NYC’s Best Aussie Cafes

G’day mates! I have a soft spot for all things Aussie. The friendly people, the mellow lifestyle, the accent, Tim Tams, pavlova, the sun bleached surfers the Hemsworth brothers… Vegemite aside, what’s not to love? But if there is one thing Australia excels at, it’s the breakfast and cafe culture. Who can even remember what life was like before the perfectly instagrammable avo toast and flat white? Australians have taken over the NYC breakfast scene with heaps of cafes and coffee shops in NYC, scattered across Manhattan, Brooklyn and beyond. So for all you fellow coffee snobs and lovers of bountiful, colorful healthy brekkies, here are the best Australian cafes in New York City ☕️ 🇦🇺:

⇒ The cafe chains with multiple location:

• 🥑 BLUESTONE LANE
• Multiple locations in NYC and Nationwide
  www,bluestonelane.com
  $$$
  ♥♥

The pioneer of the Aussie cafe wave in NYC. Bluestone Lane was one of the first Melbourne-style cafes to go insta-viral, and has since expanded all over New York and all across the country. There aren’t many neighborhoods in NYC that don’t have a Bluestone, with over 25 locations in the different boroughs. Some of the best ones include the West Village cafes  (outdoor seating) and UES for its unique location in an old church by Central Park. Good coffee, food is as simple Australian as it gets (not my favorite but satisfies the health fix). Many gluten-free and vegan options. They also have IG worthy wellness drinks like their beet and golden lattes. don’t like that they changed the brands of their non-dairy milks though.  Fun fact: I have yet to meet an Aussie in NYC that doesn’t claim to personally know the “guy from Bluestone”!

When not ordering the healthy bowls, indulge in the banana bread & breakfast sandwich

• 🥑 TWO HANDS
• 4 locations in Tribeca, Nolita, Noho & Williamsburg
  www.twohandsnyc.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥♥

Another staple when it comes to legit Aussie cafes and a popular NYC favorite. Two Hands is a community-focused cafe taking inspiration from Australia’s forward-thinking culinary scene and relaxed beachside lifestyle. The four locations serve highly instagrammable all-day breakfast in a bright setting with heaps of colorful healthy options (I love their bowls with pickled veggies and beet relish). The best location is the Tribeca one (it also closes the latest at 6pm) and the newly opened one in Noho is not as nice but has less wait time.

Love their healthy bowls & salads

• 🥑 BANTER
• 2 locations in Greenwich Village & West Village
  www.banternyc.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥

You go to Banter for : the coffee, the awesome staff, the house-made banana bread, and the Nutella French toast if you’re feeling naughty. And not to forget the 3pm-5pm Happy Hour at the Greenwich Village location. The recently opened Hudson St Banter in the West Village is just as bright and welcoming as the original Sullivan St one. Both cafes are more sit-down table style though.

Big Banter Breakfast, Caesar Salad and the best Banana Bread

Banter’s Avo Toast goat cheese, tomato, micro basil, toasted pepitas sourdough toast w/ herb oil.

• 🥑 CITIZENS
• 3 locations with Citizens of Chelsea, Gramercy and Bleecker
  www.citizens.coffee
  $$
• ♥♥♥

Another favorite go-to. A colorful and particularly colorful take on Aussie brekkie and lunch classics – add beet hummus and pickled onions to an avo toast and you’ve got yourself a hashtag insta-win. All 3 locations are in a clean and bright space. The newly opened Citizens of Bleecker was a welcomed addition to the neighborhood.

Citizens’ highly instagrammable breakfast spread

• 🥑 RUBY’S
• 3 locations in Nolita, East Village & Murray Hill
  www.rubyscafe.com
  $$
• ♥♥♥

Two words: Bronte Burger. If you know, you know. Ruby’s has been an institution since 2003, back when it only had its original Nolita location on Mulberry St. It was always packed and with a guaranteed wait time, but thankfully Ruby’s later opened a Murray Hill, and even more recently an East Village outpost serving the same delicious food. Famous burger aside, there is really something for everyone, with a menu that includes it all, from the breakfast essentials to healthy salads to satisfying bowls of pasta, for a great bang for your buck. Ruby’s is more of a casual restaurant than a cafe, with breakfast items served until 4pm and is one of the rare Aussie establishments to also serve dinner.

Amazing brunch spread at Ruby’s: musts included the pancakes, bronte burger & sweet potatoe fries 

The sweet & savory Bronte Burger that made Ruby’s famous – only $13.5!

• 🥑 CAFE GRUMPY
• 8 locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn
  www,cafegrumpy.com
  $$
• ♥♥♥

With no less than 8 locations in NYC, Cafe Grumpy is one of those cafes that has a true following, perhaps because of its prominent feature in HBO series, Girls. Also in Miami.

