Forty West Cafe
Ripley
Forty West Café and bar is an oasis of good food in contemporary open plan digs overlooking a state of the art aquativity playground in Ipswich’s new housing estate of Providence Ripley.
Cafes don’t get much more child friendly than Forty West café, starting with the multiple free parking spaces in the adjacent parking lot, to the pram-friendly ramp access, plentiful high chairs and the super-sized covered deck with comfy lounges and big community tables overlooking the playground. Otherwise there’s dining tables inside and a line-up of stools at the open window.
The canny folk behind Woolloongabba cafe Moose & Gibson and Tarragindi's Leaf Espresso have brought their considerable hospitality nous to this Ipswich outpost and the result is a café that wouldn’t be out of place in inner city Brisbane.
Serving all day breakfast, lunch from 11am and dinner on weekends, Forty West does the casual classics and takes them to another level.
On the breakfast menu are the likes of toasted muesli, avo on toast, Benny Bagel (Eggs Benedict on a bagel), Brioche French Toast with Caramelised Peaches with or the Big Breakfast (the works).
For lunch there’s beetroot salad, Barra, chips and salad, Chicken Caesar Burger (parmesan crumbed chicken with bacon, caper aioli and lettuce) or Angel Bay Beef Burger with smoky bacon and rustic fries.
In the evening the Gourmet pizzas (thing Vegetarian or Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon) go down a treat, as do the sliders (chicken or pulled pork), Spicy Buffalo Wings with smoked capsicum aioli or Salt and Pepper Calamari. In addition the counter is packed with all manner of lighter options like ham and cheese or bacon and egg toasties, ham and cheese croissants, gourmet sausage rolls and fresh daily salads.
There’s also a generous range of range of delicious fresh-baked sweet treats, such as citrus, cherry or vanilla slices and chocolate brownies.
To drink, aside from well-brewed coffee and loose leaf tea, the house shakes are a stand-out (try the oreo shake) as are the frappes (pineapple mint) and Forty West also has a small range of craft beer on tap, as well as cider, two wines (shiraz or chardonnay) and a small selection of spirits.
Need to know – Forty West is a real community hub, where everyone, including pets (on-leash, well-behaved) are welcome regularly has live acoustic music and on occasions like match nights, switches on the big screen and offers great meal deals. To get therre. take the turn-off from Ripley Rd into Providence Parade. Amity Way is just off to the left.
Nice to know – This is a great gathering spot for parent and carer groups who can watch the kids play in the super playground from the deck of the café.
And, for more great things to see and do in Ipswich, visit Discover Ipswich HERE.
