Woodman's Axe Espresso Bar Mackay — Restaurant in Queensland

There you are, lying awake in the early morning in your hotel room, wondering why the mattress has not been heritage listed as an instrument of torture, when it occurs to you just get up and go have some breakfast instead. Ugh. It's 5am, nothing is going to be open for another 90 minutes. You roll over to re-align your spine and wonder if the floor would be more comfortable to sleep on.

Not anymore. Woodmans Axe Expresso (WAE from now on) has realised there is enough of a early morning demand for good strong coffee and food at 5.30am, that they have set up a small and cosy shop on Gregory St to cater for that very market. Wait till 6.30 for a coffee shop to open ? Pfffft, outta my way.

The smell of hot ground coffee embraced me under a clear moonlight sky, and as I stepped in, the aroma and the sound of Jaxson Gamble on speaker, simulataneously greeted me. The staff were friendly (and certainly friendlier than I feel at 5.30am), the service was quick, the artwork decor interesting, the food hot and delicious and the music, whilst energetic, was not too loud. Which just leaves the coffee.

But first, some context. Some coffee shops seem to exist in an Alice in Wonderland bubble, where a normal cup is called 'large', whilst keeping a straight face. WAE also exists in this bubble, but happily at the other extreme. If you order large mug at WAE, you'd better bring a friend. A large mug will provide you with all your caffeine requirements for the day, and may in concentrated form, resurrect small animals. The only time I've ever left coffee behind is because it was awful. This time it was because I could not finish it, delicious as it was. And it's not like I'd had a big meal prior, it was 5 freaking 30 am, and my body was an empty vessel waiting to be filled with liquid caffeine.

Whilst it cannot redeem lost sleep from lumpy matresses, WAE is certainly a place worth getting up early for, and I very much hope they will open a cafe in Brisbane sometime...

Don't normally buy coffee but on the few occasions in the past that we have bought from here, the service was epic. Very welcoming, understanding and super helpful. Today was downright awful. Whilst all the younger employees were upholding the usual delightful standard of service, the older lady (my apologies for not paying attention to names) felt it necessary to make a big deal because my partner requested a quarter cream to three quarters milk in our coffees. Further to that, she got noticeably annoyed at the prospect that someone would have the audacity to request lactose free pouring cream (which she stated, quite loudly and in front of all the other customers, didn't exist...). It would seem that anything other than a simple run-of-the-mill coffee is an inconvenience, irrespective of the fact that it cost extra. Which seems strange to me, given that coffee is their entire basis for business. Honestly not the level of attitude I particularly wanted to deal with at 6:30 in the morning and certainly not when I'm paying for a service. Unfortunately this experience was bad enough that I will not be coming back. But hopefully management can take this review and turn it into something positive (more customer service training for particular...

My husband, Hugh and I, were on the hunt for a solid brunch spot while visiting Mackay, and Woodman’s Axe popped up on our radar. It had good google reviews. We’re glad it did.

There’s indoor seating if you want to escape the heat, but we managed to grab a table outside and enjoyed the morning sun with the hum of the street in the background — a lovely way to start the day.

The place was pretty busy, which is always a good sign, but our meals came out reasonably quickly and everything was spot on. The coffee was a smooth and strong — just how we like it.

There’s a nice buzz here. Relaxed but efficient. Great service, and it all feels very well run without being too try-hard. You get the sense this is a local favourite, and for good reason.

If you’re in Mackay and looking for a brunch spot that delivers on both food and atmosphere, definitely give Woodman’s Axe a go. I don’t think you’ll leave disappointed — we...