We Aussies love our coffee. We drink 1.91 kilograms of the brown stuff each year. A quarter of us claim we cannot survive the day without inhaling at least one cup of go-go-juice. The caffeine levels of the average Australian would rival any barista worldwide. I once skipped my morning coffee, and all of Melbourne gathered to make fun of me.
However, if there’s one thing Aussies love more than coffee, it’s fighting over which city has the best coffee. And I know what you’re thinking: “Who’s this PEDESTRIAN.TV writer about to tell me which cities have better coffee than my own?” Well, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m ranking every Australian capital city by coffee culture based on nothing but my own prejudices. Fight me.
The Official Ranking Of Australian Cities By Coffee Quality
D-Tier: Launceston, Tasmania
Unfortunately, I can’t speak to the quality of coffee in Hobart (as I’ve never been). However, I have been to Launceston, and frankly, I have strong words to say about the coffee here. Or, to be more precise, the Lord of the Rings trek I had to make to get one.
In my week in Launceston, I struggled to find a single cup of coffee. Nearly everything was closed, with even the community centre deciding to close down and move to a different town (Fs in the chat for Fingle).
When I finally managed to find a nice warm cup of coffee, it was from a lovely lady running a café out of her own kitchen. The coffee was fine, but unfortunately, the journey soured the experience, and I was left feeling hollow.
Tasmania — I’m sorry my dear, but you are up for elimination. And by elimination, I mean earning a d-tier ranking. Try not to take it personally.
C-Tier: Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin’s coffee scene has received a much-needed revamp in recent years. However, it’s not enough to put them on the map just yet.
The coffee is fine, but what will really hit you is the price. Reddit user u/LeeWiserEnvoy posted that a single iced coffee cost them a whopping $20! I love my coffee, but sorry, no single cup is worth that much — especially when it’s at least 30 per cent ice.
C-Tier: Perth, Western Australia
If you’re looking for coffee that’s about as inspiring as a 1am television commercial for a mattress store, Perth is for you. Sure, it’ll do the job, but it lacks life, warmth, and joy.
There’s a lot to love about Perth: the parks, the escape from Fitzroy, being the home of ‘tradie prog rock’, but coffee is not one of those things.
Perth is also known for ordering flat whites, which, frankly, I find pretentious. Just order a latte, that extra bit of froth isn’t going to kill you.
B-Tier: Brisbane, Queensland
Brisbane is known for its fine-dining culture, and its coffee does not suffer for it at all. And to give credit where it’s due, Brisbane is home to at least two of the best cafés in the world, so it knows its coffee.
However, in my humble opinion, Brisbane’s coffee scene is a nice imitation of what’s already on offer in Sydney and Melbourne. And since you’re reading my piece, it’s my humble opinion that counts.
A-Tier: Canberra, ACT
Now, I have to give credit where it’s due – Canberra knows its coffee. There isn’t much I personally love about Canberra, to be honest with you. It’s cold, it loves a roundabout, and there’s an outside chance you could run into Pauline Hanson around every corner.
However, Canberra’s coffee culture is elite. It knows how to create a cozy café that entices you off the street and inhaling enough caffeine to get through even a parliamentary session unscathed. Plus, Canberra people are coffee snobs, you know? Local baristas have met the demand, and the result is something pretty dang solid.
A-Tier: Sydney, New South Wales
Some of you might be thinking that this is the biggest upset on the list. Yes, I hear you. Sydneysiders drink more coffee than Melburnians, and Sydney is home to the best coffee shops in the world. But have you considered that these cafés are in Sydney? And that I am from Melbourne? For that reason alone, I have to knock it down a few points.
In all seriousness, Sydney does a lot of things well — beaches, cafés, and fitting roughly one-tenth of the British expat population in Bondi alone. You can swing a dead cat and hit at least three local coffee shops with intimidatingly cool-looking baristas every time. Unfortunately, to enjoy coffee in Sydney you either have to actually be in Sydney, and I’ve seen what your landlords are charging for a three-bedroom terrace. No, thank you.
unfortunately free coffee in the office will never hit like a $9 iced latte will
— arianna (@virtualjew) May 27, 2025
S-Tier: Adelaide, South Australia
To anyone surprised by Adelaide’s placement, I only ask, have you been there? Adelaide is by far the calmest city in Australia. For that reason, its coffee culture is one of the best around. I had never felt the coffee equivalent of a maternal hug before, but Adelaide gave me that.
S-Tier: Melbourne, Victoria
As expected, Melbourne comes out on top. The city has everything you need: ease of access, artisans who have studied the craft like Jesuits, fantastic ambience wherever you go, and most importantly, it’s not in Sydney.
In all my time roaming around Australia, nearly everyone unanimously agreed Melbourne was where to find quality coffee. (Were they biased by the fact that I, as previously disclosed, am a Melburnian? Who’s to say?)
In fact, when the first McCafé opened up in Melbourne’s Swanston Street in 1993, they decided if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. The brand took on feedback from some of the top local baristas and established a new coffee shop-style concept. Instead of cheap vending machine coffee, McCafé decided to try something groundbreaking: serving good quality coffee. It was so successful, they rolled it out Australia wide.
In fact, you could say that McCafé has evened the playing field in the age old “which city has the best coffee” debate. Whether you’re a diehard Melbourne tragic or already preparing an angry comment defending your precious Launceston, we can all agree that wherever you are in Australia, a McCafé coffee is going to hit the spot, every time. And I’ll raise a steaming hot cup of the good stuff to that.
That’s right, coffee snobs: McCafé has some damn good coffee.
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