Aussie Grind Climbs the Ranks of Dallas’ Brunch Scene

They say a true Australian breakfast is a trifecta of good coffee, good service and good banana bread. For the fourth consecutive year, Frisco breakfast spot The Aussie Grind makes Yelp’s list of Top 100 restaurants in Texas. We think it’s because it hits all three checkmarks.

Angie and Lui Monforte moved to Frisco in 2019 with a talent for cooking and a love for Australian coffee culture. Unable to find a worthy Australian brunch in Dallas, the couple were eager to start their own characteristically Australian restaurant venture: a drive that culminated in Frisco's Aussie Grind.

The food and drink follow suit in Australian authenticity. One standout is the Aussie iced coffee, a Mason jar of coffee with a generous scoop of ice cream plunked inside. Lighter beverage options include a “cuppa tea” (as the menu describes it) or a glass of fresh-squeezed juice, each named after a different Australian city. Creations like the Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne come with a characteristic blend of fruits and vegetables, crowned with a display of dried fruits and flowers.

Don’t let the early hour deter you from exploring drinks. Alcoholic shakes come in flavors like salted caramel bourbon and vanilla vodka, while the breakfast mimosas, cocktails and frozen drinks add to the temptation. If the two-and-a-half-page drink menu didn’t give it away, Australians apparently love their morning booze … so much that they created their own word for it. Impress your waiter by asking for the “grog” selection before moving on to food. It’s a good way to fully immerse yourself in the early-morning Australian spirit.

A selection of toasts, hot cakes and baked goods gives the breakfast menu most of its substance. Sample the Bubble and Squeak ($13.95) or Avo Smash ($11.95), both of which come with a base of whole grain bread (endeared “hippie toast”) topped with different vegetables, glazes and cheese. A breakfast version of gnocchi is dressed in bacon and eggs, much like its breakfast pizza counterpart. Don't forget the award-winning banana bread at the end, a moist slice of banana cake studded with toasted walnuts.
But The Aussie Grind’s breakfast (or “breaky,” as the Australians might say) isn’t restricted to morning hours. Pop in as early as 6:30 a.m. or as late as 8 p.m. for a taste of the rightfully lauded Australian breaky world. Lunch and dinner menus — while available — are arguably overshadowed by omelets, toasts and round-the-clock banana bread.
While the metrics used to build Yelp’s list — we found — are somewhat arbitrary, we see the appeal. For some, it might be the cute lighting and almost unnaturally friendly service. For others it might be the strongly brewed Australian coffee. Still others might find a new comfort food in the freshly baked banana bread.

We think it’s a little of all three. Lift a cheer to the Australian service as you dunk a slice of addictive Australian banana bread into a mug of Australian coffee. It’s really not every day that you get to enjoy it all under the same roof.

The Aussie Grind. 3930 Preston Road, Frisco.