Where to Find Sydney’s Top 10 Smashed Avocado

Winning the affection of the nation – perhaps even superseding Vegemite – avocado on toast has become about as ubiquitous on breakfast menus as bacon and eggs. Its reach has extended beyond our shores to the brunch plates of London and New York and the incarnations are many: chilli flakes, fetta and chimichurri are just some of the toppings we’ve sighted.

 It’s not complicated to make (just ask Nigella) but there are myriad ways to serve avo toast and everyone’s got their preference. To aid hungry breakfast-seekers, we’ve found the 10 best offerings in Sydney.

Illi Hill

Illi Hill was a milk bar for 47 years; now it’s a café and it has inspired the same kind of loyalty that kept the store going for so long. The produce here is local and the avocado toast is competitive. Served on sourdough, it comes with mini tomatoes, wild rocket, fetta and black sesame seeds. A side of haloumi can only complement this situation.

72 Illawarra Road, Marrickville; (02) 8021 9451

Meet Gerard

The guys and girls at Meet Gerard were never going to simply take an avocado and spread it over some crusty sourdough. In one concession to the mainstream, they do smash the avo. But then they add heat and sweetness with pickled chilli, the crunch of yuzu-toasted sesame seeds, salty crumbled fetta, fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime.

54 Henderson Road, Alexandria; (02) 8021 7211

Erskine Villa

At this Erko favourite, they’re not just spreading some avocado on a slice of wholemeal. It’s chargrilled and doused with piquillo-pepper relish. They’re also dispensing with sourdough in favour of a toasted seeded baguette. Worth seriously considering are the additions of a 63-degree egg and oxtail jam.

63 Erskineville Road, Erskineville; (02) 9517 3957

The Laneway Cafe

This busy Cammeray café has a very generous iteration: the avocado, duly smashed, is served on sourdough, topped with crushed peas and mint and served with spinach, fetta, red pepper, macadamia pesto and a poached egg.

Rear of 457 Miller Street, Cammeray; (02) 9460 1602

Boon

At Boon, a Thai Town favourite, avo toast gets an Asian makeover that will make you question everything. The crisp herb salad on top and hard-boiled egg on the side are nice touches but the crowning glory is the side of pork crackling.

425 Pitt Street, Haymarket; (02) 9281 2114

Cafe Rumah

The minimalist interiors of this newish Malay-tinged café belie the complexity of its smashed avo. Here, it’s spread thickly on crusty toast and draped with seaweed paste and a free-range “onsen” egg, slow-cooked at 63 degrees to oozy perfection. Furikake, a Japanese seasoning that epitomises umami, is sprinkled on top and the whole lot is finished with a smattering of chives and lemon zest.

71-73 Campbell Street, Surry Hills; (02) 9280 2289

Dachshund Coffee

Dachshund is dog-friendly but the pooch isn’t going to get a look-in when it comes to the Reformed Avocado. Silky crushed avo, Meredith Dairy goat’s fetta, tiny Roma tomatoes, quinoa tabouli and fried sage leaves adorn thick sourdough toast. A poached egg with a perfect, runny yolk is an optional extra, though we really can’t see how it’s even a question.

64-66 Gladesville Road, Hunters Hill; (02) 9879 4619

Two Chaps

One of the many things we’ve learned from Flight of the Conchords is that fetta makes things better. Two Chaps adds pickled capsicum, tomato and peppery watercress for an avocado toast that’s bright and full of flavour.

122 Chapel Street, Marrickville; (02) 9572 8858

Brewtown Newtown

There’s a decidedly Nordic slant to Brewtown Newtown’s avocado toast. Spread over rye sourdough, chunky avocado is topped with beetroot-cured ocean trout, dill and beetroot relish. Then everything veers wildly (and deliciously) off-course with the addition of crumbled Persian fetta.

6-8 O’Connell Street, Newtown; (02) 9519 2920