Cafeography
Brisbane

Specialty coffee cafés in Brisbane

Montague Road roasteries, Blackstar's first store on Thomas Street and early bars on Edward Street.

Photo: Pavel Danilyuk, Pexels License

Brisbane's specialty coffee has roots older than its roaster flagships. Aromas Tea and Coffee, run by Chris Bryant and Robyn Horley, grew to 14 cafés at its height, and its shop on Hale Street in Paddington stocked 96 teas and 28 single-origin coffees.1 Peter Wolff started there washing dishes while studying law, moved into the roastery and has roasted since 1984; he and Penny Wolff later opened Dandelion & Driftwood in the northern suburbs and built Wolff Coffee Roasters.1

The next wave grew in West End. Martin Richards came back from New Zealand intent on bringing specialty coffee to Brisbane, roasted Blackstar's first beans under the Moreton Bay figs at Souths Leagues Club and opened the first store, at 44 Thomas Street, in 2008.2 Veneziano, a Melbourne roaster, opened its West End café the following year.34

Local tip: To watch beans being roasted, go to Veneziano at 369 Montague Road in West End, which runs tours of its roasting floor; on a Sunday, The Hideout on Adelaide Street opens at 07:30.7

Where these cafés are: CBD (7), Woolloongabba & East Brisbane (5), Newstead & Teneriffe (4), West End & Highgate Hill (3), Fortitude Valley (3), Bardon & Ashgrove (2), Windsor & Wilston (1), New Farm (1), Albion & Hamilton (1), Milton & Toowong (1).

At a glance

28Cafés listed
13With opening hours
05:30Earliest opening
16:30Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Ash+Monties Espresso Bar, from 05:30 (Mon–Fri 05:30–13:30 · Sat 05:30–11:30).
  • Closes latest: Abrisca Coffee Roasters, until 16:30 (Mon–Thu 07:00–16:30 · Fri 07:00–15:00).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (29%), outdoor seating (25%), open by 6am (21%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Brisbane.

Interstate roasters on Brisbane streets

By early 2022 Broadsheet counted Veneziano and St Ali, both from Melbourne, as the biggest of the out-of-state roasters with roasting operations in Brisbane, and New Zealand's Coffee Supreme had also tried the market.4 Seven Miles, one of the first Sydney brands to arrive, opened at the end of 2021 in Albion's Craft'd Grounds precinct, with a 30-kilogram roaster able to turn out 2.5 tonnes a week.4 Single O and Toby's Estate followed with Newstead flagships in 2023 and 2024.5

One home-grown roaster started in Fortitude Valley. In July 2025 Bellissimo Coffee marked 15 years since its first café opened on Wandoo Street; it has since added cafés at Brisbane Airport, Bulimba and Coorparoo, where its headquarters are, plus two in Taiwan.6

Montague Road, Thomas Street and Vulture Street

West End trails the CBD, Woolloongabba and Newstead for specialty bars, and most of its own are on Montague Road. Veneziano roasts all its beans there on Diedrich roasters and offers tours of the roasting floor.7 Its 2022 refit put glass walls between the tables and the roastery, added training studios and a cupping lab, and seats 50 inside and 16 outside; the house blend, Soar, sits beside rotating microlots poured as filter.3

At least one neighbor pours Veneziano's coffee. Ash+Monties, in Ashington Street just off Montague Road at number 304, uses Forza, a dark-roast blend with 5% robusta built to cut through milk, and its wall carries a mural by the street artist Gus Eagleton.8 The Coffee Roaster, at 7 Anthony Street, pours from 06:30 to 15:00 on weekdays. Vulture St. Espresso, at 85 Vulture Street, uses beans from Supreme Coffee Roaster, a Queensland business.9

From Edward Street to Logan Road

The CBD's specialty bars keep to the office blocks. Edward Specialty Coffee at 275 Edward Street opens Monday to Saturday from 06:30 to 14:30, Lab Speciality Coffee Co on Albert Street keeps the same days but shuts at 13:00, and Ricochet Espresso has bars at 276 Edward Street and 450 George Street. The Hideout Specialty Coffee on Adelaide, at 340 Adelaide Street, also opens on Sundays.

