This cafe, awkwardly positioned in a pocket of Pickering Road, might seem familiar. Their interior…read morehas been done before - mismatched plates and cups, famous people as table numbers, kitsch china figurines and oddly, many lifesize jars of Nutella. But give it a chance. What gives this spot a point of difference, in my opinion, is their choose-your-own-adventure style breakfast menu. They give you the base (eggs and toast - $8.90) and the rest is up to you. Pulled pork (china town style, hoisin meets char siu and dances with soy), vegetable fritter, Haloumi, mushroom, hollandaise? The list is seemingly endless. I arrived to try it all out at 11:30ish on a Friday. It's not overly busy but noisy. You've been warned. The concrete shell of this store means sound proofing isn't an option. Their specialty drink appears to be a cappucino (Genovese beans) with weird and wonderful flavours like nutella or such mixed through. I stick with a flat white that's easy to drink but lacking any oomph. I had read a review previous to going that said ask for a double-shot if you prefer a real coffee kick and I'm inclined to agree. As tempted as I was by the sides menu, I opted for a 6-in Steak & Philly Sub ($10). I've never had a philly steak before but when my plate is served I'm a little lost as what to do with the second slice of baguette. Served as an open sandwich, I'd happily pay a little less for not having the lonesome slice of bread or pay a little extra to have more topping to use on the other slice. I'd actually also love to know if I could have swapped the baguette out for it all served on a bed of spinach. I quite like what's going on at Hansell & Gretel. It's not new but it is a new take on breakfast for this particular area which (and they're directly across the road from iconic Grub Street) I think makes it an interesting game of play for locals! I liked that it wasn't stuffy or pretentious, just familiar food done reasonably well.

Hansell & Gretel is a fairly new spot in Gaythorne, open for breakfasts and lunches every day of…read morethe week. It's small, unpretentious but a bit quirky, and does good food and coffee with friendly service and reasonable prices. The menu selection has some interesting things on there (each has a fairytale-themed name - cute), with a mix of savoury and sweet options, but what is excellent is the long list of extras that means you can tailor your meal to suit. I like being able to add avocado and haloumi to everything! There is also a small, slightly more lunch-focused section of the menu which has things like a burger, philly cheese steak sub, and banh mi. I'm told the philly cheese steak sub is good, it definitely is big! I haven't tried any of the sweet menu options yet, but so far the savoury things I've tried have been yum. They have a decent looking selection of cakes/muffins/etc, many of which are gluten-free or dairy-free (or both). Hansell & Gretel is right next to train (Gaythorne station) and bus (390), but free street parking is also available down nearby side-streets. Seating is both inside and outside, I just wish the outside seats got sunshine in winter! It should be a cooler outdoor spot in summer though to make up for it. Latest update: something has changed, and it's more than the refreshed menu with higher prices (that now exceed the value for money tipping point in my opinion - I know the Woodchopper's Breakfast is huge but it's also $28 and for breakfast I just can't bring myself to pay that). I can't quite put my finger on it but H&G is definitely not as great as it used to be, unfortunately. The coffee is still good, they still play good music, and the sweet treats cabinet still rates highly, but my brunch devotion has waned in favour of other places in the area.

Awesome little coffee and smoothie bar with Fantastic yummy food. Had a berry smoothie with vegan…read morechocolate brownie was amazing. Great atmosphere with outside seating. Funky place in lawnton. This my favourite coffee place, the coffee is amazing

This is a great little suburban coffee shop, with EXCELLENT coffee. I am over the moon with their…read moreCold Brew....."THE" BEST ICED COFFEE....... ever! "If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain," then come to the Wilderness bar .... and Escape. No seriously, if you're NOT into SWEET, then Dana's famed ICED COFFEE is the thing for you. What it is: Delightful Coffee, ice cold, strong, white. What it is NOT - not sweet, nor the bitter bite, and :o NO ICE! Very smooth. It's like an iced Flat White, it is seriously THE. ONLY. PLACE in the world where you'll experience this connoisseur Cold Brew Coffee. From now on I'm INSISTING on a "Dana" wherever I order iced coffee. Even if I have to teach every single coffee shop how to get it right. GO ON - get a DANA, you want it ;)

Great friendly service, good variety of food. good atmosphere, buy my coffee everyday from here…read more Debbie

Lilypad was amazing. Best Capp and Avo toast I have had. My wife and I flew in from Hawaii last…read morenight and Lilypad came up on google maps as the closest place to grab breaky near our hotel. Both of us got the Avocado toast, she got a mocha and I grabbed a cappuccino. The service was great and when we sat down they brought out complimentary home made cordial. Loved the aesthetics and atmosphere!! Billy Aloha approves

Formerly known as Picadilly Street Cafe, this is nice and handy to my home. I have only been once…read moreand I had great expectations as my hairdresser mentioned the coffee had improved since the previous owners. Maybe I went on an off day. The coffee was ok but I don't recall taking a sip and going "Oh Yeah", but it wasn't awful either. Staff friendly and service relatively quick. I do like to support local independant business owners, so will give this a crack again soon.

