Now Open: Alby’s, a Cheery, Bright Green Corner Cafe Opens in Wavell Heights

Over the past decade, Daniel Bowles has built a reputation for opening some of Brisbane’s most beloved cafes. First came Little Loco and Miss Jones, two much-loved New Farm cafes that eventually closed. Then came Sister in Hawthorne and Butter in Gaythorne. His newest venture, Alby’s, has landed in Wavell Heights, continuing a steady move away from the inner city.

“I think [the cafes] line up with my life,” he says. “I’m a father now with three young boys. I lived in New Farm with my wife for a couple of years and loved it, but [we] moved to the suburbs for a family home.”

The move made Bowles realise there was a lack of quality cafes in Brisbane’s outer suburbs. Bowles and his business partner Chih-Wei “Tiger” Hsu have been scouting suburban sites for the past couple of years.

“We want to bring specialty coffee to the suburbs and communities who haven’t had that in the past,” Bowles says. “We think in communities such as Wavell Heights, there’s a real demand for it.”

Alby’s follows the formula Bowles and Hsu nailed with Butter, which opened last year. It’s a bright, community-focused cafe serving Single O coffee and a short menu of simple crowd-pleasers. Think golden toasties, avocado on toast and crumpets with cinnamon butter and honey.

Butter favourites – the chicken melt toastie (chicken, mozzarella, pecorino, caramelised onion, Japanese sesame mayo) and the sausage and egg muffin (pork and fennel sausage patty, egg, American cheese, Tiger sauce) – have also made the move. Early standouts have been the beef rendang toastie, loaded with slow-cooked beef, rendang sauce, sweet mustard, kraut and American cheese, and an iced tiramisu drink made with a chocolate espresso base and cold vanilla foam.

The space was previously home to a moody cafe called Kalisto, and has been given a bright refresh. Bowles and Hsu have used bright green and off-white paint throughout and added greenery to the back deck. Inside, a sunroom floods the space with natural light, while a kids’ area lets parents relax as their children play. There’s also a dedicated kids’ menu with cheese toasties and babycinos. Fittingly, Bowles named the cafe after his middle child, Alby.

Alby’s
199 Bilsen Road, Wavell Heights
No phone

Hours:
Mon to Fri 6am–2pm
Sat & Sun 6.30am–2pm

@albys_cafe