First Drop Cafe Redfern — Restaurant in Sydney

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...

My partner and I were once regular customers at "The First Drop" and were keen to revisit an old haunt. We were sad to learn Chris and Michael had sold the business but were open minded to support the new owners. While we understood there would be changes, our experience was significantly disappointing. The service was notably poor from the outset. Despite the cafe having tables available, our order took an excessive amount of time to be taken, requiring us to find a staff member to assist. This lack of attentiveness continued throughout our visit. A glass of orange juice was served as mostly ice, with very little actual juice, for the price of $10. Following this, we waited over an hour for our food. When a server finally approached, it was to inform us that our order had been lost, with an assurance it would be rushed. Another hour passed before our meals arrived, and the quality was unacceptable. The eggs and bacon were undercooked, and the toast and hash brown were burnt. We also had to request cutlery. Throughout the extended wait and errors, various staff members repeatedly offered the explanation that the cafe had recently opened and was still adjusting. This excuse, while initially understandable, became frustrating given the continued mistakes, including forgetting our initial order and failing to check on our food. The issues persisted when we attempted to pay, as our order had been lost once again, requiring us to list our items for processing. We were not offered any discount or complimentary items as an apology for the considerable inconvenience and poor quality of our meal. The woman at the table next to us was served a meal with dairy despite requesting dairy free due to lactose intolerance. Given the multiple failures in service and food quality, and the lack of any compensatory gesture, we will not be returning to "The First Drop." Interesting to see the owners replying to positive reviews and not trying to make amends with frustrated customers. Also suspicious that they seem to be populating this space with positive reviews every time there’s a series of 1 star reviews…I hope Chris and Michael don’t have to witness what’s become...

First Drop Cafe has been in Redfern for about 15 years now and going strong I might say. I went with my son and friends for a Sunday brunch and the cafe was packed! And for good reasons. Chris, the owner, told me that they want their customers to feel at home. They made me feel that and not because I was their guest but that’s just how they operate. In the two hours I have been there, I observed how attentive the owners, Chris and Michael, and his team are. They just love making you feel comfortable.

It’s not just the service I wanted to commend though. The food was amazing. They serve classic Aussie brunch dishes and at times with a twist. Their breakfast burrito is actually a fusion of an omelette and burrito. They used the omelette as a wrap. Worked for me! The Agean skillet is what I might say the equivalent of shakshuka. Served with a toast on the side and @pepesaya butter, you do not want to share this.

Pro tips: Servings are huge. Seriously. My cold drip coffee had a slice of orange. Made me happy...