text: coffee house Archives - the naturalized new yorker
  I've found the new, greatest brunch and coffee spot in New York City. It's maybe not a secret, but I hadn't heard of it until a few weeks ago after some Instagram snooping, and I just knew I had to check it out.
  Bluestone Lane is an Aussie coffee house chain here in New York, but they've got one location on the Upper East Side that stands out: it's a cafe/coffee house inside of a church. Try and tell me that doesn't sound super intriguing and awesome.
  The cafe is situated on 5th Avenue overlooking Central Park, which makes it even more amazing. It's right next to – and in the same building as – a fully functioning church that still holds services. The cafe's space is tight, so make sure you come early because you may have to wait for a bit before being seated, especially during prime brunch times on Sundays and Saturdays.
  After waiting for about 20 minutes, my friend and I were seated right by the door at a long, communal high top table. The whole space has a rustic, homey decor that offsets the high arches and stone architecture of the building itself. The menus, on small wooden clipboards, have a selection of brunch items like avocado toast and homemade granola. And, being mainly a coffee spot, there's also an extensive selection of espresso and tea beverages, plus beer and wine for anyone looking for a more boozy brunch.
  We started out with drinks – I went with a standard latte and Meghan got the hot chocolate. The latte was great, had a nice foamy top layer and was perfectly espresso-y. I didn't try it, but Meghan gave the hot cocoa two thumbs up.
  Now, on to the most important part: the food. They have a pretty standard, trendy brunch menu including avocado toast, homemade granola and freshly squeezed juices. I was bordering on hangry, so I went with the most filling option on the menu, the avocado toast. I topped it with a poached egg because duh. Meghan got the same thing, but went with bacon instead of an egg.
  The toast was great – tons of mashed avocado, flavored with feta cheese, microgreens, and olive olive. The bread was still crunch but easily cut through with a knife, and just awesome. Basically when you top something with an entire avocado, it's good in my book but this was exceptionally good. Pus #yolkporn. It was a little on the pricey side at $17 with an egg, but well worth a pitstop on the Upper East Side for some bomb brunching.
  Check out the first post in the coffeeshop series here.
  6 Comments · Labels: Coffee Shop Series, Manhattan, Restaurant, Upper East Side Tagged: Brunch, cafe, Central Park, coffee house, coffee shop, Coffee Shop series, New York City, sidewalk cafe