Brisbane’s most exciting cafe openings of 2024 (so far)

There was once a time when everyone and their mum wanted to open a classic Brisbane breakfast cafe. Not so much anymore.

These days, it’s all about more specialised offerings, whether that’s expressed in the cuisine or the narrower focus of what a venue is serving. Yes, there’s a (very good) breakfast cafe listed below that serves a long menu of traditional brunch variations. But just one.

The rest are cafes that drill down on a particular style of food – Japanese, say, or Korean – or even more specialised joints such as bakeries and coffee spots.

Here’s what has caught our eye so far this year.

A Cafe Called Kevin, New Farm

A Cafe Called Kevin in January in the character-listed former digs of The Brunswick Project opposite New Farm’s Five Star Cinemas.

There has been a lengthy fit-out process and the addition of a white picket fence, but the building has retained its eye-catching red-tin roof and expansive deck, both completely refurbished after extensive fire damage in 2019.

In the window is Kevin’s charming hand-painted and gold-leaf-gilded branding, courtesy of Bowen Hills’ Barker Signs.

For food, you can order dishes such as avocado, pink beetroot labneh, shaved heirloom carrots, cherry tomatoes and za’atar oil on rye; a chorizo chilli scramble on sourdough; and truffled mushrooms with poached eggs on rye.

There’s also a breakfast burger, and a bubble-and-squeak variation on an eggs Benedict with salmon and a thousand island hollandaise.

For drinks, A Cafe Called Kevin keeps it simple with specialty coffee by Dibs, co-owner Sam Holman’s rebranded coffee business (previously The Black Lab, which he co-owns with Eli Rami), backed by a menu of fresh juices and smoothies.

Cerin Pasticceria, Woolloongabba

In late May, Giuseppe Caputo and Matteo Cerin opened Cerin Pasticceria together in the Woolloongabba premises previously occupied by The Baker’s Arms. There have been queues out the door ever since.

Cerin Pasticceria sets itself apart from the stacks of other bakeries that have sprouted since the pandemic by focusing on Italian pastries and sandwiches.

Arrive at Cerin in the morning and the cabinets are stacked full of pasticcini (small Italian treats). You might find passionfruit or pistachio crostatina, salted caramel or chocolate bigne (cream puffs), mini rhum baba, cannoli, and mini tarts topped with custard and seasonal fruit.

Larger items include vanilla and Nutella bombalone; plain, pistachio or vanilla cornetti; maritozzo (brioche buns piped full of whipped cream); and Danishes topped with seasonal fruit, or smoked pancetta, carbonara cream and shaved parmesan.

Later in the day, Caputo and Cerin serve four savoury focaccia – margherita with fresh bocconcini; porchetta with potato and rosemary; mortadella with stracciatella; and roasted veggies with provola – which all come with the requisite, satisfying crunch when toasted.

The shop itself is a lovely, light-filled switch-up from the relatively grungy vibes of The Baker’s Arms. Taking pride of place is an enormous marble counter that displays the baked goods. Beyond, through a window, you can spy Cerin and his pastry chefs working in the temperature-controlled room preparing the cornetti.

Doughcraft, CBD

Simone Presta, Steven Chevalier and Salvatore Compagnone opened a new outlet of their cult Albion bakery, Doughcraft, in the smart Mary Street space formerly occupied by Leonard’s Bar & Bistro, which closed in late 2023.

Inside, it still looks like Leonard’s. There are still the mosiac tile floors, the curtains and timber of the dining room, and the exposed brick walls. All the furniture is the same, and it still has the same lovely soft light coming in off Mary Street.

But the bar now does duty as a pastry and coffee counter, and Chevalier, Compagnone and Presta have hung new art on the walls. A fetching display has taken the place of the old window-side dining spots; it lets passers-by know this is very much now a bakery.

Mornings are dedicated to the flaky pastries and crusty bread that has made Doughcraft so popular in Albion. There are decadent Danishes crammed full of whipped cream, vanilla and custard; pain au chocolat; apple compote turnovers and creme brulee croissant tarts. For bread, there are baguettes and loaves of sourdough, as well as a range of smaller focaccia to snack on.

What’s new for the CBD begins with a menu of panini sandwiches designed for lunchtime. You might order the Veronica (mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio crumble), the Adele (prosciutto, pesto, mozzarella, tomato, rocket), the Daniela (porchetta, ’nduja, capsicum, stracciatella) or the Viviana (eggplant, artichoke, capsicum, feta, pepitas).

