Alen’s Espresso

I don’t drink coffee. No idea on that.
But their hot chocolate is quite delicious, and they have a medium coffee with a bacon and egg muffin, or ham cheese and tomato toastie special on. I can’t resist that on a cold morning.
I’m yet to head inside, but it looks pretty funky, and I might have to hit them up for lunch sometime soon.

Alen’s has long been the shining beacon of decent coffee amongst Brisbane’s legal district. As a counterpoint to the area — that itself has seen much change — Alen has held court and maintained an orderly house, churning out consistent coffees with a limited selection of food offerings largely focussed around the ‘chiller’ you can see adjacent to the counter.
Do: come for a well executed coffee from a well run team.
Don’t: come expecting an overly-​ambitious range of food offerings (though sister-​venue Chapter Two next door has filled that void).

Brisbane! Extra, extra, read all about it!!! Alen’s coffee kicks butt (toned down for those younger readers :)). Along with the coffee, i was impressed with the omelette I had with cheese and ham, sprinkled with dill… Wow! Definitely amazing and I would recommend it to anyone wanting a quick and delicious cuppa and brekkie!

Love, love, love Alen’s. Coffee is great and I love that you can text your order and pick it up on the way to work. The added Coffee Cart at the front in the morning, speeds things up and I’ve always had great service and great coffee. Not bad for Aussie coffee and Alen and his barista’s know what they are doing. The prices for coffee are also quite reasonable.

The best place to grab a latte in town is Alen’s Espresso, conveniently located near Roma Station. Now, everyone likes their coffee differently, so while my opinion may be subjective, I’ve been around Brisbane’s (and other large cities’) coffee scene. And well, this place is a favorite of businessmen and anyone who works in the city.
My usual wherever I go is a skinny latte, and well, let’s just say my latte experience in Brisbane has just been subpar, so I was quite pleased when I found this place. Their lattes aren’t the boldest that I’ve had, and while the bean itself doesn’t seem to have a characteristic aroma, the roast isn’t too dark and the beans don’t taste burnt — which is what I’ve found at a lot of cafes in Brisbane. Their coffee is smooth, and their service is really friendly and quick, all factors that I’ve taken into account. =)
I finally tried their food for the first time the other day — a toasted bacon, cheese and egg on sourdough sandwich — which really was just mediocre. To be fair, I wasn’t expecting much either, since their specialty is coffee — but I was disappointed nevertheless. The bread was a bit over-​toasted that it almost immediately became stale, and the cheese was wrinkly and dried up. Really, it would have been an ok sandwich, had it not been something a bit sloppily assembled and looked like I could make at home for $ 2. I would rather take my $ 7 across the street and have something at Noodle & Donburi, or even a burrito at Guzman y Gomez. Either way, I’d stick to just their coffees!

This is my favourite Brisbane coffee and I couldn’t believe it when I saw it listed with only a 4 star rating. Definitely worth 5 stars, great coffee, yummy treats and friendly staff.

One of the best coffees to be had in Brisbane, suffer the queue it’s worth it!

On the strip of George Street you have two choices before you. You can choose Gloria Jeans or Alen’s Espresso. Frankly, when faced with this ‘choose your own adventure’ should always be a fast and furious beeline to Alen’s.
My first visit was smack bang in the middle of the pre-​work coffee buying period and the line at the outside coffee cart was about three people deep. My coffee was delivered within five minutes. Inside was a little busier but customers still seemed to be moving quickly.
Dashing to another appointment, I only grabbed a takeaway and my expectations were surpassed. My coffee was smooth, not burnt and easy to drink. I can see why this local haunt is a popular choice for local workers.

Alen, the eponymous owner and keen cyclist (his bike hangs up on the café’s wall) won an ‘Australian Café of the Year’ award in 2008, and his establishment’s popularity has showed no signs of waning since then. Huge lines extend out onto George St with keen punters prepared to wait to get a sip of his signature blend (beans also available to take home). The line often includes a few ‘boys in blue’ so be sure to be on your best behaviour.
Other than fantastic coffee and enticing food, what has made this café so successful is Alen’s attention to detail and personalised customer service. I have a few bureaucrat friends who go there regularly and they say that he is always in his café, greeting the regulars on a first name basis as they come in. Personally, I haven’t made enough trips to get to that level in our relationship, but I look forward to getting to know Alen better.