Delicious 100: Brisbane’s best restaurants revealed
BRISBANE’S dining scene has come leaps and bounds in recent years, with some of Australia’s best restaurants calling the River City home. Here are the Queensland capital’s best.
QLD News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
BRISBANE’S dining scene has come leaps and bounds in recent years, with some of Australia’s best restaurants calling the River City home.
With unmatched culinary experiences, top service and the ambience only Queensland’s spectacular scenery can provide, here are the capital’s best dining experiences as voted by our experts.
Esquire
145 Eagle St, Brisbane
07 3220 2123
There’s a joy and a magic to the food Esquire chef-owner Ryan Squires puts on the plate (or coconut shell or stone). While the Brisbane River and Story Bridge view could easily be the star attraction at this degustation-only fine diner, Squires ensures all eyes are firmly on the table.
Affable, well-drilled staff deliver each course – anywhere between 12 and 25 items – explaining the multiple elements and cooking techniques like proud school children reciting the alphabet; while the sommelier offers an expert wine matching ($75-$105 per head and highly recommended) but also suggests drops on the fly from the constantly changing, concise and interesting, international list.
The culinary whimsy may begin with supple, house-cured prosciutto, buffalo jerky and the restaurant’s unique version of potato crisps, soaked in onion broth and air dried for an addictive, crunchy snack. Before following with a quirky take on a curry featuring a dome of coconut cream sorbet floating in a subtly spiced madras oil with fried curry leaves, beside a slice of the lightest Japanese cheesecake. It’s a match that seems illogical, but it is also this type of culinary synthesis that Squires pulls off with finesse.
Even the simplest of dishes offers wow factor – crusty malt sourdough rye with conversation-stopping molasses butter.
While Squires is perhaps pushing fewer boundaries with his food these days to make it more approachable for the masses, there’s still enough eccentricity and fantasy to keep the stakes high.
Must-eat dish: Semi-dried tomatoes with burnt butter, macadamia milk, basil oil and garlic.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chef: Ryan Squires
Price: Tue-Fri lunch Degustation only (5-7 course; $60-$85pp), dinner ($110-$150pp)
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch Tues-Fri, dinner Tues-Sat
Gauge
77 Grey St, South Brisbane
07 3638 0431
Wander into Gauge across the road from the Queensland Museum in South Brisbane and the bright, low-fi interior belies the fact you have crossed the realm into a laboratory for boundary-pushing cuisine.
Pull up a custom-made leather chair, or take a seat at the communal table, and tuck into one of the blood tacos for a hard and fast introduction to this establishment’s philosophy of maxing out on flavour. The dark-coloured taco shell – there’s pig’s blood mixed into the tortilla – is filled with a rich duxelles containing mushrooms and bone marrow. Bombastic is an understatement.
Somewhat more restrained, but just as impressive are elegant plates of caraway and rye cracker topped with smoked mussel cream and bottarga; and a giant sumac-dusted rice puff, floating like a cloud on a bed of mackerel brandade. Whether it’s pan-fried cobia with clam and artichoke under a bubble of yeast foam, or salt-baked chicken thigh with barley and wakame under a cloak of brussels sprouts leaves, the dishes are refreshingly different, yet not so off-the-wall that flavour is sacrificed for invention.
Desserts lean towards the savoury – think pumpkin ice cream with mustard fruits and honeycomb; and black-garlic bread with burnt vanilla and brown butter. While dinner is only served Wednesday through Saturday, there’s a daily brunch offering featuring eggs, bircher and avo toast, although probably not as you’ve ever seen them before.
Service is engaging and helpful – the sommelier is keen to offer tastings of various wines – making Gauge an effortless, understated, yet exciting package that works.
Must-eat dish: Mackerel brandade, cracker, sumac
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chef: Peter Marchant and Cormac Bradfield
Price: $$
Bookings: Accepted for Thur-Sat dinner
Open: Brunch & lunch daily; dinner Wed-Sat
Instagram: @gauge.brisbane
Urbane
181 Mary St, Brisbane
07 3229 2271
Not so long ago, opening a fine-dining restaurant for three days a week and making the menu 50 per cent vegan would have been a recipe for disaster. Yet Urbane, in inner-Brisbane’s Mary Street, seems to be going gangbusters.
With vegan chef and co-owner Alejandro Cancino at the helm, there’s a dedication and focus to taking plant-based cookery to the next level, although omnivores are far from on the back burner. Options are simply a five or seven-course omnivore or vegan tasting menu.
