A new cafe has breathed life back into one of Buderim’s most prominent vacant shopfronts.
Larry Bakery opened in February on the corner of Main Street and Gloucester Road, a high-profile site opposite Buderim Village Park that had sat empty for more than a year.
The space was most recently home to Courtyard Kitchen and, before that, long-running vegan favourite Cafe Vie, which closed in November 2024.
For co-owner Tally Argent, setting up shop in the iconic location was an easy decision.
“It was the first place we looked at,” she said.
“We saw it online and as soon as we walked in, we just thought it was perfect for what we wanted to do.”
Ms Argent owns Larry Bakery alongside her wife, Laura Downton, and friend Tyrah Brickwood. The three chefs met working in the Tweed Heads and Byron Bay region at venues including The Bread Social and The Farm, before setting their sights on the Sunshine Coast. Ms Argent and Ms Downton also operate a restaurant on Magnetic Island in North Queensland, which continues to trade seasonally.
While locals closely associate the Buderim address with its previous incarnations, Ms Argent said they had little prior knowledge of the site’s past when they signed the lease. Instead, it was the bones of the building that sold them.
The premises comprise three joined tenancies, allowing the owners to create distinct zones: a coffee bar and dining space at the front, a full-service kitchen behind it and a dedicated bakery production room complete with a viewing window.
“The concept is a bakery cafe,” Ms Argent said.
“You’ve got pastries and coffee out front, then a full breakfast and lunch menu from the kitchen, and everything’s made in-house.”
On the menu are cafe staples alongside more playful creations. Diners can opt for classic eggs on toast or try an upside-down pineapple pancake topped with coconut cream, macadamia, marshmallow and cherry. A popular egg flatbread uses house-made focaccia dough, layered with whole eggs, crispy chilli oil, honey, rocket and parmesan.
There is also a twist on green eggs and ham – a benedict served on house-made hash browns with mortadella in place of traditional ham.
“We’re doing all the classics but done well,” Ms Argent said.
“We make everything ourselves.”
The pastry cabinet features croissants, danishes, pain suisse and donuts, alongside a signature “crunchy nut croissant” – Ms Brickwood’s take on an almond croissant. Flavours are already rotating regularly.
The cafe serves Sunshine Social coffee and offers a small range of gluten-free and vegan options alongside its core pastry and breakfast offering.
Importantly for the address, everything is baked on site. The building’s deeper history as the home of Buderim’s first bakery – marked by a monument at the front of the premises – added further meaning to the decision to open there.
“That felt like a bit of a sign,” Ms Argent said.
Since opening, the response has been immediate. Argent said locals regularly shared memories of previous businesses at the corner during the renovation phase and were eager to see the space activated again after Courtyard Kitchen’s closure.
“I think people have missed that sunny corner being a place to come to,” she said.
“We’ve had a super warm welcome and we’re quite surprised at how busy it’s been straight away.”
For Ms Argent, who has family on the Sunshine Coast, the move is intended as a long-term commitment.
“We’ve got big dreams and we love what we do,” she said.
“We’re loving the Coast.”
Larry Bakery currently trades Monday to Saturday, with coffee and pastries available from 6am to 3.30pm, and the kitchen operating from 6.30am to 2.30pm. Sunday trade is expected to be added soon.
