Hazel Espresso

Step inside Hazel Espresso and you’ll quickly forget you’re in the heart of Southport. The gorgeous, caramel-hued cafe is like a hug from an old friend—welcoming, warm and exactly what you were missing.

Nestled in bustling Davenport Street in Southport, Hazel Espresso is shaking up the Gold Coast breakfast scene with a tantalising fusion of Vietnamese, Japanese and Australian flavours. The menu is authentically unauthentic, serving up classics like traditional Vietnamese iced coffee and colourful Banh Mi’s, and then mixing it up with dishes like the chill crab scramble served on a toasted croissant and the Japanese-inspired Tamago salad 'sando'. If you've got a major sweet tooth, you can’t go past the french toast—vanilla bean cream cheese stuffed french toast with ice cream, berry coulis, fairy floss and almond crumble. Yes, it's as delicious as it sounds.

Now, let’s talk coffee. Hazel Espresso’s frozen coffee sphere drink is almost too Instagrammable to drink. Think: a frozen ball of espresso, which you add steamed milk and sugar syrup to, creating a strong yet sweet Vietnamese coffee with a twist. We also love their signature Vietnamese egg coffee, which takes inspiration from the popular drink in Hanoi and combines filtered coffee, condensed milk, honey, caramel syrup, sugar syrup and egg yolk, creating a rich and creamy coffee. On a hot summer’s day, the peach, lemongrass, ginger and mint iced tea is sublime, and of course, if plain old coffee is your thing, Hazel Espresso slings up all your usual caffeinated beverages using ST. ALi beans from Melbourne.

The welcoming couple behind the cafe, Long and Hazel (yes, it is named after Hazel) bring a vibrant energy to the space and their passion for creating beautiful dishes and delivering quality service is evident in everything they do, from their welcoming smiles to the intricate, handmade touches throughout Hazel Espresso. 

Image Credit: Hazel Espresso