Bourke Street Bakery Alexandria NSW

There are many branches of the Bourke Street Bakery these days.   I recall when the first outlet was set up, with a sense of uniqueness, hip and excitement.

Roll forward and I find myself back at the Alexandria outlet, a corner shop with faded exterior walls, still sited at a strategic corner at the junction of Gardeners Road and Ellis Avenue.   Alexandria is a suburb being transformed, moving from its light industrial, warehousing and storage landscape to having more high rise units blocks, in the footsteps of nearby Waterloo.  Vehicle parking is best at near by Bunnings and Harvey Norman - do some shopping and walk a bit to the cafe. 

The menu other than breads is rather limited at this outlet - I am a bit surprised that many other stand alone cafes these days do offer more.    I did on the side buy take away chicken pies.  Is the location limiting the menu here, perhaps aimed for tradies and workers on weekdays and then for discount homeware shoppers on weekends?

In a quick pit stop, I had the Kransky with cheese and cabbage in a roll.  I must say the purple chopped cabbage was marinaded well, reminding me more of German Club offerings in texture and taste when compared to most fast food joints and cafes.  BSB still does quality dough and breads and this showed even in my roll with the sausage.

Chicken pies from BSB.

Paul Allam and David McGuinness started their first store in Surry Hills south of Sydney CBD and that place still bears the name "Boulangerie"  (French for bakery ).    To be fair, the Alexandria outlet does not bear this French phrase and with all due respects, makes one feel like a suburban cafe instead of fully reflecting the vibes and philosophy of the BSB name.

I have been told of varying levels of customer engagement by mates but personally  I encountered friendly staff who were quick on their feet and bringing the coffee.  The coffee was above average and many takeaways were catered for.  As the Alexandria store is not large, there can be a buzzing crowd there, depending on when you arrive.

The Bourke Street Bakery in Alexandria is located at 474 Gardeners Road, at the corner of Gardeners Road and Ellis Avenue in Alexandria NSW.
Opening hours are from 7am to 4pm from Sundays to Fridays and from 7am to 5pm on Saturdays. 
Contact + 61 2 8339 1001
Bakery Street Bakery also operates cafes in Kirrawee, Parramatta, North Sydney, Surry Hills  (the first store), Potts Point, Banksmeadow , Neutral Bay, Marrickville and Barangaroo in the greater Sydney area of NSW.
A hard cover book simply called Bourke Street bakery is available on line and in bookshops.




My impressions of the Bourke Street Bakery in Alexandria:
Ambiance: 3 out of 5

Customer Engagement: 3.5 out of 5
Culinary Delight: 3 out of 5
X Factor:  2.5 out of 5
Overall:    3 out of 5 



Recommended Menu choices:
Almond Praline Croissant
Pork and chicken Empanadas
Smoked Wagyu beef with Orzo, roast Jerusalem artichokes, mixed Quinoa and baby greens.
Pineapple Butter cake (weekends only)