Now Open: Bellissimo’s Grungy Bulimba Roastery Is Reborn as a Beautiful All-Day Cafe

Bellissimo, like Bulimba, is growing up.

When Mark Bignell and Michael Koo first opened their roastery on Oxford Street in 2013, Bulimba was relatively becalmed after a mid-2000s golden stretch. Back then, a simple warehouse offering takeaway beans and (a very, very good) Italian dark roast as its first-pour espresso was what it took to become a hit with locals.

In the intervening years, Bellissimo has gone on to become Australia’s most highly awarded roaster, bulked up its original Fortitude Valley cafe and built a grand new headquarters, roastery and cafe in Coorparoo.

Bulimba, too, is on a tear, with classy operators such as Revel Brewing Co joined by Giorgina Venzin’s Darvella and Melrose, with the Eterna crew soon to open Mina Italian.

It made sense, then, for Bellissimo to finally refurb its Bulimba operation. In December, it reopened the roastery as a slick 90-seat full-service cafe.

“It definitely feels like it’s grown with the suburb,” Bellissimo retail manager Fiona Smart says. “We have staff who originally came in with their parents. You see babies grow up … This place has definitely developed a connection with local people.”

Those locals have been returning to discover a very different Bellissimo. The venue retains its outside seating area but inside the roastery and warehouse have been converted into a beautifully appointed cafe with terracotta tiles, polished concrete floors and marble counters. A raised section at the back is decked out in long timber banquettes, and there’s hanging greenery and pendent lighting throughout. The ceiling has been left exposed, celebrating the venue’s warehouse past, with skylights allowing in plenty of daylight.

“Whatever we did with the space, we wanted to make sure we weren’t alienating our regulars who have been so patient with us through the refurbishment,” Smart says. “We could bring new people in and be respectful of the people already coming here.”

For food, chef Marco Torrisi is punching out a brunch menu that mixes classics such as truffle scramble, smashed avo, and a salmon brioche with house-made gravlax, with more singular creations that include onion bhaji with sauteed spinach, poached eggs and coriander yoghurt, and a broccolini salad with ribboned cucumber, shaved fennel, edamame and pomegranate. There’s also a clutch of handheld items, including a brekkie bun and a double-stacked beef burger, and Bellissimo’s forever popular all-day toasted sandwiches.

A Mediterranean-inflected small-plate menu also kicks in at lunch. Chef specials change regularly but you can expect dishes such as spicy chicken ribs, charred baby chorizo with lime mayo and salsa verde, and prawn bucatini tossed with house-made pasta. A planned dinner service is also in the works.

For drinks, there is of course the stellar line-up of coffee, served as espresso, batch brew or cold drip, backed by a selection of chilled drinks that includes an espresso frappe, house-brewed iced tea and a banana-caramel smoothie. Later in the day, craft beer on tap, wine and boutique Australian spirits all feature prominently.

“All our venues are now a little bit different,” Smart says. “There was a time when we were trying to move everything to be very consistent. Coorparoo, we have the full roasting facility, we have a kitchen, we have the baking kitchen. That’s different to Wandoo Street [in the Valley], which has a very small kitchen. Then this one is licensed, it’s a bit louder and there’s a bit more energy.”

Bellissimo Coffee Bulimba
35 Oxford Street, Bulimba
(07) 3899 6704

Hours:
Daily 6am–6pm

bellissimocoffee.com.au