench seating, neutral tones

Arty bunch of drawings


My mother's all about 'clean' food, and this place has that down to a tee. (Lucky for her, then, that it's so close!) By 'clean', she means fresh, tasty ingredients, with not much oil, butter, fried or processed elements, neatly presented and - hopefully - good for you. (At least, that's what I think she means.)

Lots of water = must be clean. Right?


It probably also helps that Posto No. 19 is light, airy and very open. It feels 'clean' and spacious, without being pretentious. (Its website has much the same feel.) We visited for brunch on a Tuesday, so the cafe was rather quiet and we had our pick of tables. I imagine, though, that on weekends, the place would get quite full. It's definitely a locals' cafe, but with that high level of style that seems to be the minimum at most Sydney venues (read: not quite homely, but definitely schmick).

Posing unawares

My, what a beautiful food model! 


Coffee is by The Little Marionette, a boutique, Sydney-based operation (with small outlets in Annandale and Balmain) that I'd not heard of before. Posto No. 19 must've done it justice, because it was very good (thus automatically pitching both Posto and Little Marionette a few notches higher in my esteem!).

Coffee by The Little Marionette


Posto pegs its fare as "European style", "Italian inspired" and "wholesome", and its breakfast is of that rare and very welcome variety known as "all-day". It's also open seven days. Yuz pleez.

Avocado on Soy & Linseed Toast with chilli infused oil and lemon

Scrambled Eggs with baby herbs on choice of bread

Side of bacon

Avocado on toast with broken poached egg. Mmm

Poached Eggs with avocado, heirloom tomatoes, purple basil


I wonder how Posto is faring with its newest competition: Rushcutters, the deli/cafe that recently opened on the site of former restaurant, Neild Avenue. My belief is that it's good enough to continue standing solidly as a decent local offering. Worth a try for brunch, if you're in the area.




Posto No. 19 on Urbanspoon

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