The Little Leaf & Bean

I love this little gem tucked in next to Aroy Thai. Their coffees are absolutely delicious and their breakfast, lunch and cake menu is perfect, and as far as I know all home-​made! They have excellent options for both meat eaters and vegetarians alike.
Whenever I come here I always get the vegetarian dumplings with salad. Being of Eastern European heritage myself, these potato dumplings are a total treat and just divine. They melt in your mouth and are absolutely delicious.
Other menu options that I know are delicious (from past experience!) are the soups and the vegetarian big breakfast, but friends of mine who’ve tried plenty of other things here assure me that everything else is beautiful as well.
The cakes are all yummy, but their layered honey cake, whilst wonderful, does become a bit sweet for my palate after a couple of mouthfuls.
This is easily my favourite place to go for a coffee, cake and/​or light meal in the Blackwood area. It’s very quiet and calm, and the owner and her mother are lovely. Definitely worth a visit if you’re up this way (or even a special trip if you’re not!).

What l lovely little spot! I came here a few years ago when it first opened, and was delighted to find it still here. We came early on a Sunday morning, which meant seating was no issue … I can imagine it would get very busy later on!
We came just for coffee, but the sweets looked lovely — fairly simple fare, but fresh and tempting. We did get a cute little biscuit for the kiddo — I assume it was made in-​house, it looked like a plain biscuit with brightly coloured icing and a freddo frog on top — I can imagine they’re a hit with the kids!
Coffee was lovely — my soy was nice and creamy (not sure which brand), and they made the kiddo’s hot choc lukewarm for her.
Will definitely come here for food next time!

Always a sweet place to grab a coffee and a bite to eat. Tucked away from the main road, and still a bit of a secret, the Little Leaf and Bean is nice when you’re trying to get away from it all.
Have found in the past that when I’ve ordered soy milk, it often ends up curdled and not that pleasant to drink. However, standard coffee and hot chocolate are incredible (even worth that mild discomfort!). Food is not particularly incredible, but comforting and homely — sometimes just what you need.

This is a nice little café hidden from the street. It’s not too fancy but the food is humble. I had the Russian dumplings which had beef or lamb in it with a buttery sauce. I also had a chilli hot chocolate that was especially made for me. It was a great winter warmer. I’d definitely come back for more.

Great little coffee place, friendly staff, coffee is tasty

Popular café with the locals serving light meals. Inside and outside seating away from main road, so relatively quiet. Simple food, nothing too gourmet to rave about.
Free wifi but not all credit cards accepted when we visited.

Only 15 minutes out of the city up Belair Rd this little spot really feels like you are in a quaint country town café.
Homemade cakes, muffins and slices (a large range of those being gluten free) taste like nanna has baked them herself. We tried the «Lemon Situation,» GF Orange and Almond Cake and GF Apple and Rhubarb Crumble muffin thing and were all impressed and received our sweet quota for the week.
The Iced Coffees were very creamy and rich with vanilla ice cream — made with real coffee but perhaps a tad too sweet for me.
The atmosphere of this café is comfortable with a range of seating options from couches to large share tables and cushioned seats in the corner. They also have a lovely courtyard for sitting in during the day.
The staff are incredibly friendly, helpful and attentive and seem to really love where they work.
I didn’t manage to try their breakfast or simple lunch options of soup, sandwiches and quiche etc on the menu but will definitely be back.

The Leaf ‘n’ Bean is a sweet little spot secluded off the main street of Blackwood in a small collection of shops near the local Rec centre. The café channels a hipster vibe with mismatched furniture and an eclectic use of items as display cases, but the owners have really maximised the space here whilst allowing the patrons to have enough breathing room.
Staff are friendly in store and always up for a chat and happy to give you their recommendations on food or tea blend options.
The Menu has a good range of breakfast and light lunch options and vegetarians will find themselves relatively well looked after. I’m a big fan of their pancakes (which are really pikelets) as they are very generous on the portion sizes as well as topping options.
The coffee here is a wee bit bitter for my own liking but their lattes are crazy creamy. The Litttle Leaf also mixes their own tea blends you can buy in store, whilst I’m not a tea drinker myself, friends have assured me it is top notch.
The Leaf ‘n’ Bean also puts on regular events with live music, exhibitions and dessert nights on their cards. Worth the trip up the hill, check out their Facebook page to see what is happening instore.