Espresso bar coffee ‘needs work’ but food is great

Diners are queuing to get in the door at a stylish new, on-trend eatery on Brisbane northside, but despite its name being all about espresso, it’s the food not the coffee that stands out.

If you build it, they will come. For husband-and-wife owners Andrew and Brodie Howard of the newly opened Bear Boy Espresso in Windsor, in Brisbane’s inner north, the Field of Dreams movie line seems acutely accurate.

Launching in recently renovated Colwill Place on the corner of Lutwyche and Albion Rd, the cafe has a queue at least 12-deep from when we arrive for Sunday brunch to after we leave at lunchtime.

Sure, the Scandi-inspired eatery has only around 55 seats in total, spread along the covered footpath, inside among the achingly on-trend curved, peachy-pink-hued walls, and outside on a compact, timber and white veranda awash with sunlight and ringed with foliage; but there’s no mistaking this place is popular.

A sister venue to the Helensvale cafe of the same name, Bear Boy serves a pared-back version of the menu at its Gold Coast counterpart, specialising in simple dishes done well.

Bear Boy Espresso in Windsor. Picture: Kurt Thomson

There are the signatures, such as their curly wurly acai bowl or buttermilk fried chicken on a sweet waffle, sitting alongside seasonally rotating items including a granola tart with Greek yoghurt and a chicken burger with mango chutney and mango mayo. Cubs are well catered for also thanks to a kids’ menu running from eggs on toast to a yoghurt and honey fruit bowl.

Drink orders are taken first with HRVST ST juices available alongside Prana chai, Probiotic kombucha, Somersault sodas, Mayde organic teas and filter and pour over coffees. A house smoothie of mango and passionfruit requires a good stir before popping with the tartness of passiflora edulis, while a cappuccino using Single O’s Killer Bee blend is sadly bitter and burnt – not helped by the sprinkling of bitter dark chocolate powder on top. It’s disappointing as the food at Bear Boy lives up to its mission of being simple but done well. The Big Bear Benny ($19), for example, is just what you want in an eggs Benedict – runny yolked poached eggs, zippy hollandaise, bacon that is both crispy and soft for texture and smokiness, while a crisp-edged, deeply tanned potato waffle lifts the classic into a contemporary dish with panache.

The mango and passionfruit curd hotcakes at Bear Boy Espresso in Windsor.

The same could be said for the mango and coconut hot cakes ($16). Like a cross between a madeira sponge and a souffle, the trio of warm and puffy hot cakes sit almost as big as scones on the plate. Topped with Coyo coconut ice cream, mango coulis, fresh mango wedges and dollops of bitey passionfruit curd, it’s an intensely filling and generous dish that hits a perfect score on the sweetness scale.

The Big Bear Benny eggs Benedict from Bear Boy Espresso in Windsor.

Despite the queue outside, the welcoming and friendly staff don’t make diners feel rushed – refilling water glasses and offering to take orders for a second round of drinks.

Meals also come in good time, with the capacity patronage not bothering the kitchen team.

Although the coffee needs some work, Bear Boy Espresso is a welcome addition to Brisbane’s inner north – the crowds will tell you that.

Bear Boy Espresso
Food 4 stars
Ambience 3.5
Service 4
Value 4

OVERALL 4/5

8/180 Albion Rd, Windsor

bearboy.com.au

Open Tue-Sun 6am-2pm