THE Gold Coast is fast gaining a reputation for producing some of the best coffee in the country.
We asked locals where they get their favourite brew, here’s the top 10 on the Coast.
FOODIE’S GUIDE CHAPTERS:
10. Paradox Coffee Roasters
The 4217, 7/10 Beach Rd Surfers Paradise
Ph: 5538 3235 paradoxroasters.com
AS one of a handful of roasters on the Coast, you would certainly expect the coffee at Paradox to be good — and it is. In fact, it’s even good looking … with a tall, sexy Ferrari-red Italian roaster parked in the lofty warehouse-style space in central Surfers Paradise.
9. Old Paris
228 Varsity Parade Varsity Lakes
Ph: 5575 8776 facebook.com/oldparisvarsity
Old Paris is a New French bakery and patisserie in Varsity Lakes that complements its coffees with delicious pains au chocolats, croissants and baguettes. With regularly featured ‘coffees of the week’, there is always something new to try.
8. Blackboard Coffee
7/240 Varsity Parade Varsity Lakes
Ph: 5575 7538 blackboardcoffee.com.au
Using coffee sourced direct from farms, loaded into a 1960s 15kg barrel roaster and roasting every batch by hand, Blackboard Coffee has always been focused on creating the best possible coffee experience on the Gold Coast. But there’s also plenty of attention lavished on the menu at their Varsity cafe in case you need some sustenance aside from caffeine.
7. Daark Espresso
2/41 Musgrave Ave Chirn Park
Ph: 5667 9339 facebook.com/DaarkEspresso
Supplied by Yatala-based Supreme Roasters, the smooth but strong concoctions at Daark Espresso certainly pass muster with the serious caffeine lovers of the trendy precinct of Chirn Park and beyond.
6. Stairwell Coffee
3131 Surfers Paradise Blvd Surfers Paradise
Ph: 5527 5271 stairwellcoffee.com.au
Established beneath the stairs in The Centre Arcade, Stairwell Coffee is a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop in the heart of Surfers Paradise. Specialising in espresso, cold-brew and nitro coffee, each quality cup created at this alternative coffee shop is not only served quickly but with a smile as well.
5. Press Café
25/19 Harbour Village Parade Coomera Waters
Ph: 0420 940 577 facebook.com/thepresscafecoomera
This Coomera eatery was one of the first to feed the suburb’s passion for cafe culture, and with a new relaunch to cater to the ever-growing demand they’re busier than ever. Owner Damien Jacquelin says when the eatery first opened they offered coffee, simple sandwiches and wraps, but their menu has grown with the community — although their Silipo Coffee remains a constant.
4. Silipo Coffee
9/54 Bailey Cres Southport
Ph: 0414 630 030 silipocoffee.com.au
From multi-award winning coffee beans that are fresh roasted and served up in Southport, to wholesale coffee services that can deliver to any office, shop, restaurant or cafe, to in-house barista training and citywide coffee catering, Silipo Coffee is much more than just a great cup. Owner Richard Silipo says the specialty coffee roasters offer a range of beans and blends from their espresso bar or they can roast a special coffee blend for any individual.
3. Le Vintage Boutique Café
2 Goodman Cl Highland Park
Ph: 5596 6118 levintageboutiquecafe.com.au
THIS quirky cafe-boutique hybrid at Highland Park is just one of the neighbours, where locals wander in for a takeaway toastie or cluster for quality coffee on comfy lounges. Vintage finds, candles and other boutique knick-knacks are crowded inside, where diners can place their order and be tempted by a cabinet of ready-to-go fare.
2. Simple Coffee House
2 & 2a/91-99 Scarborough St Southport
Ph: 5532 0335 simplecoffeehouse.com.au
It’s a simple recipe that makes Simple Coffee super: the best in beans, baristas and milk. Owner Simon Shanahan says the Southport cafe uses Toby’s Estate Wooloomooloo blend, mixed with milk designed expressly for espresso. “It’s all about the texture,” says Simon. “The milk is almost as important as the bean. The final variable is the barista and we make sure ours are trained to the highest standard. We also have high loyalty and low turnover so we have great consistency.”
1. Skull & Bones Espresso
2577 Gold Coast Hwy Mermaid Beach
Ph: 0414 187 711 facebook.com/SkullAndBonesEspressoBoutique
At Skull & Bones it takes heart and soul to serve up the Gold Coast’s best cup of coffee. The Brains and brawn behind the Mermaid Beach cafe, Jesse Garlick, says the eatery — which is coming up on its fourth birthday later this year — has been embraced by locals and visitors alike. But he says at its core, the cafe is there for its good neighbours. “We really are a neighbourhood joint,” says Jesse. “And I think when you have that customer consistency, when you know everyone by their first names, you always want to serve up your best — you’re accountable. We never want to let anyone down.” Offering Toby’s Estate Wooloomooloo Blend beans daily, as well as mixing it up with special blends, Jesse says Skull & Bones has found its groove on the Coast’s crowded cafe scene. He says while they continue to tinker with the menu, the firm favourites have earned a permanent place.
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