Suburb averages give a guide to the bill. In October 2026 a small flat white averaged A$4.63 in Bulimba, the cheapest suburb in Brisbane.10 Stones Corner was among the dearest, at A$5.51; Mourning Roast pours at 375 Logan Road there.10 North of the river, Bear Boy Espresso at 180 Albion Road opens daily from 06:00 to 13:00.

When Brisbane's specialty bars open

These are morning businesses. Every specialty bar with posted hours is open by 07:00 on weekdays, all but two have closed by 15:00, and about three in five open on Sundays. Bancroft Roasters in Bardon keeps the shortest day, from 06:30 to 11:30 every day of the week.

Later in the afternoon the choice narrows. Veneziano and The Hideout pour until 15:00 on weekdays, and Abrisca's Manilla Street roastery in East Brisbane serves until 16:30 from Monday to Thursday. Death Before Decaf, on Brunswick Street in New Farm, is open around the clock.

Sources

  1. The Wolff Coffee pack, BeanScene (Ethan Miller, June 29, 2020), accessed October 2026
  2. Blackstar Coffee Roasters, Time Out Brisbane (September 13, 2022), accessed October 2026
  3. Veneziano Coffee Roasters' West End cafe has reopened after a major renovation, Concrete Playground (Sarah Ward, February 25, 2022), accessed October 2026
  4. Seven Miles Coffee Roasters, Broadsheet Brisbane (updated March 15, 2022), accessed October 2026
  5. The best coffee shops in Brisbane for 2026, Time Out Brisbane (Brooke Maddison, May 8, 2026), accessed October 2026
  6. Brisbane roaster marks 15 years, BeanScene (Daniel Woods, July 8, 2025), accessed October 2026
  7. West End Coffee Roasters & Cafe, Veneziano Coffee Roasters, accessed October 2026
  8. Ash+Monties Espresso Bar, Ash+Monties, accessed October 2026
  9. Vulture St Espresso, Vulture St Espresso, accessed October 2026
  10. Coffee Prices in Brisbane, Queensland, Small Flat White (updated October 25, 2026), accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

Other ways to browse Brisbane

Outdoor seating

138 cafés

Open by 6am

67 cafés

Brunch

12 cafés

Vegetarian options

52 cafés

By area: CBD Newstead & Teneriffe Fortitude Valley New Farm West End & Highgate Hill Woolloongabba & East Brisbane

FAQ

Specialty coffee in Brisbane: questions

Where are the specialty coffee roasters in Brisbane?

The CBD has the most specialty bars, with Woolloongabba next and Newstead, West End and Fortitude Valley behind; in West End most are on Montague Road, where Veneziano roasts on site at number 369 and runs roasting tours. Blackstar's original store is at 44 Thomas Street in West End, Bellissimo began on Wandoo Street in Fortitude Valley, and Single O and Toby's Estate have flagships in Newstead.

Who pioneered specialty coffee in Brisbane?

Aromas Tea and Coffee, run by Chris Bryant and Robyn Horley, grew to 14 cafés, and its Hale Street shop in Paddington stocked 28 single-origin coffees. Peter Wolff learned to roast there and has roasted since 1984. In West End, Martin Richards started Blackstar, roasting under Moreton Bay figs at Souths Leagues Club before opening on Thomas Street in 2008.

When do specialty coffee bars open and close in Brisbane?

Every Brisbane specialty bar with posted hours opens by 07:00 on weekdays, all but two close by 15:00, and about three in five open on Sundays. Bancroft Roasters in Bardon closes at 11:30 every day. For a later cup, Abrisca on Manilla Street in East Brisbane serves until 16:30 from Monday to Thursday, and Death Before Decaf in New Farm is open 24 hours.

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