Last week Brian from Fitzroyalty made a bold claim - that Juanita's offers the best breakfast in Fitzroy. To be honest, I wasn't even aware that Juanita's offers breakfast! I only knew it as the place selling Latin-style sweets 'til all hours, which I'd been vaguely intending to sample for some time. Could its morning meals outdo such heavyweights as Babka, Ici, Julio and Min Lokal?
It certainly offers some stiff competition. Michael loved the Huevos Rancheros ($12.50) - two sunny-side-up fried eggs with gooey yolks, avocado, kidney beans, corn tortillas and a 'rancho style' sauce that Michael couldn't stop talking about.
Meanwhile, I tucked into the Reina Andaluz ($6.50) - a lemon and cinnamon creamed rice pudding served with orange and passionfruit. The rice was drier and firmer than I've known in other rice puddings (this one excepted), but it had a lovely vanilla flavour and was offset nicely by the tangy, juicy fruit. I would have liked to have even a little more fruit, but I happily polished off this bowlfull and was satisfied for hours afterwards.
The breakfast menu isn't long but it offers something different to most of the local cafes and is very reasonably priced. All seven items are either vegetarian or veg-adaptable; even the empanadas listed on the blackboard include two vegetarian fillings. The preponderance of eggs will constrain vegans, though I've heard a rumour that the churros are safe! And the churros are just the beginning of the tempting sweets on offer at Juanita's. A closer look at the display cabinet had me resolving more firmly than ever that I'd be back for dessert.Update 22/11/10 - Juanita's has closed and will soon become yet another chocolate cafe
Address: 370 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
Ph: 9415 9396
Price: veg breakfasts $6-$12.50
Vegan churros, I want to go to there!
ReplyDeleteI also like the look of the rice pudding, yum!
Yaay. I've been hoping this little place would take off since it opened. I used to walk past and never see anyone in there which made me sad, ad so many cool little places on Brunswick street just quietly open and close. I've had their delicious cakes and sweet treats but not breakfast yet. It's so hard to pass up babka! But thus stuff looks great, so I'm going to give it shot next weekend. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMandee, it's definitely a good spot for a sweet tooth. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Adski! It must be difficult for a little place like this to make its mark on a strip like Brunswick St, where there are so many other options.
It's a nice place, went in there a few months ago by chance. Had the churros with ice cream and a hot choc.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching them make fresh churros by the window.
Argh, Will, I really need to try their churros. :-D
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