RFK Rankings · Brisbane
Best Restaurants for Brunch in Brisbane (2026)
Brunch · Brisbane · 6 cafes ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published August 19, 2023 · Updated June 16, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Australian cafe culture sets the global standard for brunch, and Brisbane runs it at an unhurried, subtropical pace: long weekend tables, serious specialty coffee, and kitchens that treat a breakfast plate as real cooking rather than an afterthought. The strongest rooms here have a point of view, a Southeast-Asian hash in Woolloongabba, chef-driven Middle Eastern eggs in Paddington, a cottage garden in the inner west. This ranking weighs the plate first, the coffee second and the room third, across the neighbourhoods where Brisbane actually eats its mornings.
1.Pawpaw Cafe
Brisbane's most-recommended brunch room, built on a pan-Asian signature hash; go for the Pawpaw hash and a flat white.
Pawpaw Cafe on Stanley Street East in Woolloongabba, run by Giorgina Venzin, is the brunch room Brisbane locals point to first, open daily from 7am with a Southeast-Asian lean that nobody else in the city quite matches. It is the rare cafe with a genuine signature dish people order by name.
That dish is the Pawpaw Signature Hash, a plate of potato hash, poached eggs, turmeric hummus, smashed avocado, halloumi, beetroot relish and almond dukkah, around $26 to $28. The kitchen runs morning to night, and the pan-Asian point of view gives the menu an identity most all-day cafes lack. For a first Brisbane brunch, this is the default. Order the signature hash and a flat white.
Walk in; 898 Stanley Street East, Woolloongabba.
2.Naïm
Chef-driven Middle Eastern brunch from an ex-Michelin kitchen; order the Tunisian shakshuka with house challah. Worth the trip.
Naïm on Collingwood Street in Paddington has the kind of kitchen pedigree most cafes never get: head chef and co-owner Vince Estacio cooked at the Michelin-starred Mourad in San Francisco before opening this contemporary Middle Eastern room. Brunch runs Tuesday to Sunday in a design-led space.
The order is the Tunisian-style shakshuka, baked eggs in tomato and capsicum with saffron labneh and house-made challah, around $25 to $30, with Turkish-delight waffles for the table. It is repeatedly named among Brisbane's best for baked eggs, and the chef-driven cooking shows on the plate. For brunch that takes the food seriously, this is the pick. Order the shakshuka and the challah.
Walk in; 14 Collingwood Street, Paddington.
3.Anouk
A near-twenty-year Paddington institution in an old apothecary, menu changing every few weeks; go for the shakshuka.
Anouk on Given Terrace in Paddington has been a Brisbane brunch fixture since 2007, set in a former apothecary and run by long-time hospitality figure Justine Whelan. Open daily from early, it was an immediate hit on opening and has stayed on best-brunch lists for close to two decades.
The menu rotates every few weeks, but the baked eggs and shakshuka are the constants regulars come back for, around $24 to $28, alongside meticulous coffee. The appeal is reliability and detail: a kitchen that changes with the season but never drops below its standard. For a dependable Paddington brunch with history behind it, settle in. Order the shakshuka and a long black.
Walk in; 212 Given Terrace, Paddington.
4.Sassafras of Paddington
A restored cottage with a leafy courtyard and ricotta hotcakes that made its name; go for the garden table and the hotcakes.
Sassafras on Latrobe Terrace in Paddington is set in a restored workers' cottage with a leafy garden courtyard, serving breakfast daily until early afternoon. The atmosphere is the draw, a green, unhurried space that feels like a weekend destination rather than a quick stop.
The dish that built its name is the ricotta hotcakes with house-made honeycomb butter and organic maple, around $22 to $26, and there is a boozy brunch option with a main and bottomless mimosas from mid-morning. Between the cottage setting and a genuine signature dish, it is among Brisbane's most-loved breakfast rooms. Take a courtyard table and order the ricotta hotcakes.
Walk in; 88 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington.
5.Morning After
West End's crowd-pleasing all-day cafe with a global menu; order the breakfast carbonara pappardelle and the house coffee.
Morning After on Vulture Street is one of West End's most popular all-day breakfast rooms, open daily until late afternoon, with coffee from Five Senses and a broad, globe-spanning menu that pulls a steady weekend crowd. After roughly a decade in West End it is a neighbourhood anchor.
The standout plates are the breakfast pappardelle carbonara with smoked pancetta and a 63-degree egg, and the red velvet buttermilk-ricotta hotcakes, around $24 to $27. The wide menu means a mixed table is easy to please, and the coffee is genuinely good. For a busy, dependable West End brunch, this is the move. Order the breakfast carbonara and a flat white.
