Marhaba Cafe

Marhaba Cafe is a warm inviting social enterprise cafe tucked away in the basement of Brisbane City Hall, where once upon a time the Red Cross Tea Rooms (and later Commix Cafe) used to have their home. 

Taking its name from the casual Arabic greeting Marhaba, meaning hello or welcome, the cafe is staffed by people facing barriers to employment, including refugees and those with mental health issues or disabilities, an initiative of the award-winning Nundah Co-op, in collaboration with the Australian Red Cross.

Open weekdays for breakfast and lunch, well-priced breakfast dishes include avocado on sour dough, eggs your way, brekkie wrap; toast (plain or fruit) and Turkish eggs (poached eggs on a bed of homemade labneh with aleppo butter on toasted Turkish).

The lunch menu features multicultural dishes such as Aleppo chicken and rice; beef sujuk flatbread with salad; or portobello mushroom shawarma wrap together with a classic BLT on Turkish. There's also sandwiches (fresh or toasted) made to order, for just $7, hot chips, corn cob and a couple of small dishes (fish and chips or chicken nuggets and chips).

You can also enjoy a well-brewed coffee or pot of loose leaf tea with some fresh baked goodies like cookies or scones while cold drinks include ice long black, latte, coffee, chocolate or tea and milk shakes or malted milk.

Need to know - the entrance to Marhaba Cafe is off Adelaide Street and down some steps past the old City Hall Rest Room signs.

Image credits - courtesy of Marhaba Cafe Facebook page.