Walk past Lola’s Coffee Bar in Kelvin Grove and the queue tells you everything you need to know. But before the regulars, the ripoffs, and the ritual, there was a surplus of strawberries and a TikTok that nobody expected to blow up.
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Marie David had no barista experience when she opened Lola’s Coffee Bar four years ago. Feeling the pressure of that inexperience, she says she pushed herself harder to compensate.
The drink that has since been widely replicated across Brisbane originated from a family surplus of fruit. Ms David’s parents had returned from a strawberry picking trip with more fruit than the family could reasonably use. She began experimenting with the excess, combining it with matcha, a Japanese green tea powder she had added to the menu after being encouraged by a friend. At the time, she says, only a few locals were familiar with the drink.
@lolascoffeebar Trying new matcha from my brother’s Japan trip 😍🍵 LOCATION: Lola’s Coffee Bar. 176 Ekibin Road East, Tarragindi, Brisbane. – #brisbanecafe #filipinocafe #brisbanetodo #cafesbrisbane #strawberrymatcha #cafeowner #mangomatcha #matcha ♬ original sound – Lola’s Coffee Bar Brisbane
She filmed the process and posted it to TikTok. The video took off overnight.
Ms David claims to have been the first to serve strawberry matcha in Brisbane. Three years on, the drink is a fixture at cafes across the city, and Lola’s two locations, in Kelvin Grove and Tarragindi, continue to draw regular queues.
The name Lola’s is a direct reference to Ms David’s grandmothers. In Tagalog, lola means grandmother. Filipino flavours feature throughout the menu, including ube (purple yam), pandan and mango in both drinks and baked goods.
Ms David sources ceremonial-grade matcha powder from Uji, south of Kyoto, and travelled to Japan last year to visit her supplier. She has said she sources from Japan out of respect for the culture and traditions associated with matcha.
She has also noted that competitors have visited her cafe to observe operations, something she describes as a compliment rather than a concern.
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Strawberry matcha is not the only drink Ms David was an early adopter of in Brisbane. Following a research trip to Melbourne three years ago, she added the Mont Blanc, a dessert-like coffee drink, to the menu. She has said it was a difficult sell initially but is now gaining broader traction across the city.
Ms David’s advice on making a quality matcha: use good powder and prepare it the traditional way.
Lola’s Coffee Bar operates from two locations, in Kelvin Grove and Tarragindi.
Published 1-June-2026
