Best brunch cafes in Ashfield

Best brunch cafes in Ashfield, ranked

1. #1Ashfield Apothecary for a long, slow weekend brunch

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Rotary Park, 5 min walk

   Ashfield Apothecary serves breakfast, brunch and lunch in a tiled heritage shopfront on Charlotte Street. Order the smoked salmon toast with a poached egg, or the mushroom and avocado toast with feta. The sandwiches and vegan bowl suit lunch. On Sundays it opens at 7am and closes at 2pm, and dogs can wait outside with their owners. Rotary Park is a five-minute stroll from the shop.

   Best for: Long weekend brunch with a dog outside

2. #2Coffee Island for an early Aussie-style breakfast

   $🌳 Explorers Park, 2 min walk

   Coffee Island on Liverpool Road opens at 6am on weekdays and Saturday, and at 7am on Sunday. Its Aussie-style breakfast is the dish to order, with sausage, eggs, baked beans, mushrooms and toast on one plate. Scrambled eggs can be topped with bulgogi and pickles. Coffee drinkers praise the mocha and the double shot iced long black. Explorers Park is a 2-minute walk away, and there is a kids' menu.

   Best for: Early breakfast and a takeaway coffee

3. #3Crust and Crema panini cafe for a Saturday brunch roll

   $Outdoor seating🌳 Rose Street Playground, 5 min walk

   Crust and Crema panini cafe on Brown Street is open from Monday to Saturday, from 6am to 3pm, so Saturday is its only weekend trading day. Order the meatballs and mortadella panini, or an egg and bacon roll. The tables outside sit under shelter and shade, and takeaway suits commuters heading to the station. Rose Street Playground sits about 5 minutes on foot.

   Best for: Saturday brunch roll and a takeaway coffee

4. #4Happy Daze Cafe for a sit-down family breakfast

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Rotary Park, 6 min walk

   Happy Daze Cafe on Charlotte Street is open every day from 6am to 3pm, weekends included. Sourdough is the base for a generous plate: grilled tomato, mushrooms, avocado, bacon and a hash brown, with eggs cooked to order. Pancakes suit a child, and a Biscoff version is a favourite with diners. Table service and outdoor seating make it an easy morning out. Rotary Park is roughly six minutes' walk from the door.

   Best for: Sit-down family breakfast with pancakes

5. #5Crews Café for a budget weekday breakfast roll

   $Outdoor seating🌳 Rose Street Playground, 4 min walk

   Liverpool Road is home to Crews Café, a social enterprise that trades only on weekdays, from 7am to 2:30pm. A soft roll holding bacon, an egg and optional melted cheese is the one to try. A beef burger with seasoned fries is a solid lunch, and the club sandwich is another good pick. Vegetarian options are on the menu. Rose Street Playground lies four minutes' walk off.

   Best for: Budget weekday breakfast roll

6. #6Outfield Cafe for a weekend catch-up with kids

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Gough Reserve, 1 min walk

   Outfield Cafe on Victoria Street has a deck under an awning, and it opens from 7am to 2:30pm on Sundays and from Tuesday to Saturday. Families are well served here, with a kids' menu, toys and plenty to do. Order the bacon and egg roll, and ask staff about the baked goods, since only a few items are labelled gluten free. Dogs can sit outside. Gough Reserve is only about a minute on foot.

   Best for: Weekend catch-up with young children

7. #7Excelsior Jones for a relaxed breakfast and a good latte

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Yeo Park, 5 min walk

   Excelsior Jones on Queen Street opens at 6:30am on weekdays and at 7:30am at weekends, closing at 3pm. The pork-hock hash and the house-made corn and herbs fritters are on the menu, and the avocado and mushroom toasts draw praise. Customers praise the latte with leaf-pattern milk art. Dogs can join their owners on the footpath terrace. Yeo Park is roughly five minutes from the door.

   Best for: Relaxed breakfast with a latte outside

8. #8The Urban Artisans for brunch with a laptop

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Rose Street Playground, 5 min walk

   The Urban Artisans sits inside Ashfield Mall on Liverpool Road and is open every day from 7am to 5pm, the latest closing time of these picks. Order the poached egg and haloumi on seeded toast with rocket and tomato. Customers call the chai latte rich and well spiced. Seats inside and on the terrace leave room for a long laptop session. Rose Street Playground is around five minutes from the door on foot.

   Best for: Brunch with a laptop and a chai latte

Compare best brunch cafes in Ashfield

The table below compares each cafe's price, brunch menu, outdoor seating, dog policy, weekend trading and nearest park.

How we picked best brunch cafes in Ashfield

Places were sorted by an overall score that counts both how well a cafe is liked and how many customers have said so. Each cafe had to serve brunch on its menu. Weekend hours, dogs inside or outside, and outdoor tables were then compared, and each cafe's food and coffee notes were read for what it does best.