Mt Glorious Restaurant & Cafe

Visiting the café and having a cup of coffee is a must. This is an iconic spot for motorbike riders due to the spectacular roads leading to the top. Due to that, for the non-​rider it is a wonderful place to meet friendly locals who will be eager to tell you all you want to know (maybe a bit more, haha) about just about anything, make recommendations if you are a tourist, etc. The current owner and his family are wonderful people who have been steadily improving the place. If not slammed busy, he’s happy to sit and have a chat. The diversity and travel experience of the regulars is unrivalled. Wanna hear a great story? Buy a cup of coffee, say hello to someone who rides, and sit back and enjoy a terrific experience.

Mount Glorious Restaurant & Café was originally a dairy farm built in the 1930’s and known as «Cloverlea Cottage»; the original homestead still stands and was developed into this restaurant in the late 1970’s.
The view from the outdoor seating is beautiful. You can see views of Moreton and Stradbroke Islands, the Redcliffe Peninsula and south to the Port of Brisbane from an altitude of 683 metres. You literally feel like you’re on the top of the world.
I came here with a party of people after (somewhat casually) hiking through the beautiful Mount Glorious trails. It was originally a hot day driving here from the Brisbane CBD, but by the time we got to the top of the mountain the air was actually crisp. It was a shock to the skin (and I didn’t think to bring a jumper or jacket) but signifies how high up you actually are here.
Those with vertigo should know the view from the restaurant’s seating is a gorgeous panorama; it’s not exactly set into the mountain face as such, so there’s no feeling of a sudden drop as you look out over the mountains and gorges.
We only ate coffee and dessert, not feeling up to the mains after eating a bag of Kopiko sweets. Both my coffee and cheesecake were good, but afterwards I wished I’d ordered my friend’s strawberry milkshake. It was delicious. It was offered to another member of our party, who declined, stating she was allergic to strawberry milkshakes. I’d never heard of this, and it wasn’t until years later that I heard of people with allergies to red food colouring. (A strange segue there, but it’s funny how your memory selects to remember the little incidents pertaining to broader experiences.)
The façade of the place is absolutely gorgeous; the building is beautifully painted and you feel like you’re in a rich country manor that has been re-​painted for modern times. I also saw quite a few pretty, large-​ish birds wandering around the place and a slow-​moving, indifferent domesticated cat. This also contributes towards the feeling of being on someone’s rich country manor from some bygone time.