Café Checocho

I came here for some dessert with a friend as we were just craving something sweet. It’s a little cute café where it has a very homey feel; however, the quality of the desserts looked lacklustered and literally looked like it was made in a few seconds.
I peeked into the pastry cabinet and saw just a poorly-​frosted chocolate cake of sorts. We opted for gelato which was good but definitely a little overpriced.
I’m sure they’re lunch/​dinner menu might be better, but not really a place for dessert!

This is not a neck of the West End woods I’ve previously ventured for any great length of time, but Café Checocho recently came across my radar as a casual, no-​fuss café with food that surpassed any first judgements you may make of its rustic exterior and bare bones interior.
It seemed fitting that the afternoon I visited it was raining and grey skies blanketed Brisbane — it added to the brooding atmosphere of this café with its dark wood bookshelf full of books to pass the time as you sip your CoffeeX coffee. I think this is one of those cafes more appreciated by a local. For this suburb outsider it seemed too much like I was the odd one out and perhaps I just didn’t get the quirks that make this place one people rave about.

Organic and vegan where they can, but with plenty of orderable chorizo and bacon. The atmosphere is cosy and lovely. A wall full of second hand books for sale (quite the eclectic selection!).
I had just a simple avocado on Turkish with scrambled eggs and l was not disappointed.

you simply MUST go to checoCHO! says a woman wearing white linen, closing her resort wear store in NOOSHA for the day, sounding an awful lot like mrs Emu and getting amongst the hep bohemians for a break. that is not the patron you will find here. i just moved into the neighbourhood and i had been here before but i didn’t realise how much this café supports the community. it’s open late every night, which is not common. it does breakfast lunch and dinner. Someone is always in there. They sponsor a chess club. And the table tops are decoupaged. my sister always makes us sit at the lord of the rings one. I’m sure there’s even more good things. breakfast under eight dollars was good. it was raining and cold and the roasted veggies on turkish bread with poached eggs hit the spot.

One of our favorite breakfast spots in West End! The all-​day breakfast with poached eggs and roast veggies is truly one of the best café breakfasts in existence.
The café is really small but has a cozy bohemian atmosphere with board games and shelves of random old books to browse while you wait for food or enjoy a heavenly cup of coffee or pot of tea.
The staff are always friendly and helpful, but it can be a bit hard to get their attention if you need something.
Cannot recommend this place enough for a tasty caffeine fix!

Fun to say and even more enjoyable to walk into,
Café Checocho is my go to place for a delightful atmosphere
and delicious beverages and foodstuffs.
Not as sterile as the corporate CBD spots or as pretentious as the other bean scenes,
Checocho (che-​co-​cho) offers a typically relaxed westend vibe.
And although the space is small it feels colossal in terms of ambience.
Good seating that can be found inside and out
is coupled with gorgeous hand painted and themed tables.
Not content to serve only good coffee these guys also offer an impressive menu
filled with yummy international dishes and delectable desserts.
If you are a chess fan or fanatic you will be welcomed here with open arms
as checocho has tournaments every tuesday and sunday.
Great for quick catchups with friends
or for those lovely long languid weekend mornings,
Café Checocho is a great spot to investigate.

My favourite place to go for a pot of delicious chai and maybe a homemade bowl of nachos or a pizza. The pizzas are quite gourmet, using authentic homemade bases and some pretty impressive topping like rasperry infused smoked salmon. Sweet!
Checocho is actually an amalgam of the words ‘chess’, ‘coffee’ and ‘chocolate’, and while I’ve acquainted myself with the first two I haven’t had much to do with the third of the trio.
The owner Jeff is a lovely guy who will go to lengths to make your experience a positive one. The place offers numerous boardgames (including of course the namesake), second-​hand books (particularly from the spiritual/​new-​age genres) and free WiFi internet, lending it a really inviting atmosphere.
It’s a great place to pleasantly while away a few hours on a lazy day. They even do live acoustic acts some nights of the week. Music to my ears…

I got a lovely, if somewhat unusual invitation from friends to come and spend my Friday night at Checocho’s. On a Friday night, I can usually be found getting my booze on at any one of the great local drinking holes in my area. Playing board games and drinking tea isn’t usually on the top of my list of things to do when I’m freshly released from work for the weekend. But this Friday night, it is.
It’s almost a refreshing invitation. In fact, any time I spend at Checocho’s always manages to rejuvenate me in one respect or another. There’s ferny pot plants outside, a couch looking onto the street, dogs lounging about with their human companions, and then if you’d rather sit inside, you’ll be sure to sink into dim, romantic and earthy surrounds. The fantasy/​mythology themed art on the walls sets up the feel of the place well. One of the bigger literature sections on their bookshelf is reserved for ‘new age’, and you’re likely to hear people having all sorts of deep, philosophical conversations while visiting there. You’re also likely to spot your creative café goer there. You know the ones; they travel solo, and they bring their journal, sketch pad, or toy and sit for hours on one cup of coffee. If you don’t bring your own toys, they’ve got a bunch of boardgames for you to play with.
On a Sunday afternoon, Checocho’s fills up with every hippy, feral, rastafari, vagrant, bohemian try hard in the area. I walked past one Sunday arvo to see a man turning a bunch of water glasses up on their heads and using them as a makeshift glockenspiel. Another man was singing into the bottom of his djembe trying to get an echo out of it.
I love this kind of business. People crawling all over each other, running around wild in the city limits. Go to Checocho’s. Take your shoes off, draw pictures on napkins with crayons, and try your hand at playing the spoon. While you’re at it, drink some nice coffee or tea, and get some good, wholesome eats into you.