Brisbane’s Best New Cafes and Casual Spots of 2023

We’re calling it: 2023 has been the year of the sandwich. Among our best new cafes and casual spots, five out of seven serve sangas of some sort. It’s been a growing trend around Australia – led by cult-favourite spots like Hector’s Deli in Melbourne – but the craze reached its boiling point in Brisbane this year.

Another trend – which first bubbled up in 2022 – is that operators are leaning more towards kiosks and takeaway spots rather than full-service cafes. For example, we’ve seen a popular kiosk dedicated to coffee and croques, a takeaway CBD spot selling pizza al taglio (pizza by the cut) and a bright suburban cafe spinning vinyl.

Here are our best new cafes and casual spots, in alphabetical order.

Corner Deli, Woolloongabba

Earlier this year, Ben McShane and Matt Kuhnemann opened a NYC-inspired sandwich joint adjacent to their European-style bistro, Clarence. The heritage-listed space has been beautifully restored with plenty of exposed brick and polished wooden floorboards. From the central counter order hot sandwiches like fried chicken with hot sauce, mayonnaise and iceberg lettuce; curried mortadella with tomato and provolone; and confit duck with horseradish cream. Or from the cold sandwich section, there’s roast pork with special sauce, and a fresh deli roll. To drink, there’s coffee from Bancroft Coffee Roasters, and a tidy selection of lo-fi wines available by the tumbler.

Hawthorne Coffee, Hawthorne

Before May, when Tom Wilcock (also of Bancroft Roasters Currumbin) opened his weatherboard-clad corner cafe, he hadn’t spent much time in Hawthorne – but he quickly fell in love with the leafy suburb. Hawthorne Coffee is a small, light-filled space with pastel colours and a smattering of seats. The compact kitchen churns out sourdough toasties stuffed with ham, tomato, cheddar, mozzarella and aioli, and more elaborate options like a truffle mushroom number with gooey cheese mix. For coffee, Wilcock uses a special blend from Bancroft Coffee Roasters, which is named after his adopted suburb.

James & Antler, Fortitude Valley

When brothers Tze-Huei and Chewie Choo opened their James Street kiosk, they couldn’t have predicted how quickly it’d take off. In the first week and a half, they served around 1300 croques and 1400 frappes. And things haven’t slowed down since. The croque offering is small, but changes every few weeks. There are options like the OG Croque Madame, made with off-the-bone ham, Manchego and Egmont cheese, mustard and leek cream, and topped with a fried egg. The frappes are canned to order and come in a range of flavours such as chocolate, coffee and chai. The kiosk is largely grab-and-go, but there are around 20 seats for people who simply can’t wait to devour their croques.

Pablo’s Pantry, Woolloongabba

Helmed by mother-and-daughter duo, Marissa and Helen Kentrotis, Pablo’s Pantry is an ode to family. Taking design inspiration from the Greek island of Cythera (their ancestral home), with lots of soft furnishings and pastel banquette seating. Everything from the cookies, muffins and cinnamon buns to the pastitsio and spanakopita is made in-house from family recipes. The breakfast menu offers classic dishes with deft Greek touches. Fried eggs, for example, come with pistachio and kale pesto, feta and lots of herbs. Lunch includes a selection of sandwiches on sourdough and ciabatta, such as roast pork with apple sauce and coleslaw. There’s also a selection of wines and takeaway meals to reheat at home, including kefthedes (Greek meatballs) and spanakorizo (a rice dish with artichokes and dill).

Straits, Coorparoo

Hospo young gun Brendan McCrystal opened Straits when he was just shy of his 24th birthday. With a serious stack of vinyls – as is apt for a venue named after Dire Straits – you’ll likely hear some tunes while you wait for a coffee. McCrystal uses a rotating range of beans sourced from small Australian roasters like Double Double and Almanac – but his go-to is Black Lab’s Platinum Blend. For now, the food offering is limited to pastries from Brasserie Bread, but there are plans to expand the food offering in the future.

Single O, Newstead

The pioneers of Australian coffee culture, Sydney’s Single O, have landed in Brisbane. Its industrial chic Newstead cafe will serve its flagship Reservoir Blend, alongside rotating single-origin blends. There are also self-serve taps dispensing batch brew and an iced oat latte. The concise menu includes a selection of simple sandwiches and more elaborate toasties, like a lemon and pepperberry chicken, capsicum, black olives, haloumi and mozzarella grilled sandwich. Sweet treats include pastries from Agnes Bakery (finally, a way to skip the line on James Street).

Scugnizzi, Brisbane

Inspired by bakeries in Italy where they sell pizza al taglio (pizza by the cut), Scugnizzi is exactly what the CBD needed. Battle the lunchtime lines snaking their way out to choose slices of chunky Roman-style pizzas. There are options like truffle and pancetta with mushrooms, and a ripiena (filled pizza) number with mortadella, pistachio and stracciatella. As soon as one pizza sells out, it’s replaced with a freshly cooked one. There’s also a large range of pastas that are cooked to order, such as gnocchi with duck ragu and porcini sauce, and tagliatelle with prawns and zucchini.

Additional reporting by Daniel Wilson.