Birdwood Cafe

Review by Julia

Where is it?

This cafe is located in Lane Cove, near The Canopy, which is a great grassy area above Coles and Aldi that houses lots of cafes, restaurants, a children’s playground, a performance stage and a grass lawn. 

I used to live in Lane Cove near The Canopy.  I first moved to Lane Cove just as Sydney went into lockdown in 2021, and I was living by myself and working from home, so going out for coffee in the morning before work was a real treat (and quite often the highlight of my day). Birdwood Cafe was always open in the morning, and had a healthy queue of people, so I knew I had to try it out - after a couple of weeks, it quickly became my favourite local coffee spot.

What’s to like?

It’s a small space, but it’s mighty. In my opinion, they serve the best coffee in Lane Cove!  My order to go was always a large oat latte and it was divine and never disappointed. For a while I also bought ground coffee beans from the cafe for when I made coffee at home. The beans were really nice, but they were a bit too expensive for me, so I stopped after a while.

Whilst on maternity leave, I started to frequent the cafe for a solo brunch during my daughter’s morning naps. Birdwood Cafe has both indoor and outdoor seating. The indoor space is limited, but there are a few more tables outdoors with enough space to park your pram beside you (and finding pram friendly spaces has become a new mission in my life).

The menu has a good selection of brunch fare. My favourite dish by far was their Baked Rice Pudding which is made of creamy rice, topped with a delicious berry compote, mango, honey and pistachio crumble. I don’t often order rice pudding for brunch, but Birdwood Cafe’s is just too good to resist! I have since moved out of Lane Cove, but I would go back just for that Rice Pudding.

What’s not to like?

It gets very busy over the weekend, so it can be hard to find a table. The Canopy is also a bit chaotic on Saturday and Sunday mornings - lots of young families live in Lane Cove so there are heaps of kids running around the playground on the weekend. I know what you’re thinking - don’t you have a child too? And you’re right - I do, which is why finding a peaceful moment is so important. This is why I preferred to visit Birdwood Cafe during the working week, when the surrounding area was much calmer and I could enjoy my brunch in peace with a good book :)