Diners strapping in for the ride can expect an array of sensory challenging amuse bouche and sourdough, followed by the likes of tortellini in an intensely flavoured porcini consomme, the only difference between the vegan and omnivore dish being that smoked sesame cheese replaces ricotta in the filling of the silky pasta parcels.
Omnivores may also enjoy duck, cobia and a particularly attractive piece of wagyu with buerre blanc sauce, while vegans could work their way through pumpkin with sesame cheese and kimchi, cauliflower with black garlic and a buckwheat “risotto” – all dishes that hold their own against artillery of meat and poultry.
Both menus may then finish with cookies and cream, a confection of coconut and almond milk, Kahlua jelly and cocoa butter-based chocolate chip cookies.
Dishes arrive at a steady pace and there’s a particular emphasis on professional and knowledgeable service. The manager and sommelier is also keen to engage with diners and take the road less travelled with the matching wines for an assured culinary adventure down the road less travelled.
Must-eat dish: Mushroom tortellini
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chef: Alejandro Cancino
Price: $$$
Bookings: Essential
Open: Dinner Thur-Sat
Instagram: @urbanebrisbane
The Wolfe
989 Stanley St E, East Brisbane
07 3891 7772
When chef-owner Paul McGivern lets his imagination and the month’s in-season ingredients dictate the ever-changing menu, diners are left guessing as to what will manifest on their plates. What they are guaranteed, however, is that the food will be exciting, inventive, beyond elegant and, most importantly, delicious.
This modern and creative approach to the cuisine is in stark contrast to the setting – a handsome, quintessential Queensland cottage with charming back courtyard. But it’s this juxtaposition of old and new that works effortlessly thanks to inventive food that mashes up Australia and Europe, and classically trained, professional waitstaff, who help bridge the gap.
Native ingredients are a love of the chef, so expect entrees such as duck rillettes with Davidson plum, or a risotto with tomato, goat’s cheese and saltbush. While mains could include native greens paired with brioche-crusted fish, or native berries alongside lamb rump with oyster mushrooms.
A keenly chosen, French-leaning wine list offers plenty of variety, further boosted by a revolving Coravin wine system selection, and the opportunity to BYO vino on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
While the building may be a relic of time past, The Wolfe is a venue travelling straight into the future.
Must-eat dish: Spanner crab with corn and fermented shitake
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chef: Paul McGivern
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch Wed-Fri, dinner Tues-Sat
Instagram: @thewolfe_eastbrisbane
Pony Dining
18/45 Eagle St, Brisbane
07 3181 3400
Perched on the edge of the Brisbane River, Pony is a restaurant with serious wow-factor.
While the water view may captivate, so too does the handsome interior, seamlessly uniting industrial elements such as a concrete bar and floors, and curved metal detailing with shots of greenery and touches of cow hide for a space that feels comfortable yet carefully put-together.
Acclaimed chef Michael Crosbie is at the pans in the open kitchen, harnessing the signature woodfired grill and the finest local ingredients to create elevated dishes that flaunt creativity, individuality and finesse.
Take, for example, a starter of eel brandade sandwiched between two hand-cut potato crisps with freshwater caviar that pops in the mouth bringing salt and texture. Or perhaps spanner crab, the sweet, fresh meat hidden beneath crunchy Jerusalem artichoke chips and a fine grating of Parmesan, which brings an umami hit worth crying over.
Steaks are a signature of the grill, but mains such as pork jowl are equally memorable, the tender, fatty meat met by crumbles of pork crackle, blackened pear segments, chestnut cream and turnip.
Desserts pair savoury and sweet elements in a modern manner – think ‘milk and honey’ containing honey parfait, mead, bee pollen and toasted hay ice cream – while the imaginative cocktail list brings sweet treats in liquid form, such as a ‘banoffee pie’ swizzled with Pampero rum, crème de banane, cream, butterscotch, caramel and a biscuit crumb.
Meanwhile, the predominantly Australian wine offering blends big-name labels with small, boutique producers well matched to the menu. Solid service rounds out an upscale dining experience that doesn’t horse around.
Must-eat dish: Pork jowl
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chef: Michael Crosbie
Price: $$$
Bookings: Recommended
Open: Lunch and dinner daily
Instagram: @ponydiningeaglestreetpier
Blackbird
Riverside Centre
123 Eagle St, Brisbane
07 3229 1200
This slick and stylish restaurant with river views and access to a downtown financial district clientele makes no bones about its mission statement – the menu boasts 11 varieties of steak, and the kitchen’s centrepiece is a large grill lowered over glowering coals.
