Backstreet Cafe

Backstreet Cafe is a breakfast, brunch and lunch cafe on the Mooloolaba Esplanade, a few steps from the beach, and it opens early enough to catch sunrise over the water before the strip wakes up.

A decade in, the cafe has built its reputation on specialty coffee and breakfast made from scratch each day. The pancakes have a following of their own, and the breadless benedict, corn fritters, brekky burger and green brekky burrito are the brunch plates regulars return for. Gluten free and vegetarian options run across the menu.

The room is small and the tables sit close together, which is part of its character. This is a neighbourhood cafe that happens to sit on a tourist beachfront rather than the other way around. Ocean views from the tables, a team that knows the regulars by name, and no bookings taken.