We really hope you haven’t given up carbs for the new year, because the east side just scored a drool-worthy new bakery and it’s from one of Brisbane’s coolest hospitality crews.
Landing with a bang in Bulimba over the end-of-year break, Darvella Patisserie comes to us from Giorgina Venzin and the Venzin Group, who you would absolutely know from their other venues, Pawpaw Cafe and Mons Ban Sabai, to name just a few. In fact, if you’re a fan of Pawpaw Cafe, you might even already know what’s on offer on the shelves at Darvella—it was Pawpaw’s popular pop-up bakery during lockdown that inspired the new venue.
Yep, those doughnuts, pastries and croissants that were baked up to get the Woolloongabba cafe through the COVID-19 shut down turned out to be so popular (for good reason), that Venzin decided they deserved their own venue, and Lindsay Krahenbring, the pastry chef brought on to whip them up, her own kitchen—and so Darvella was born.
Named for the town in Switzerland where Venzin’s father grew up, the hole-in-the-wall bakery has a Swiss feel—but you’re not here for the interiors, you’re here for the carb-loading. Though there are a handful of stools by the entrance, Darvella is definitely a grab-and-go spot, which is probably best considering the amount of crumbs you’ll soon have down your shirt. Don’t bother trying to decide on just one sweet treat or flaky baked good—just order one of everything.
There’s flaky, golden croissants, sugary doughnuts filled with jam or Nutella, decadent choc salted caramel and passionfruit meringue tarts, mille feuille, danishes and more, not to mention savoury goodies like wraps, croissant sandwiches, sausage rolls and loaves of fresh sourdough. The real eye candy though, has got to be the baby cakes—miniature versions of stunning cakes that feed three to four people (or just one person with an epic sweet tooth). You can grab a coffee to-go as well, making this the perfect morning pitstop.
Basically, there’s no walking out without a hefty box of treats under your arm. We recommend popping in early so there’s plenty of goodies awaiting you—judging by the queue on opening day, we’re not the only ones who got addicted to Pawpaw’s baked goods in lockdown. You can find everything you need to know about Darvella here.
Looking to get out of town? Take a road trip to these country bakeries around Brisbane.
Image credit: Ranyhyn Laine