USD
18 of the Best Restaurants in Brisbane
Written by Emily Jacobs
Ready your appetite – it’s time to uncover the best restaurants in Brisbane.
From sensational seafood to authentic Asian flavours, the Sunshine State’s capital city is a treasure trove of foodie favourites. Discover hidden date night spots and acclaimed fine dining, across everything from Japanese bites to French classics.
Here are our top picks for the best restaurants in Brisbane.
The best restaurants in Brisbane for a special occasion
Exhibition Restaurant, CBD
The nightly menu at Tim Scott’s take on the omakase format is informed by what’s available from Queensland’s best biodynamic and sustainable producers. Previous dishes have included abalone liver parfait on shokupan (milk bread), kangaroo with brown butter and shitake, and lamb rump with beetroot and juniper.
Joy, Fortitude Valley
There’s no running fashionably late at Joy – with only 10 seats, this kitchen-counter restaurant runs to a strict schedule. Once the doors close, owner-chef Sarah Baldwin and beverage manager Oliver Chia lead you through a multi-course tasting menu inspired by the culinary traditions of Japan.
Pneuma, CBD
Ascend the narrow black staircase off George Street to discover a loft-style dining room, home to an inventive culinary experience from Matt Blackwell. He blends modern Australian and European dishes with global influences to engage each of the five senses using unexpected combinations of texture and colour.
Restaurant Dan Arnold, Fortitude Valley
Chef Dan Arnold’s true essence is found in his Carte Blanche experience, with eight innovative, technique-driven dishes inspired by the season. Little touches like house-baked breads, a cheese trolley and Scandi-style interiors elevate this already-exceptional experience.
The best hotel restaurants in Brisbane
Hellenika at the Calile, Fortitude Valley
It’s impossible not to enjoy this buzzy poolside spot. Pale wood tables are laden with plates of local seafood, slow-cooked meats and salads, Grecian taverna-style. Delicious cocktails and a range of Greek and local wines complete their formula for good times, guaranteed.
The Lex, CBD
Channelling the Big Apple, The Lex is W Brisbane’s classic grillhouse with a splash of local flavour. Look out over the city as you make your way through scallops Rockefeller, Caesar salad made tableside and a juicy steak selection. Order a sip from the martini cart for the ultimate night out.
Bisou Bisou, Fortitude Valley
Hotel X’s elegant Parisian brasserie has green velvet and leather stools, cosy booths and marble-topped tables to accommodate loaded croissants for breakfast, rotisserie chicken and pot-cooked mussels for lunch and steak frites and duck cassoulet for dinner. And a 200-strong wine list means you’ll always find a top tipple.
The best restaurants in Brisbane for a date night
Agnes, Fortitude Valley
Brisbane’s hottest restaurant just happens to be fuelled entirely by flame and smoke. Chef Ben Williamson uses different woods to impart unique flavours to blue-eye trevalla, salted zucchini and Bangalow pork chop. After a moody and fast-paced dinner, retreat downstairs to the wine bar for dessert, or a glass from the thousand-strong cellar.
Essa, Fortitude Valley
Dark wood, exposed brick and veiled windows form the perfect conditions for an intimate evening over sustainable southeast Queensland produce. Phil Marchant strikes a balance between the unexpected and familiar through the likes of potato beignets with smoked oyster emulsion and wild venison skewered with salted bergamot, rosella and beetroot.
Gerard’s Bistro, Fortitude Valley
The best of Middle Eastern and modern Australian cuisines meet within this texture-rich dining room, dotted with handmade Moroccan tiles. Feast upon bread and dips, raw and fermented plates, seafood and meat before a dessert of traditional knafeh, campfire mastic marshmallow or a ‘Beirut Brest’ with cardamom white chocolate cheesecake.
The best restaurants in Brisbane with views
Stanley, CBD
Sprawling above the Brisbane River at Howard Smith Wharves, Stanley combines Cantonese flavours with Australian produce. Come for yum cha at lunch or stop by in the evening to try Moreton Bay Bug spring rolls, Peking duck pancakes and fresh-out-of-the-tank mud crab.
Greca, CBD
Next door, this Greek taverna is a vision in white and concrete, embodying the spirit of Mediterranean hospitality. Start with a Fresko or Karpouzi spritz before diving into dips, mezedes, fish, meat, salads and vegetables, all designed to share.
Tillerman Seafood Restaurant, CBD
From Eagle Street Pier, celebrate the essence of riverside dining through a coastal European-inspired menu. Settle in to read a love letter to Queensland produce, written through dishes like freshly shucked oysters, blue swimmer crab and whole tropical painted lobster with angel hair pasta, as you gaze out over the Story Bridge.
OTTO Ristorante, South Bank
Delivering polished yet familiar Italian cuisine from its perch near the Goodwill Bridge, this Brisbane debut matches all expectations set by its Sydney sister restaurant. Soak up the sensational Brisbane River, spritz in hand, while indulging in yellowfin tuna crudo, Longreach lamb and gnocchi with braised Meredith goat, peas and broad beans.
The best casual restaurants in Brisbane
Short Grain, Fortitude Valley
After launching Longrain in Melbourne, Martin Boetz has returned to his hometown, cooking Thai food that’s worth travelling for. Celebrate Martin’s signatures – caramelised pork hock, for one – and some new combinations, like crunchy chicken crackers topped with smoked river trout and green mango, and Rocky Point grouper green curry.
Central, CBD
Descend a mysterious concrete staircase to discover a moody basement dumpling bar in which Cantonese classics are served with a touch of Western influence, throwing it back to Hong Kong in the nineties. Devour Peking Duck potstickers, barbecued pork puffs and prawn har gow from the dim sum menu before moving onto classic roast duck and lobster noodles.
Detour, Woolloongabba
In a quest to provide ‘inclusive, sustainable dining’, there are just two menu options – Herbivore, which is completely plant-based, and Omnivore, which incorporates sustainably sourced proteins. Both are almost entirely gluten-free and celebrate local ingredients such as emu and Fraser Island spanner crab. If you’re a meat-eater, don’t miss the Kentucky Fried Duck, served with jalapeno cornbread.
Baja, Fortitude Valley
This easy-breezy Mexican restaurant, perched on the top end of Brunswick Street, pairs fresh and unfussy flavours in dishes like brisket barbacoa tacos, crab and prawn tostaditas and aguachile – a mix of raw reef fish, Korean chilli flakes, cucumber, avocado and caper furikake. As expected, tequila dominates the cocktail menu.
Discover Brisbane
