Little Giant Roasters Willoughby

In Short: Little Giant Roasters checks all the boxes that make for a great café, a refined coffee experience, innovative food, welcoming space, and service that keeps you coming back for more. Tip: You must, and I mean MUST, try the Tater Benny with Haloumi.

Little Giant Roasters, in the Sydney suburb of Willoughby, is one of those cafes that is so close and good, that you just scratch your head at why you haven’t found it sooner. It’s a bright, airy, and welcoming space that nestles itself into a cosy corner on the main road of Willoughby, and makes for a great little spot to sip and watch the world slip by.

We give a knowing nod to the talented barista after settling into a comfy, light drenched spot at a long communal table and before too long a silky-smooth cappuccino is primed and ready to awaken the palate. A custom blend of Ethiopian and Columbian from Toby’s, this cap is full of dark chocolate and berry notes with a sublime froth to top it all off.

It doesn’t take much convincing when our super friendly server recommends the in-house blended Masala Chai. The modern chai landscape is littered with muted and sickly sweet powdery concoctions, not so with this classic, subtly spicy, masala mug. It’s light, floral with a nice tingle of peppery spice that plays so well with the measured milky sweetness.

I love it when there’s a dish on a menu that makes it worth the trip alone,. That dish at Little Giant Roasters is, without a doubt, the Tater Benny with Haloumi. Aside from all the other amazingly paired ingredients, the real standout here is the crisp rosti base. I could munch on a pile of these alone, but when you combine it with the salty haloumi, poached eggs, homemade hollandaise, and apple cider vinaigrette, it becomes one of those plates that defines a café.

Looking for a sweet finish that doesn’t make us feel too guilty, we order up Little Giant’s cheeky Black Sticky Rice Chia. Served elegantly, the light layers of black sticky rice, coco-pandan soaked chia, granola, roasted coconut, and berries all coalesce into a delightfully sweet combination of flavour and texture.

Little Giant Roasters checks all the boxes that make for a great café, a refined coffee experience, innovative food, welcoming space, and service that keeps you coming back for more. How we haven’t been here sooner is a mystery I’ll have to leave unsolved, but that’s a mistake you can avoid by getting in the car and heading to Willoughby and Little Giant Roasters today.