Ants Pants Cafe

The only thing better than coffee is Australian coffee. If you haven’t already heard, Ants Pants is a South Street gem serving up some of the best food and coffee Australia has to offer, think Iced Chocolate, Flat Whites, Lamington Pancakes, and Smashed Avocado Benedict. At this quaint spot you can BYO and sit inside or out back in their green house.

Back in 2004, childhood friends Liz Fleming and Nancy Silverman, who both had experience working in cafe’s around Philadelphia, realized there was an untapped market for Australian cuisine and drinks, and decided to bring Sydney’s cafe culture to Graduate Hospital. Liz had previously worked in Sydney at Cool Beans and other various cafes. Most of the items on the menu can easily be found in any Australian cafe, and the coffee is from Australia’ Tobys Estates (who now has a space in Brooklyn)- which helps add that extra touch of authenticity. 

 Photos from Yelp

When you arrive at Ants Pants, see if you can sit in the outdoor patio. Imagine sitting in a greenhouse, with wooden tables and chairs. Since it’s completely covered, this space is ideal even in the winter – it’s hard to come by cozy outdoor space in the cold weather! 

Images via Ants Pants Cafe Instagram

Definitely grab a cup of their coffee, iced or hot. Flat Whites are very popular. Not a coffee person? Try their mochas or lattes. – melted down with their own dark chocolate.

The most popular dishes here truly depends on their daily specials. They have a small menu and change it often. Some staples that seem to win everyone over include the Bacon Stack, Italian Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash, or their pancakes. They don’t offer desserts, but carry authentic Australian candy, muffins, and breakfast pastries. 

Past specials have included Shrimp and Grits, Cinnamon Bun Pancake, and Breakfast Fried Rice. We are big fans of the fact that this is truly a brunch menu – some places call themselves brunch but only offer up breakfast options. Seeing as not all people like breakfast foods (*cough cough* Arielle), it was great they offer a variety of options starting at 7 am when they open including salads and sandwiches (and some killer sweet potato fries).

We tried the pancakes on special with hazelnuts, chocolate chips, and bacon, if you haven’t already guessed these were totally phenomenal. The pancakes were super fluffy but also dense, the hazelnuts were crunchy, and the bacon didn’t overpower the pancake at all.

Ants Pants Cafe prides themselves on specials they come up with each week, keeping in mind who their customers are, and catering to them with new creative ideas. Recently, Ants Pants Cafe served a Smashed Avocado Benedict that sold more than any other special  in the past.