Bowery To Williamsburg

I’ve always enjoyed coming to Bowery to Williamsburg for great coffee and food. Today was no exception. I had the fried chicken on waffles and it was superb. My meal was soured by the service and the staff response. Half our group’s meals came out promptly but when we had to send the sweet waffles back for coming out with cream we didn’t want, we then had to wait for close to an hour to get our food. When we asked we were told that they only had one waffle iron so there was a delay. We enquired after waiting 40 minutes and there was confusion as to whether our meals had been made or not. Finally our food arrived but they also brought out the meals that had already been served?!? When the time came to pay there was little apology offered and certainly they didn’t offer to take anything off the bill to make up for our wait. It’s disappointing and I can’t say I’ll rush back again.

Great place for breakfast and lunch. NY style but makes it its own. I can’t go past the waffle with southern fried chicken and hot sauce for breaky. Outdoor seating in the laneway is welcome for warm days and the service is quick and friendly.

Pretty solid food — NYC themes absolutely everywhere from the menu, decorations, business cards, and bathrooms.
The bagel board was fine, but I wouldn’t order it again, it’s a lot of individual parts that are all OK on their own but don’t add up to a reuben or bagel sandwich which you can order here. Interesting to see their NYC interpretation as a visitor from the city.

I cam never get enough of their delicious sandwiches. But what’s even better is their breakfast menu. Yes I’ll have mac N cheese with chicken waffles and steak for breakfast! The quality is always consistent so you know you’ll always be taken care of

Best breakfast I had in Melbourne my husband had the vegetarian shakshuka and it was pretty good, I had fried haloumi and loved it. The service was good, we didn’t wait a long time for the food.

Today I enjoyed a Turkey Club and this was a delicious sandwich. The standout was the bacon though, since its crunchy smokey strips were bulging out the sides. The whole thing was bursting in fact, with the turkey quite delicious really. The lettuce, tomato, mayo and cheese finished it off nicely. The sourdough was lightly toasted and remained warm through the process of devouring it.
My Turkey Club was washed down with an orange juice.
Bowery was really humming today, the waitress serving was so bubbly and friendly, and the whole crew was moving with a positive vibe. Loved my lunchtime visit today, thanks. Takes credit card but not AMEX.

Cute spot, and perfect for those craving some American food! We’ve got plenty of cliché Melbourne cafes around the place, so it’s nice to go somewhere with a bit of a different menu. Definitely worth swinging by here for a bagel!

Five stars for the hot salmon sandwich on the lunch menu! (Warm sourdough bread, jalapeño spread, smoked salmon, tomatoes, and greens… GET IT) This place is great: a big communal table inside, smaller wooden tables outside. Order at the counter or at your seat. $ 13 for a lunch sandwich, $ 17 to add a side, pickle, and pretzels to that. Beer + coffee, accepts credit cards. Down a little street off Flinders with lots of charm and personality. So many menu options with a big swap between breakfast and lunch! Note: closes at 3. Enjoy!

It seems to be a thing that all of my friends in Melbourne want to take the NYer for American food. I guess they want me to feel at home. Bowery to Williamsburg is a prime example of why I often cringe…
I love a good rubin and decided that Melbourne has fantastic food and this restaurant had good reviews, I would give it a whirl. However, what I got was the saddest rubin EVER! The bread was pumpernickel where as a Rubin is on rye (which is not the same thing!). But this is not the reason for sadness… The reason for sadness is that the bread was not grilled, there was not even an attempt to toast the bread. This is NOT a rubin. This is a sad cold corned beef sandwich. Do not represent as a NY deli if you cannot get the basics right.
I gave two stars because my tea was good and the service was attentive.

Oh my gosh, the love in my heart for this place…
First things first, this place is a proper brunch joint. Plan your visit accordingly (it’s busiest 11am-​Noon).
Now the food: I went with two dining mates and we loaded up our order!
Drinks: cold drip (overly hipster presentation, but my friend said it was good coffee, so I won’t discourage it); flat white (top 3 I’ve had in Melbourne); Cuban Bloody Mary (hubs thought it was tasty, very heavy on the horseradish, probably could use a bit more worchestershire sauce, overall worth it)
Mains:
–the smargasboard of fish and bagel toppings (a veritable feast all on its own with beautifully smoked and cured fish, very creative flavored cream cheese, and fresh toppings for your (on the small side) bagel)
–the Lechon Asada sandwich (gorgeous slow cooked pulled pork with zucchini and other delectables on a (sometimes soggy) bun – a big winner in my book)
–the day’s special of cornmeal waffle topped with seafood and sausage gumbo and fried eggs (this was to die for, i have nothing but love for their chef)
Sides: bacon (Hello, America!!! Streaky, cured, maybe smoked? bacony goodness from the land of the free); mac and cheese/​pretzels/​pickle (yes); latkes (serving is on the small side which surprised us because all the other portions were HUGE, and the latkes just were’s anything to write home about – this was the one thing I wouldn’t order again)
This place is absolutely awesome. You shouldn’t go there, though, because it might make it hard for me to get a table. So… forget everything I’ve said here.

I really liked this place. Like an understated Brooklyn deli, which I guess is the point. Great sandwiches, good coffee, casual environment, friendly staff. I’d make this my regular morning stop if work wasn’t other way. Def will return to try the bagels, but sandwiches are great. Had pulled beef sliders once too, they were on special, and sublime,

Great bagels, great sandwiches, with Pastramis and schemers — lots of flavour. Very USA in style and food. All fresh, delicious and tempting. Had a blueberry pie to take away too but there’s also the NY cheesecake, brownies, and peanut butter hot chocolates. All the usual suspects you might expect out of a NY deli, and without the queues. Eat your heart out Katz!