Very nice coffee and non-commercial cakes, slices and biscuits -- large cake slices. They do a very…read morenice brekky wrap, too, and use free range eggs. We like this cafe a lot because there isn't that mass-produced sense about the place -- it's old-school cafe. They have a selection of the day's papers and other reading material. The reason I didn't give five stars is because the ambiance could be a little better, maybe with more warm decoration or art, something to make it more of a cosey place to take time out for a cuppa.

Their white hot cocoa is amazing, their chai lattes were flavorless (I tried ordering the honey…read morevanilla and it didn't taste like either.) but the view is lovely. The staff left something to be desired, they don't really greet you or make you feel welcome (I went twice and felt this way both times) I tried their banana walnut bread and wasn't impressed there either. We also came for lunch and their quesadilla was good, but I wish they'd include sour cream... while my husband ordered a salad which they can't fit in a to go box so they give you a smaller portion and charge you less, but he asked for extra chicken and got 3 veryyyyyy thin slices. Likely won't return but the view was worth a sit and sip.

Food was ok. Went to see wild life and was told due to human interface kangaroos no longer…read morefrequent the area.

Whilst not in the most decadent of shopping centres, Finnegan's sits on the corner entrance where…read morethe bus stops are in Brookside Shopping Centre. The cafe itself has been there for ages, I remember coming here first when I started dating my husband 9 years ago, we ordered the mini pancakes (they call them something else) and it was under $8 which was a bargain I thought until I saw what size they were. Tiny! Not sure it was worth even that much. Tasty they were though. Very tasty... but there just weren't enough of the little round taste delights to go around our hungry mouths. A lot of people have coffee here and the cakes are very average for the prices they charge. The coffee isn't great, it's not bad though. Although this might be the case, one thing has been true, they are always consistent. It's a cafe in need of a makeover I think, but as it stands, is a great little sit down place to rest your weary feet if you're ever on the northside.

Finnegans Cafe is located in the "Western Mall" exit of Brookside Shopping Centre, right near the…read moreon-top customer parking. Though Finnegans is essentially a cake-and-coffee shop, they also serve meals here. On the down side, the meals are not Finnegans' strong point. On my last visit out with an old friend, we both received our meals after a lengthy half-hour wait (though admittedly the cafe was packed) and both were sub-standard. I'd ordered the breakfast (because a decent hot breakfast tastes good at any time of day) and my toast was burnt, but cold, leaving a question mark over how much time my meal spent idle before reaching my table. The yolk of my poached egg had unfortunately hardened, and anyone who loves egg like I do knows what a crime this is. My friend ordered the lasagne, which came with a side salad. Predictably, the salad constituted mostly lettuce and sprouts. The lasagne serving, which I sampled, was mammoth but not great in terms of taste. The lasagne was also very creamy and cheesy - not much meat. The one major upside was my coffee. I ordered a skinny melloccino - and then ordered a second one. Perhaps the sugar in the marshmallows drowned out subtle faults, but if so I couldn't detect them.

Great coffee and great service and a lovely spot on the peninsula. You can take your dog and they…read moreget a nice bowl of fresh water.

I was previously a customer of the Wired Owl Coffee Van when they set up in Lawnton & their van was…read morea daily stop for me on my way to work. So excited to see that they now have a permanent home in beautiful Sandgate and went to check out their new cafe this weekend.Located in a quieter section of Rainbow Street, their cafe is perfect for the local community and regular visitors. The decor is stylish yet simple (check out the mural on the wall!) and the coffee tastes as good as it always has! I came to visit on day 3 and already it is hard to find a seat. Well done to the team at Wired Owl Coffee Co. Always friendly and amazing coffee - what more could anyone ask for. Love it!

On our way heading north out of Brisbane, my husband and I were searching for a breakfast place -…read morepreferably something other than Macca's which admittedly is better than the McDonald's in America, although still not our first choice. We saw the Ramekins sign from the street and quickly looked it up to find several very favourable reviews. Sold! We ordered at the counter inside (very cute decor) and took our table number outside to sit in the sunshine while we waited. I had: Eggs Benedict with bacon. Served on a thick piece of toasted Turkish bread and drizzled with tangy hollandaise. It was delicious. He had: breakfast burger. I didn't get a chance to try it before it was demolished but the review was definitely positive. After we devoured our savoury breakfasts, sweets were on the brain so we ordered a butterscotch muffin. You have a choice of butter or cream - we chose cream. Our muffin arrived piping hot with a miniature mug of heavy whipped cream on the side. It was absolutely sinful. Ramekins Cafe is definitely a must-try if in the area!

Ramekins is the definition of the triple threat in cafe's - food, price, and service!…read more Every time I come here the food is outstanding. It is fresh, plentiful, and always leaves me satisfied. The menu is likewise large, there is always something else to try, I don't feel constricted to get the same thing every visit like a lot of places with that 'One hit wonder'. It's got something everyone is looking for from the health freaks, calorie conscious eaters, to the protein lovers who enjoy a heaping meat and eggs for breakfast.. or lunch! The price is more than reasonable for the amount and quality that is placed in front of you, and not only is it a pleasure to consume the food, the atmosphere created by the upbeat, friendly staff (even at 7am) makes a trip to Ramekins even better. This locally eatery cannot be passed up and I recommend every local try it, if you haven't already.