The Gunshop Cafe

The Gunshop Café is effortless in its approach to service, food and atmosphere. Located in West End, opposite the equally chic Three Monkeys Coffee and Tea House, The Gunshop Café oozes cool and quiet sophistication.

Although eternally busy, Gunshop somehow remains relaxed and cosy in atmosphere. The use of scratched bare décor -dark mood lighting and red brick walls feature heavily- ensures that the food and one’s own company take centre stage, not the drapes.

The food itself is divine. Highlights of the dinner menu include the goats’ cheese gnocchi, which is served with roasted cauliflower and caramelised onion in garlic cream sauce. The steak is tender and beautifully presented, with a window dressing of baby potato roasted in duck fat roasted – watch your hips, girls; along with broccollini, pancetta and blue cheese butter.

However, the breakfast menu is where Gun Shop really shines. Be prepared to wait up to twenty minutes for a table during the weekend breakfast rush. Nevertheless, the meals are well worth the wait. Online menus are available at the Gunshop Café website, for those who like to plan ahead. Be warned that there have been some alterations to the menus and the new versions have not yet made it online. That being said, the chefs are generally happy to accommodate requests for former menu items.

In the spirit of their decency, allow me to heavily recommend the hefty brioche French toast. Served with a dollop of vanilla ricotta and swimming in an ocean of berry sauce, local strawberries and whole pistachios; this breakfast is to die for. For traditionalists, the typical bacon and eggs costs a miniscule $11.50 and is astoundingly satisfying.

The coffee is also of the highest calibre. The froth on their flat white is dense and smooth, and their beans are strong without the suggestion of bitterness. The staff are attentive, friendly and professional. My one qualm concerning Gunshop’s otherwise stellar service would be insistence of the female staff members to wear inappropriately short skirts. This became rather off-putting as the morning wore on, but did not impact heavily upon the overall experience.

The Gunshop Café is a short walk down Melbourne St from the Gallery of Modern Art, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and the South Bank Cinemas. As such, the café would provide the perfect bookend to a night at the theatre or for a romantic pre-movie dinner.

Little details:
$8 corkage
Entres > $8.00
Mains > $23.00
Web: The Gunshop Cafe
Location: 53 Mollison St, South Brisbane, 4101, QLD
Phone: (07) 3844 2241

Our Rating: