Nowhere Espresso has expanded its role in West Toowong, turning the Bent Street cafe into an evening pizzeria and wine bar while continuing its breakfast and lunch trade from a heritage Queenslander in the suburb’s quiet backstreets.
A Bent Street Cafe Moves Beyond Daytime Trade
The venue at 8 Bent Street has long operated as a cafe, but its latest chapter adds dinner service built around Italian food, wine and relaxed neighbourhood dining.
Kye Smith, Jade Endress and Trong Smith took over Nowhere Espresso in September 2024 with plans to make broader use of the site. The shift has moved the business beyond its established morning and lunch service, giving locals another nearby option for pizza, pasta and drinks after dark.
The change is centred on a new pizzeria and wine bar format, while the venue continues to identify itself as a community cafe and restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
West Toowong Venue Builds A Larger Kitchen
The expansion required more than a menu change. The original kitchen operated from a small section of the heritage Bell’s General Store building, with limited room for the fuller food offering the owners wanted to introduce.
To make the dinner service possible, the team leased the two-bedroom house behind the cafe, connected the two structures and installed a larger kitchen in what had previously been the home’s formal living room. The upgrade gave the venue the space needed to support a broader restaurant-style menu.
Nowhere Espresso introduced its evening offer in late April, with Italian food forming the basis of the new direction.
Roman Roots Shape The Menu
The kitchen is led by Rome-born chef Alessio Fantera, who had previously worked with members of the team at Love Italy on the Gold Coast and also worked as a sous chef at 1889 Enoteca.
The menu brings together entrees, pasta, pizza and desserts. Smaller dishes include cacio e pepe arancini, confit-tomato bruschetta and house-made garlic bread, while the pasta selection includes spaghetti vongole, fettuccine ragu and rigatoni carbonara.
Nowhere Espresso has also highlighted dishes such as slow-cooked beef ragu with fettuccine and spaghetti with clams, garlic, white wine, chilli and parsley.
Pizza sits at the centre of the evening offer, with traditional choices joined by toppings such as gorgonzola with hot honey, mortadella with burrata, and zucchini with prawns. The dough is made with a thicker, airy crust and a crisp base designed to hold its toppings.
Wine Bar Adds To The After-Dark Shift
The drinks list is led by wine, with mostly Australian selections available by the glass and bottle. The range includes wines from regions such as the Clare Valley, the Grampians, the Yarra Valley and Tasmania, along with reserve and imported options.
Cocktails and beers also form part of the evening list, with spritzes, mojitos, chilli margaritas, pina coladas and espresso martinis among the drinks named in the venue’s offering.
The business lists breakfast, lunch and dinner service through its website, with evening trade promoted across selected weekdays and weekends. Recent updates have also pointed to takeaway pizza and wine as part of the expanded offer.
The change gives Nowhere Espresso a second rhythm after dark. The venue remains a daytime cafe, but its new kitchen, Italian menu and wine bar format have turned it into a fuller neighbourhood dining option for locals looking to stay close to home.
Published 27-May-2026
