delicious.100: Queensland’s most in-demand restaurants in 2022

If you want to eat at some of Queensland’s best restaurants, be prepared to book early with wait times for reservations blowing out as the state’s dining scene booms. SEE THE LIST

Diners are waiting up to three months for a weekend reservation at some of Queensland’s top restaurants, as the Sunshine State’s food scene continues to boom.

After two years of on and off lockdowns, global instability and a continued hesitancy to travel, people are now choosing to spend their money dining out.

Buoyed by a spate of new restaurants from high profile local and interstate operators, there are waiting lists at eateries from Kirra to Cairns.

Among those most in demand is fire-powered restaurant Agnes in Fortitude Valley, where Friday and Saturday nights can book out up to three months in advance for a taste of its Modern Australian menu cooked entirely by flame and smoke.

Agnes Restaurant, Fortitude Valley. Picture: Mark Cranitch

However, patrons can sometimes snag a midweek table on short notice, or perhaps a spot in the no-bookings bar or terrace.

Perhaps even harder to get into, is tiny 10-seater, degustation-only restaurant Joy, in Fortitude Valley.

The work of chef Sarah Baldwin, the venue takes reservations online on the first of each month for four months in advance, with bookings usually filling up within just 10 minute.

Even Courier-Mail reviewers have failed to score a seat.

After almost eight years, Julius Pizzeria at South Brisbane continues to attract queues down busy Fish Lane for a table, with only 20 bookings per night taken and the rest reserved for walk-ins on a first-come-first-served basis.

“The peak days are Friday and Saturday, and they book out about two months in advance,” said co-owner Aleks Dzajko, who revealed diners try to book six months ahead but the booking system only operates up to two months in advance.

It’s a similar story at the venue’s sibling pizzeria Beccofino in Teneriffe, where patrons regularly have to wait for table.

Rick Shores at Burleigh Heads.

While at stunning beachfront, Thai-inspired restaurant Rick Shores on the Gold Coast, patrons can wait up to two months for a weekend booking. While weeknight bookings are easier to come by, spending your Saturday or Sunday drinking in the ocean vista requires serious planning.

Spirit House restaurant at Yandina on the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Lachie Millard

On the Sunshine Coast, it’s Thai fare that has diners queuing with Spirit House in Yandina and Noosaville’s Sum Yung Guys both booking out months ahead for weekend and some midweek tables.

For more great restaurants, see Qweekend where we reveal 51-100 of Queensland’s top restaurants in the delicious.100!