What a difference a decade makes – particularly with a pandemic tossed in the middle.
Brisbane’s cafe scene used to be dominated by full-service venues – places with a broad menu and a traditional ordering system. But COVID changed the game. These days it’s more about doing one or two things and doing them well, whether it’s coffee, sandwiches, baked goods or matcha.
Don’t get us wrong: there are still great cafes in the traditional sense, but we’re living in the age of hyper-specialised venues, fancy bakeries and chef-run sandwich shops.
But that just makes the AM dining and drinking scene all the more interesting.
It also makes it harder to parse what’s worth your attention. Because in 2026 the tiniest coffee window could easily be making the best coffee.
So instead of rounding up the 60 best cafes in Brisbane, we’ve split it in two.
Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.
Next week, it will be everything south of the river. But this week, here are the 30 essential cafes, coffee spots, bakeries and sandwich shops in Brisbane’s north.
Coffee Anthology and Fika
Adam Wang’s Coffee Anthology is the yardstick by which all other
specialty coffee in this city is judged.
Outside the Charlotte Street venue.Markus Ravik
Last year, it was ranked the eighth-best coffee shop in the world. Why? Because Wang presents the best roasters from around the country across espresso, filter and batch brew, with few compromises on technique or equipment. Since moving to Charlotte Street in 2022 it’s become part of the Intersection precinct, which also includes Fika, a slick full-service cafe that serves an elevated
Asian-inflected brunch.
Good to know: Wang’s superb tilt at a roastery cafe, The Maillard Project, is located a few doors down the road.
155 Charlotte Street, Brisbane, intersectionfd.com.au
Kin
You know Kin. It’s the one with the coffee window beneath the heritage-
listed Australian Estates Woolstore building that draws Teneriffe’s bright
young things every morning, waiting patiently for their takeaway
Almanac coffee.
Kin serves elevated breakfasts in a beautiful dining room beneath a heritage-listed woolstore.
But you need to sit down in Kin to truly understand its virtues: it’s in the brief but brilliant menu (dippy eggs with 24-month aged Valserena parmigiano reggiano, say, or a pad kra pao jaffle with makrut lime mayonnaise), the beautiful, homey dining room with its warm timber furnishings, and owners Tim and Allison MacIntyre’s hospitality, which is precise but genuine. A modern Brisbane classic.
Good to know: Kin’s also a go-to for some of the best matcha in town.
24 Macquarie Street, Teneriffe, bykinbne.com
Bellissimo
Australia’s most highly awarded coffee roaster hasn’t closed for a single
day since it opened in this Wandoo Street warehouse in January 2011.
Outside Bellissimo Fortitude Valley.
And more punters flock than ever before: for the exceptional specialty coffee, sure, but also a brunch menu that is perhaps better than it has any right to be. Bellissimo’s other outlets, in Coorparoo and Bulimba, are by now more well-rounded venues, but Wandoo Street remains the brand’s spiritual home.
Good to know: Bellissimo’s breakfast burger is an unheralded contender for Brisbane’s best.
30 Wandoo Street, Fortitude Valley, bellissimocoffee.com.au
John Mills Himself
All of Marcus Allison’s venues are worth your time: Anytime Coffee,
Bessa and Bunker Coffee.
John Mills Himself can be found down an alleyway in the Brisbane CBDMichelle Smith
But it’s John Mills Himself that makes this list on account of its unique digs (which, considering Bunker, is saying something) in an old print shop right in the guts of the city. That hidden setting, with its exposed brick, vintage lights and mosaic tile floor, will get the seekers through the door; the specialty coffee sourced from different roasters around the country does the rest.
Good to know: The address is Charlotte Street but it’s easier to find via
Elizabeth – look for the laneway next to Thai on Time.
40 Charlotte Street, Brisbane, instagram.com/johnmillshimself
Sprout Artisan Bakery
One of Brisbane’s best bakeries is all grown up with this beautiful light-filled cafe on Skyring Terrace.
