The so-called Garden City is brimful of cafes – take your pick from eight of Toowoomba’s best.

The pretty little city of Toowoomba, has a surprisingly vast supply of cafes that tap into all kinds of different tastes. From a hole-in-the-wall skateshop-cum-coffee-house to a social enterprise cafe that showcases the works of local artists, and a Melbourne-esque laneway cafe with an inventive menu, start the day right at one of the best cafes in Toowoomba.

1. Ortem

Situated right next to Toowoomba station, this smart little cafe is open daily for breakfast, brunch and lunch. Ortem is a perennially popular spot that always seems to be buzzing with punters, and serves up colourful, artfully plated dishes at its streetside tables. The menu runs the gamut of all the classics, but often with a small twist: the avocado toast is sprinkled with dukkah, the buttermilk pancakes are topped with passionfruit curd and fairy floss, and there’s a veg-heavy eggs Benny just for vegetarians. Moreover, if your appetite’s yet to pique, you can opt for a mini portion of one of the mains, or try one of Ortem’s special sweet and savoury boards out for size.

Address: 15 Railway Street, Toowoomba City, QLD, 4350
Website: ortem.com.au

2. Ground Up Espresso Bar

Come for the inventive and decadent breakfast menu, stay for the expertly brewed single-origin Blackboard Coffee Roasters’ coffee’, should be the mantra at Ground Up Espresso. Located in a mural-freckled laneway, this overachieving Toowoomba cafe has a bit of a playful Melbourne air about it. Gorge on wildly fluffy ricotta pancakes, or the super stacked Benny, replete with double-smoked bacon, slow-cooked brisket, a house hash brown, fried halloumi, spinach, poached free-range eggs, hollandaise, and locally made sourdough. Not for counting calories.

Address: 501 Ruthven St, Toowoomba City, QLD, 4350
Website: facebook.com/grounduptoowoomba

3. Sweet Talk Coffee

Housed within the recently developed Longs Quarter, Sweet Talk Coffee is a strong addition to Toowoomba’s booming cafe scene. With its exposed brick walls, tall ceilings and concrete bar counter, there’s an air of industrial-chic to this light-filled space in the city centre. The menu, meanwhile, has a definite whiff of sophisticated continental inspiration – dishes such as crispy sumac squid with romesco sauce, labneh and fried capers; and ricotta doughnuts bathing in a sauce of house-made crème diplomat and roasted apple, line the menu.

Address: 3/203 Margaret St, Toowoomba City, QLD, 4350
Website: sweettalkcoffee.com.au

4. The Finch

Chow down on tasty modern Australian food for breakfast and lunch at The Finch in downtown Toowoomba. Meals are intriguingly colourful, and if you’re lucky, your coffee might even come with some pretty impressive foam art.

Can’t get enough? They’ve have a second location in East Toowoomba that also happens to stay open on Friday and Saturday nights (in addition to everyday breakfast and lunch), serving up Italian-style pizzas for dinner.

Address: 469 Ruthven St, Toowoomba CBD, QLD, 4350
Website: thefinch.com.au

5. Framed Espresso bar

A speciality coffee bar located in the ‘burbs, Framed is among the city’s best when you’re in need of a caffeine fix. Make a morning of it and tuck into some of the bar’s cakes and pastries, settling into one of their leather armchairs, or timber bar stools, and enjoying some downtime with a good book. The venue shares the space with a framing studio, so you could peruse the selection before setting off too.

Address: Corner, Ruthven Street, Hurstway Ct, Toowoomba City, QLD, 4350
Website: downsframing.com.au/framed-espressobar-toowoomba

6. Grinds espresso rail

A dedicated skateshop cafe slap bang in the centre of the city, Grinds Espresso Rail is serious about two things: its Wolff Roasters coffee, and the skateboards and skate apparel it purveys. This well-loved hole-in-the-wall shop zeroes in on all things local, from the beans that come from a micro-roastery in Brisbane to the independent skate attire labels it hosts, showcasing homegrown talent. Fans of Grinds’ brews can also take home a box of Wolff Roasters’ bold ready-to-drink cold brew, as well as its beans.

Address: 2/255 Margaret St, Toowoomba City, QLD, 4350
Website: facebook.com/grindsespressorailtoowoomba

7. Sage+Butler Neighbourhood Cafe

This small East Toowoomba neighbourhood cafe has a loyal following for its reliably strong coffee, reasonable prices, friendly and welcoming atmosphere, and rather moreish cinnamon scrolls. Pull up a pew at one of the tables outside on leafy Margaret Street and devour one of Sage+Butler’s homemade cakes and quiches in the sunshine.

Address: 62 Margaret St, East Toowoomba, QLD, 4350
Website: facebook.com/sagebutlerneighbourhoodcafe

8. Banter Coffee Kitchen

A cafe with a difference, the bohemian Banter Coffee Kitchen is a social enterprise, offering employment opportunities to the local migrant and refugee community. The cafe even boasts its own commission-free gallery wall, named The Brouhaha, where works by Toowoomba’s local artists are showcased and rotated every six weeks. There’s a real community feel to this Toowoomba CBD establishment, with growlers of local honey for sale, and a new mural from the exhibiting artist gracing the cafe’s facade every six weeks.

Address: 229 Margaret St, Toowoomba City, QLD, 4350
Website: facebook.com/BANTERCOFFEEKITCHEN

9. The Baker’s Duck

For those who (correctly) feel that it doesn’t get better than freshly baked treats, pop into The Baker’s Duck. Almond croissants, brownies or fruit danishes, oh my. Locals also line up for their coffee to wash down their bakery breakfasts. If you’re on a deadline, order online and pick up your order to go.

Address: 124 Campbell Street, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350
Website: thebakersduck.com.au

10. Park House Cafe

Get out and enjoy the Toowoomba sun with a meal at Park House Cafe across from the beautiful Queens Park in the heritage conservation precinct. Sit down to breakfast and lunch (or take it away and picnic across the road) with all your Aussie cafe favourites on offer.

Address: 124 Campbell Street, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350
Website: parkhousecafe.com.au

11. Cafe Valetta

Get a little bit of culture when you dine at Cafe Valetta. Named after the historical home it’s housed in, chandelier-lit rooms and an elegant outdoor courtyard tell the stories of its history, dating back to 1911 (although it’s had many eras since then). Pop in for breakfast, lunch or dinner, with a menu boasting classics like Bruschetta, pies, fish and chips and sangas. Book a high tea when you’re looking for something a little elevated.

Address: 96 Margaret Street, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350
Website: cafevaletta.com.au