Genies Cafe

One of the university’s more scenically-​situated cafes, Genies is accessed by a lushly grand palm tree-​lined pathway in the Biosciences precinct (get the gene pun? course you do ;)
Such an auspicious ingress could lead to concerns of boutique prices, but fear not, Genies is a mid-​range little eatery with a range of affordable breakfast and lunch options. I dropped by recently for breakfast and found the place busy enough to have a line looming to order at the counter. Things were a bit confused and confusing, with customers seemingly unsure if the other were waiting to order or waiting on their order to come, but we got there.
I chose the baked beans with toast, pretty reasonably priced at $ 6. The guy who served me alerted me that there was bacon in the beans, and was that ok (good of him to ask).
A bottled juice took it up to just under $ 10. I staked a table in their very pleasant courtyard and sipped a water dispensed from one of their clear glass urns. The food was pretty promptly delivered and appeared very generously portioned.
However what it boasted quantitatively it lacked a little qualitatively. I’ve had some fantastic home-​made baked beans from places like Lock’n’Load Bistro and Lure on Latrobe, with these exemplary versions featuring a mix of different beans (with cannellini, butter beans etc in addition to the normal navy beans you get with the tinned variety) and a complex flavour resulting from baking the beans and sauce in the over with herb bundles (I know this to be true for Lock’n’Load because I asked the chef for his recipe!).
In comparison Genie’s beans were far from magic. The sauce had a flavour not too dissimilar to what you get out of a can, plus the bacon seemed to be that cubed variety sold cheaply as bacon bits. Overall it gave it a slightly metallic tang that you get with cheap tinned meats. It wasn’t horrible (and buttered toast does wonders for a mediocre topping) but I wouldn’t order it again.

I’m a bit of a Merlo’s devotee when it comes to coffee on UQ’s St Lucia Campus, but Genie’s goes alright too. I would say that Merlo’s is the main meeting place for students – a bit more hip, popular with undergrads, and centrally located – whereas Genie’s attracts an older crowd, more post-​grads and staff, and sits hidden amongst the science buildings.
Regardless of the type of crowd you’re interested in, the coffee and food are pretty decent. I’ve had a light lunch there of frittata and salad, costing around $ 9, and I couldn’t fault it. There’s plenty of seating both inside and out, but at certain times of the day, some of the outdoor seating gets pretty sunny.
A sound choice for eating or drinking at UQ.

Of all the cafes hidden around the University of Queensland St Lucia Campus, Genies is probably one of the nicest. Tucked away at the entrance to the QBP Queensland Biosciences Precinct (Building 80), you need to venture down a palm tree lined walkway to reach it. Because of this, Genies tends to be a place where you sit and have a coffee rather than takeaway (although takeaway is certainly available). You will find a lot of staff and postgraduate students relaxing here, as it lets you escape the hustle and bustle of many of the other coffee hot spots on campus taken over by masses on undergraduate students just looking for their next caffeine hit.
Genies is a little oasis; quiet, calm, with good table service and both indoor and outside seating. They have a nice lunch menu, although a little pricey for your average poverty stricken student. The coffee is good and you can get a nice milkshake here too. They also have a awesome and affordable breakfast menu that I recommend you try one day.