Grab a seat inside.Morgan Roberts
Also new is a short, sharp brunch menu that elegantly touches up the classics. What hasn’t changed is baker and co-owner Lutz Richter’s precisely folded and shaped seasonal fruit Danishes, berry croissant baskets, double chocolate croissant buns, cardamon custard scrolls and so much more. Espresso and specialty coffee comes via New Zealand’s Coffee Supreme.
Good to know: Yes, Richter and co-owner Rebecca Foley still maintain a presence at the Saturday Fresh Market in Rocklea.
Shop 4/60 Skyring Terrace, Newstead, sproutartisanbakery.com.au
Idle
Agnes Bakery’s successor has everything that made it such a pandemic-era hit: the fire-licked sourdough loaves, Basque cheesecakes, caneles, kouign-amanns and so on – but also an all-day menu more imaginative than most around town, with daily salads and sandwiches added to the mix from 10am.
Idle in New Farm.Markus Ravik
Coffee is by Sydney’s Single O and, of course, this is an Anyday venue so you know it looks a million dollars.
Good to know: Part of the new(ish) Little Lane precinct, Idle’s neighbours include RUMA Rooftop, Green Cup and Johnny Gio Pizza.
84 Merthyr Road, New Farm, anyday.com.au/idle-venue-page
Kosta’s Takeaway
Benji Terkalas brought his viral, pandemic-era Sydney sandwich shop north in March, opening a tiny terracotta-tiled counter operation at Gasworks Plaza.
Schnitty sandwich.Morgan Roberts
Onboard for its debut menu was star chef Adam Wolfers, whose influence shines in two sandwiches in particular: a chicken shawarma, and a breakfast yiros built with bifteki, egg and cheese. Otherwise, the breakfast and lunch menu covers sandwiches, toasties, focaccias, wraps and a pair of salads, with everything – other than the bread – made in-house. Coffee is by Canberra-based superstar
roaster Ona.
Good to know: Yes, Kosta’s Instagrammable Schnitty sandwich is present and correct.
76 Skyring Terrace, Newstead, kostastakeaway.com
Emme
Tommy Tze Lian’s restaurant that opened early has evolved into more of a breakfast cafe that finishes late.
Emme on James Street.
It’s in the morning that it absolutely heaves with customers, split between its handsome, stone-finished interior and a breezy dining island out front. But the care and precision of its woodfired dinner is reflected in breakfast dishes that include potatoes and eggs with cumin, fried garlic and chilli oil, and wagyu pastrami tartine with Russian sauce, pickles and a poached egg. A contender for
Brisbane’s best all-day dining spot right now.
Good to know: Emme’s all-day dining means it serves it serves coffee to
the James Street massive until 3.30pm.
Shop B03, 22 James Street, Fortitude Valley, emmejamesst.com
Baker D. Chirico
Almost every weekend since its 2024 Brisbane debut, Melbourne-born
Baker D. Chirico has had queues out the door.
Inside Baker D. Chirico’s Newstead outlet.Tammy Law
Locals and interlopers come for the sourdough (made using a 25-year-old starter), bombolini and maritozzi, of course. But there’s also a greater focus here on savoury sandwiches, rolls and croissants. The shop itself is a striking evolution of the Carlton original’s “breadbasket” design, with a curved timber ceiling and reams of white terrazzo on the floors.
Good to know: As of last week, Baker D. Chirico has (finally) started opening on Tuesdays.
18 Longland Street, Newstead, instagram.com/bakerdchirico
Riser Bread
Tom Cooney, Kieran Ryan and Duncan McKay opened Riser in 2022 in
the old Queenslander-style shopfront once occupied by the iconic
Bruno’s Tables, and more recently 85 Miskin Street.
Riser is tucked away on a back street in bucolic Toowong.Morgan Roberts
On weekends, it’s the scene of orderly chaos as customers compete for precisely baked Danishes, croissants, scrolls and sausage rolls, and a short selection of
fresh-made sandwiches that are among the best in town. For drinks, there’s Coffee Supreme coffee, hand-whisked matcha, craft sodas and fresh squeezed orange juice.
Good to know: It’s set up for grab-and-go but Riser’s upstairs courtyard
is one of the prettiest in town.
