First Drop cafe is somewhere we’ve drove past a lot, and seeing the packed cafe was a good telling point that this would be a good place to try out. We popped into the cafe one Sunday morning and found a car park easily, the cafe located in a quiet leafy corner shop in Redfern/Surry Hills. We sit inside, but right at the window, providing a lovely outlook and airy breeze. You can also dine alfresco if you prefer.
The cafe has a great all day menu, with your favourite brunch options like a ham and cheese croissant, açai bowl, granola, cheeseburgers and a BLAT to name a few.
We love that the cafe menu here has plenty of options that are not run of the mill like a burrito made from soft folded egg and their own homemade beans. Their dishes are interesting and many also draw inspiration from the owners’ Greek heritage.
This gives the cafe an edge these days, providing a good niche for those that want something a bit different, whilst also meeting the needs of those that like a little regularity with their cafe order. We order a bit of both.
The vegetarian breakfast is huge, and that’s a lot for us to say, as we are big eaters. With wilted spinach, haloumi, roasted tomato, poached eggs, sautéed mushrooms, a hash brown, the most amazing in house baked beans in a beautiful tomato sauce, we polished these off in no time. Served with a slice of brickfields sourdough and Pepe Saya butter.
From the specials menu, we loved their Athenian Breakfast. We feel that this is the ideal breakfast to also share and it’s a nice and healthy choice. The meal comes served in a platter and is a stunning arrangement of grapes, watermelon, dried figs, yogurt with walnuts and honey, plenty of kefalofraviera cheese and a very good version of spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie).
Other specials include a fried chicken Benedict, Mykonian bowl (salad with spanakopita), and even a s’mores milkshake for the indulgent eaters. There’s a window full of sweet treats too like carrot cake, cheesecake, muffins and pastries.
We dined at brunch hours which was great timing as we also then felt like a salad was suitable. Their roast duck noodle salad was a lovely option. A huge bowl of vermicelli noodles, iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, cucumber, pickled carrots, shallots, mint, coriander was seasoned with a chilli vinaigrette and rolled with a generous serving of bbq duck. They also do the crispy duck on a roll too.
Coffee here is a medium-roast blend by Espresso di Manfredi who use beans from South America and Asia.
Single origin is used for their Espresso, batch brew and cold Drip, coming from Grace & Taylor. On our day of visit this was one from Honduras and another from Timor Leste.
We also liked that they do a range of non alcoholic drinks or “elixirs”. Their elderflower no jito was the perfect drink for the summers day; made with elderflower, lime, mint and soda water. So refreshing! They’ve got a few other options too, including their non alcoholic version of a Bloody Mary. In addition there’s plenty of iced drinks like traditional iced coffee or the Greek “Freddo” version as well as freshly squeezed juices, frappes and smoothies.
The cafe has lovely staff, service is welcoming and efficient. The vibe and atmosphere is casual and buzzing with plenty of happy customers. We loved everything about this cafe and look forward to returning.
69 Baptist Street
Redfern New South Wales 2016, Australia
Hours
Monday to Friday- 7:00am to 2:30pm
Saturday & Sunday- 7:30am to 2:30pm
(Kitchen Closes Daily 2:15pm)