Meet Freya – Milton’s new cafe serving bagels, coffee and good vibes
Tucked beneath The Manning on Milton’s Railway Terrace, Freya is the latest addition to Brisbane’s ever-evolving cafe scene. With a focus on bagels, specialty coffee and community connection, the venue is less about competition and more about contribution. Come and take a peek inside …
Milton’s Railway Terrace is a microcosm of Brisbane’s greater dining scene. You’ve got a bit of everything, from craft-beer bars and Vietnamese street eats, flavour-packed Indian cuisine and top-flight specialty coffee.
You might think all bases are covered, but there’s always room for more.
Freya, a brand-new coffee spot now open at the base of The Manning by Mosaic, is looking to bring something new to the table. The brainchild of four friends – Tom, Will, Georgina and Phil – Freya has been designed from the outset to be additive to Milton’s close-knit hospitality community.
“I’ve lived in the Milton and Auchenflower area for 15 years and I’ve always loved this area and how diverse and up and coming it is,” says Tom. “Obviously, we’re the new kids in the block, but we’re not here to compete – we want to add something fresh.”
The genesis of Freya stretches back to November last year, when Will, Georgina and Phil first put thought toward opening a cafe. Initially, the trio secured a site next to a fertility clinic, from which they drew inspiration for the name (Freya is the Norse god of love and fertility). The name stuck, even as the first location fell through.
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Soon, though, a broker brought the team to a space at The Manning that overlooked Railway Terrace from its podium-level perch. Boasting a sun-dappled terrace and a cosy interior, the team saw potential immediately. Georgina spearheaded the cafe’s aesthetic approach, selecting burgundy-coloured outdoor furniture from Tait and implementing a chic, neutral design palette inside.
It’s around this time that Tom, a hospitality veteran who first met Will while working together at The Smug Fig, also came onboard as venue manager.
Together, the team brainstormed how they could best contribute to the area, offering something that the community didn’t already have – and could be prepared with ease in Freya’s bare-bones kitchen.
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“We knew that sushi was around the corner here and we can’t do banh mi, either – so what’s another easy lunch-slash-breakfast option?” says Tom. “Everyone loves a bagel.”
Freya’s tight food menu consists predominantly of bagels (supplied by The Bagel Boys), lathered with an assortment of cream-cheese spreads that caters to different palates. You’ll find classic flavour combos like dill and capers, banana and peanut butter, and blueberries, honey and vanilla, as well as more out-of-the-box infusions like capsicum, cheddar cheese and corn, and jalapeno, coriander and lemon.
For the brekkie bagel lovers, there’s an egg, bacon, semi-dried tomato creation, while vegans can chow down on bagels topped with capsicum, roasted cashew, semi-dried tomato, or olive tapenade.
On the beverage front, Freya is pouring Toby’s Estate coffee alongside loose-leaf tea from Tea Collective, matcha and juices canned on site.
“[Our menu is] all very straightforward and affordable,” says Tom. “We want everyone to come down, say g’day, and have a quick coffee and a bagel.”
In the future, the Freya team plans to expand its trading hours into the evenings, opening to the public as a wine bar and inviting guests to lounge on the terrace with a vino and some snacks one or two nights a week.
“We’d love to offer local wine, but also a wine that has a story as well,” says Tom. “We’re looking at the moment, getting a small selection of reds, whites and a couple of bubbles. We will also be experimenting with canned cocktails, as well.
“We’ll be doing a little bit of a charcuterie board – gourmet cheeses, cured meats and everything – and we’ll be using our spreads as dips.”
Though the team is always looking to the future, for now, the Freya crew is content for the cafe to settle into a comfortable groove and cultivate its own following organically.
“We’re not trying to take anything from the others – we’ll never do craft beers or anything like that, that’s Milton Common,” says Tom. “We just want to create a sense of community.”
Freya is now open to the public – operating hours and other important details can be found in The Directory.