Walk in; 57 Vulture Street, West End.
6.King Arthur Cafe
A reliable, laid-back Valley all-rounder open seven days; go for the salmon tartare plate or eggs your way.
King Arthur Cafe on Arthur Street in Fortitude Valley is the easy, laid-back option in the Valley, open seven days from 7am, the kind of consistent all-rounder that anchors a neighbourhood's mornings without fuss. It covers the Valley on this list, a part of the city short on standout brunch rooms.
The menu runs from a salmon tartare with avocado and kipfler potatoes to a build-your-own eggs-your-way plate and a full big breakfast, around $22 to $26. There is no single dramatic signature dish here; the point is reliability and a good coffee in a relaxed room. For a no-stress Valley brunch, walk in. Order the salmon tartare or eggs your way.
Walk in; 164C Arthur Street, Fortitude Valley.
Not for brunch
Loved rooms that are wrong for a weekend brunch
Gerard's Bistro. The Middle Eastern room on James Street is one of Brisbane's best dinners, but it is a dinner restaurant, not a brunch destination. Save it for the evening and brunch elsewhere. John Mills Himself in the CBD is a genuinely good espresso bar, but it serves coffee and pastries rather than full brunch plates, so it is a coffee stop, not a sit-down brunch.
Two names you may see on older lists have closed: Sourced Grocer in Teneriffe shut and the space reopened in January 2026 as a different cafe, and Chester Street Bakery & Bar in Newstead is permanently closed. Do not plan a brunch around either; use the rooms ranked above instead.
How to brunch in Brisbane
Brisbane's brunch map clusters in a few inner suburbs: Paddington holds Naïm, Anouk and Sassafras within a short stretch, West End anchors on Morning After, Woolloongabba has Pawpaw, and the Valley leans on King Arthur. Most run all-day rather than a fixed brunch window, so weekday mornings are calmer if you want to skip the wait. Coffee is taken seriously everywhere, so order the flat white or long black with confidence.
Few of these take bookings for two on a weekend, so arrive before 9am or after the first rush, especially in Paddington. For the wider city, start with the Brisbane dining guide, find a solo counter among the best solo dining in Brisbane, scout a view table in Brisbane, or compare the picks in the best brunch restaurants worldwide.
Frequently asked
Where is the best brunch in Brisbane?
Pawpaw Cafe in Woolloongabba is the most-recommended brunch room in the city, built around its Southeast-Asian signature hash of potato, poached eggs, turmeric hummus and halloumi. For chef-driven cooking, Naïm in Paddington serves a Tunisian shakshuka from an ex-Michelin kitchen, and Sassafras pairs a leafy cottage courtyard with its famous ricotta hotcakes. All three are open most days and run an all-day rather than fixed brunch window.
What is Brisbane known for at brunch?
Brisbane brunch reflects Australian cafe culture: serious specialty coffee, all-day breakfast menus and kitchens that treat a breakfast plate as real cooking. Local signatures include Pawpaw's pan-Asian hash, the shakshuka and baked eggs at Naïm and Anouk in Paddington, and ricotta hotcakes at Sassafras. The pace is unhurried and subtropical, with long weekend tables and strong flat whites the norm across the inner suburbs.
Which Brisbane suburbs have the best brunch?
Paddington is the densest brunch suburb, with Naïm, Anouk and Sassafras within a short stretch of Given Terrace and Latrobe Terrace. Woolloongabba has Pawpaw, the city's most-cited brunch room, and West End anchors on Morning After. Fortitude Valley's reliable all-rounder is King Arthur. Most of these run all-day, so you can spread brunch across the morning and into early afternoon depending on the suburb.
Do Brisbane brunch cafes take bookings?
Most of the top brunch cafes are walk-in for small tables, especially on weekends, so arrive before 9am or after the first rush to skip the wait. Larger groups can sometimes book ahead, so it is worth calling Naïm, Anouk or Sassafras directly for a weekend table of four or more. Pawpaw and Morning After run steady weekend crowds, so the earlier you arrive, the shorter the queue.
How much does brunch cost in Brisbane?
A standout brunch plate in Brisbane runs roughly $22 to $30 in Australian dollars, plus coffee. Pawpaw's signature hash is around $26 to $28, Naïm's shakshuka about $25 to $30, and Sassafras's ricotta hotcakes near $22 to $26. Add a flat white or long black, and a single brunch lands around $30 to $40 a head. Boozy brunch options with bottomless mimosas, such as at Sassafras, cost more.
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Browse the full Brisbane dining guide, eat alone at the best solo dining in Brisbane, find a view table in Brisbane, compare the world's best brunch restaurants, or open the full RFK rankings index.
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