Toby's Estate Coffee Roasters

Toby's Estate began in 1997 when Toby Smith swapped a law career for a home roaster in his mother's Woolloomooloo garage, a hobby that grew into one of Australia's most recognized roasting companies. The Chippendale flagship on City Road was rebuilt in 2022 by Russell and George, the architects behind several Aesop stores, around a curved island bar where an outward facing espresso machine lets customers watch every pour take shape.

On the other side of that bar sits a dedicated filter station pouring single origins and limited Flavour Savour blends that rotate monthly, alongside the roasting equipment that gives the whole room its working theatre feel. The space was named World's Best Coffee Shop at the inaugural World's 100 Best Coffee Shops awards and still ranks in the top five, a short walk from Central Station in a stretch of Chippendale thick with University of Sydney students.