Darwin’s

Darwin’s does well for a café on campus. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s clean, has a big outdoor seating area which is great on a sunny Brisbane day and has minimal turkey/​ibis/​other avarian interference.
Coffee is decent. Not the best I’ve ever had, but again, for a café on campus it does well. I actually haven’t tried any of the food (the uninspired menu aimed at tastebudless students puts me off.)
My one complaint would be the staff always seem mildly annoyed.
I will keep going back because it’s one of the nicer coffee shops on campus and it’s next to my bus stop, but it’s not exactly a destination must-​see café.

Do you know why it’s called Darwin’s?
Because the time it takes to get your meal needs to be measured using an evolutionary timescale.
Once you get your food or coffee, it’s ok, but not worth the wait.
The staff aren’t super friendly but that might be due to the high number of undergrads they have to deal with each day.

Overpriced for what it is. Workers are rude.
Our service workers expect to be treated well rather than customers expecting to be treated well. Perplexing.

How can it be that my first visit to Darwin’s was a few days ago when I have been on this campus for over a year? My friend wanted to take me for a belated birthday coffee date and he suggested Darwin’s.
We ordered a chai latte and chocolate mocha. They both came in a reasonably amount of time. My chai latte wasn’t really hot. I find that my chai lattes are so varied at every single coffee shop! It wasn’t the best one I have had– that’s for sure. Our table and seats were not cleared off so salt was everywhere from the previous person. I think that they had been busy shortly before but it would have been nice to be cleared off.
It’s a nice area that close to Chancellor’s bus stop and Biological Sciences Library. If you need a study break, you can hop right over and grab a coffee, lunch, or something sweet.

Good, well priced café food, with a liquor license (beer and wine). They do a really nice tapas menu in the afternoon (though the last time I was there it wasn’t on offer) and a decent brunch. Good service, friendly staff, reasonably priced, with a lovely outdoor seating area shared with the adjacent Burger Urge. A good option for groups — you’ve got two food options with a shared seating area, and they’re happy to have orders from both places at one table. Would be nice if they were open for after-​work drinks!

Nice atmosphere and the cheapest coffee on campus! $ 4 buys you a large latte, and they mean large! Service is always fast, it’s deliciously close to the bus stop, and there are some great menu options if you missed breakfast!

After the refurb I’ve noticed pretty dramatic improvements in quality of food and coffee. I think best fish’n’chips on campus and they also do a nice pesto pasta dish. the coffee probably still takes longer than it should but if you need a space for a leisurely meeting with a colleague, this is the superior spot now on campus.

I was visiting UQ for a week and this became my go-​to spot in the morning as well as lunch time. It took me a few visits to figure out that they have quite a detailed menu at lunch that may not be evident so look out for that near the cachier. The chai latte was good and by my second visit they already remembered my preferences (skim milk, no cinnamon, not too hot). I liked their ciabatta sandwiches as well. Being able to pick between regular tables inside or outside plus high tables inside is nice and there was never a problem with finding an empty seat or table.

I like the location of Darwin’s particularly if putting in a few hours in the Biological Sciences Library. The seating is mainly outdoors under umbrellas and there’s plenty of greenery making it a nice place to sit and enjoy some fresh air. Unfortunately, the coffee’s just not that great and the service is often a bit slow. However, if all you need is a caffeine hit and can’t be bothered going further afield, ie. to Merlo’s, Darwin’s is fine.
Right now it’s undergoing refurbishments, so the café has been temporarily replaced by a coffee cart. I’m told the new establishment will be a wine bar/​café and they’ll have two coffee machines rather than just one, so maybe they’re expecting more business and will be upping the standard of their coffee. Hopefully this is the case, as I think they could do really really well given their great location.

On campus, there are different sections of the university that are populated by different types of students. The Biological Science Library is filled with science students, Med Students and anyone from other disciplines looking for a 24 hour library. Attached to this library on the ground floor is Darwin’s Café and Eatery. The name of this Café clearly indicated its connection with biological sciences and the types of students that frequent it.
Now I am a humanities student, so Darwin’s is not my favourite spot nor do I go there for anything expect meeting up with friends who are cramming for exams in the bio science library. The food is what you expect. They have half-​decent sandwiches and coffee that does the job but everything here just screams quick eating. There is plenty of outdoor seating and tables but you mainly find people shoving down whatever sustenance they need to continue to cram for 46 hours straight before exams. Darwin’s definitely has this sort of cold and calculated atmosphere. It is good if you just want a quick coffee or bite to eat but it is definitely not one of those cafes you want to curl up in for hours. Not my personal favourite but I am guessing there are many hard working science kids who have a fond spot for Darwin’s.