85 Miskin Street, Toowong, riserbread.com
Bistro Tino
Bistro Tino opened earlier this year in the old WWII-era Nissen hut premises previously occupied by King Arthur Cafe.
Bistro Tino has opened in the premises previously occupied by King Arthur Cafe.Morgan Roberts
The Mosconi team has created a low-key stunner with beautiful parquetry, and mission brown and clothed cream colour palette. The food is just as good: think Italian sausage served with silverbeet, butter beans and baguette; or a potato and zucchini frittata served with blue swimmer crab and creme fraiche.
For drinks, there’s Single O espresso, Somage teas and Hunted + Gathered organic hot chocolate.
Good to know: Bistro Tino will begin opening for dinner in September.
164C Arthur Street, Fortitude Valley, instagram.com/bistro_tino
Industry Beans
Opening in 2019, Industry Beans Newstead remains one of the city’s best
looking cafes, making the most of its light-filled warehouse space to
create the “breakfast restaurant” by which all others are measured.
Indsutry Beans.
The coffee menu is innovative and extensive, and the brunch menu has
improved to hit a sweet balance between approachable and elevated. It’s
not the most cutting-edge spot around but it remains a Northside brunch
date go-to for a reason.
Good to know: This place sells stacks of beans and brewing equipment.
18 Proe Street, Newstead, industrybeans.com
Nodo Donuts
Kate Williams’ Nodo was a game changer when it opened in Newstead in
2015 serving its baked-not-fried gluten-free doughnuts (they were
arguably more cake than doughnut, but the quality was exceptional, the
range of flavours imaginative).
Nodo’s cake-like doughnuts remains as popular as ever.Must Do Brisbane
Later, an expansion and a gluten-free brunch menu followed, as did other venues in the CBD and on the south side. It’s perhaps not as bleeding edge as it once was but those doughies remain undeniable.
Good to know: Nodo has a stack of gluten-free flours and cake mixes
available in-store and online.
1 Ella Street, Newstead, nododonuts.com
The Green
Green by name, green by nature – a seat in this open-air stunner, among
its stacks of foliage, is a James Street prize on Saturday and Sunday
mornings.
Moreish mezze in a sun-dappled courtyard at The Green.The Green
The Middle Eastern menu is a cracker too: there’s Turkish eggs with muhammara, labne, hazelnut dukkha and house bread, crispy spiced garlic sujuk sausage, and Levant-spiced charcoal chicken. Coffee is by St. Ali.
Good to know: The Green goes late on Fridays and Saturdays.
1/27 James Street, Fortitude Valley, thegreen.com.au
Yolk
Yianni Pisarris took a “secret” menu item from his Morning After cafe in
West End and created a minor sensation when he opened Yolk at Gasworks in 2019.
Yolk CBD.Dean Swindell
Its short menu was built around one thing: the perfect bacon and egg roll. Pisarris prefers a soft milk bun with streaky bacon, American cheese and a gooey fried egg. To that you can add your choice of sauce – including hollandaise, cayenne pepper hollandaise, chimichurri, and truffle mayo – and perhaps a hash brown (Pisarris reckons you should). Elsewhere on the menu there’s a steak and egg roll, a mushroom and egg roll, a chicken burger and a cheeseburger. Specialty coffee is by Five Senses.
Good to know: Yolk opened a second store in the CBD (pictured here) earlier this year.
76 Skyring Terrace, Newstead, loveyolk.com.au
Felix for Goodness
Hiding in plain sight on Burnett Lane in the CBD, this sustainably minded exposed brick and timber cafe remains as vital as ever.
Felix for Goodness in Brisbane City.
The all-day brunch menu features a potato and chorizo cutlet, a spiced jackfruit toastie and vanilla pancakes. Where to enjoy it all? A morning slot here at the hight open window overlooking the laneway outside is rite-of-passage stuff.
Good to know: The Felix team recently opened Riffe for Goodness in the
storied spot once occupied by Sourced Grocer.
50 Burnett Lane, Brisbane, felixforgoodness.com
Sarni
Best sandwich shop in town? Sarni is an absolute contender.
