Brisbane has no shortage of cafés. We have cafés in old Queenslanders, cafés in converted garages, cafés inside other cafés and, probably somewhere, a café selling a $9 matcha to someone who is running late for work.
But lately, some of the city’s newest spots are giving us a reason to venture beyond our usual coffee run.
From Korean flavours in Graceville to a Turkish-inspired breakfast spread in West End and pastries by the Wynnum waterfront, a new crop of cafés and all-day spots are bringing a little more personality to Brisbane’s neighbourhoods.
Here are five new places worth putting on the weekend list.
Mesa Haus, Paddington
The newest kid on Paddington’s café block is Mesa Haus, which has just opened its doors on La Trobe Terrace.
It’s very, very new. So new, in fact, that its grand opening is still ahead, with the café currently easing into things with a soft opening. Early visitors have already been making the trip for coffee and pastries, with the sea salt cold brew getting a little attention.
There isn’t a huge amount of history to report here yet, which is part of the fun. Mesa Haus is still in that slightly chaotic new-café stage where the menu is settling in, people are discovering the place and everyone is trying to work out whether they’ve found a hidden gem before the rest of Brisbane catches on.
The grand opening is set for September 19, so this is one to keep an eye on.
Süreyya Kahve, West End
If your idea of breakfast is more substantial than a piece of sourdough with something green on it, Süreyya Kahve deserves your attention.
The West End café comes from the KAILO team and draws heavily on Turkish food and family heritage. Its signature breakfast is less a single plate and more a whole little spread, with cheeses, fresh vegetables, dips, pastrima and boiled eggs making an appearance.
The name Süreyya comes from co-founder Dr Oz Dedehayir’s late grandmother, and the menu is tied to the food he grew up around. That gives the place a more personal feel than your standard “Mediterranean-inspired” café menu.
There’s also a wellness thread running through it, thanks to its connection with the KAILO and Function Well world, but thankfully it doesn’t seem interested in making breakfast feel like homework.
Ugly Coffee, Graceville
The name is Ugly Coffee, but the food is doing its best to be anything but boring. This family-run Graceville café has quickly become one of the more interesting new suburban openings, bringing Korean flavours into the local café scene.
The menu includes a fire-grilled bulgogi baguette and yukjjok garlic bread, the sort of thing that makes the decision to “just grab a coffee” increasingly difficult. There are also playful drinks and cakes, with the café giving familiar Korean flavours a Brisbane café makeover.
The little space has already been attracting a casual crowd, with the food doing much of the heavy lifting. The bulgogi sandwich in particular keeps popping up in coverage and visitor chatter, which is usually a pretty good sign that something is worth ordering.
Ugly Coffee might have an unfortunate name for a café, but it has picked a pretty good way to make people remember it.
Ilo Bakehouse, Wynnum
There are few things better than discovering a new bakery, unless that bakery happens to be directly across from the water.
Ilo Bakehouse opened on Wynnum Esplanade in June, bringing the Sister, Butter and Alby’s team into the bayside neighbourhood. The concept has a Scandinavian lean, with the pastry cabinet doing most of the talking.
And it isn’t one of those pastry counters with 47 things to choose from while you stand there having an existential crisis. Ilo keeps the selection relatively tight, with a handful of core pastries including sourdough croissants and an orange and cardamom number.
The whole setup suits Wynnum rather nicely. Grab a coffee, choose a pastry, cross the road and find somewhere by the water.
Bistro Tino, Fortitude Valley
Next door to Mosconi on Arthur Street, Bistro Tino is the new all-day spot from the same team, but don’t expect another copy-and-paste Italian restaurant.
Tino is leaning European, with Single O coffee, seasonal breakfasts, lunch dishes and plenty of vinyl spinning in the background. It has taken over the former King Arthur Café site and given it a much more polished, grown-up makeover. Broadsheet has already called it a contender for Brisbane’s most stunning opening of 2026, which is quite the compliment considering how many new venues have landed this year.
At the moment, Tino is open during the day, with evening service planned down the track. So for now, you can pop in for breakfast or lunch and admire the interiors without having to pretend you know anything about natural wine. opening.
