As I sat in this eclectic cafe-come-vintage store-come-honey dealer I almost forgot I was in…read moreBrisbane. I had driven over the bridge and into a pocket of Brisbane, I'll freely admit, I had never ventured before. Apples came to my attention, as most things do these days, via The Internet (Instagram I think) and it had been on my "to try" list since. So, try I did. On a windy and wintery Wednesday morning I ventured to Apples and for a moment thought I had taken a wrong turn as there was no easily visible sign from the street. Nestled smack bang in a row of old school shops including a convenience store and nail spa and across the road from a lawn bowls club, Apples on Ainsworth is the last thing you'd expect to find. You know as soon as you see the knitted blankets over the mismatched outside furniture you're about to walk into a gem of a cafe. A cafe that feels like you're visiting your grandmother. It is a vintage visual feast and I'm distracted, forgetting that I'm here for lunch. There's a standard menu including avocado on sourdough with haloumi but on this occassion I take a punt on the eggplant risotto cake from the cabinet at the counter (also housing sweets and sandwiches) with a side of salad. PS. This salad was wicked. Beetroot, nuts, kale and a poached egg. I'm not sure what they put in it but it was easily competing to be the hero food on that plate party. Their coffee is Byron Beans and I could drink about three more flat whites than I do. You can also purchase some of the vintage and retro knick-knacks on display and if you bring your own container or jar you can also purchase fresh honey. Ainslie is a little bit out of the way for my north-side self but, in my opinion, well worth the trek!

Came here today at around 10 am for brunch. Almost didn't go in as it didn't look too friendly! But…read morebased on positive reviews on Yelp, I pushed on. Took me a while to focus on the deco and find the menus hiding amidst piles of newspaper on the side by the wall. Fairly small place inside so it was a cosy fit. They have extra tables outside as well. Antique furniture and little knick knacks gave this place a really charming and interesting personality. The staff were an interesting bunch and seemed friendly. I ordered the sunny side up (two eggs, spinach, one slice of sourdough toast and aioli) with a side of bacon. It was pretty yummy, though I personally found the yolks slightly over cooked and I'm a little confused as to why there weren't two slices of toast, but maybe that's just me being a fatty but I always thought two was standard the bacon was super delicious though! Thick, soft and not too salty. At $9.90 (plus $4 for bacon), it's really good value for money. Props to the dude who cleaned up our plates. He was so polite and smiled genuinely

Look for the thai restaurant neon sign near Windsor train station and you've found The Low Road…read moreCafe. For locals and commuters you're in for a treat with fresh Genovese coffee being poured and an interesting and unsurprisingly quirky menu on offer. I had stopped in for breakfast and was greeted with choices including a Breakfast Salad (haloumi, leaves, dukkah egg, asparagus) and more standard options like avocado on toast. In the end I set my sights on the Breakfast Banana Split - fresh banana, berries (raspberries and strawberries), toasted museli, grated dark chocolate, toasted coconut and, frozen whipped banana). Served in a sundae glass it felt a lot more "naughty" and calorie-laden than it actually was and the frozen whipped banana (a great recipe with ridiculous ease) gives this a creamy sensation without the regret later in the day! Verdict: The coffee is consistent and for commuters stoping enroute to the train, this is key. The menu is cute and quirky and from my experience today backs it up with the goods. Four weeks in since opening, locals have clearly adopted this new kid on the block as their own and there's already customer / barista first-name-basis relationships in action. But, to be honest, it didn't blow me away. It's a great staple for locals but not for a trip to visit here alone.

Low Road is the place to go for coffee that is made by people who give a shit about coffee and food…read morethat is simply deliciousness. I wish to preface my review by saying I know the owners so I'm somewhat biased but still doesn't change the fact that Low Road cranks out great food and awesome coffee out of a kitchen the size of a shoebox. These guys tell and serve it to you like it is. Order off the menu. Additions cost $, deal with it. Don't be on the phone when you order and don't bring you three wide pram and park in the middle of the main thoroughfare. If you are one person, sit at a table appropriately sized for your oneness. Coffee is Genovese and is consistently great. Food is tasty and reasonable portions for reasonable prices. There are often specials on the board so check those out.

Service was lovely. Food was fresh and value for money…read more Community minded and supportive. This may not be the fanciest looking cafe, but it looks like a old school chill cafe; and has better service and food than many upmarket cafés we have attended. Clean and welcoming café. Will definitely return on our travels.

It ain't A-Grade but their staff' attitudes and approach to customers are…read more. Really good food portions.. big menu and spacious venue makes it a really popular spot. Good steady number of customers came through and my daughters enjoyed our time there. The pancakes, raspberry muffin and avo smash were great dishes and would gladly go again for a bigger more filling dish.