From 3pm on Thursday and Friday an aperitivo menu takes over, with cheese and charcuterie available, along with beer and a short list of sparkling, white and red wine. There’s also a cocktail menu that features a cosmopolitan, a margarita, a mojito, and three variations each on a negroni and a spritz, including a negroni sbagliato, which subs in prosecco for gin. Presta says the bar staff are happy to stir other classic cocktails, too.

Buttery Boy, Fortitude Valley

Vince Mōefa’auo (formerly Halo Ground) opened this 30-seater in April in Chinatown Mall opposite the TC Beirne building.

The cafe has been fitted out with marble counter and table tops, a padded timber banquette, and large picnic tables outside in the mall.

The food menu revolves around a bunch of pancakes that the venue has named butterycakes (a cross between a souffle pancake and an orange-blossom hotcake).

You can order a classic butterycake with housemate honeycomb, blackberry or maple butter; or a specialty butterycake, with variations including the Nutella Bombe Alaska (Filled Nutella, doughnut glaze, Nutella ice cream and torched meringue), the Pavlova (Lemon curd, passion fruit and vanilla cream) and the S’More (torched marshmallow, Lindt chocolate and Graham crackers).

There are also a couple of egg-breakfast options, an eggs Benedict variation called the Big Ben (which you can have with either salmon, ham, bacon or buttermilk chicken), and a trio of burgers.

For drinks, there’s Coffee Supreme coffee, “boujee” hot chocolates and turmeric lattes.

Supernova, Fortitude Valley

Keeping things simple is at the heart of Supernova, brothers Tze-Huei and Chewie Choo’s (who also co-own James & Antler and Mitch & Antler) new Japanese vinyl cafe, which they unveiled in June.

Supernova specialises in katsu sandos and soba.

The sandos come with either chicken, pork, spicy tuna, egg or black Angus beef. All are made with lightly toasted Japanese-style milk bread and house-made barbecue sauce, and are accompanied by a barbecue dipping sauce and pickled ginger.

The only nod to fanciness is a Mother and Daughter sandwich, which matches chicken katsu with soft egg mayo, and the push-the-boat-out SUPER-Nova Sando, which packs in Tajima A4 wagyu striploin, a house-made barbecue miso demi glaze, caviar and gold leaf, for a not insubstantial $75.

The soba menu keeps it similarly straightforward, with different proteins – wagyu sirloin tataki, tuna sashimi, crispy-skin barramundi and tempura vegetables – matched to different broths.

Away from sandos and soba there’s a short breakfast menu that includes pan-fried potato mochi served with aged cheddar sauce and hot-honey-soy boiled eggs; an English muffin with a smashed beef patty, soft folded eggs, hash brown, cheddar and sweet barbeque sauce; and tamagoyaki with milk bread, aged cheddar sauce and hot miso honey.

Cabinet items include flat croissants, Japanese-style curry bread (beef curry encased in dough that’s then coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried), and a strawberry cake canned in the cafe using an automated canning machine from China.

For drinks there’s specialty coffee by Providore & Co’s Kasa Coffee, matcha and hojicha (including iced matcha and hojicha lattes), and Wild 1 juices. A boozy brunch menu will launch in August.

Snug, Coorparoo

Seasoned chefs Leaham Claydon and Jianne Jeoung opened this charming Korean-inspired cafe in March in a pocket-sized former trophy shop in Coorparoo.

Snug serves St Ali coffee and a selection of pastries baked by the Gold Coast’s Brasserie Bread.

On the food menu proper you’ll find dishes such as a scrambled egg drop milk bread, omurice with prawns and a skiitake lemon mentsuyu sauce, and a duck leg terrine ssam with a whole roasted mandarin gochujan. There are also be house-baked soft pretzels.

Snug occupies a fetching green tenancy just off Chatsworth Road. A straightforward fit-out – mostly handled by Claydon and Jeoung themselves – is dominated by a spacious dining counter built out of red-stained Tasmanian blackbutt that runs the length of the venue.

Benches line the walls, the prime spot at the bifold windows that look out upon the surrounding houses and apartment blocks.

Expect it to begin opening late with a wine bar menu in late September or early October.

Toby’s Estate, Newstead

Toby’s Estate opened its new flagship Brisbane cafe in May in Newstead in the corner tenancy previously occupied by Newstead Organics.

Melbourne architects Russell & George have lended the cafe a fit-out of original brick, ply and vinyl, with much of the seating arranged in a semicircle around a coffee bar that features espresso and filter brews, and also a training area

An extensive coffee menu includes the Toby’s Estate’s limited edition Flavour Savour blends, and also features a rotating selection of single origins.

For food, there’s a light breakfast menu that includes dishes such as heirloom tomatoes and avocado on toast, sautéed mushrooms with a runny fried egg, and a house granola. There are also pastries for grab-and-go.