Best cafes and coffee in Brisbane

Brisbane's cafe scene has developed from a coffee backwater in the 1990s into a genuinely competitive specialty coffee city, with the Five Senses, Campos, and locally roasted coffee from the growing number of Brisbane roasters creating the espresso quality that the subtropical city now demands across its inner suburbs.

Blackstar Coffee, West End — the West End roastery and cafe on Thomas Street has anchored Brisbane's specialty coffee identity since 2010, with the distinctive black star branding, the in-house roasting, and the accessible espresso programme that has served the West End creative community as the neighbourhood's daily coffee ritual.

Fonzie Abbott, Fortitude Valley — the Fortitude Valley and Howard Smith Wharves specialty cafe roasts its own coffee and serves it in the heritage building setting that the Valley's industrial-to-cultural conversion has created. The espresso programme is precise and the brunch menu is stronger than most cafes that prioritise coffee quality over food.

Loose Leaf, New Farm — the New Farm neighbourhood specialty cafe provides the filter coffee programme, the house-baked morning pastries, and the relaxed garden setting that the New Farm residential population uses as the morning social infrastructure. Less technically intense than the CBD specialty bars but more welcoming for the long Saturday morning.

Archive Beer Boutique, South Brisbane — the South Brisbane cafe and bar hybrid provides the morning espresso and the afternoon craft beer in the bookshop and vinyl record setting that creates Brisbane's most intellectually curated all-day venue. The coffee quality is reliable and the setting is like nothing else in the city.

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