The 2026 edition of the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops list will be unveiled on 16 February at Coffee Fest Madrid, with organisers stating more than 800 experts and 350,000 public votes helped shape the final rankings.
More than 15,000 coffee shops around the world were evaluated, the selection process combining 70 per cent expert criteria and 30 per cent public voting designed to create a representative of the world coffee sector.
Toby’s Estate’s Sydney café led an incredibly strong Australian field in the 2025 rankings, being named in top spot ahead of Onyx Coffee LAB in the United States and Gota Coffee Experts in Austria.
Melbourne’s Proud Mary Coffee ranked fourth, while Brisbane’s Coffee Anthology, ranked eighth, saw Australia the only country with more than one café ranked inside the top ten.
Other Australian representatives on the 2025 list include Veneziano Coffee Roasters’ Melbourne Airport flagship in 19th, Melbourne’s Calēre Coffee in 28th, Adelaide’s Exchange Coffee in 37th, Brisbane’s Fonzie Abbott in 70th, Melbourne’s Vacation Coffee in 71st, and Melbourne’s Seven Seeds in 87th.
New Zealand was also represented by Hamilton’s Rocket Coffee ranked at 62.
CEO of The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops, César Ramírez, says the 2026 list will represent more than just simple rankings.
“This ranking is more than just a list of exceptional coffee shops; it’s a snapshot of the cultural, creative, and professional moment coffee is experiencing in the world,” he says.
For the upcoming 2026 list, nominees have been judged on a range of categories, including coffee quality, barista expertise, sustainability practices, customer service, ambience and atmosphere, food and pastry quality, innovation, and consistency.
Reigning World Barista Champion and Axil Coffee Roasters Head of Innovation Jack Simpson was among the panel of experts, which also included former World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Michalis Dimitrakopoulos and Founder of CoffeeMe Company, Jolie Marlene.
The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops list is presented in partnership with Da Vinci Gourmet.
