SouthSide Hot Bread

SouthSide Hot Bread is a bakery in Lismore, New South Wales, that locals use for the whole day: early coffee, a breakfast bite, something for lunch, and a cake for the occasion. It's open from the early morning most days, with a shorter stretch on weekends, so it's worth checking the hours before you head in.

Pies are what the shop is best known for, and the pastry cabinet is part of the draw too. Locals mention sausage rolls, salad rolls, sandwiches and pastries, and one visitor singled out a spinach and fetta roll and an apple pie as both really good. The fresh bread gets a nod for being soft with a proper crust. Opinion on the pies isn't unanimous, though. We've heard from one person who found a recent batch quite different from the pies they'd always enjoyed, and the odd comment that pastry can come out a little doughy when the morning rush is on. Most people, though, leave happy.

Custom cakes are a real strength. One local ordered a birthday cake for their father's 90th, beautifully decorated and great value, and it wasn't their first order from here. Full-size cakes with fresh cream are another favourite. Prices on some of the sandwiches have crept up, as one person noted, but customers have found the cakes good value.

The coffee has its fans, with one regular calling it the best in Lismore and saying the order always comes out right. Breakfast is a sound choice, and the shop sits conveniently across from the rail trail, so cyclists often stop for a muffin and a coffee. You can take it away or shop in-store, and there's free street parking and a car park. They take cards and mobile payments.

The staff are consistently described as friendly. One visitor who couldn't get into the shop in a wheelchair was met at the door by a staff member who took the order straight away, and a customer sitting outside even carried the money in and brought back the change.