We all have our fave café where everyone knows your name and great service and food are guaranteed whenever you visit.
You know the place…well-loved locally and always abuzz with lively conversation as friends and family enjoy a leisurely brunch, lunch or coffee catchup. Here are five cafes you need to put on your radar:
Touch of Country Charm
If seeking a Townsville café for a caffeine kick and sumptuous meal, be sure to try Tide Café - Catering on Gregory Street. Loved by locals for a warm ambience and touch of country charm, Tide Café is filled with a lively hum of conversation as friends mingle, catching up between crisp white walls adorned in ocean-themed artwork, or dining alfresco on the verandah in balmy weather.
Rich, aromatic coffee beans are sourced directly from local roaster Bounce Coffee, available alongside freshly squeezed juices, tropical smoothies and thick shakes. Wolf down all-day breakfast plates of smashed avocado on sourdough with poached eggs, rocket, tomato, feta salad and sweet balsamic drizzle; or stop by later to join friends for a salt and pepper calamari salad.
Café by Day, Trendy Bar at Night
Good things come in threes and there’s no exception at Three Bottle Man on Bulletin Place in Circular Quay. Find yourself down the laneway at this Sydney café by day and trendy bar by night, where black and white geometric tiles welcome you into an interior space where wine racks cover walls and recycled timber tables await for lingering over a meal and vino with friends.
Bi-fold doors open onto the alfresco area where chilling out under market umbrellas is encouraged as you pair a fried egg and bacon breaky burger with bush chutney and a hash brown with your coffee of choice; perhaps join a lively later crowd over a cured meat and cheese platter with a glass of red, or slow-cooked beef cheek with mashed potato and green beans. Apple and blueberry crumble completes a delicious meal.
Quaint Hobart Diner
There are picnic baskets on the shelves and vibrant murals on the walls at locally loved The Picnic Basket Café on Channel Highway in Taroona. This quaint Hobart diner projects a cosy vibe of polished wood floors, shabby chic tables and colourful cushions, ideal for lingering over a brew and a bite to eat.
Stop in for brunch and check out the goodies in the market store before devouring a Benny croissant, with spinach, smoked salmon, poached egg, pomegranate seeds, dukkah and Hollandaise sauce; or chow down on a beef burger with fried egg, bacon, cheese, fresh tomato, pickles, greens, mayo and a side of fries, best enjoyed with an ice-cold James Boags Premium Lager, or glass of Somersby apple cider.
Ideal Place to Refuel & Recharge
All cravings are covered with a visit to Café Qu Bah in Midvalley Shopping Centre in Morwell. Located next to Village 8 Cinema, this bright and airy restaurant oozes charm with recycled timber, slate tiles and pendent lighting making for an ideal place to refuel after a dose of retail therapy.
From specialty coffee to dinner plates, there is something to tempt all tastes - early risers salivate over crispy chicken waffles, with slaw, bacon, cheddar and chipotle, while gourmet pasta plates of spaghetti with mussels, prawns, calamari, scallops, chilli oil and tomato sugo await later diners, along with burgers like the Royal Deluxe with Black Angus, cheddar, lettuce, pickles, tomato, red onion, smoky tomato relish, chips and aioli.
Oven-to-table Approach
Nothing brings people together like the good food you’ll find at Flour Café on Normanby Street in Yeppoon. This artisan coffee shop entrances diners with the sweet aroma of espresso and freshly baked cakes wafting in the air, whether dining alfresco on balmy NQ days or indoors where cabinets overflow with all manner of grab-and-go options.
An oven-to-table approach offers up an extensive menu to suit all tastes – think breaky plates of herb-buttered mushrooms on toasted grain loaf, with green pea crush, Japanese-seasoned eggs and Kewpie mayo drizzle – while lunch-goers wrap their hands around a grilled steak sandwich on Turkish with a fried egg, cheese, pineapple, peppered grilled onions, housemade beetroot relish and aioli.
