Five Leaves in Greenpoint at 18 Bedford Avenue is a place where you are going to wait for brunch. Doesn’t matter what time you go, expect a wait of at least 30 minutes. Five Leaves is right near the end of McCarren Park and a strip of shops on nearby Manhattan Avenue so there’s enough to occupy you while you wait. So as you wait, here’s some background on Five Leaves.
Five Leaves was the late Heath Ledger’s idea and investment and was opened a bit after his death in 2009. Five Leaves positions itself as Australian/American but realistically, it’s a lot more American than Australian. They offer both indoor and outside seating. Inside is a small bar with a well-stocked collection of liquor and a maritime bistro feel. There are a bunch of old-timey signs advertising coffee, oysters, and cocktails. Outside is your standard bunch of small tables overlooking Bedford and Lorimer as well as waiting customers hungrily staring at you while you eat. It’s a bit crowded both inside and out as this is a place that has an earned a reputation as the place to go to in the neighborhood.
For food – the brunch menu ranges in price from $4 for grapefruit to $14 for their signature burger (that will be discussed later). There are various dishes from standard brunch dishes like sage eggs, gravelax, and granola to more adventurous dishes like ricotta pancakes, Moroccan scramble (merguez sausage, eggs, sourdough, and avocado), and mushroom toast. Many other diners (seated near us) ordered the ricotta pancakes which looked appetizing and I will admit to having a bit of order envy when staring, I mean glancing, at their plates while I awaited my food.
I ordered a hamachi tuna sandwich with an avocado spread for $14. As of today, this dish is not on their menu. I am in complete agreement with Five Leaves staff for removing this dish. Basically, the dish was an open faced sandwich with hamachi tuna, a whole bunch of minced veggies, and a strong helping of avocado spread. After my first bite, the sandwich fell apart and I finished the rest of the sandwich with a fork. It was a strange combination with the vegetables overpowering the tuna and the bread soaked with the avocado spread. Justin got the signature burger, primarily because it came with a sunnyside up egg, fried pineapple ring, and beets on a burger. The burger came and it was obvious that it wasn’t meant to be eaten like your standard burger and would involve a fork and knife. I felt the combination of elements was really unappealing. One bite of that burger totally proved my instincts right and I declined any further tastes. Justin liked the combination after reading the menu online but I think he was really enthused about the idea of an egg, pineapple, meat, and beet combo. After a few bites, I think that enthusiasm left. This burger really isn’t for everyone and they do offer a more standard burger. Both dishes came with blah shoestring fries.
The bill came to over $38 with coffee and tip. The service was bleh. Our coffee came out seconds after we ordered but our food took quite some time. Also trying to find our waitress for coffee refills and the check (despite the long line of customers waiting for a seat) was a challenge.
I won’t be making a return trip as I think this place is a bit overhyped and overpriced for what it really is. I think your money could be better spent at one of the many, many other places on Bedford.
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