Brisbane’s best coffee spots
Australians love coffee, and we especially love it when it’s done well. For this reason, I’ve been on a mission to find some of Brisbane’s best coffee spots to satiate my caffeine cravings.
By Lucy White
While studying the last four years to get my degree, I have spent a lot of time and money trying to find Brisbane’s best and cosiest coffee spot. This completely subjective personal quest to find myself at the bottom of a cappuccino has led me to some of Brisbane’s finest cafés – the places with good coffee and a great atmosphere.
DEER SIR
This beautiful little café at Portside offers a different coffee experience than most cafes in Brisbane, as Deer Sir is located right inside Co Design at Portside. Take a seat and enjoy your Allpress Espresso coffee and cake, or a pot of Harney and Sons Fine Tea (all the way from New York), while perusing the beautiful homewares and handmade jewellery from Co Design just on the other side of the room.
39 Hercules St, Hamilton
P 3216 4116
Mon – Sat 7am-4.30pm
Sun 8am-4:30pm
CLIFFS CAFÉ
Offering by far one of the best coffee views in Brisbane, Cliffs Café is located at the top of the Kangaroo Point cliffs. Finish your run with toast and a hot mocha, made with Piazza D’Oro coffee, or enjoy a delicious iced coffee with your lunch while you look out over the Brisbane River and the Botanical Gardens before taking a stroll down through the Southbank Parklands.
29 River Tce, Kangaroo Point
P 3391 7771
Mon – Sat 7am-5pm
Sun 7am-6pm
SLIGHTLY TWISTED
This quirky café offers many zany drinks to quench any thirst – from enormous shakes and frappes, to a piping hot cup of Elixir coffee with a cheeky Kiss on the side. Slightly Twisted’s slightly twisted staff, are always up for a joke to go with your breakfast pocket and avo (and if you’re even the least bit offended, please refer to their list of rules).
1/1180 Sandgate Rd, Nundah
P 3162 1013
Mon – Fri 7am-3pm
Sun 8am-2pm
JAMIE’S ESPRESSO BAR
This hole-in-the-wall espresso bar just off James St is one of the best places in Brisbane for a quick cup of coffee. Jamie’s also offers extended trading hours for an after-work drink and taste the house special espresso martini, or if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat, ask the friendly staff for one of their delicious wraps.
49 James St, The Valley
P 3257 1010
Mon – Thurs 6:30am-7pm
Fri 6:30am-10pm
Sat 7am-7pm
Sun 7:30am-7pm
DANDELION AND DRIFTWOOD
A quaint offering in the middle of Hendra, Dandelion and Driftwood has a great selection of tasty treats to go with your coffee. Cupping notes are provided with every cup of coffee for your perusal. Also offering a high-tea option for when you’re feeling more refined than your morning latte, Dandelion and Driftwood provides great service and a great atmosphere for a coffee catch-up with friends.
1/45 Gerler Rd, Hendra
P 3868 4559
Mon – Sat 8am-4pm
Sun 8am-2pm
DOVETAIL ON OVEREND
This charming little suburban café is one of the best finds in Brisbane. Set back from the morning traffic on Overend St in Norman Park, Dovetail on Overend offers breakfast and coffee from Uncle Joe’s Coffee Experience if you need a moment of quiet contemplation, as well as vegan and gluten free treats. A little P&Q with your coffee is the perfect start to the day!
85 Overend St, Norman Park
P 0435 224 407
Tues – Fri 7am-1pm
Sat – Sun 7am-2pm
SASSAFRAS CANTEEN
There are many reasons why Sassafras is one of the most popular coffee spots in Paddington. Select anything off the delicious menu and enjoy it in a relaxed setting – be it in the garden, hidden from the world behind the hedge, or the practically private indoor seating area. I’ve spent weeks dreaming about their Bear Bones Espresso (and their special Hazelnut Lindt Lattes).
88 LaTrobe Tce, Paddington
P 3369 0600
Mon – Sun 7am-3pm
CREAM
Offering a heavenly selection of cakes and tasty treats in Coorparoo is Cream on Cavendish Rd, along with their delightful Grinders coffee. I’m always in awe of their fabulous pastries whenever I visit, and the coffee is absolutely the cherry on top of a very good cake. Cream provides cosy seating indoors for a quiet chat, as well as ample seating in their outdoor setting.