This dandy café is a step down into a basement off a cobble stone hidden alleyway. You can’t see it from the main street, you got to follow the sound of diners.
We visited around breakfast time, hoping to satisfy an eggs craving. The vibe here is most definitely American inspired, even the music was NYC reminiscent.
The breakfast menu wasn’t traditional, they had their own twist in every dish. Although I was able to order plain fried eggs on toast. In addition we went for the fried brioche, waffles and chocolate brownie. I enjoyed the brioche sans the bacon part. I still can’t roll with that combination yet. I was appreciative they were able to fry me up some eggs despite it not being technically on the menu just because I requested it.
Nothing really appealed to us from the savory menu, I was tempted to the try their infamous Reuben but too early for that. That’ll be a next time choice if we return.
The service was bright, perky and prompt. We got private seats straight away despite it being completely busy.
All in all we enjoyed the vibe but the food wasn’t as fantastical as I anticipated but it’s not a bad café, I would still recommend, lightly.

As an American and someone who frequents New York City, I say spot on! The Cajun Bloody Mary ($ 10, steal) to start was perfect. I tried the pastrami sandwich (excellent) and mac n cheese (ok, not enough cheese for me) and I had the Cuban braised pork– perfectly cooked egg on top, can’t go wrong! And they had tapatio… I’ll be back :)

After traveling Australia for a month, I started craving some home cooking and was really wanting some NYC diner fare. This place definitely hit the spot!
I went in with a big appetite (which you definitely need) and an adventurous friend that was up for splitting everything.
We ordered:
The Reuben — near perfection! I did cut a bit of fat off of the meat, but as a whole, this was the star of the meal. It also comes with a side of pretzels and a dill pickle.
Lechon Asado — also very very good, but if I had to order a sandwich on my own, I would have gone with the Reuben.
Mac & Cheese — so yummy with a breadcrumb topping.
Potato latkes — not the best I’ve ever had, but it was somewhat close to the real thing.
The coffee was also delicious and served with a Hershey kiss (cute)! The ambience gets an A+ for effort. If I had more room in my stomach, I would’ve been curious to try a bagel with schmear.
Alas, I will have to return :)

The idea behind the place hooked me in — always up for some great American style eats, and it ticks the ‘cool Melbourne’ box of being down a graffiti filled city lane-​way, but unfortunately I wanted to like it more than I actually did.
Everything was close to being great but was just that bit off — the peanut butter hot chocolate was bereft of heat by the time it got to me and I had to scull in back before it turned into an ice chocolate in the cool Melbourne morning air. I’m not a guy that sends things back to the kitchen (just complain about it here apparently), but I came close there.
Likewise the Reuben sandwich was mostly tasty (and huge) but after one mouthful of inedible stringy fat I had to open it up and dissect the meat a little to make it more palatable. The cornbread side was again nice, but crumbly at the touch, and to be honest not very close to the true American stuff.
My partner was onto more of a winner with her selections so I think maybe I just got out-menu’d here and would choose differently if I had my time again. As someone who loves visiting the big apple though, I certainly appreciate a little dose of it here in Melb-​town, and nothing in my above quibbles would stop me from giving it a second go.

Do I dare say it, but is Bowery to Williamsburg better than Katz’s? It may be my man flu, but yes, I think it is. There it is, I said it.
I’ve been wanting to come here for soooo long, and just clicked its a minute from my new apartment. Score!
I went the Reuben, with a side of Mac & Cheese take away ($ 17), and along with service, the sandwich was a perfect melt in your mouth reminder of my second favourite city in the world!
Not the cheapest, but I’ve saved the second half of my sandwich for later it’s that big!
Can’t wait to try breakfast!
Fun Fact — inside even looks just like the NYC subway

Best pumpernickel bagel in Melbourne!
House cured beetroot infused Lox with dill smear and capers transported me to Alphabet City instantly!
The Steak and Fried Eggs and Baked Bean dish were bang on too.
Hero of the day was the cold drip coconut water coffee. Don’t go expecting a Big Apple serve though, it barely half filled the ice topped glass (!)
Service was ok, bit of attitude from the waitstaff and a smile wouldn’t go astray (the guys inside are champions though) but the food helps you see past that.
Will be back again real soon!

Now that I’ve been to the Bowery and back, all I want is to go again. It’s taken me a long long time to finally getting around to trying it but, tell you what, it was worth the wait. What do they generally say? Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Hmm. Hang on. I don’t think that’s related to food or is it?
Bowery to Williamsburg reminds me of NYC’s Bowery subway station and I couldn’t shake off that nostalgic feeling of missing the land of the free and home of the brave when I was there. I love the place (yes the US too but, right now, I’m referring to Bowery). The staff are great, the coffee is good, the menu provides a broad range of options to choose from, the food is really good and some might also say it’s bagelicious!..
The décor is cool too and I love the subway sign w/​the J & Z lines on it. I can’t explain it but I always think about Becker when I look at it.
I’ll definitely be back and I have a feeling it’s gonna be very very soon… Can’t wait to try one of their pies too. Sour Cherry or Pecan… Hmm. Anyone?

I’m not typically too tempted by sweet offerings at brunch. Pancakes, waffles, French toast and the like never sound as good to me in the morning as a sandwich, burger, soup or a big, bountiful salad.
With something savory in mind, I decided to push a little outside my comfort zone and ordered the shakshuka eggs. Bowery To Williamsburg’s take on this Israeli poached egg dish arrived with Merguez sausage, Persian feta, heirloom tomato salad, a delightfully spicy tomato sauce and a couple of toasted pita triangles to sop it all up with. It was gigantic! And delicious!
I’d surely come back to sample the bagels and sandwiches. And next time, I’ll know to bring cash, since that’s the only form of payment they accept.