Steaks range from Glen Innes Rangers Valley Wagyu-cross rump to Tasmanian Robbins Island full-blood Wagyu scotch fillet and are diligently cooked as requested, served with house-made mustards, a choice of three sauces and coleslaw.
Beyond this fiesta of beef, options include roast suckling pig, moonfish roasted over coals and topped with seaweed butter, and share plates such as slow-roasted lamb shoulder and roasted
chicken.
What is slightly surprising amid all this hearty barbecue action is the delicacy of the entrees and desserts. Starters of crispy soft-shell crab on a bed of cauliflower puree and rabbit ravioli – a soft parcel of rabbit mousseline in a pond of ribollita, topped with currants and pickled walnuts – are well conceived and bursting with flavour.
As a finale that represents Queensland on a plate, coconut rice pudding is teamed with passionfruit, orange and lime sorbet, caramelised roasted pineapple, as well as soursop fruit which proves a splendid addition. Rum baba is also smartly matched with citrus compote and Earl Grey ice cream.
The wine list has global breadth and depth, and includes a large selection of local Granite Belt wines.
It has a simple grill ethos built on quality produce as its centrepiece but Blackbird aims high in every aspect of its menu – and delivers.
Must-eat dish: Rabbit ravioli
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chef: Jake Nicolson
Price: $$$
Bookings: Yes
Gerard’s
14/15 James St, Fortitude Valley
07 3852 3822
Tucked away off the slick James St strip in Fortitude Valley, Gerard’s Bistro has its recipe for engaging modern food with a Middle Eastern and North African-inspired accent down-pat.
A crunchy burghul cracker topped with Paroo kangaroo, scampi caviar, coal-infused hummus and black fungus is an example of the multicultural mash-up, as is coal-grilled octopus with thinly sliced green strawberries, chilli, smoked butter and almonds.
It’s all part of chef Ben Williamson’s kitchen alchemy that has kept diners flocking to the quietly situated restaurant over the past five years. With its white brickwork, chunky wood feature wall, concrete bar and comfy upholstered seating, the decor is a retro-hipster architectural marriage that still holds its own in the style stakes.
The sharing menu lists items simply from small to large. Charred lamb collar with eggplant, black cardamom puree, smoked dates and black cabbage is darkly harmonious, while the suckling pig is complemented with lots of textural contrast – raisins, barberries, macadamia – balanced by notes of fermented pumpkin, burnt butter and mint.
The inventiveness does not stop at dessert. A tangy sheep’s yoghurt sorbet is a fine foil for honeycomb with aromatic accents of rosemary and orange blossom. Service is attentive, the drinks list comprehensive and while Gerard’s has undoubtedly become one of the city’s leading bistros, it is not resting on its laurels.
Must-eat dish: Coal-grilled octopus, green strawberries, butter, almond, chilli and smoke
Cuisine: Modern Middle Eastern
Chef: Ben Williamson
Price: $$$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch Tue-Sun, dinner daily
Instagram: @gerardsbistro
Stokehouse Q
Sidon St, South Bank
07 3020 0600
Seemingly floating above the Brisbane River, bi-fold doors retracted to bring the bank-dwelling mangroves almost within arm’s reach, diners would be hard pressed to find a more picturesque spot in Brisbane to eat. The lofty, timber-accented restaurant is effortlessly modern and sophisticated, while maintaining a quintessentially Queensland, casual vibe – no doubt helped by the captivating staff, who offer relaxed conversation and menu advice in carefully measured spells, while anticipating and fulfilling diners’ needs.
In keeping with the setting, executive chef Richard Ousby’s menu is dedicated to delivering the freshest, highest quality, local produce possible – tuna ceviche from Walker Seafoods on the Sunshine Coast glistening with a ruby grapefruit dressing, say, or Moreton Bay bug salad with green mango and French sorrel.
Seafood is the most valuable player here, expertly prepared such as with the market fish – a daily rotation paired with a sweet carrot reduction, pickled raisins and carrot salad.
Stokehouse is no one-trick pony – the likes of pancetta-wrapped chicken with charred pineapple and a shaved Roasted Falls Farm beetroot salad display Ousby’s skills out of the water.
Meanwhile, ‘The Bombe’ is a signature dessert elevating the classic bombe Alaska with a frozen white chocolate parfait, thin layer of strawberries and creamy toasted meringue.
