Qwerk

More flies than a trouser convention — then one landed in my coffee that took 8.5 minutes to arrive (not busy).
Food prep area was filthy cutting board and knife dirty and left like that while flies (again) crawling on everything so decided against ordering breakfast.
Check out the back wall in the food prep area: — Painted, dirty and shabby.
Guys — public health ??? Not a good look! Simple cleaning and prevention could make a big difference.

Great coffee. Great prices too. I had avocado and feta on sourdough, yum. My friend made her own breakfast, as they didn’t have what she wanted on the menu. The staff were more than happy to accommodate. Would definitely visit again :)

Call me a nut, but when I visit a café I want to leave feeling inspired. My time is too valuable, my money is too valuable, my life experiences are too valuable to be wasted in ordinary establishments.
I had heard about Qwerk and should have visited last year when all the buzz was about. Alas, I went today, and as soon as I walked in my café-​instinct kicked in and I immediately said «Has this place changed ownership?»
Yes it had, in January, and the previous manager has gone to start-​up the much talked about The Low Road Café in Windsor. Can you see where this is heading?
I soldiered on, fearing the worst but applying the-​benefit-​of-​the-​doubt philosophy.
It wasn’t good — my coffee was milky, weak and uninspiring, my toasted sandwich was so very unremarkable and cold in the centre. There were flies buzzing about my food and the 2 girls working there were just that, working there. There was no edge, no passion, just going through the motions. (People laugh at my adoration of Hipsters, but today was an example of the importance of these passionate, intense, design savvy, foodie loving fashion monsters being employed in a business. They get it! These girls didn’t)
I didn’t find it quirky at all, I found the experience to be just blah!
I really really really hope the new owner of Qwerk reads my review because I hate to see a great café go bad (Don’t ask me about Desmond and Molly Jones at Woolloongabba!). I am an idealist — I want every Brisbane café to be filled with amazing food, coffee that takes your breath away and people who really do give a shit. If Unilocal reviews can help owners of ventures fine tune and improve their businesses — then Unilocal is my new religion.
Qwerk — you have to take the High Road and commit to some major resurfacing.

This crew make fabulous coffee and some of the best guacamole I have tasted.

I wanted my first visit to Qwerk to put the Qwerk in quirky and I guess in its own way it did. The kitsch, mismatched retro furniture, plates and décor add a dose of «quirk» to this café located a stone’s throw from Newmarket Road.
When our group arrive it is a bustling Saturday morning and there is a fast moving line out the door of hungry breakfast bellies waiting to order. They don’t offer table service and the menu is on a blackboard at the front counter. Its cool — we get the quirk. One of our group notes there isn’t much traditional breakfast fare to select from (she’s a bircher muesli or eggs kinda breakfast gal) and that the menu focuses a lot around varieties of toasted breads (she’s a dietician). She has a point. Bread (turkish, sourdough etc) do seem to be the hero items of many of the menu options.
The size of our group means we are able to sample a fair amount of the menu from simple jam on turkish and honey on gluten free bread to haloumi and avocado on sourdough to the favourite of the morning: savoury mince with avocado and cheesy turkish toast. It seems we all have breakfast envy for that dish.
Our dining experience grows increasingly awkward as we all try to navigate eating our breakfasts from our laps. I’m notoriously clumsy and do end up with food on my skirt as a result. There are tables (gosh they’re not uncivilized!) but they’re coffee tables at best and not ideal for dining on.
Qwerk, for me and seemingly the rest of our group, just lacked something. We were unable to put our finger on it. It is an obviously popular spot for locals and the group of cyclists that left as we arrived tells me it has good coffee. The Genovesa coffee is good. In fact it was my favourite thing about my visit to Qwerk. Alas, this just isn’t somewhere I’ll rush back to for a sit down breakfast.
It’s a spot for a takeaway coffee, takeaway lunch, morning tea with the girls or your Mum or breakfast/​lunch for one,

This ‘qwerky’ café is completely adorable and full of character. No two chairs or tables (or ironing boards) are alike and posters and artwork are crammed onto every inch of wall space. The staff are relaxed and cheerful and act like they actually enjoy working here, which is such a difference from the high-​and-​mighty-​taking-​your-​order-​is-​beneath-​me-​I-​hate-​my-​job attitude one often gets at cafes. Their open for breakfast and lunch; the only complaint I would have is that they close to early for late afternoon coffee and cake. They’re open first thing in the morning for early risers though and do breakfast, lunch, cake and smoothies. Their isn’t a huge choice of menu items but what they do have is really good.

This cute little café is like something out of Frankie magazine. Mismatched china and furniture, retro salt and pepper shakers, and little animal figurines like your Grandma had make the interior welcoming and cosy. The fact that Qwerk’s home is a heritage Queensland corner store style building only adds to its charm and has the added bonus of providing a wide shaded outdoor area beneath the old galvo awning. Outside you can sit on old couches, stools and crates and enjoy the breeze and watch the locals passing by.
The staff at Qwerk are friendly and helpful, and I notice that they take the time to chat with customers and remember their regulars’s names. The neighbourhood feel of Qwerk is one of its highlights. Last time I went there, I was sitting outside having a cup of tea when a lady asked me to hold her dog while she went in and ordered her breakfast. It’s not every day you find yourself holding a stranger’s tiny chihuahua in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, and funny little encounters like this always make me enjoy places more.
Qwerk has a selection of cakes and biscuits at the counter, and some are homemade by their staff which I think is such a nice touch. The carrot cake is the best I’ve ever had. For breakfast you can get toast, eggs, avocado, homemade baked beans and a variety of changing menu items. Lunch options include salads, paninis, and wraps.
As far as criticisms go, the only thing I can say about Qwerk is that their hours aren’t great for those of us who enjoy a sleep-​in and a late lunch, or an afternoon coffee. They’re only open until 3pm on weekdays and 2pm on weekends. They certainly cater for the early birds though, and open at 6am Tuesday to Friday for the morning coffee crowd.
Qwerk has a real community vibe, and I love to sit there and watch the old ladies who’ve come in for a cup of tea chatting to the heavily-​tattooed hipsters, the bleary-​eyed uni students getting a takeaway coffee for the bus-​ride to uni, business-​types on their laptops, and the neighbourhood dogs curiously eyeing each other off. The coffee is good, the service is quick, and the ambience is delightful. Brisbane definitely needs more places like it!