🥑 BLACK FOX COFFEE
2 locations in Fidi (Wall St & Pine St) and 1 Midtown (45th St)
www.blackfoxcoffee.com
$$
♥♥

Brewing since 2016, Black Fox is one of the best for your Financial District caffeine fix. Conveniently open super early on weekdays (6:30am). They recently opened a second outpost just one block from Grand Central.

blackfoxcoffee.com

🥑 HOLE IN THE WALL
2 locations in Fidi (Cliff St) and Murray Hill (626 1st Ave)
www.holeinthewallnyc.com
$$
♥♥

www.holeinthewall.com

This mini-chain brings the third wave of coffee culture in two different styles: the original FiDi cafe is the go-to for a casual business coffee, lunch or even a cocktail. The newest Murray Hill location is more of a restaurant, with a larger space, a happy hour special and also serving dinner. Hole in the Wall takes reservations for the Murray Hill location.

• 🥑 ST KILDA COFFEE
• 2 locations in Chelsea (8th Ave) & Times Square (44th St)
  www.stkildacoffee.com
  $$
• ♥♥

St Kilda is multi-roaster cafe with 2 Manhattan locations, offering seasonal single origin coffee for espresso, filter and cold brew plus an assortment of pastries from local NYC bakeries such as Balthazar, Underwest Donuts and Ovenly.  One of the owners backpacked in Australia, and after being overwhelmed by the intensity of coffee culture in Melbourne, decided to bring that same concept to New York City. They strive to to bring “chill vibes, damn fine brew and raucous music for the masses.”

⇒ The Best Downtown:

• • 🥑 GOOD THANKS
  • 131 Orchard St
    Lower East Side
  • www.goodthanksnyc.com
    $$
    ♥♥♥♥

  One of my all time favorites. And I swear it’s not (only) because of the eye-candy owners. Good Thanks was founded by two Australians (aka eye candy Will & Tim) in a small space tucked away in LES’ Orchard St. Their aim is simple: high quality food, natural wines and great coffee. The breakfast is awesome and unbeatably instagrammable. Don’t go without getting their gorgeous blue bowl and scrambled eggs. Playing on Australian vernacular, ‘Good Thanks’ stands for a positive attitude and lifestyle in their approach to food and coffee.

• 

  All the highly instagrammable must orders at Good Thanks NYC 

  • 🥑 DUDLEY’S
  • 85 Orchard St
    Lower East Side
    www.dudleysnyc.com
    $$
    ♥♥♥♥
• Another long-time favorite, Dudley’s is a LES brunch staple, and probably my number 1 spot in the neighborhood (even more so since they have renovated and expanded their dining space). This Aussie-American cafe fits more into the casual restaurant category, with a large and diverse menu for all meals of the day. You go to Dudley’s because of: their awesomeness, the pistachio bread, ricotta pancakes, the bronte burger, brussel sprouts and the kale salad (in order of importance), the LES people watching, because they serve late night dinner and drinks, and ’cause they are one of the rare ones here to accept brunch reservations.
  

  Dudley’s brunch spread perfection: Pistachio  Bread, Mushroom Toast, Green Bowls, Avo Toast, Ricotta Pancakes and the Bronte Burger of course

  

  Dudley’s has one of the best avocado toasts in NYC

• 🥑 SONNYBOY
  65 Rivington St
  Lower East Side
  www.sonnyboynyc.com
  $$
  ♥♥

From the same peeps as Banter, Sonnyboy is more of a restaurant/bar than a coffee shop. Contrarily to its sister cafes, Sonnyboy is also open for dinner and has a great chill vibe for late night LES drinks. The all day menu is seasonal and “stylish but without the fuss”. Same great friendly staff. They accept reservations for dinner service.

Spicy Salmon & Chop Salad with side of halloumi

• 🥑 MERRIWEATHER
• 428 Hudson St
  West Village
  www.merriweathernyc.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥

Merriweather is the West Village go-to for Aussie everything. Named after Merewether Beach, the bright modern space inspired by Sydney beach cafes is a popular West Village all-day hangout. Great coffee (and even better Matcha), breakfast toasts (the fig one when in season), salad bowls, and a good laptop friendly spot to work from (good wifi too).

Ricotta Pear Toast, Miso salad, Squash kale salad & tonic drinks at Merriweather 

Same healthy combo but with the fig toast!