A smoked brisket sandwich at Sarni.Markus Ravik
The brainchild of Marty Coard, Mat Drummond, Noam Lissner and Hugo
Hirst, Sarni emerged in an unfussy, bright blue space on Racecourse Road in 2024. The menu? A tight set of sandwiches, all of which are served on either a slow-fermented bun or focaccia (both house-made), but that otherwise rotate regularly. Typical proteins are pork, and an Angus brisket that’s brined for seven days, then smoked. Coffee is Bellissimo served espresso and in Vietnamese iced coffees.
Good to know: Marty Coard, Mat Drummond and Noam Lissner also own Ach, a cracking Middle Eastern restaurant in Hamilton.
143 Racecourse Rod, Ascot, instagram.com/sarni.bne
Eat at Billy’s
Eat at Billy’s sandwiches were an immediate hit when it opened in early
2023 – particularly its take on a reuben, which throws together 150 grams of wood-smoked wagyu brisket pastrami, red cheddar, pickles, and a generous squirt of signature sauce.
Eat at Billy’s sandwiches sell out quickly.
The masterstroke, though, is the soft, thick-cut white bread used on all the sandwiches – it soaks up any excess sauciness and makes them a cinch to eat. EaB often sell out super early, meaning you need to hustle to catch a sanger – but they’re so good you’ll hardly care.
Good to know: Yes, Eat at Billy’s is the sister business is the exceptional Meat at Billy’s, located just next door.
155 Baroona Road, Paddington, eatatbillys.com.au
So What Stereo
Walking into this obscurely located Valley spot feels like stumbling into the ultimate retro rumpus room, full of found furniture, mid-century layered pendant lights and vintage JBL speakers.
So What Stereo is a retro-styled spot that’s cooking legit Thai brunch.Markus Ravik
Owner Kawid “Meek” Brikshavana’s Thai brunch menu is just as vivid: expect Thai-style scramble with coal-grilled tiger prawns and nam prik num; Thai boat
noodles; and khao kai kon served with coal-grilled scotch fillet. For drinks, there’s Single O espresso and filter coffee, and chilled drinks such as iced coconut matcha.
Good to know: Thursday through Saturday, the cafe operates at night as
Kasem Sook Social, serving Thai street-style food and natural wines.
4/15 Little Street, Fortitude Valley, instagram.com/so.what.stereo
Beurre Pastries
Beurre opened mid-2023 and straightaway had inner-west locals lining up
for owner-patissier William Leung’s imaginative spins on classic pastries.
Beurre Pastries in Milton.Morgan Roberts.
You might order a smoky cauliflower and bonito Danish, a black sesame and yuzu morning bun, or a caramel brownie pain Suisse. Coffee is Bear Bones. The setting is a slick glass-enclosed spot with stone gardens, the day’s pastries displayed on an eye-catching granite counter.
Good to know: Go early if you can – Leung often begins to sell out of
product well before closing time.
33 Park Road, Milton, instagram.com/beurrepastriesbne
Salud
Salud finds chef Vince Estacio (formerly Naim) leaning into the Latin American cuisine on which he cut his teeth in his native San Francisco more than a decade ago.
Salud cafe \& restaurant in Auchenflower.
Expect dishes such as a wet burrito smothered in salsa verde sauce and melted cheese, chorizo patatas bravas, and a Latin-inflected shakshuka. The digs, in old Queenslander-style digs on Haig Road, account for the rest of the charm. Coffee is by Campos.
Good to know: Salud has one of the best dining backyards in the city
(perfect for functions).
109 Haig Road, Auchenflower, saludbne.com.au
Goodfolk Cafe
Great suburban cafes aren’t meant to have a second life but Goodfolk is
arguably better than (the very good) Neighbourhood Coffee Roasters that preceded it in the brilliant old Rainworth General Store space.
Goodfolk Cafe in Bardon. Josh Tate
Owner Adam Murphy trusts his punters to roll with an imaginative menu that includes Turkish eggs, green eggs topped with lamb rosemary sausage, and dukkah crusted Lebanese lamb meatballs. Neighbourhood lives on by supplying the coffee, and it’s backed by a bunch of teas and house-made juices.
