ASHLEIGH Whatson has spent recent weeks eating her way across the Redlands and Bayside in search of the region’s best culinary offerings.
But with Ash admitting she is not a coffee drinker, your editor was only too happy to take over Ash’s Appetite this week – particularly when the assignment involved putting the region’s newly crowned best coffee to the test.
Readers have voted The Grove Kitchen + Bar at Mount Cotton as the home of the best coffee in the Redlands and Bayside following a spirited online poll that attracted nominations for cafes and coffee carts from Capalaba to Russell Island.
I visited The Grove on Friday to sample the winning brew and see why the Mount Cotton venue had attracted such strong support.
The Grove emerged victorious from a quality field, finishing ahead of One Stop Cafe Cleveland, The Jetty Store at Redland Bay, First Coffee Co Cleveland and Coastal Ox Cafe at Ormiston.
Rounding out the top 10 were Olive on Gordon at Ormiston, Thistle Espresso at Thornlands, 2 Shots Espresso at Alexandra Hills, Nica Italian at Thornlands and River City Coffee Roasters at Redland Bay.
The Grove’s supporters were emphatic about their choice.
Davide Nicolai declared it the “best coffee in the area with no doubts”, while Federico Tettamanzi and Lucio Bertozzi were among several readers who simply described The Grove’s coffee as “the best”.
Propaint Tradies also praised the venue for catering to different dietary needs, noting it even offered tiger nut milk.
Grant Schmidt was pleased to see Mount Cotton strongly represented, throwing his support behind both The Grove and Mount Cotton Sourdough Bakers.
While The Grove claimed the title, the poll demonstrated just how fiercely loyal Redlands and Bayside residents are to their local coffee shops.
One Stop Cafe Cleveland earned praise for its Merlo coffee, friendly staff and family ownership, while The Jetty Store was repeatedly recommended for its coffee, food and welcoming service.
Drew Dunn described The Jetty Store as offering the “best coffee and friendly service”, while Ian Lindsay backed it for “great coffee and food”.
First Coffee Co attracted an enthusiastic following, with Taylor Irwin declaring it “hands down the best coffee you’ll try”, while Coastal Ox Cafe at Hub68 in Ormiston was another standout among readers.
Olive on Gordon, Thistle Espresso, 2 Shots Espresso, Nica Italian and River City Coffee Roasters also received passionate endorsements.
Island Beans Coffee Cart on Russell Island narrowly missed the official top 10 but attracted a particularly vocal groundswell of support from island residents, with numerous readers declaring it unbeatable.
Other notable nominations included Crabby Coffee Co, Edith Street Espresso, OSO Espresso, Scissors Paper Rock, Mount Cotton Sourdough Bakers, QT’s Cafe, Mellow Grounds, Merak GF, Sugar N Spice Coffee Co, Rusticks, The Outpost and Coffee Cups.
From boutique roasters and suburban cafes to island coffee carts and kombi bars, the voting showed there is no shortage of places to find an excellent brew across the region.
But this year, the final word belongs to The Grove Kitchen + Bar – officially voted by our readers as the home of the best coffee in the Redlands and Bayside.
And after putting the winning brew to the test on Friday, I am happy to add my endorsement – our readers got this one right.
My cappuccino was excellent and well worthy of the title.
