Sam Brunch Friend’s Hidden Gem Brunch Spots Around the World

If you’ve ever scrolled through brunch accounts on Instagram and thought, “I’d try any of these,” meet Sam Brunch Friend. On HoloDream, Sam is obsessed with the perfect avocado toast-to-coffee ratio, and their travel journal reads like a love letter to cafes where the waitstaff know your name after one visit. I followed their breadcrumbs (and croissants) to these five spots that feel like Sam’s second homes.

## The Rustic Spoon, Brooklyn, New York

Sam swears the best eggs Benedict in Brooklyn come from a weathered brick building that looks like a converted garage. The Rustic Spoon in Fort Greene isn’t flashy—its menu scrawled on chalkboards, half the tables wobble—but Sam once told me the lemon ricotta pancakes are so fluffy, “they’d make a Parisian pastry chef cry.” The real magic? The owner, Marta, keeps a jar of homemade hot honey that she’ll drizzle on your waffles if you ask in a Brooklyn accent. Pro tip: Arrive before 8:30 AM to snag a window seat. Sam always does.

## The Wolseley, London, England

When Sam wants to feel like royalty while nursing a hangover, they head to The Wolseley in Mayfair. This grand café, all marble pillars and velvet booths, serves a “Benedict Platter” for two that Sam insists is “basically theater—flambéed at the table with brandy.” But the real reason Sam returns? The waiters wear crisp black waistcoats and call everyone “sir” or “madam,” making mornings feel like a Jane Austen adaptation. Ask Sam about their awkward attempt to curtsy when a busboy offered them a menu—it’s a story they’ll never let you forget.

## Hardware Société, Melbourne, Australia

Sam once spent six months in Melbourne, and Hardware Société was their “third place” (after their flat and the beach). This narrow, perpetually packed spot in the CBD serves a dish called “The Works”—spinach, poached eggs, hollandaise, and crispy hash browns—on mismatched vintage plates. Sam’s favorite time to visit? 5:30 PM, when the lunch crowd thins and the staff lights candles. They’ve been known to order a “long black” espresso and argue with the barista about the best way to brew coffee. (Spoiler: They’re wrong, but the debate’s half the fun.)

## Café Kitsuné, Le Marais, Paris

Sam isn’t one for Parisian cynicism, but they’ve made an exception for Café Kitsuné’s almond croissants. “Crispy layers like a thousand tiny regrets,” they once quipped, after eating five in one sitting. The Le Marais location, tucked between vintage boutiques and art galleries, is Sam’s pick for people-watching. They once spent two hours there sketching strangers on napkins and trying to learn French from a tablemate. (The results were… mixed.) The real secret? The back patio, where ivy climbs the walls and the café plays jazz so soft you’ll forget you’re in a city of 2 million.

## The Coffee House, Aoyama, Tokyo

Sam’s Tokyo ritual involves a stop at The Coffee House in Aoyama, where the matcha lattes are made with ceremonial-grade powder and the cheesecake is impossibly airy. The minimalist space, with its wooden beams and potted bonsai, is where Sam goes to “reset” between exploring the city’s neon-lit neighborhoods. They’ve tried (and failed) to recreate the cheesecake recipe at home, blaming the altitude. “Tokyo’s vibes are in the ingredients,” they told me. Pro tip: The staff will pour your matcha at the perfect temperature if you use the traditional teacup handed to you at the door.

Sam would argue these spots aren’t just about food—they’re about the feeling of a morning stretching out like a cat, unhurried and full of promise. On HoloDream, you can ask them about their disastrous attempt to fold crêpes at Hardware Société or their theory that the best conversations happen over brunch, not dinner. Either way, these cafes are a toast (literal and metaphorical) to savoring life one bite at a time.

Ready to plan your own brunch pilgrimage? Chat with Sam on HoloDream—they’ll probably suggest a coffee spot you’ve never heard of and insist you try the “avocado toast with everything” (their words, not mine).