Coco & Co.
If you’re a Wishart local that has been pining for a new cafe to call your own, here’s some news that’ll really put a pep in your step. The crew behind beloved Newstead caffeinery El Cafe will be opening new cafe Coco & Co. at Wishart’s Civic Fair Shopping Village on Newnham Road next week. While the team is keeping most details a secret until Coco & Co.’s opening, owners Andy and Angela have confirmed that the dog-friendly cafe will boast a gourmet breakfast and lunch menu, including items like homemade potato rosti Benedicts and a big breakfast loaded with bacon, eggs, hash browns, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, gourmet German-style sausage, house-made tomato relish and sourdough. Coco & Co. will be serving specialty coffee from heralded hometown roaster Bellissimo, as well as its own signature cold-press coffee. Coco & Co. will reportedly feature plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, but those keen for a grab-and-go bite will be stoked to hear that the cafe is using Skip for express takeaway orders.

Local
If you’ve hurriedly dashed through Brisbane Airport’s domestic terminal to catch a flight recently, you may have spied a shiny new eatery nestled near the Virgin Airlines gates. That would be Local, a fresh 360-degree restaurant and bar drawing inspiration from traditional Queensland homes and our famous beer gardens. Celebrating the Sunshine State’s quality producers, distillers, and brewers, Local is giving new arrivals their first taste of Queensland, or departing travellers one final bite. Boasting a native fig tree as its majestic centrepiece, Local is serving a menu of comforting classics made from sustainable and ethically sourced produce, while the bar is amply stocked with wine, craft beer and regional spirits supplied by some of Queensland’s best booze makers. Local is the latest new dining concept to open at Brisbane Airport’s domestic terminal, joining MICA Express as part of the airport’s next wave of openings.

Snug
Last week we shared word of a cosy new concept opening soon in Coorparoo from two hospitality wunderkinds. Snug – a forthcoming cafe and wine bar taking shape on Chatsworth Road – is the brainchild of Leaham Claydon and Jianne Jeoung, two chefs with a shared resume featuring postings at the likes of Yoko, Greca, Clarence and Niky. Striking out on their own, the couple is converting a former trophy shop into an all-day dining venture that is loosely inspired by the their recent holiday to South Korea. The duo hope to launch Snug’s morning service before Easter, commencing with a tight menu featuring soft pretzels, a rotating range of pastries and a Korean-inspired egg drop sandwich (buttery scrambled eggs sandwiched in brioche), as well as coffee from Melbourne roaster ST ALi. Soon after, Snug will open in the evenings as a wine bar, serving a menu of small share plates and snacks with a Korean touch, plus a concise but considered array of wines. Once Snug’s morning and evening service is humming, the duo plan to convert an external garage space into a wine store, offering space for functions, events and extra dining room during busy nights.

Melt Brothers Grand Plaza
One of Brisbane’s most popular purveyors of classic grilled-cheese toasties is expanding. The team behind Melt Brothers is cutting the ribbon on its fifth store today, with work recently completed on a sambo slinger at Grand Plaza in Browns Plains. Joining the group’s cadre of kiosks – located in Brisbane City, Chermside and North Lakes – the new Browns Plains location is set to be just as popular. Those eager to pop in today can expect a full menu of Melt Brothers favourites, including the Holy Cheezus (ham off the bone, tomato chutney, mozzarella and aged cheddar), the Morning Glory (maple bacon, fried egg, sriracha mayo, mozzarella and aged cheddar) and the M.C. Cheesy (macaroni and cheese, bacon bits, smoky barbecue sauce, aioli, mozzarella and aged cheddar) – all available alongside mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, loaded fries, bagels and avocado toast. If you’re seeking a post-feed energy jolt, be sure to nab a cup of specialty coffee for the road.

Ze Pickle
In sad news for local burger lovers, the crew behind long-running burger chain Ze Pickle has announced the closure of its three Brisbane locations. In an Instagram post published on Sunday March 10, the Gold Coast-born group revealed it would be shuttering its Camp Hill eatery, with one final week of trade remaining before it officially closes after service on Sunday March 17. The announcement comes just a couple of weeks after news broke that Ze Pickle’s Fortitude Valley site on Prospect Street – the burger slinger’s first Brisbane location, which opened in 2015 – had also ceased trading. It’s not all bad news for Ze Pickle fans – Ze Pickle’s OG location in Burleigh Heads will continue trading, with punters encouraged to cruise down the M1 to get a fix of the brand’s stacked two-handers.

Vvaldmeer
When it rains, it pours. On Monday, the crew behind heralded Highgate Hill cafe Vvaldmeer announced that it would be closing the doors to its Gladstone Road premises this week. The brains behind the cherished coffee and chow spot, founded in 2017 by Cam Milne and Alex Kathage, extended its sincere thanks to its customers and staff for all of the ‘good times, the chats, the smiles, the coffees, and the vibes’. Today, Tuesday March 12, is the last day of operation for Vvaldmeer’s kitchen (meaning right now you’ve still got time for one last fried-fish sanga), but the cafe will be pouring coffees until Friday March 15.

If you’ve heard something that’s worth mentioning in The Weekend Edition’s Pavement Whispers, email [email protected].