Flat White Take-Over: The 5 Best Australian Coffee Shops in NYC

Australians, like New Yorkers, love a good cup of joe. Lately, the coffee craze is all about the Australian flat white, a coffee drink invented in Melbourne, Australia in the ’70s that’s made by pouring a thin layer of steamed milk over a single or double shot of espresso. If you’ve never sipped on a flat white or seen “avo on toast” written on a menu, you’ve probably never been to an Australian coffee shop. They’re popping up all over New York City, serving up coffee with flat whites and Aussie bites. Try a sip of coffee down under at one of these authentic Australian coffee shops in NYC.

Little Collins

667 Lexington Avenue

(212) 308-1969

The city’s abuzz over Little Collins, a coffee shop named after the street in Melbourne—a narrow lane of coffee shops and bars tucked between high-end designer stores. The classic flat white and iconic bites, like “The Convict” (vegemite on toast) and “The Smash” (avocado and feta on toast sprinkled with chili flakes and pepitas), are unmatched anywhere in the city.

Bluestone Lane
30 Broad Street
(646) 684-3771

Bluestone Lane’s coffee shop trio—in Midtown, the Financial District, and Bryant Park (and the newly opened café in the West Village)—take after Melbourne’s hole-in-the-wall espresso bars. We doubt you’ll find their “Australian Iced Coffee” (a double shot of espresso poured over milk and ice cream) on any other menu nearby.

Two Hands
164 Mott Street
(917) 475-1815

The “Outback Cap,” an espresso dusted in cocoa powder and served with a side of Tim Tams—Australia’s beloved (and addicting) chocolate-covered biscuits—is what’s drawing the coffee crowd to Two Hands in Little Italy. “Good food by good dudes,” is the coffee shop’s motto, and the ricotta toast—topped with wild berries, honey and coconut on a Balthazar cranberry and pecan loaf—is delicious proof.

Blue Bird Coffee Shop
72 E 1st Street
(212) 260-1879

Sydney’s original Blue Bird Coffee Shop has a sister location—a cozy café in the East Village, where a sunny staff serves coffee in sky blue mugs. The “Biscuit Sandwich”—made with Swiss, Sriracha mayonnaise, bacon or ham, and served Aussie-style with a fried egg on top—is a customer favorite.

Brunswick
144 Decatur Street
(347) 404-6832

The flat white coffee craze has made its way to Brooklyn at a coffee shop called Brunswick, the only spot in New York City where you can enjoy house-made Anzac biscuits (Australia’s traditional coconut oat cookies) with your cup of coffee.