Queensland’s top 25 Insta-worthy dishes
From cookies and croissants to burgers and bingsu, here are the Sunshine State’s most drool worthy dishes, guaranteed to blow up your socials.
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From cookies and croissants to burgers and bingsu, here are the Sunshine State’s most picture-perfect dishes, so good looking they’re bound to send your social channels into meltdown.
Cookies
Brooki Bakehouse, Fortitude Valley
Nothing has blown up social media more this year than the cookies at this tiny Brisbane bakehouse. Owner Brooke Saward’s sensational New York-style baked bites have amassed almost 500,000 followers on Instagram and a whopping 1.7m on TikTok. And with good reason – these are some of the best cookies you’ll ever eat. The classic NYC with walnuts and choc chips will always be a winner, but for true decadence, choose the almond croissant version.
Parfait
Teaffee, West End
Teaffee’s signature parfait is what Instagram dreams are made of. Featuring matcha milk tea, jelly, strawberries, mochi, soft serve and a macaron on top for good measure, it’s a work of art in a glass from this fun Asian dessert shop.
Souffle pancake sando
Sens Fusion, Southport
We’ve all been captivated by the wobbly Japanese souffle pancakes that jiggle like a laughing Santa belly, but this Southport cafe has taken the foodie favourite up a notch. Sens Fusion has created sandwich versions, using the airy treats as bread to wrap around sweet and savoury fillings like fresh fruit, and bacon and eggs.
Giant croissants
C’est du Gateau, South Brisbane
Brisbane has undergone a bakery boom this year, with an abundance of flour-powered ventures launching offering everything from slow-ferment breads to artisanal pastries. Attempting to stand out from the pack is this Grey St boulangerie with their giant croissants. The dough delights are as big as a human head and have become quite the sight on socials.
Prawn toast
Nonda, Newstead
Forget the simple sesame coated triangles you get at your neighbourhood Chinese restaurant, the prawn toast at this Gasworks Asian eatery looks more like an elaborate savoury cake. Fried bread is loaded up with black and white sesame seeds, a yuzu mayo, chives and salmon caviar.
Candyland croissant
The Baker’s Duck, Toowoomba
This Toowoomba bakery loves nothing more than experimenting with quirky designs and flavour combos. Released for the September school holidays, this bi-colour croissant became an instant Instagram sensation with its chocolate cremeux filling, Wizz Fizz buttercream and plethora of sweets on top.
Bagels
O Bagel, Gold Coast and Brisbane
It’s impossible to choose just one of this Gold Coast-born business’s bagels to be the most Insta-worthy. Packed tighter than Santa’s stocking with fillings, these sandwiches come in a wealth of flavour combos, such as the rainbow-like “easy avo” or “NYC”, or the cheese-packed “G’ Morning”.
Strawberry hot cake
Peach Cafe, Auchenflower
This suburban cafe has become know for its picture-perfect plates, with everything from nourish bowls to loaded croissants demanding time in front of the camera. But it’s their strawberry hot cake crowned with strawberry milkshake ice cream, macadamia crumble, strawberries and rose water meringue kisses that is guaranteed to boost your Instagram likes.
Yo-Chi
Various locations
This hugely popular frozen yoghurt chain has been blowing up social media with its fully customisable sweet treats. Diners choose their yoghurt base, then can top it with everything from fruit and granola, to chocolate, lollies, biscuits and more.
Egg waffles
Hype Tea, Brisbane City
Beloved Asian dessert the egg/bubble waffle is an Instagrammers sweet dream. At Hype Tea there’s a smorgasbord of flavours to choose from including Maltesers, Milo, Golden Gaytime, strawberry, Oreo, matcha and more.
Mont Blanc
Mountain River Patisserie, Runcorn
Like a sweet spaghetti mountain, the mont blanc at this suburban patisserie make for enviable Instagram content. Flavours change depending on the season with options such as strawberry, mango, lychee and oolong, and chocolate appearing as weekend specials throughout the year.
