Banjo's Bakery Café

If you're after a bakery in West End, Queensland with a bit of everything, Banjo's Bakery Café is a franchise café-bakery with a drive-through, which is handy with a baby in the back seat or when you just can't face getting out of the car. They bake breads fresh on the premises each day, and the counter also runs to cakes, donuts, savouries and handmade treats, plus breakfast and coffee. You can dine in, take away, get it delivered, or order a custom cake or catering.

Pies are what locals keep coming back to. We hear about the scallop pie, the cheeseburger pie (one person happily had a double one for breakfast), the sausage rolls and the french vanilla slice, and people like the range of flavours and the meal combos. The pastry gets described as crisp and flaky, and one fan called it the best meat pie they'd had in Australia. The food is generally eaten fresh from the oven, though one local said a pie could have been a touch hotter, and another found a sausage roll on the small side, though they felt the price reflected that.

Value gets a nod, and the ordering app and loyalty program are popular with regulars. There's plenty of parking and seating inside, and the building has a wheelchair-accessible entrance, car park and toilet, which is good to know.

Service is where opinion is a little split. Some people mention friendly, helpful staff who go out of their way, one even suggesting two different breads when the fruit loaf had sold out and offering to slice them. Others have found the counter slow at quieter times, coffee that didn't always hit the mark, and tables that could have been cleared faster. It's the kind of place where the baked goods tend to win people over, and the coffee and pace are more hit and miss.

It's open early every day of the week, so it suits a morning bakery run. Check the hours before you head in, and ask about custom cake or catering orders directly.