Dudley Street Espresso & Collectables

I have only been here a few times and it has always been delightful. Blueberry bagel & cream cheese A+++ Juices yum! Iced coffee wasn’t to my liking but was decently priced, looked great. Only reason I haven’t given full stars as I haven’t had a main meal yet.
Overall really friendly staff, decent pricing, I always walk on foot but there is car parking close by.

Very handy for a coffee and snack after shopping in Woolies.
Best cappuccino I’ve had in years. Well worth the trip from Ireland.

Love this joint. Always great for a takeaway lunch on the go. Always delish. Just get in early as they can sell out :(. Staff are super friendly too.

I really want to like this place: it is near my home, it has collectible strange objects for sale, the coffee is not bad. But it gets on my nerves, for a variety of reasons.
First, the silly hours. What is the point of a brunch café not open on Sundays, and barely open Saturdays? I know, I know, this is pretty standard in Brisbane, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. So even though the Dudley is just a block from me, it of little use since when it’s open I’m either at work or asleep.
Also they don’t recycle. A small detail, but irritating none the less. How hard can it be?
Finally, they are right on Ipswich, right at a light. Which means there are idling buses and heavy trucks just outside the window. Which means loud, and smelly. Better go to Bennies across the street, for a less noisy and more friendly experience.

Not much to say about this place. Coffee is very good. Staff are awesome and look like they enjoy the job. Food is good but get in early as they can sell out if they have a busy morning. The ham bagel is amazing and so is the breakfast wrap (it’s my favourite).

Why stop in Annerley? Well, opp shopping is probably the first answer, but the second has to be Dudley Street Espresso! The boys run a tight ship, the coffee is well above average, and consistent. The food is fast-​café style gourmet sandwiches and the like, but freshly prepared and substantially sized so you don’t go hungry.
The personal service is also why I keep coming back, they greet you with familiarity and the feeling of a local community is definitely at play here, it’s a locals place!

Annerley is not the first place you think of when someone says, «Let’s go out for breakfast», yet this south side suburb is undergoing a slow transformation and places like Dudley Street Espresso are why.
Positioned on the main strip (Ipswich Road), Dudley Street is home amongst a line of op-​shops, vintage revival stores and even a dance school. Walking into this café-​slash-​collectable store you may catch yourself thinking, «Am I really in Annerley? Is this really on Ipswich Road?» You’re forgiven because something like Dudley Street Espresso would be more commonly found in trendier hubs like Fortitude Valley or the newly revived Woolloongabba. And, sure, this space would work in any of these suburbs dujour but I doubt they’d feel as unique. The fact there is nothing else like it in Annerley is what makes it. Its «Curious and Curiouser» in a coffee shop.
Shele P. hits the nail on the head though when she says you feel like the «collectables» (which are for sale) are more a part of the décor than the shop. And at prices for only serious collectors, not bargain hunters, it is probably best it creates that atmosphere.
Lesson 1: On a weekend, Dudley Street Espresso is best for a take-​away.
We arrived to experience the Dudley Street Espresso way on a Saturday morning. Some may say this was our rookie mistake. Table space (even the large communal table) was at a premium and we snapped up the last table before the line to order at the counter (order and pay at counter) was heading quickly out the door.
Lesson 2: Best for light meals /​morning tea. Take your mum not your hungry boyfriend.
The food options are standard but limited to cakes, sweets and sandwiches. This is a-​ok but also means if you’re dining with someone who has a tendency for «hollow legs» these snack menu options are not enough to be considered breakfast.
Lesson 3: The coffee is good and its probably what they should stick to.
This is a tricky one and something I’ve been thinking about since a conversation with a café-​owner. There’s a culture that you are either good at food or good at coffee in the local scene. I feel like Dudley Street is good at coffee. My Giancarlo flat white is creamy and warms the cockles of my heart on the rainy Saturday morning we visit. Of course, it’s nonsense to suggest that somewhere like this only serve coffee — it wouldn’t happen.
Dudley Street Espresso is the leader of the pack in a slow effort to revitalise a dying suburb and for that I applaud them.

I am usually stumped as to where to unwind
after a long day of trawling through the Annerley thrift road.
But thankfully places like the Dudley St. Expresso exist.
By far the cleanest and grooviest café on ipswich rd,
I was first tempted in by the delicious food aromas
wafting down the street.
Part coffee shop part vintage collectable paradise
this sweet little spot emits a lovely glow of vintage charm.
And while the coffee is a bit average
the food ain’t half bad.
I recommend scrutinizing their delizioso toasties
(Mozzarella and prosciutto omnomnom.)
and the veritable selection of cake and cookies.
The place gets understandably packed for breakfasts
but is well worth a visit when out and about in Annerley.

This is a great café and in an unusual set of shops. Annerley is a dive, but there are some interesting shops to peruse. When tired or hungry and in need of nourishment, Dudley Street Espresso is the best café in the area by far.
The coffee here is good and the sandwiches are even better. I haven’t tried a cake or anything sweet, but I’ve spied them from afar and they also look great. I don’t go to Annerley often so I don’t spend enough time at this café, but if I catch a bus that drives past the café’s front window, it always appears busy.
If looking for an interesting afternoon of shopping and food, this strip of shops at Annerley Junction is worth a wander through, just as long as you stop at Dudley Street Espresso along the way.

Some people consider Annerley to lack the kind of café culture that you’d find elsewhere in the inner south. It’s true that there are probably only two places to get a good cuppa in Annerley; Dudley Street Espresso is one of them. Being a café that sells collectables on the side, it fits into that stretch of Ipswich Road just nicely, with it’s antique stores and it’s op shops. It’s a busy café, on a busy stretch of road, so you can expect it to be noisy.
The coffee is creamy and strong. The food is worth a mention– try one of their sandwiches. They’re yum, and very affordable. I probably come here more for the food than the coffee to be honest (nothing beats a good sanga). Go sit down at long table that runs down the middle of the space, or sit in the window and people watch, or… car watch, as it does look out onto bustling Ipswich Road.
The collectables are cute, but I always get the feeling they are more ornamental, an actual part of the shop, rather than goods to be sold. Maybe you’ll feel differently and find yourself a nice treat to take home with you. The choice is yours.