Get the Fig Toast when in season

• 🥑 CHARLEY ST
• 41 Kenmare St
  Nolita
  www.charleyst.com
  $$
  ♥

Wallpaper goals

Despite being another Australian-eye-candy establishment, Charley St is my least favorite. Mostly because of its inconsistency in flavor and service (which is rarely an issue with the Aussies!) Charley St is more of fast-casual concept open for breakfast and lunch, delivering artisanal toasts and colorful nourishing bowls and coffee. Based on the philosophies of health chef Dan Churchill (one of the candies), “Charley St has been created to provide healthy meal options for the routine busy individuals along with pleasing the young wellness millennial community”.

Healthy breakfast spread at Charley St

• 🥑 SUPERMOON BAKEHOUSE
• 120 Rivington St
  Lower East Side
  www.supermoonbakehouse.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥♥
• OK this is technically not a cafe but a full-blown bakery, but I couldn’t write a piece about the best of Australia in NYC without including Supermoon Bakehouse. Their crazy decadent, extravagant croissants (and cruffins!) are unlike any others, and worth all the hype. The Australian-owned bakery makes everything hand-rolled, hand-crafted and with painstaking care : all of their croissants take no less than 3 to 4 days to make! They source their ingredients in the best possible way, with their grain, flour, fruit and vegetables coming from local farms & mills in Upstate New York, and their butter (and lots of it!) from a French farm in Normandy.
• 

  Sweet Twice Baked Pistachio Croissant

  

• 🥑 COCO & CRU
• 643 Broadway
  Noho
  www.cocoandcru.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥
• The Noho go-to for super healthy eats, from breakfast to early-ish dinner. Convenient place for a post-workout meal with friends in a neighborhood that’s basically a fitness studio hub. Conveniently takes reservations.

• 

  I always get a the green bowl at Coco & Cru

• 🥑 THREE SEAT ESPRESSO
• 137 Avenue A
  East Village
  www.threeseatespresso.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥
• A cafe AND barber shop – can you get any more Aussie-hipster than Three Seat Espresso? Founded by Perth-born, ex-Bluestone Aaron Cook, who has brought a new kind of integrated, elevated Australian coffee shop to the East Village. The barber shop offers with services available for men, women and children.

• 

  http://threeseatespresso.com/

• 🥑 SALTWATER COFFEE
• 345 E 12th St
  East Village
  www.saltwaternyc.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥
• A homey East-Village coffee shop with stellar coffee made with beans sourced from a Sydney-based boutique roasting outfit owned by 3 great friends and master baristas.

• 

  Saltwater Coffee NYC

• 🥑 TULO HOUSE
• 217 Mulberry St
  Nolita
  www.tulohouse.com
  $$$
  ♥♥♥
• 

  Not that basic

  NYC’s first fresh nut milk bar for all the wellness / vegan / health nuts (pun intented)! Founded by Australian health coach Laura Hopkins, Tulo House is a cafe with a mission to promote clean and plant-based drinks (and snacks). Serving lattes with freshly-pressed nut milks made out of vanilla bean almond and tiger nut, to name a few. Tulo House also offers a variety of vegan, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly bites (amazing bagel and vegan cream cheese). Unique and delicious but you definitely pay a premium for it.

• 🥑 BOUNDLESS PLAINS ESPRESSO
• 19 Rector St
  FiDi
  www.boundlessplainsnyc.com
  $$
  ♥

This is female-owned, Melbourne-inspired cafe has everything you need for your FiDi flat white or light meal fix.

⇒ The Best in Midtown:

• 🥑LITTLE COLLINS
• 667 Lexington Ave.
  Midtown East
  www.littlecollinsnyc.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥

Named after the iconic coffee shop street in Melbourne, Little Collins serves some of the best coffee in Manhattan, and a smashin’ avo toast, no pun intended. For Oz purists, you can also get a legit Vegemite toast.

The Smash: avocado & feta mash on toast with chili flakes and pepitas.

• 🥑 BOURKE STREET BAKERY
• 15 E 28th St
  Nomad
  www.bourkestreetbakery.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥

The NYC outpost of the beloved Sydney bakery chain opened in NoMad in May 2019. The 50-seat bakery and restaurant is open all day serving up signature Aussie classics like sausage rolls, toasts and amazing pastries. This is the chain’s first bakery outside of Australia.

• 

  bourkestreet.com

• 🥑 CLOVELLY COFFEE
• 423 9th Ave
  Hudson Yards
  www.clovellynyc.com
  $
  ♥

A teeny tiny coffee shop for the busy Hudson Yards workers, serving deluxe Australian craft coffee  and artisanal pastries including lamingtons and a selection of vegan and gluten free options. No sit-down area, so this is more for your coffee take-out (BYO mug though).