Good to know: Goodfolk features a winsome backyard with a produce garden.
58 Rainworth Road, Bardon, goodfolkcafe.com.au
Passport Specialty Coffee
This might be the very best.
Passport Specialty Coffee in Northgate.
The location in a Northgate warehouse is low-key but refined and almost retreat-like, decked out in timber and aggregate concrete floors, with the team pumping out the brews from an enormous coffee bar anchored by a La Marzocco Strada espresso machine. There’s also batch, filter and cold brew available, and blends and equipment for sale on a retail shelf.
Good to know: Arguably the best coffee you can get close to the airport,
if you’re chasing a pre- or post-flight brew.
49 Toombul Road, Northgate, passportcoffee.com.au
Salt Coffee Roasters
Look for the crowd of post-run, pre-shopping Newstead locals on the corner of Doggett Street and Commercial Road and you’ve found Salt Coffee Roasters, Zac Lazarac’s long-term passion project (he used to be a stockbroker) that was finally made manifest in 2019.
Tomato flatbread at Salt Coffee Roasters.
What started as refined, polished venue built around its custom San Remo coffee machine is a bit more freewheeling these days, but the coffee is first-class and the concise brunch menu on-point, with baked items supplied by Idle.
Good to know: Combine with a visit to newly opened Eclair at the Bay,
which is just across the road.
50 Commercial Road, Newstead, instagram.com/salt.au
Bella \& Tortie
Suzi Unwin’s cherished little bakery that disappeared from Grange in late 2022, before later being reborn in a much more pared back form in Stafford in 2023.
Bella \& TortieMarkus Ravik
The equation? An unassuming space, stacks of flaky pies and sausage rolls, focaccia sandwiches, and a menu of the best sweets in the business that rotates weekly. An absolute treasure on the north side.
Good to know: Open just Friday through Sunday, check B\&T’s Instagram for this week’s sweets.
Farmhouse
There’s nothing subtle about this enormous country-themed shed out at Kedron, but there’s little not to love either, Amanda and John Scott opening Farmhouse in part as a tribute to the Farmer Joe’s produce store, which closed in the same spot in 2009.
The OG Breakfast at Farmhouse.
Expect generously sized, produce-driven breakfasts in a rustic space that overflows with verdant greenery.
Good to know: Make use of the online bookings because this place
absolutely murders on weekends.
9 Somerset Road, Kedron, farmhousekedron.com.au
The Hideout
Eddie Cho’s The Hideout is relatively new to the coffee scene but has built a dedicated following on the back of an unfussy, engagement-savvy approach to speciality brews.
The Hideout on Edward Street.
He runs three blends at his Edward Street cafe – all produced by Melbourne’s Axil Coffee Roasters – available via espresso and batch brew. There’s also a food menu that’s much better than it needs to be. The handsome white and red cafe itself, with its welcoming alfresco design, accounts for the rest of its charm.
Good to know: The Hideout has two other locations, on Adelaide Street in the CBD and St Paul’s Terrace in the Valley.
100 Edward Street, Brisbane, thehideoutspecialtycoffee.com
Death Before Decaf
Serving espresso coffee 24-7, 365 days a year is the ultimate excuse to phone it in, but this New Farm institution steadfastly refuses to do so.
Death Before Decaf serves coffee 24 hours a day. AFR
It’s not uncommon to find taxi drivers and roadworkers gathered around its neon-lit frontage in the depths of a Friday or Saturday night. The shop’s blends, AAA and Roadie – custom-made by local roasters – are bracing for that reason, but the coffee’s always exactingly poured, making this a cherished beacon for serious coffee drinkers.
Good to know: The shop itself is a charming spot. Inspired by tattoo and
skate culture, it stocks beans and coffee pods, and hardcore or metal is
always playing.
760-766 Brunswick Street, New Farm, deathbeforedecaf.com.au
Eclair at the Bay
Michelin-trained Pavel Stolarsky’s pastry skills are on full display at this
beautiful little shopfront on Commercial Road, which, as you might expect, specialises in immaculately presented eclairs, but also protuberant profiteroles, textural craquelins, and immaculately styled tarts.
