Bar Zini

Great coffee, food and service! Best coffee in Pyrmont (from a local). Always have something new on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The service is also great and keeps me coming back

We felt as if we’d intruded on a fabulous locals haunt as soon as we walked through the door. The staff were exceptional, with personal greetings to some and a friendly hello to others. Loved we had the Insalate, a very balanced white anchovy, radicchio and fennel. Followed by a carefully crafted enoki risotto with special adjustments for my pregnant wife and a sumptuous lamb ragu. My previous favourite of Atavola in the cross has definitely been unseated. Keep up the great work!

Had dinner at this great café/​restaurant last night… can’t believe I haven’t dined here before, I’ve lived around the corner for 2 years and have walked past hundreds of times thinking «I must try that place» — I finally did and wow! Now my only problem is that I’m moving away this weekend… nooooooo!
Amazing Wednesday night today special, excellent service, great wine and great vibe. Highly recommended.
I’ll be back…(even if it is now a cab ride away!)

This little corner joint is cool. Great for brunch and dinner. The service is top notch and the food excellent. Coffee is on par with Sydney standards but it’s not your hipster Expresso bar. For that I go elsewhere. Still, their flat whites and mocha are definitely up to scratch.

Having moved to Pyrmont in September, I’ve always wondered about this tiny spot on Harris Street that always seems busy. We finally popped in on Friday night and had a lovely light dinner. We started with the Bruschetta: zucchini, prosciutto and mint topped toast and ricotta. Great flavor profile and a nice refreshing spin on «the usual.» As I wasn’t too hungry after that nice sized portion, I opted for the braised octopus and fennel salad and I was so glad I chose that dish! Tender, savory seasoned warm octopus went so nicely aside the cool citrus fennel salad. Refreshing and satisfying, I would go back any day this dish is on the menu. Other notables I saw that looked well received were the Coq au Vin and the black squid ink pasta… gives me good reason to come back!
Staff was friendly and accommodating and it was a great spot to hit on a Friday evening after a long week as it felt like our own private dinner party sitting so close to the kitchen at work. Only regret was that they were out of both beverages my husband and I had selected from their menu.

Gianni and the guys are so friendly and make killer coffee ;) A few big dirty reds on the wine list this makes a great place to wrap up a busy week! I’ve met some pretty interesting cats at Bar Zini — local Pyrmont folk and media types.

With all of the office workers around the Pyrmont area you’d be forgiven for thinking that they must have a pretty good supply of great cafes, Well… you’d be half right. There are a fair few cafes in that area, of which the classification of good might be pushing it a little.
Given the challenge by one of my friends who works for Google, I have been searching high and low for the best option in that area, and this café is certainly one of those options. This little Italian bar (emphasis on the bar part) had me thinking of ordering a caffè corretto (an Italian beverage, consists of a shot of espresso «corrected» with a shot of liquor), but I ended up realising that in Australia, I should be a little more responsible… at least this time… :-)
So, being lunch time, I went ahead and tried the slow cooked lamb, rocket and mushroom panini… and it was (if not a bit small) really really good. As someone with a big appetite, I could have eaten two… but I thought better of it.
Finishing off with a mac, it was a pretty decent lunch. I did give this place a better chance of making the mac the way I wanted by letting them know to stop with the milk. I would normally not do this to test out how good they are at making macs, but I had already had a day filled with cafes giving me far too much milk, so I was not going to risk it.
Café Summary
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Passion for Coffee — ⁷⁄₁₀
Coffee beans — Di Lorenzo
Crema (1=burnt, 10=velvet) — ⁷⁄₁₀
Special coffees avail? — N/​A