Queensland surprises with best cafe culture

Queensland has thrown down the gauntlet to Melbourne when it comes to claiming Australia's best cafe culture.

Five sunshine state venues feature in review site Beanhunter's Top Cafes in Australia awards, with Brisbane's Coffee Anthology taking out the No.1 position.

Beanhunter founder James Crawford said although Melbourne was known as the country's coffee capital, Brisbane was not far behind.

"Brisbane is a hidden gem when it comes to great coffee," he told AAP.

"It's got a very thriving specialty coffee industry.

"The community is one which is very supportive of each other."

Beanhunter selected the top 10 cafes based on reviews throughout 2015 from some of its 300,000 monthly users.

Melbourne institutions Proud Mary and Cup of Truth finished second and fourth, while Coffee Alchemy in Sydney came in third.

Sunshine Coast cafe Lamkin Lane Espresso Bar ranked fifth in the awards, while other Queensland cafes finished sixth, seventh and eighth.

Lamkin Lane Espresso Bar owner Tim Adams said Queensland venues differed from those in Sydney and Melbourne because there was more of a focus on coffee.

"We are more casual with our cafe offering so we can focus on producing great coffee," he said.

"People do not feel obligated to buy a heap of food, whereas particularly Melbourne cafes have a big food offering."

Mr Crawford admitted a lot of Brisbane cafes looked to Melbourne and Sydney for ideas but he said they definitely had their own "flair".

1. Coffee Anthology, Brisbane, QLD

2. Proud Mary, Melbourne, VIC

3. Coffee Alchemy, Sydney, NSW

4. Cup of Truth, Melbourne, VIC

5. Lamkin Lane Espresso Bar, Sunshine Coast, QLD

6. Bunker, Brisbane,QLD

7. Ground Up Espresso Bar, Toowoomba, QLD

8. Dovetail on Overend, Brisbane, QLD

9. Patricia, Melbourne, VIC

10. Coffee Brothers, Mona Vale, NSW