“You are what you eat, so don’t be fast, cheap, easy, or fake.” – Unknown
If you’re looking for a great reason to travel to Coolangatta, we have just found one: Kefi Café.
Kefi is the Greek word for ‘a joyful way of life’, the café embracing a lifestyle of optimism and joyfulness.
Situated on the corner of Griffith and McDonald Street, Kefi’s bright tangerine accent colour stands out against a white backdrop, transforming the once dreary corner into a fresh, inviting space. It’s a place to unwind, a tranquil laid-back cafe within sight of the beach, cool ocean breezes lapping along its edge.
Taking a leap of faith, owner Marina Ghobrial, who brings over ten years of hospitality expertise (including managing Pawpaw Cafe in Brisbane) to this vibrant venue, tells us: “It was the right time for me to start my own café,” adding, “I wanted to bring a slice of Europe to The Gold Coast, the vibe and food of the Mediterranean café scene.”
With Marina covering front of house, the kitchen is managed by Vy Truong, who worked with Marina at Pawpaw. Trained in Italian cuisine in Melbourne, Vy’s skills stand out even in a first glance at the combined ‘All day breakfast’ and ‘Lunch’ menu descriptions.
Seeing a gap in the market, Marina and Vy have bucked current trends for fried ‘comfort’ food, the pair opting instead for tasty, healthy wholefood options influenced by Mediterranean cuisine.
“We use olive oil, a cornerstone of Mediterranean cuisine, instead of vegetable and seed oils because they inflame your gut. There’s also no deep fryer in our kitchen. Our food is fresh and clean,” Marina says.
Loaded with natural flavour, each dish is grounded in a foundational story of family, happy memories, and good nutrition.
“There’s a story behind every dish,” Marina tells us, recalling the nostalgia of hotcakes in the family kitchen. They are Melbourne-style hotcakes, topped with lemon whipped ricotta, fresh berries, maple syrup and pistachio blanc anglaise. So intent was she to get the pancakes right that Marina flew Vy to Melbourne to taste them. Now that’s dedication!
Marina’s equal favourite, on the savoury side, is Spaghetti Al Gamberi, the king prawns the showpiece on a hill of al dente spaghetti laced with the simple flavours of lemon, garlic and chilli accented with activated charcoal black salt. It’s a magnificent dish, and arguably the best prawn pasta dish we’ve eaten.
Having recently travelled through Greece with her Greek partner, of course gyros is on the menu, but not how we might have imagined. The Gyros Plate carries confit lamb shoulder, tzatziki, fresh salsa and salsa verde served on a genuine Greek flatbread. It’s a pile of goodness and mighty tasty to boot.
Accompany your meal with a drink: filter coffee from Melbourne’s Five Senses Roasters, perhaps with some house-made almond milk, fresh juice or fruit smoothies boosted with coconut water and spices, or a cocktail, beer or wine after 10am.
Turkish eggs pay homage to Marina’s Egyptian father, the richness of the dish moderated by a sea of probiotic cumin yoghurt, chilli oil, chickpeas, sumac and onion. It’s a finely balanced dish, not overdone in flavour or size, but punchy, light, and very tasty.
It’s a theme that runs through every dish we try: whole Mediterranean-style food with a commitment to flavour.
“There’s a lot of love in our food,” Vy says, and it shows. Open since Boxing Day 2023, Kefi has already garnished praise for the team’s warm service and stunning flavours.
Owning the bright little corner, their place in the sun, Kefi is a great place to ‘Fuel your body with the good stuff’ and achieve your own sense of ‘kefi’.
Kefi Cafe, Cnr Griffith & McDonald St, 2/110 Marine Parade, Coolangatta Ph: 0451 158 480 Open: Mon – Sun 6am – 2pm.