Tag Archives: racecourse road

Fonzie Abbott: Racecourse Road’s Only Cafe

Fonzie Abbot on Racecourse Road
Fonzie Abbott on Racecourse Road

Racecourse Road is not a good place to go for coffee; there are not many places that can do a passable long black. You can find dining, a Coles Metro and occasionally even large numbers of drunk people with a temporary interest in horses, but finding a good coffee is harder. Unless you go to a small espresso bar called Fonzie Abbott, just next to Vagelis.

Fonzi Abbot Cafe
Fonzie Abbott Cafe

Fonzie Abbott is named for the first pet and first street that one of the owners lived on, just like the pornstar name meme. I can only assume that this is somehow related to the rooster in their logo.

The cafe is more of an espresso bar, with a small footprint and not too many seats. The coffee they serve is not just the best on Racecourse Road, but compares well against cafes in other areas too.

Fonzie Abbott uses both blends and single origin beans, with the single origin beans changing regularly.  There are a few light meals and a selection of beers available as well, and apparently they also do Espresso Martinis on Fridays.

There are not many places on Racecourse Road that can do good coffee, and fortunately Fonzie Abbott is an exception. The decor tends towards hipster, with its second-hand aesthetic and the mix of blends and single origin beans. It is my pick of the street if you want a good coffee, long black or otherwise.

TL;DR

  • Better than the other cafes on Racecourse Road, because…
  • The coffee is actually good
  • Pornstar meme name
  • Espresso Martinis

Fonzie Abbott Espresso
http://fonzieabbott.com
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Fonzie Abbott Espresso, 1/30 Racecourse Road
Hamilton
Ph: 07 32684293

Vagelis Lamb Salad, with a Coffee

Late Lunch Vagelis Long Black Coffee
Late Lunch Vagelis Long Black Coffee

To some in Brisbane, Racecourse Road, Ascot is known for cafes. Which is odd, since almost all of the cafes on the street are not especially remarkable. There is a Coffee Club, a Grill’d, a small Japanese place, and a few other restaurants and cafes, but none can compare to a decent cafe, let alone somewhere like Campos or Dandelion and Driftwood. Casual dining is the niche Racecourse Road fills now, with a number of nice small places that serve ordinary coffee and good food.

Warm Lamb Salad
Warm Lamb Salad

Vagelis is one of these. Their coffee is unremarkable, but it’s good for casual dining. The menu has a very Greek theme, and it is the better for it. Both the keftedes and warm lamb salad certainly won’t let you down.

This time, I went for the lamb salad over the keftedes. The lamb was tender, and marinated perfectly, and while they certainly filled the plate with green leafy stuff, they did not skimp on the important parts: the lamb itself, feta cheese, tomato, eggplant, olives and capsicum.

The coffee itself sits a little to the right of the thick bit of the bell curve. They use Di Bella coffee and the result is decent. But still, as harsh as this sounds,  if you were after remarkable coffee, you would not be on Racecourse Road.

TL;DR

  • Coffee OK
  • Food good
  • If you want excellent coffee, why are you on Racecourse Road in the first place?

Vagelis
http://www.vagelis.com.au/
Shop 2/ 30 Racecourse Road
Ascot
ph: 07 3268 4293

Long Black at a Coffee Club

Coffee Club Long Black
Coffee Club Long Black

Anyone who lives in Australia, especially Brisbane, has probably seen a Coffee Club. For those that haven’t, it is a chain cafe that was started here in Brisbane that has not built its business on adding sugary crap to coffee.

The other weekend one of my aunts was up from Sydney, so we all went out to the same place my Dad goes to every time we do this. I found myself at the Racecourse Road Coffee Club, Ascot. I eventually made my way through two long blacks and their big breakfast.


View Long Black in a larger map

Personally I have found that their coffee is not the best, but it is generally consistent across their stores, and the food is fairly decent. I ended up having their huge breakfast. I was a little disappointed when I was not allowed to swap the eggs, which I don’t eat, for something that I did. Usually, I can do this.