If sitting on a milk crate in the noise and fumes of a busy intersection is your scene, you'll love this very popular place. On this plus side they often appear to have plenty of cheerful enthusiastic staff, though that doesn't mean you won't have to stand and queue to order. Certainly you can get worse coffee in Balmain, but the brew here left me underwhelmed. Still trying to figure out why people go here when a few minutes walk away are several cafes with proper tables and chairs, good service and excellent coffee (Canteen, Marionette, Zumbo spring to mind).

If you don’t have the funds or time to get to Italy anytime soon, head to Darling Street’s Bertoni for a fix of *la vita bella*. The queue for coffee in the mornings is prodigious, winding out into the street through the blue and red milk crates provided by the unpretentious café for those who want to have a seat and read the paper, maybe even – in these dark modern times post-smoking ban – marrying their coffee with a cigarette.

A long black from Bertoni is second to no other coffee experience in Sydney: smooth, rich and strong, ideally tempered with a spoonful of sugar, it brings a new meaning to the drink in a city where coffee is more abundant than water. The homemade food is delicious too, my only criticism being that the pasta is heated up in the microwave, but the paninis and sweet treats are appealing.

What makes Bertoni extra special though is the premium service every customer receives, whether regulars or curious newcomers (the latter inevitably convert into the former). The Bertoni Boys, John, Perry and Josh are not only rather dashing in a rustic, dark Italian-stallion way (despite being bona fide Aussies) they’re also genuinely friendly and on first name terms with ninety percent of their punters. Children are welcomed and doted on by staff, with free babycinos for the more sophisticated under-fives.

Viva Bertoni!

If you live in Balmain there is no other place to get coffee. Sure sometime you have to queue up, but its soooo worth it for the lovely coffee, the free babycinos and the charming service. I love it!

They've recently opened there and suddenly the other coffee houses are empty.. Bar far the best coffee and service you'll get in that area. Where most cafes in Sydney completely suck this place excels.

The best coffee in Sydney and the friendliest service.

Bertoni's is my absolute favourite place for coffee, a chat and some very fine Italian fare. Never had a bad coffee and cant rate the place enough for quality, authentic "coffee culture and ambiance", outstanding service from people who know your name and seem passionate about "making your day" every time you walk in. The Bertoni boys are a shining example of a family business who "treat" their customers in every way when you frequent the place. Worth the drive no matter how far!