Buenos Dias

The Verdict

Every once in a while you stumble on a suburban cafe that’s just special. You can usually tell by the amount of time it takes you to text a friend something like ‘OMG we’re coming back here omnomnom’. At Buenos Dias, we were sending that text within about two minutes flat.     

Buenos Dias is a cute little South American bruncherie that’s recently popped up on Nicholson St. It’s only been open a few months, but already you can tell it’s going to be something pretty amazing. There are a few clues. The sugar-dusted alfajore biscuits cooling on the counter, stuffed with homemade dulce de lece. The epic Kamentsá mural by local street artist Crisp that covers an entire wall. It might be the bubbly owners, Nicolas Aristizabal, head chef Andres Bejarano Valencia and Sebastian Jimenez, whose love for the place clearly burns with the fire of a thousand suns.

At the moment Buenos Dias is just open for brekky and lunch (there are plans to get a liquor licence and run Argentine steak nights – watch this space). But seriously, this is some of the best brunch we’ve tried all year.

Nicolas is Colombian, and as you might expect, the coffee is INSANELY good: a Huila blend from South America, sultry, smooth and strong enough to keep you buzzing till midday. Foodwise, you HAVE to try the fresh-fried arepas: gluten-free corn cakes with a better crunch than the best sourdough. Lucky they come on the dish of the day, the Calentao Rolo. This thing is officially the best breakfast bowl going around. Wild Spanish rice mixed with house-made chorizo, pulled pork and beans, topped with fried eggs, crispy arepa and lemony smashed av’. It’s not overstating things to say this dish will improve your life by at least 12%.    

Wash it all down with imported Mexican soft drinks, Jarritos soda, Brazilian Guaraná or a fresh-squeezed South American juices. Muy Bueno.

Image credit: Jenna Fahey-White