Bakery Cafe Cael Lidcombe

Bakery Cafe Cael is a Korean-style bakery cafe near Lidcombe station, and it works as both a place to grab breakfast on the way through and somewhere to sit down for something sweet. Takeaway, dine-in and delivery are all on offer, with coffee, breakfast, lunch and dessert covered. Accessible entry and seating, free street parking nearby and the usual card and tap payments make it an easy stop for families too.

The baked goods lean Korean, which is much of the appeal. Locals who've been going for years name the cream puffs, chocolate croissant, egg sandwich and melon bun as favourites, and the honeydew melon pan, Korean sausage bread, mini sausage dog and sweet potato cake come up as other good picks. There are sandwiches, savoury and sweet breads, and whole cakes on the shelves. The little pastries are described as cute and flavourful, and a custard bun and a choux filled generously with cream have both gone down well.

Then there's the bingsu, the Korean shaved-ice dessert, which is what plenty of people come for. The green tea bingsu has been called tasty with a generous portion, and the injeolmi version gets a mention too. One visitor found it wasn't the finest classic bingsu in Sydney but liked the quality ingredients and the care that went into it. Another wanted a little more mango and mochi in theirs.

The coffee gets mixed reactions, from perfectly satisfying to a bit bitter, so treat it as a solid cafe cup rather than the main event. A few people have found certain items on the pricey side or not quite to their taste, including a dry cookie and a roll cake that was too sweet, and a fresh cream cake once didn't match what one buyer expected. The shop can look busy and cluttered behind the counter at peak times.

The service is a real strength, though. Friendly, helpful staff come up again and again, including a group who were helped to rearrange seating on a rainy day. The shop is set up more for walking in and out than lingering, so expect limited seating. Mornings draw regulars lining up for coffee and breakfast, and opening hours run long on most days, so it's worth checking them before you head in, especially on the weekend.