Two Chaps - Marrickville, Sydney

Two Chaps in Marrickville is a café and bakery renowned for its sustainable approach to food production and consumption. With an ever-changing, produce-driven menu focused on seasonal ingredients and local supply, the cafe emphasizes handmade bread and pastries using organic Australian flours. It’s also the birthplace of Sticky Chai, a raw honey-soaked spiced chai tea distributed Australia-wide. Two Chaps extends its culinary offerings two nights a week with a dinner menu featuring handmade fresh pasta and local cheeses.

The cafe’s interior exudes a raw charm, featuring wall-mounted bikes, an open galley kitchen, and exposed steel shelves adorned with flour bags. Fitted out in 2014 with second-hand finds and recycled materials, including a pre-loved oven and timber planter boxes, Two Chaps embodies a back-to-basics ethos. The Mediterranean-influenced vegetarian menu boasts daily house-made doughnuts, cakes, muffins, salads, sandwiches, and larger dishes, all made from scratch onsite. Despite the absence of meat, Two Chaps gained popularity without marketing itself explicitly as a vegetarian venue, challenging perceptions of vegetarian dining.

While the original founders have moved on, Two Chaps maintains its dedication to quality and innovation under new leadership led by Shana Meegan. The menu has evolved to include more elaborate dishes, such as subtly marinated tofu with savoury tapioca pearls and miso-braised cabbage. The café’s legacy lies in reshaping Sydney’s perceptions of vegetarian dining, emphasizing the flavorful gains of meat-free options rather than focusing solely on absence. With a commitment to handcrafted excellence and sustainability, Two Chaps continues to redefine vegetarian cuisine in Marrickville and beyond.