Allpress Espresso’s new East Brisbane location feels like the quintessential modern Australian cafe. It’s an open warehouse space with wooden floors, metal and monochrome detail and greenery. And that’s okay given Allpress was one of the first places doing it.

Since starting in Auckland 30 years ago, and then moving to Sydney in 2000 and Melbourne soon after, Allpress has been at the head of the wholesale specialty coffee pack. With cafes in London and Tokyo following soon after, it’s a brand that’s focused on building in tandem its exposure and knowledge.

Allpress Espresso’s first Brisbane cafe opened in Albion five years ago – a little hole in the wall on Bimbil Street established to learn more about its wholesale customers and the Brisbane coffee scene.

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“It was all about us connecting and getting to know Brisbane and forming relationships,” Queensland manager Elise Cook says. “We wanted to feel at home before we opened the full cafe, wholesale and barista training space.”

Combine that at the new East Brisbane cafe with a concise menu, confident, knowledgeable staff and you get a warm and easy experience.

“Whenever we start at a new location we bring some key people who’ve been with Allpress for a long time, so they know how we do things,” Cook says.

The other constant is the food; the menu here is similar to that at other Allpress stores. The buckwheat granola, currently served with a balance of sweet blueberry compote and tart natural yoghurt, is a shared house-made recipe. The toast plate with egg, avocado and fresh tomato is the same from Melbourne to Tokyo. The cornetto pastries (a kind of softer Italian croissant) are ordered in then filled on-site with warm spiced apple or crème patisserie.

The coffee changes based on the market. In Melbourne they like a blend called Supremo, while it’s the Carmelo that runs through the East Brisbane machine – Cook says the medium roast has been a long-time favourite of their Queensland wholesale customers. The cold and batch brews change regularly – over Christmas look out for the special seasonal filter with berry and spice notes.

Allpress Brisbane
26 Wellington Road, East Brisbane
(07) 3260 0900

Hours:
Mon to Fri 7am–2pm

allpressespresso.com