The hype around Morning After sets it apart from the upturned milk crates demarcating most West End cafes. The astroturfed clad cafe on the corner is most easily recognised on weekends by the queue of people snaking down the block. And while queuing certainly doesn’t denote merit or a guarantee a good meal, in this case it absolutely does. Morning After is worth the wait (plus, locals know to stick it out—the queue moves fast).

It’s been eight years since Scout first flung open its doors on their café-come-living room-come-workers cottage, and the local love has never once wavered. The specialty here is bagels; a menu resplendent with schmears and stuffings all destined for your belly via the iconic vehicle that is the bagel. Homemade brownies fresh out the oven are piled high at the counter, and a juice menu written on brown butchers paper hangs happily by the cash register.

Thanks to their reliance on seasonal harvest there’s no such thing as an old faithful at Plenty. Omelettes with organic greens and pumpkin puree, poached eggs on thick-cut sourdough, French toast specials (recent iterations include sherry poached pear, candied pecans, House made chocolate halva, sesame tuille, and orange crème fraiche) and loaded sandwiches stuffed with locally cured pastrami.

Part café, part pantry, Camp Hill lucked out when Florence moved into the neighbourhood. With a commitment to sustainability, low waste, and local produce, their breakfasts and daily counter spread are known for bringing freshness and vibrance to the morning.

When Adi Shabtay and Guy Frawley opened their little Paddington café, Naïm (previously named Shouk) in a gorgeous old Queenslander, they set the bar high. Neatly walking the line between tradition and innovation, Naïm introduced the incredible colour, delicacy of flavour and rich history of Middle Eastern cuisine to the city fringes.

While trips to Europe are still off the table, breakfast at Hellenika is the closest we’re going to get to a Mediterranean summer. Housed on the rooftop of The Calile Hotel, book a table poolside (the only Brisbane breakfast joint to boast views poolside) and go full Hellenic with the rizogalo (rice pudding), crab omelette, or firm favourite ‘eggs on eggs on eggs’—lashings of taramasalata, salmon roe pearls, and perfectly boiled eggs on house bread.

A specialty café, roastery and training hub, The Maillard Project is an ambitious one, recently opening its doors in the CBD. An offshoot of Adam Wang’s wildly popular Coffee Anthology (one of a handful of highly specialised coffee shops in Brisbane) it offers seven different blends daily (four espresso and three filter) and a neat menu of breakfast options. The chilli scrambled eggs, or pork congee get top billing, with a selection of house made croissants and pastries for grab-and-go option.

A favourite Gold Coast café come north, Bear Boy has been welcomed with open arms by Brisbane’s breakfasting community. Everything from the décor, the exceptional service and seasonal menu elevates Bear Boy Espresso’s weekend breakfast. Settle in for chicken and waffles, or grab your coffee, croissant, and some merch to go.

Evoking the same convenience and reliability as their suburban namesake, locals flock to Corner Store from right across town whenever they need a break from the malaise of the city. Executive chef Dylan Brace and head chef Jordan Mckenzie have a laser-sharp focus on the locality of ingredients, the bulk of their produce coming straight from said garden; the dedicated organic herb and veggie patch out the back.

Cafe O Mai’s traditional Vietnamese breakfast dishes have patrons lining up round the street seven days a week. A southside institution, Café O Mai serves up fresh pho, seven types of banh mi, and condensed milk iced coffees like a well-oiled machine. Also up their sleeve is classic breakfast dishes like baked eggs and French toast (what’s known as ‘range’ in the biz)—all with a Vietnamese spin.

Industry Beans is one of those roasters that takes an almost surgical approach to their execution of the perfect brew. The precision and dedication to flavour looms large over this Melbourne-born, light-filled Newstead café, their breakfast menu undergoing equally impressive attention-to-detail.

A vision of pink on Brunswick Street, the doyenne Miss Jones has charmed the pants clean off the Brisbane breakfast set. Head chef Emily Bartholdt is hot on the tools, tweaking an already abundant menu with classics (the eggs benny loaded with hickory smoked pork shoulder) to lofty new heights.

James Street in Fortitude Valley is known for its swanky offerings, but while King Arthur may rub shoulders with the high end of town, this Brisbane bolthole keeps things real when it comes to morning meals. They know you want a fresh, tasty refuel at any time of the day, which is why their brunch menu is available from open to close.

If the checkerboard fit-out of Paradise doesn’t provide enough intrigue, then perhaps the oddity of a breakfast cafe beside empty nightclubs will. Owners Dutch and Becky Brills resurrected the old Alf’s Pizzeria building, turning the once vacated lot into an elegant Brisbane café fit to rub shoulders with the best pancake slingers in town.

Finding somewhere decent for breakfast in the CBD is a sensation similar to hitting the jackpot. Finding somewhere slinging specialty coffee, homemade jams, and a seasonal and nourishing all-day menu—all under the same roof (!) – is almost unheard of, so the fact Felix does all three so well make it quite the catch. Hidden along Burnett Lane, Felix’s all-day brunch is varied from indulgent blow-outs to considered vegetarian and vegan.