380 Cavendish Rd, Coorparoo
P 3324 2713
Mon – Thurs 8am-5pm
Fri – Sat 7am-10pm
Sun 7am-5pm
PADDOCK ESPRESSO
Located just off Raymont Rd in the Grange, Paddock Espresso is a great place for a quiet cup of coffee, or a good gossip session. Step inside to order your Belissimo Ultimo coffee and take a seat in the beautiful little outdoor seating area. Having a coffee at Paddock Espresso is just like having coffee at a friend’s – it’s quiet and comfortable, and you can feel like you’re in your own little world while you’re rehashing all the events of the weekend.
1/38 Chermside St, Grange
P 3077 6768
Mon – Fri 6:30am-2pm
Sat – Sun 7am-1pm
DEATH BEFORE DECAF
It’s not often that you come across a 24/7 café, but that is exactly what Death Before Decaf is. No matter what time your cravings hit, no matter what time you finish work, you can find a friend in a cup of Bellissimo coffee and the metal-inspired décor (as long as you have cash handy). Whether you have a kid that just won’t sleep (sorry Mum), a midnight shift, or you’re pulling yet another all-nighter on that assignment you should have finished last week, Death Before Decaf and their all-night espresso machine is your new best friend.
3/760 Brunswick St, New Farm
Mon to Sun open 24 hours
CAFÉ LACUNA
This blink and you’ll miss it café is a quaint little offering in the middle of suburbia, but trust me – you don’t want to miss it! Café Lacuna provides a quiet haven away from the hustle and bustle of Rode Rd in Wavell Heights, complete with great coffee, excellent milkshakes, and fantastic sweet and savoury treats. With comfy seats, fresh flowers, and enough newspapers to get you through the morning, you’ll be coming back for their DiBella coffee over and over again.
2/264 Rode Rd, Wavell Heights
P 3266 2220
Tues to Sun 7am to 3pm
LOST BOYS
You do believe in fairies, you do, but you also believe in good coffee and a great atmosphere in which to drink it – look no further than Fortitude Valley’s Lost Boys café. Behind a large wooden door off Ann St in the Valley is the magical land of this Peter Pan-inspired café, (and soon to open bar – The Tree House), where the menus are hidden in vintage children’s books. Lost Boys are all organic and stock delicious Montville Coffee; it’s the perfect place for a quiet cup of coffee and moment of solitude.
694 Ann St, Fortitude Valley
P 3162 4195
Mon to Sat from 7am
Sun from 8am
THREE GIRLS SKIPPING
A hop, skip, and a jump away from Brisbane’s CBD is this wonderful little corner café in Graceville. In addition to their smooth brew of Genovese coffee beans, Three Girls Skipping has an ever-changing selection of delectable sweet and savoury dishes, including a number of gluten-free options. All of their food is made onsite and is free from peanuts, and artificial colours and flavours.
365 Honour Ave, Graceville
P 3379 1688
Mon 7am to 3pm
Tues to Fri 7am to 4pm
Sat to Sun 7am to 3pm
ABODE CAFÉ
A calm coffee in the middle of suburbia is sometimes all you need, and Abode Café offers just that for caffeine junkies in Taringa. Stocking tremendously tasty beans from local roasters Black Sheep Coffee, as well as home-made jam from the owners, this well-loved local gem is a wonderful place to spend a morning getting energized surrounded by fresh flowers and sketches by Brisbane artist, Shane Willmett.
2/30 Hillsdon Rd, Taringa
P 3371 9874
Wed to Mon 7am to 3pm
BLACKSTAR ROASTERY WORKS
The home of Brisbane’s very own indie coffee is BlackStar Roastery in West End. After starting out selling their signature cold-pressed coffee at the Davies Park Markets, BlackStar has grown and now sells coffee right out of the roastery. There’s nothing better than the smell of freshly ground coffee beans, and at BlackStar you can enjoy a nice cup of coffee surrounded by your favourite thing – more coffee(that’s the dream). What a world we live in!
44 Thomas St, West End
P 3217 2323
Mon to Sun 7am to 5pm