Never let anyone tell you the 'burbs are boring. For in this Pinterest perfect cottage in…read moreMitchelton, sits a family-run cafe where the focus is on home cooked food with a Latin American twist. We arrived around noon on a Saturday to a space full of young couples and families and swooped on the last two person table left. He ordered a beef burger with caramalised onion and I ordered the Spanish Baked Eggs (both $12). The chai tea was a worthy companion to the table. It's order at the counter and as such I'd love to see menus at the table rather than walking up to the counter and then sitting down only to have to get up again. The meals came quickly with enough time passing between ordering and eating to know it's been made fresh and hasn't been sitting in a Bain Marie all morning. For the price the meals are suitably portioned and flavoursome. I'm coming back next time to try their infamous Arepas!

Even on a weekday for lunch this place has a good flow with most outside tables taken and a few…read moreinside as well. This converted home has a very nice setup with a two-stepped veranda out front with plenty of seating for duos and groups of 4 and larger; some bench tops with cool wooden stools too. It is located on Irvine right off Samford rd, with ample curbside parking. Definitely some traffic noise but not too bad at all. The lunches that I saw on a table in front of me looked quite good. Especially the pulled pork sandwich (or was it a beef burger?) and the couscous salad. My macchiato was quite weak; the muffin ok. I'm keen to return for a true meal from the kitchen at some point. For now: 3/5.

Lured in by the promise of Giancarlo coffee (one of my favoured roasters) I stopped here for a…read morecoffee on a rainy January afternoon recently. I was very quickly and efficiently seated by an athletic looking waitress in trainers who quickly ascertained my order before jogging off to have it made. She came back in record time with my long black and a bottle of water randed with the company's name and logo. I was pretty sure I heard her say it was 'complimentary' but was reticent at first to crack the lid, not knowing what sort of charge I might incur. The coffee was quite good -- complex and flavoursome without bitterness -- but it was making me a little thirsty for some palate-cleansing H20, so I opened the bottle. On paying I cleared the matter up. Turns out the water is free, but the coffee was $4, which kind of makes the deal seem a little less good value to me.

After a very long Sunday, with no food in our bellies, my husband and I dropped into 63 Racecourse…read moreRd for some lunch. It was late afternoon around 3.00pm and a lot of the other restaurants and cafes in the area had closed up after lunch hours. Seated at our table the bubbly waitress presented us each with a complimentary Heineken (yippee). Feeling quite relaxed (but extremely hungry) we perused the pretty little leather menus and made our selections. I ordered 'The Dark Side' which was the only vegetarian option on the menu, a lightly floured bread roll topped with avocado, greens and grilled portobello mushrooms with a side salad ($18). My husband ordered the salt and pepper calamari ($22). It didn't take long for our meals to arrive and we eagerly tucked in. Good food, not amazing, but nice. Probably a little overpriced, but I guess that is how they afford to treat their customers with free beers - so I'm not complaining.

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

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

Nice coffee, very good customer service. The fritters were nice - I couldn't eat all of it, along…read morewith the chicken toasted wrap. A tiny bit exy. Overall good

We had brunch here on a Sunday after reading a review in must do Brisbane. The ladies in charge are…read morepart of the Gambaro family. The cafe is in a back street of Herston, not much nearby, it's in an old corner shop. The coffee was good, Genovese brand. I got avo toast with a side of bacon and my husband picked a meatball sub, both were tasty. It was a relaxed location and I think there were tables down the side too. I think parking would be hard on a weekday, it's near to the hospital.

When a friend of a friend who used to own a reasonably well-known Brisbane cafe says to you that…read moreyou should check out Jacu Espresso. You listen. And so, following a conversation with this friend, off I went to taste the brew being poured at this Norman Park cafe. I arrived at around 11 and there were a few customers about - two women who I'm guessing had just finished a flex yoga class next door, two mothers catching up and general cafe goers. It was a calm atmosphere even with the air-con technicians attending to the cafe's unit. The space itself is light and breezy. My latte is solid. It's not distinctly any particular blend but it's just a darn good coffee. My friend was right. I also ordered the smashed avocado on sourdough. The bread was fresh and soft - easy to eat delicately and I liked that the avocado came separate to the toast so I could put as little or as much on as I liked. I imagine that locals are loving having this kind of cafe in their hood. And while I won't necessarily drive here specifically for coffee again, if I find myself in this area, I know I have a solid option up my sleeve for a strong coffee.

I've been going to Jacu since it's humble beginnings a few years ago now. It started out as just a…read moresmall local cafe serving high quality coffee with a rotating filter coffee (Veneziano). Since then they have had culinary mastermind Tim Dorman effectively utilise the tiny kitchen space to generate meals that are significantly higher quality and absolutely more creative than the standard "bacon, eggs and sourdough" cafes. Unashamedly using a wide variety of flavours borrowed from other cultures around the world (think labne, sagnaki, chipotle and kasundi) you'll end up coming back for more. If you're still looking for bacon and eggs, try the BRAT (order extra sagnaki though!) which is the best breakfast sandwich in Brisbane. The coffee is some of the best in Brisbane but by god the most reliable any day of the week. It wins huge points with me for serving filter coffee with a proper breakfast menu too.