“At the gunshop café, food is made with the best ingredients sourced directly from local markets daily. Because of this we are able to change dishes on the menu daily for breakfast, lunch & dinner. We can also cater for special dietary requirements. It is always best to let us know in advance.” – The Gunshop Cafe
The Gunshop Cafe has a lot to live up to. It was voted “Best Breakfast Restaurant In Brisbane” by Restaurant & Catering Queensland in 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011… The Gourmet Traveller said “Top 20 Breakfast Restaurants In Australia” and now I am here to give you my thoughts on this little legend.
To be honest, it was a winner… although it’s not my cup of tea (I tend to gravitate toward the more quirky personal spaces) there was absolutely nothing to complain about, and my parents love it!
Space & Interior: 3
The space comprises of footpath seating, two rooms in the building and a spacious and light filled courtyard and deck. It was beautiful for a midweek winter morning. Being winter we sat just inside the front window of the building. Although the room is quite plain, the raw brick walls, wooden floors and low hanging lighting make the space warm and inviting, giving it a cosy feeling without actually being small. The low morning light was streaming in through the windows catching the steam from our coffees, and we were happily rugged up inside. We checked out the outside area before we left and it is a pretty cool space. There is a raised deck to one side with big green industrial lights hanging over the tables and then the sunken, bricked floor courtyard holds most of the seating. Set against flourishes of green leaves it would be a pretty nice place to sit had it not been so cold!
One last thing on the interior… there are these weird busts of big eyed, slightly alien looking people all over the place. I don’t particularly like them but they are amusing to say the least.
Our waitress was the best. We had a little chat, joked about the weather and she offered great advice on our breakfast choices. She was smiley and polite in a natural way – not the kind of way where you can tell she is being paid to be nice and smiley – and she was pretty cute too. The man at the counter had a little joke with us about something and sent us on our way with a smile.
The Menu: 4
There is a weekly breakfast menu and a weekend brunch menu; they aren’t much different so don’t stress. There is A LOT to choose from and all interesting choices… here are a few:
avocado on spelt kamut toast, persian fetta, avocado oil, lemon, flake salt $13.5o
marinated white anchovy bruschetta, heirloom tomatoes, fresh picked basil and balsamic aged vinegar $16.50
clover creek Tasmania lamb cutlets, bubble and squeak, slow roast tomatoes, rainbow chard, fried duck egg, tomato jam $20.5o
mooloolaba prawn omelette, wakame seaweed salad, kewpie mayonnaise, soy-ponzu sauce, toasted panko $19.5o
Pricing is a little higher than usual but the servings are overly generous and just LOOK at the ingredients – I can’t imagine Toulouse sausage or Mooloolaba prawns come cheap.
Our Meals: 3.5
We had the… Potato & feta hash cakes, truss bella rossa tomatoes, baby spinach, herbed sour cream $17.50
Roasted Swiss mushrooms, stilton fondue, toasted sourdough, pear and walnut salad $18.50
Bundaberg figs, spiced whipped ricotta, almond granola, fresh blueberries $15.50
All the meals were beautifully presented and generous in serving. The hash cakes were great, light and fluffy, very tasty and did we say HUGE? The mushrooms looked the best and dipping the sourdough into the melted cheese was pure bliss… and the granola was great. It is made in house and delicious but I could have done with more blueberries AND to be completely honest, I make a tastier granola at home. I was slightly disappointed but if you aren’t a granola snob like myself then I recommend it.
The Coffee: 3
No one complained… except me. I know I’ve said it before, but it’s not that hard to get a coffee right! I ordered a long black with hot milk on the side… did my milk come out with my coffee? No. Did I have to ask the waitress for it? Yes. Now I know it’s small, but 78% of the time my milk on the side does not arrive with my coffee, and it’s not that hard to get right! Rant over.
Overall: 3.5
The Gunshop Cafe is a great place to go, especially with a larger group. I’ve been once before on a weekend and you will be expected to cue but the experience is enjoyable, the food is good and ultimately it is worth the wait.
The Gunshop Cafe
53 Mollison St, West End
Booking available – 3844 2241
Opening hours: Mon: 7am-2.30pm, Tue – Sat: 7am – 10pm, Sun: 7am-12.30pm
Follow them on facebook
Breakfast Mon-Fri Menu
Brunch Menu
Notes: Eftpos is available, plenty of onstreet parking (with a short walk), noise moderate, cater for dietary requirements
Breakfast in Brisbane 