• 
• 🥑 WATTLE CAFE
• 489 3rd Ave.
  Murray Hill
  www.wattlecafe.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥

An Aussie home away from home in the Kips Bay/ Murray Hill area. Best place to stop by in the area, specially if you like your coffee paired with house-made waffles! And not just any waffles: we’re talking cacao waffle avocado smash. matcha, raw cacao, turmeric… I’m guessing that’s where the cafe’s name playfully comes from?

Wattle cafe’s cocoa avocado smash waffle

• 🥑 TAYLOR ST.
• 33 E 40th St.
  Bryant Park
  www.taylor.st
  $$
  ♥♥

After having conquered the London coffee scene, Aussie-born Taylor St. is a great option if your office is close Bryant Park. A good roast, usual breakfast and lunch bites, and seating area for your quick coffee break with a colleague.

• 🥑 HUTCH + WALDO
• 247 E 81st St.
  Upper East Side
  www.hutchandwaldo.cafe
  $$
  ♥♥♥

Aside from Bluestone, Hutch + Waldo is the other best option for some Aussie coastal vibes in the Upper East Side. This cute all-day cafe was opened in 2016 by pro rugby player Alastair McFarland, who defines it as being all “about community culture, flavor and vibe”. Food is local and wholesome, served for all meals of the day including dinner (open daily from 7am-10pm). Great outdoor and airy vibe during the warmer months of the year.

Hutch + Waldo Cafe UES

⇒ The Best in Brooklyn:

• 🥑 CARTHAGE MUST BE DESTROYED
• 222 Bogart St.
  Bushwick
  www.carthagemustbedestroyed.com
  $$$
  ♥♥♥

THE brunch destination in Bushwick! This Australian cafe in a hidden warehouse has Instagrammable written all over – yet has a strict no-photo policy (that, let’s be real, no one abides by)! A large industrial space filled with communal tables, all things pink, artsy centerpieces and bountiful dishes. It’s a bit pricey and arrogant but it’s worth the expedition for the unique setting (and the food is organic).

All pink brunch spread at Carthage Must be Destroyed

• 🥑 MILK BAR
• 2 locations at 620 Vanderbilt Av & 204 6th Av 
  Prospect Heights & Park Slope
  www.milkbarbrooklyn.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥

• 🥑 FIVE LEAVES
• 18 Bedford Ave
  Greenpoint
  www.fiveleavesny.com
  $$$
  ♥♥♥

Five Leaves was my favorite Brooklyn brunch spot when I first moved to NYC, and not solely because of my teenage crush on Heath Ledger (sigh… he used to part-own the restaurant, may he RIP). The quality has fluctuated since, but it’s still my Greenpoint go-to spot for legit pancakes, mushroom toast and truffle fries. Best enjoyed on a sunny day for breakfast or brunch in their outdoor space and people watching (also open until late for dinner). Reservations available except for brunch.

fiveleavesny,com

• 🥑 SWEATSHOP
• 232 Metropolitan Ave
  Williamsburg
  www.sweatshop.coffee
  $$
  ♥♥♥
• 

  The Sweatshop Williamsburg

  Part cafe, part design studio (when in hipsterland…).The stylish coffee shop & collective serves coffee, light bites, design items for sale and great vibes.

• 🥑 BRIGHT SIDE CAFE
• 184 Kent Ave
  Williamsburg
  www.brightside.cafe
  $
  ♥♥

Another cute Williamsburg cafe from the same peeps as Sweatshop.

• 🥑 ABBOTSFORD ROAD COFFEE
• 573 Sackett St
  Gowanus
  www.abbotsfordroad.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥♥

The must-stop in Gowanus for a true coffee snob, Abbotsford Road takes coffee very seriously This is coffee excellence at its best. The Aussie-American baristas of Abbotsford Road have been sourcing and roasting coffee since 2002, having developed valuable partnerships with producers around the world to ensure an exceptional supply of beans. They source 100% of our coffee beans directly from producers, establishing relationships that benefit their communities, while also delivering coffees of complexity and quality. A true Brooklyn gem in a great Gowanus-like industrial space.

teaandcoffee.net

⇒ Astoria:

• 🥑 THE THIRSTY KOALA
• 35-12 Ditmars Boulevard
  Astoria, Queens
  www,thethirstykoala.com
  $$
  ♥♥♥

The Thristy Koala is probably the most down-under place in New York, worth the trek for the home-sick Aussies. It’s not a cafe but a proper Australian restaurant, serving traditional cuisine with indigenous ingredients like lemon myrtle, wattle seed, desert oak, and akudjura, and a wide variety of gluten-free and veggie options. They serve dinner only from Monday through Wednesday, and but are open from 11am the rest of the week. A local weekend hangout spot for their $25 bottomless brunch. The Thirsty Koala takes  reservations for all meals including brunch.

The Thirsty Koala Meat Pies