There’s nothing ground breaking on the Leichhardt Espresso menu- just good honest food done well.
We were running late and I was feeling stressed. As we sped down Norton Street, I failed to take in the beautiful weather and the Sunday bustle of Leichhardt’s main strip. But as soon as I took a seat at Leichhardt Espresso, I began to relax and notice my surrounds. The cafe’s laid back atmosphere and friendly staff immediately make you feel at ease. Although we were seated on the busy street and beside a main road, it wasn’t noisy or chaotic. On the opposite side of the road we watched as families came and went from the Norton Street Plaza. Beside us, people were browsing novels at the Berkelouw Bookshop. Despite the cafe’s name, we decided against an espresso and ordered a round of freshly squeezed juices ($7) to start our brunch.
There is nothing out of the ordinary on the Leichhardt Espresso menu. All the breakfast classics are featured – eggs Benedict, bacon and egg roll, corn fritters and pancakes. It is a good ol’ hearty spread of fresh, simple Australian breakfast classics. I decided to make use of the all-day breakfast options and ordered the chive and crispy prosciutto scrambled eggs served with toasted sourdough ($16.90).
The neighbourhood’s Italian roots show through with Australian/Italian offerings like the smashed avocado bruschetta with cherry tomatoes, crumbled danish feta and balsamic glaze on soy linseed bread ($16.90). There’s also Nonna’s Meatballs ($16.90) cooked and served in Italian Sugo and served with sourdough bread – a hit with the lunch time crowd.
The lunch options also include nine different types of burgers ranging from Nonna’s Meatball Burger served with American red cheddar ($12.90) to the Vege burger with mushroom, egg, avocado, baby spinach & caramelised onions ($12.90).
Both the bruschetta and the scrambled eggs were huge portions and set us up for the day. Everything was tasty and fresh – you can’t go wrong with great ingredients and plenty of optional sides like hashbrowns, avo, mushies and bacon.
What we loved about Leichhardt Espresso was the easy and pleasant service, the value for money and its complete absence of pretentiousness. There’s no queueing involved, no obscure ingredients and there’s plenty of choices. It is also a great option for families with an extensive kids menu. And dogs are welcome too!
Leichhardt Espresso
5/70 Norton Street, Leichhardt
(02) 9560 5144
Open: Everyday from 6:30am – 5:00pm