First, they transformed New York’s coffee culture with their delicious brews and now the Aussie’s have NYC rethinking its approach to cafe life thanks to the collective of cool, laid-back all-day eateries serving a fresh, healthy slice of Australiana beach-inspired fare. Here’s our curated guide to the best Aussie cafes in New York.
Two Hands
Inspired by the Australian coastal lifestyle and with outposts in Nolita, TriBeCa, and NoHo, Two Hands are beachy, light-filled, and beloved for their great coffee and simple, super fresh, colorful cuisine. Owners Giles Russell and Henry Roberts moved to Manhattan from Sydney seven years ago and decided the city was missing a casual, welcoming cafe where the coffee and food was amazing. Two Hands delivered on its promise. Order a ‘Tumeric Chai Latte’ with ‘Smashed Avocado’ on sourdough, the pulled chicken sandwich, or one of their yummy bowls. The ‘Brassicas’ has charred broccolini, brussels sprouts, kale, hummus, soft poached egg, and avocado. @twohandsnyc
Banter
Banter is the brainchild of Aussie couple Josh Evans and Nick Duckworth who met in NYC while working in fellow Australian owned and run cafes. Evoking that down under laid back beachy vibe, Banter (in Greenwich Village and West Village) is light and airy with white-washed bricks, a large communal table, and an impressive collection of abstract, geometrical, and pastel artworks. As for the food, this hybrid all-day eatery-come-restaurant as its name suggests is the place to go to hang out and chat over great coffee (in collaboration with Café Integral, Nicaraguan coffee roasted in NYC) and food so fresh and simple you’d swear it was home-cooked. Executive chef Jake Hawkins always asks himself if his mum would like it before adding anything to the menu, which is centered around nourishing colorful ingredients, bowls, and artisanal toasts. Try the ‘Spicy Caesar Salad’, ‘Ham and Cheese Toastie’ (think elevated grilled cheese with ham off the bone, mozzarella, cheddar, tomato, mustard, mayo on sourdough or ‘Veggie Sandwich’ (or sambo as they are affectionately known) with halloumi, charred broccolini, spicy mayo, caramelized onion. @batner-nyc
Sonnyboy
An offshoot of Banter, Sonnyboy in the LES is a warm, cozy all-day neighborhood hang that’s perfect for your morning latte or an espresso martini at the end of the day. Created to evoke the feeling of hanging in friends living room, Sonnyboy feels a bit old school American diner by the beach at Bondi with its 20-foot speckled stone bar, fully mirrored ceiling, artworks by Stephen Baker and Luisa Salas. The menu meanwhile comes influenced by multicultural Australia mostly Italian, Greek, Spanish, and Asian. Try the ‘Harissa Folded Eggs’, ‘Baked Halloumi,’ with grilled peaches, breadcrumbs, fennel seed, and a touch of honey. @sonnyboy_nyc
Ruby’s
The OG of the Aussie casual cafe-come-relaxed restaurant on the New York scene, Ruby’s now has three city locations and one in Santa Monica. They first opened in SoHo in 2003, delighting downtown New Yorkers (and the large Aussie ex-pat community) with amazing coffee, cocktails, and fresh Aussie-inspired fare—vegemite on toast, banana bread, and the ‘Whaley’s Burger’, named after beloved beach suburbs in Sydney) which is topped with beets and pineapple (yep it’s a thing). Like most Aussie eateries Ruby’s is cozy and inviting with white wood-paneled walls, natural wood tables, hanging plants, and drop lights. Make sure you order the ‘Prawn Pasta’ (us Aussies don’t actually say shrimp) or Crab Linguine washed down with a glass of Savvy B (translation: Sauvignon Blanc) from South Australia’s Barossa Valley. @rubyscafe
Good Thanks
This NYC Aussie hotspot in the LES takes its name from the way Aussie’s answer pretty much everything. “How are you?”. “How’s work?” “How’s the food?” ‘Yeah good thanks, mate,” which perfectly sums up that laidback upbeat Aussie spirit, culture, and cuisine. The good guys behind Good Thanks, Tim Cottle and Will Reese, owned and managed cafes and restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne and opened their NYC eatery to offer top quality food, natural wines, and coffee in a laid-back, friendly setting. So yes, it’s casual, light-filled, and beach-inspired with ocean-blue tones, and plenty of greenery. The menu is simple, short, breakfast-orientated, and broken up into size—small, medium, large. Try the ‘Whitefish Toast, ‘Kimchi Scrambled Eggs’, ‘Good Times Salad’ or their signature ‘Special Blue Bowl’—a blend of banana, pineapple, coconut milk, seasonal fruits, gluten-free granola, and raw blue spirulina, a potent vitamin, mineral, and enzyme sea algae that will cure even an Aussie hangover. @goodthanksnyc
Bourke Street Bakery
Give us this day our daily bread. Loved for its sourdough, artisanal bread, pastries, baguettes, sandwiches, and sausage rolls (an Aussie staple, try the lamb and harissa), the ex-pat community lined around the block when Sydney’s Bourke Street Bakery opened its doors in NoMad (right by the Travel Curator offices, so that’s where you’ll find us most mornings). The Aussie meets French cafe-style bakery (the bakery is open style, so you can see and smell the bread as it bakes) has an all-day breakfast/lunch menu so you can wash down your great coffee with ‘Banana Bread’, ‘Smashed Avocado and Feta’ toast, one of their signature sandwiches, or the ‘Cous Cous Salad.’ @bourkestreetbakerynyc
It’s all good, thanks mate.
