The Best Cafes in Lane Cove for a Coffee, Breakfast, Brunch or Lunch

The last couple of years have been tough on cafes. My local café has always been a favourite place for me to meet friends, catch up on the news, or just sit back and relax. Now sadly, you can walk through any town in Australia and see local cafes who have had to close their doors. I’m on a mission to help in any way I can. I’m dedicating my blog, to finding the best cafes in Australia and shine a light on them. This time I’m discovering fabulous cafes in Lane Cove.

It’s time to get out and support your wonderful local cafes. I have already uncovered fabulous cafes in Surry Hills, amazing cafes in North Sydney and brilliant cafes in Paddington. I’m determined to go right round this beautiful country of ours and narrow in on regions, cafes and coffee roasters to find exactly where the best cafes are.

Lane Cove is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, nine kilometres north-west of the Sydney CBD. Nestled in lush bushland, this family-friendly Sydney suburb has a colourful village atmosphere and boasts a thriving arts and festivals scene. On the weekends, Lane Cove springs to life with local families descending on the village and the many parks and playgrounds in the greater area. Although Lane Cove is only a small suburb, it packs a punch when it comes to lovely cafes in the quaint village. Locals have so many great options to choose from.

But which cafe does the most delicious avocado on toast? Who has the best coffee? Do cafes in Lane Cove have a better eggs benedict than cafes in Bondi.  

It’s so hard to know exactly where to go to get a delicious breakfast and the smoothest coffee. Especially if you’re just visiting for a day or two. No-one likes being disappointed with a bad brekky. So, I’ve done the hard yards. After many, many lattes, bacon and egg rolls, avocado on toasts and so many long brunches. I’ve narrowed it down to the five best cafes in Lane Cove.

I’m so excited to share. Let’s get going. 

The Contenders

Birdwood Café

Located at 24 Birdwood Lane, Lane Cove. Birdwood Café is tucked away in a quiet little laneway. This trendy café is focused on producing amazingly consistent coffee and delicious food with only the freshest local produce. The friendly staff here, love to have a chat with their regulars, get to know them and enjoy a good laugh.

The cafe is run by the team from Double Roasters and offers an extensive range of coffee blends. Flight Path, Double Roasters’ house blend, is used for milk-based coffee, delivering a rich and smooth taste with notes of dark chocolate, hazelnuts and brown sugar. There are also rotating single origins every week for black coffee, and two or three single origins each day.

Although Coffee is the main event here, delicious food is also available. On the menu there is a fabulous Bircher Muesli with rolled oats soaked in apple juice. It is served with grated apples; house made rhubarb compote and is topped with Mediterranean grated pistachios. The Avocado Smash with avocado, tomato, crumbled feta and almond dukkah is also delicious. But my favourite dish is the Smashed Pumpkin and Hummus with homemade hummus, kale, crumbled feta and poached egg on sourdough toast.

There is also an Acai Bowl, Eggs Benedict and Mushrooms Four Ways on Toast. The banana bread with ricotta was a clear winner with my kids.

Lamin8 Patisserie

Located at Shop 11 115-119 Longueville Road Lane Cove. Lamin8 Patisserie is a small corner café where locals can pop in for a coffee and a delicious pastry, pick up a loaf of sourdough or a small cake to take home. The Café prides itself on baking everything fresh from scratch, ensuring only the very highest quality products.

It is light and bright, with a white interior, a small seated outdoor area, and a wide selection of pastries and cakes. The croissants and brioche are buttery, flaky and delicious.

The croissants are a firm favourite on the menu. They’re big in size and flakiness and come in a range of flavours, from classic butter to chocolate, as well as raspberry and poppy seed. There are also hazelnut claws; raspberry and raisin twists, cinnamon scrolls and Nutella cruffins.

There are savoury options including delicious sausage rolls, a coconut curry chicken pie, ham and cheese croissants and mini gourmet quiches.

On the patisserie side, you can grab opera cakes, chocolate eclairs, crumble-topped choux pastries, pastel-hued macarons, vanilla slices, cheesecakes, pistachio apricot cakes, lamingtons and a choc-raspberry slice.

Lil Lane Eatery

Located at 1/152 Longueville Rd, Lane Cove. Lil Lane Eatery is a modern cafe with inventive, healthy all-day breakfast and lunch dishes. It is a cute little café with super friendly service, great coffee, delicious food and beautiful décor.

On the menu there is a Chicken and Avocado Wrap with poached chicken breast, avocado, cos lettuce, tomato, pecorino cheese, yuzu and Caesar sauce. The Low Carb Brekky with Mushrooms is great. It comes with scrambled eggs, avocado, herbed mushrooms, onion relish, Brussel sprouts and avocado.

My favourite dish here is the Lil Lane Bowl No.5. It come with grilled broccolini, pumpkin balls, fried cauliflower, spinach, chickpeas, zucchini, fennel pickle, green hummus, quinoa, toasted buckwheat and seeds.

The delicious coffee is sourced from Reuben Hills and there is a wide selection of fresh juices, teas and refreshing smoothies to choose from, if coffee is not your thing.

The Junction Coffee Co Lane Cove

Located in the Plaza at 13 Burns Bay Road. The Junction Coffee Co is a small corner café which is a convenient pit stop on the way to work, or a fabulous place for a casual weekend brekkie. With an industrial vibe The Junction Coffee Co. serves up quality coffee and satisfying breakfasts. The staff are lovely and extremely accommodating. It’s no wonder this café is so popular with locals and visitors alike.

Sunday brunch is my favourite at this fabulous café. On the menu there is a delicious brekky board with two poached eggs, avocado, mushroom and tomato on sourdough. A hearty porridge with cinnamon, cashew nuts and seasonal fruit. However, the Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with crunchy cauliflower, two poached eggs, pesto and feta on sourdough is outstanding.

For lunch there is a beef burger, a pesto chicken wrap, and a Warm Quinoa Salad with baked golden sweet potato, capsicum, roast pumpkin, avocado and parmesan.

The Dragonfly Café  

Located at 307 Lane Cove Road, Macquarie Park.  The Dragonfly Café is situated on the palm-lined terrace at Eden Gardens. The modern Australian menu is updated seasonally with a focus on fresh local produce. It’s a great place to catch up with friends or relax with family before you explore everything Eden Gardens has to offer.  On the menu there is a delicious Breakfast Burger with bacon, free range egg, hash brown, cheese, aioli and smokey BBQ sauce. The Frittata is an absolute winner with kale, spinach and ricotta zucchini and garden salad with toasted hazelnut. If you want to treat yourself to a sweet breakfast the Waffles are next level amazing. They are served with salted caramel and passion fruit, vanilla ice cream and berries.

If its lunch you are after. There are plenty of mouth-watering options including the Gardens’ Bowl with avocado, soba noodles, edamame, wakame, shredded cabbage, pickled ginger, crispy shallots, crushed peanuts, cucumber and roasted sesame dressing. There is also a Tempura Fish and Chips, a Slow Cooked Beef Brisket Burger and a Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi with truffle mushrooms, wilted spinach and parmesan.

However, my favourite here is their best-selling scones which are baked fresh daily and come in both sweet and savoury. They are perfect with a hot tea or delicious coffee.