Bluestone Lane
“They also serve food including avocado smash (yum!)”
“You are greeted by sweet waitresses and baristas, all with Australian accents.”
“I didn't want a full Avo toast sandwich, so I opted for a Brekkie board (half Avo toast, half granola/yogurt cup).”
Bluestone Lane
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Good for Working: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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All the hype about this Australian cafe made me really excited to try it for the first time. My boyfriend and I went on a Saturday at 1pm and there was only a 10-15minute wait (which is totally fine – any amount of time is fine when you're being greeted by an Australian accent).
We finally got seated and I immediately noticed how cramped the place was. It wasn't what I imagined but this is New York, let's be real. What really got me annoyed was the service. They weren't understaffed but it just seemed like all the servers weren't focused on their job. We waited longer than expected to have someone take our order and we had to remind them to get us water too. -1 star for that.
My boyfriend got the Brekkie Board, which is a granola bowl and half an avo smash while I got the green baked eggs. Both were really good! They give a generous amount of avocado on the toast as well. The green baked eggs had just the right amount of cherry tomatoes, portobello mushrooms and some green sauce that was delicious (: I see why people rave about this place now.
But as good as the food was, I don't think I'll be back for it. I do want to try their coffee next, but I don't think I'll be getting brunch there again after the painful experience we had trying to get ANY server's attention whenever we wanted something.
JVA AI Non-Salad Options – 5/5
AI Accommodation – 5/5
They have many standard non-salad AI options. So, I was actually torn on what to get. They also easily swap out regular bread for GF bread. The GF bread was really yummy. I initially wanted the avocado smash with a side of chicken, but they ran out of chicken. Huh?! That's a 0/5.
So, instead, I went with the Bekkie Board, which is half portion of avocado smash (I ordered it on GF bread and without tomatoes, ie nightshade veggie) and half portion of apple-soaked overnight oats. Both were delicious. Although, I think that the portions were much larger than half, as I could barely get through half of the oats.
They also have almond milk, which I got with the coffee.
If you are AI, this is an easy choice for brunch!
Bluestone lane on paper is great, everything looked very promising. The actual experience at Bluestone Lane however was a hit and miss.
HIT: The front of the house was very friendly, food is delicious and the wait isn't terrible (10-15 mins).
MISS: The servers were really slumber, food was overpriced and the place will make you reek of food after.
I had a breakkie board which comes with a cup of yogurt granola and a (small) piece of avo smash. It's great for anyone who wants to try two different things at once. Food was healthy, delicious and very palatable! A+
However, what really rubbed me the wrong way was the ridiculousness of having the option to add an egg to your avo smash for $3. I get you want to turn a profit but come on.
Note: Their app doesn't work at this location
Food – 4/5
Atmosphere – 3/5
Service – 3/5
Portion Size – Acceptable, but not very filling.
Verdict: Try it for the novelty, but not a place you'll return to.
Avocado Smash – toast topped with avocado, tomatoes, and an option of a poached egg. Simple, yet filling and absolutely delicious. I've had other avocado toasts before but this is by far the best I've had. On a hot day, tried their aussie iced latte, but it comes with a twist. A scoop of vanilla ice cream. A tad too sweet for me, but refreshing. There is indoor and outdoor seating, but I wish they offered more shade. I was burning outside, and it wasn't even 90 degrees yet.
Finally made it to this Aussie brekky establishment this weekend and the quaint, laid back vibes were just what I was expecting. After about a 30 minute wait I was seated at the bar area and my order was taken relatively quickly. I opted for the avo smash (shocker) with a side of wild mushrooms since they do no offer scrambled eggs on top only fried or poached.
The toast was hearty and delicious, slightly on the pricy side but it's a hipster NYC joint what do you expect. After taking our order, the service the rest of the afternoon was SO SLOW. I had to grab my waiters attention for the check and to process my card. I totally understand the casual no-rush vibe but the wait was excessive and there were a bunch of hungry customers outside waiting for a table to open up. Gotta be honest the Aussie accents kinda made up for the slow service, does that make me a bad person?
3/4 stars in my mind but rounding up to 4 because I know I'll be back whenever I have friends in town cuz bitches love avocado toast and Aussie accents.
Let me start with the positive: the restaurant is really quaint with lots of light in a charming area of the west village. Very cute interior.
Ok, now the Cons:
The food is expensive but not very good. I got the brekkie board and my friend got the avocado smash. In both dishes the bread was so tough we could barely bite into it. I cut the roof of my mouth. I asked for a steak knife. The avocado was off, and no amount of spices added could fool you into thinking it wasn't. The yogurt was tasty but with only one sad little hazelnut sitting on the granola. Stingy for how much it cost ($16).
They tried to fit too many tables into this space. It's not "cosy" but cramped and uncomfortable. Our table was uneven. I held it straight with my knee the whole meal.
The server came over a total of once and rushed us through the order. I tipped high but wondered why. If the food was relatively cheap I'd be less critical, but it really wasn't. It's frustrating when you spend a NYC brunch budget on a very underwhelming (with rotten produce) meal and tip a server that you can't spot in a tiny space.
The coffee wasn't bad but we didn't get it for 15 minutes.
Worst part? My friend is from Australia and is incredibly homesick so I took her here to experience a taste of home. She left without saying much. She is very polite.
My friend and I stumbled upon this gem as we were deciding on a place to eat and catch up. We sat inside where the seating is a bit cramped and personal space was close to non-existent. My friend and I ordered the infused sparkling water as they ran out of cold pressed juices – now I'm addicted to their infused sparkling water….. My friend ordered waffles while I ordered the chia smoothie parfait. The portions are pretty small for the price you're paying and I really should've done some research before showing up. Ended up paying around $30 for food that was just okay.
The space is wonderful. Light and airy, not to crowded on the Saturday morning I stopped by for some coffee and avocado toast. My coffee was okay and my toast was pretty good. The service is friendly and happy which I really appreciated. I would say the food/coffee was 3 stars but the staff and the space were 4 stars. A lot of people seemed to be pouring in for their coffee to go so maybe I just missed the boat on it.