Eclair at the Bay's white chocolate ganache tart with raspberry coulis. Markus Ravik
For drinks, it’s simple: black coffee, tea and fresh-pressed juices. Otherwise, there’s a shelf full of merch, imported candy, books and the like. A very welcome Byron Bay-import.
Good to know: Stolarsky and partner Mary Martin also do a buzzing trade in event cakes, including show-stopping croquembouche.
58 Commercial Road, Newstead, eclairatthebay.com
Kimino
This Ashgrove cafe is all about detail, Kyoto-born owner Mine Hirayama, a pour-over obsessive.
Kimino in Ashgrove.
Hirayama usually runs three four roasters at anyone time, usually sourced from Japan. There’s also house-baked sweets such as sable cookies and raisin butter sandos, and this beguiling, light- filled cafe’s ceremonial grade matcha is regularly rated as some of the best in town.
Good to know: Kimino is worth visiting for its curated selection of fancy Japanese ceramics alone.
71 Wardell Street, Ashgrove, instagram.com/kimino__bne
Honourable Mentions
Scout – One of Brisbane’s most beguiling cafes still serves bagels you should care about.
Foster \& Black – This chain boasts a slick roastery and cafe HQ in the Valley.
Time \& Temp – Precision baked pastries and filter coffee in the old Brewbakers spot in Albion.
Blue Bear Coffeehouse – this unassuming corner cafe on James Street serves breakfasts locals in the know swear by.
Rise Bakery – find first-class French-style pastries at this Newstead and Portside spot.
Riffe for Goodness – the Felix for Goodness crew take on Teneriffe in the old Sourced Grocer premises.
Dicki’s – a fabulous plant-based cafe that’s hugely popular with New Farm locals.
Dopo Eatery – the old Tognini’s in Milton gets a light and bright refresh.
The Single Guys – it might not be pushing any boundaries, but this Kenmore classic is just as charming as ever.
Method to the Madness – By now a Kenmore favourite because of its ambitious brunch menu.
This and That – It’s all about location at this New Farm cafe in a quaint old Queenslander.
Naim – This Paddington cafe’s Middle Eastern-inspired brunches remain a local favourite.
Joe’s Famous Deli – One of the movers and shakers in Brisbane’s fancy sandwich craze.
Queen Amann – A slick King Street bakery dedicated to kouign-amann.
Wolff Coffee Roasters – Beautifully presented roastery in a handsome Hendra warehouse.
Fonzie Abbott – An Albion classic overlooking bucolic Crosby Park.
Pancha – Ascot and Hamilton locals flock here for hearty breakfasts and Campos coffee.
Jocelyn’s Provisions – The storied bakeshop remains a James Street and Albion favourite.
Brolly Coffee – The Botanica team is behind this beautiful Red Hill coffee shop.
James Street Bakery – The engine of James Street Market serves a cracking selection of sourdough.
Doughcraft – One of the CBD’s best bakeries transforms into an Italian restaurant at night.
Priorities – A brilliant little coffee shack on a grassy strip in Alderley.
Hussk – This cracking Grange cafe boasts some Michelin-trained cred in the kitchen.
Sippy Tom – An inviting bolthole slotted beneath the Winchcombe Carson Woolstores.
Mr Valentine – Allpress espresso and Doughcraft pastries in a buzzy Valley spot.
Supernice – This hidden Bowen Hills gem serves some of the best sandwiches in the area.
Blackout Paddington – There are few Paddington coffee spots more popular with locals.
Fave Specialty Coffee – A McLachlan Street gem with precision coffee and a surprisingly refined food menu.
The Tiller Coffee – Semi-Pro espresso out of a bright orange shipping container in Alderley.
Neighbourhood Coffee Roasters – A beautiful warehouse cafe and roastery in the Albion Fine Trades precinct.
Danny’s Bread – Some of the best loaves in Brisbane’s north can be found in this Commercial Road hole in the wall.
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Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.