A decade on from its game-changing debut, Morning After is still serving up some of Brisbane’s best coffee and brunch in the heart of West End. To celebrate ten years in the biz, the beloved cafe is rolling out limited-edition merch, a special anniversary coffee blend and free brews for early birds.
A decade of early starts – iconic West End cafe Morning After celebrates ten years with a slick merch drop
Oct 08, 2025, updated Oct 08, 2025
Credit: images supplied
Ten years is an incredible innings for any small business, let alone a cafe. That’s a lot of early starts fuelled by double-shot espressos. But if you ask Yianni Passaris if the rise-and-grind lifestyle is worth it, he’d no doubt respond with a resounding affirmative.
When Yianni and his mother Soula opened Morning After on the corner of Vulture Street and Cambridge Street in West End, it was hailed as a new breed of cafe.
It arrived at a time when Brisbane brunchers were still getting their heads around the nuances of specialty coffee, including terms like batch brew and pour over. Simultaneously, Morning After’s all-day menu of eats proved that the first meal of the day could be just as elevated as the last.
Throw in an ultra-modern interior aesthetic (shaped by award-winning designer Alexander Lotersztain of Derlot) and it’s no surprise that Morning After quickly earned a sterling reputation amongst locals – a rep it has maintained ever since.
“Back then you couldn’t go to a specialty cafe to get both good food and good coffee,” says Yianni, whose family had previously operated Italian restaurant Dell’Ugo in South Bank. “We came from fine dining and never wanted to give up on great service. I also travelled to Melbourne a lot and loved their cafe culture and I felt Brisbane was missing that kind of cafe.
“In our early days some people said we wouldn’t last six months – but look at us now!”
Any milestone is worth celebrating, but to mark a jam-packed decade in the game the Morning After crew is pulling out all the stops. This week, the cafe is debuting a brand-new range of collaborative merch, available for purchase through the Morning After website and at the cafe.
The goodies include a limited-release anniversary coffee blend and filter roast made in partnership with Five Senses (featuring custom packaging by Brisbane designer and illustrator Vanessa Jamieson), a branded T-shirt with a tongue-in-cheek design by Breakfast Shirts, a heritage-inspired anniversary cap crafted by Morning After’s apron supplier Worktones, and a reusable Fressko cup.
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Morning After will also be marking the occasion with a coffee giveaway on Wednesday October 15, with 150 free coffees up for grabs from 7:00 am.
“We want to say thank you to the community and our customers for all the support they have shown us throughout the years. We wouldn’t be where we are today without them so it’s just one small way we can give back,” says Yianni.
Head to The Directory for Morning After’s operating hours and contact details.