At the breezy bar adjoining the restaurant, a cracking drinks list is in play, spanning imaginative, well-made cocktails to top-notch wines traversing multiple varieties and countries, with the pinnacle – rare and unusual options from the Coravin Wine System.
Stokehouse Q strikes a perfect equilibrium between up-market dining and that laidback Brisbane vibe that makes dining there so thoroughly enjoyable.
Must-eat dish: The Bombe
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chef: Richard Ousby
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch and dinner 7 days
Instagram: @stokehouseq
Goma Restaurant
GOMA, Stanley Pl, South Brisbane
07 3842 9916
qagoma.qld.gov.au/visit/eat-and-drink
Imaginative, thought-provoking and strikingly beautiful - just like the artworks that grace the walls at GOMA, so too is the food at the gallery’s signature restaurant.
The dishes here aren’t just ingredients on a plate, they’re stories told through the eye of the chef.
If the Australian bushfire were a dish, it would be GOMA’s “after the eucalypt fire” with emu three ways (tartare, jerky, pan-fried) gathered on the plate like a burnt out bonfire with dots of rosella gel and beetroot embers, while charcoal pretzels sit like blackened twigs on top. It’s a dish as tasty as it clever.
So too the locally caught rosy snapper, gently poached till flaky tenderness, balanced on a block of sweet, tofu-textured scallop mousse and garnished with scallop and its roe transformed into chips.
Red seaweed and crisp, dried cauliflower florets, are elegantly gathered on the plate to resemble a piece of coral.
Elaborate presentation, however, occasionally gives way to outstanding flavours, as with the modern take on a roast chicken dinner. Different cuts of the bird are roasted, fried and pressed, accompanied by a chip-like herb paper, lemony avocado puree, segmented fresh fig, macadamia and a jus worthy of licking the plate.
Taking the food as seriously as the chefs are the waitstaff, who explain dishes with pride and passion, as well as offer wine pairings from the Queensland-centric list.
With the fit-out a relatively blank canvas of polished concrete flooring, bentwood chairs and white walls, it’s a venue where the food will always be on show.
Must-eat dish: The sky is falling chicken
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chef: Ryan Ward
Price: $$$
Bookings: Recommended
Open: Lunch Wed-Sun; dinner Fri
Aria Brisbane
1 Eagle St, Brisbane
07 3233 2555
While Aria may have received a minor spruce up this year with new moody lighting, fresh artwork and carpet, it’s the changes to the menu that have given top chef Matt Moran’s signature fine diner a new lease on life.
The riverside restaurant has been brought into line with its Sydney big brother of the same name, with diners choosing a minimum of two courses (starting at $95) from a collection of light entrees, heavier entrees, mains and desserts.
The dishes have been stripped back – unnecessary elements and over-the- top cheffy flourishes giving way to a simple, produce-driven approach where the exceptional ingredients are the stars. Think bite-sized cubes of melting king salmon gently scorched alongside twirls of tart kohlrabi and a wasabi-spiked soy bean sauce, or gently caramelised Moreton Bay bug, boosted by umami notes from shiitake mushrooms and a melted seaweed butter.
Meanwhile, mains include the likes of plum-pink roasted lamb loin, the meat naturally sweet and pure, accompanied by a baba ganoush-like blend and miso-infused eggplant pieces. Desserts also highlight restraint. Take, for example, a halved fig, its surface brandished with sugar and bruleed, sitting beside a swipe of whipped, meringue-like ricotta, crumbled cookie and slices of red grape.
A refreshed drinks list encompassing precisely executed cocktails and wines swaying from boutique, small producers to big name Australian classics is well-pitched to the food, while the service is simply outstanding. Congenial, effortless and intuitive, staff masterfully negotiate tables delivering expert care and attention.
Having recently celebrated its eighth birthday, Aria is proving that, like fine wine, some things truly do get better with age.
Must-eat dish: Roast lamb loin, eggplant, miso
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Chefs: Matt Moran, Ben Russell
Price: $$$$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner daily
Instagram: @ariabrisbane
Rivals set to clash over job losses, renewables
Job losses and the scrapping of Queensland’s battery industry strategy are the hot topics on day three of Budget Estimates, as Cameron Dick goes head-to-head with Jarrod Bleijie.
Major changes coming to Qld water rules after farmer backlash
Queensland farmers have been invited to stake their claim for water access across eight major basins as the new government moves to reverse decade-old restrictions.