Sorry, Melbourne: Two Sydney Cafes Have Just Been Ranked Among The World’s Top 5

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The long-running debate over Australia’s coffee capital may have just taken a decisive turn. The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops list has returned for 2026, and this year two Sydney cafes have landed among the top five — while Melbourne failed to crack the top 10 — or the top 20. Fewer Aussie venues featured across the broader top 100 rankings compared to last year but the harbour city has still emerged with serious bragging rights. While the United States leads as a country with a total of 9 spots, Sydney has the most cafes on the list of any single city in the world, including two homegrown favourites in the global top five.

The world’s leading coffee shops in 2026

The annual list is compiled using a mix of public voting and input from industry experts, with cafes evaluated on factors like coffee quality, service, innovation and consistency. Across the national rankings, Australia placed seven cafes in this year’s global top 100 — down from last year’s nine. Sydney’s Only Coffee Project was the highest-ranked newcomer, making an impressive debut at number four. It narrowly eclipsed the city’s previous champion, Toby’s Estate, which moved from the top spot last year to number five. Sydney’s presence on the list was bolstered by CBD-based Beta Coffee at 13th and the long-standing Surry Hills icon Single O, which secured the 53rd spot.

In contrast, the results were less favourable for the southern capital. Proud Mary, which ranked fourth last year, slid to 27th, while Vacation Coffee was the city’s only other cafe to make the list, narrowly squeezing in at 100th. Brisbane also held onto a spot in the global rankings, with Coffee Anthology securing a position at 99th.

Here are the top 15 best coffee shops for 2026:

1. Onyx Coffee LAB, USA
2. Tim Wendelboe, Norway
3. Alquimia Coffee, El Salvador
4. Only Coffee Project Crows Nest, Australia
5. Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters, Australia
6. Apartment Coffee, Singapore
7. Gota Coffee Experts, Austria
8. Story of Ono, Malaysia
9. Tropicalia Coffee, Colombia
10. Tanat, France
11. FANKØR, Ecuador
12. Arcane Estate Coffee, USA
13. Beta Coffee, Australia
14. Nomadic Speciality Coffee, Egypt
15. Nemesis Coffee, Canada

For those ready to plan their next caffeine crawl across the city or see how the rest of the world fared, check out the Top 100 Coffee Shops website for the full ranking.