Bingsu
Milki Desserts, Sunnybank
In a scolding hot Queensland summer there’s nothing better than a frozen dessert and Milki’s bingsu is just the answer. Available in flavours such as honeydew, ube, milk tea and mango, this mountain of shaved ice, fruit and condensed milk is as pretty as it is delicious.
Friend toast
Lamkin Lane, Caloundra
Forget French toast, it’s all about “friend toast” at this Sunshine Coast cafe. Plating is the venue’s strong suit and this dish is among its most dazzling featuring buttered thick milk bun, kaya pandan jam, salted pandan coconut sauce, toasted coconut chips, baked rhubarb, coconut ice cream, bubble tea pearls and seasonal fruit. Also look out for their stunning avo on toast.
Buttermilk pancakes
Citron Bayside, Wellington Point
So often pancakes are all style over substance, but not those at this Bayside cafe. Here the plate not only looks a million bucks with fresh and dehydrated strawberries, mascarpone, puffed grains and maple syrup, but it tastes just as good, with the pancakes some of the best of any Queensland cafe.
Chubby doughnuts
Bake-It, Underwood
If you’re a cream fiend then you need to stop what you’re doing immediately and head straight to this Japanese bakery for their specialty doughnuts. The sugar-dusted delights featuring light and fluffy dough with about an inch of thick cream in between. Flavours are always changing, but the Oreo, strawberry and classic are constant favourites. Also check out their array of other Japanese desserts for more Instagrammable content.
Breakfast tower
Little Dreamer Cafe, Calamvale
Insta-worthy dishes fill the menu at southside cafe Little Dreamer. Whether it’s their signature red velvet pancakes, acai bowls or loaded croissants, they all deserve a permanent spot on the grid, but the guaranteed go-to for likes and reshares are their breakfast boards and towers, which are loaded up with the likes of bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, avo, toast, haloumi, waffles and more.
Croissant flan
Agnes Bakery, Fortitude Valley
What’s better than a Portuguese tart? A croissant flan. Like a twist on the former, the sweet treat uses croissant dough as the base and fills it with vanilla-specked custard, before baking in the oven until the surface becomes brown and blistered.
Toasties
Sprout Artisan Bakery, Fortitude Valley
Just when you thought a toastie couldn’t get any better, along comes Sprout’s version. Bread has been substituted for croissant dough, with the layers of pastry puffing up like sails on the Sydney Opera House, delivering a shattering crunch with every bite.
Dirty Uncle burger
Hashtag Burgers & Waffles, various locations
Picking just one burger at this Brisbane franchise is like choosing a favourite child, with each bun creation drool inducing. An all time hit with the Insta crowd though is the “Dirty Uncle” featuring a beef patty smothered in cheese and topped with maple bacon, shallots, chips, pickled mayo and ketchup.
Rare roast beef sandwich
Ham on Rye Deli, Paddington
Who would have thought there would be so much hype around a sandwich, but the bread basics at this inner-city hangout certainly know how to draw the likes. The deli offers up a range of fillings, such as salad, tuna, and a prawn, chorizo and chicken number, but it’s their homemade focaccia housing wagyu roast beef, provolone, guindillas, capsicum, rocket, horseradish and pickled onions that stop eyes in their scrolling tracks.
Cheese katsu
Katsu Co, various locations
Crumbed and fried pork loin oozing with mozzarella cheese – there’s no wonder this is an Insta favourite. It’s served as part of the restaurant’s signature katsu set with rice, katsu sauce, miso soup, pickled veg and wasabi.
Family sized lemon tart
Custard Canteen, Tullebudgera
When this monster of a lemon tart hit the grid, scrollers were beside themselves with delight. The 18cm beauty features silky lemon curd beneath a bouquet of torched meringue flowers, garnished with edible petals. Designed to feed up to eight, it’s sure to be the hit of any party and Insta feed.
Nutella Bots
Paddock Bakery, Burleigh Heads
This iconic bakery may have just sold to new owners, but their beloved Nutella-filled doughnuts aren’t going anywhere. The snack-sized delights are guaranteed to leave your followers drooling thanks to the sugar-coated, ethereally light dough and chocolate hazelnut centre.
Cubed croissants
The Wheat House, Runcorn
Cubed croissants have become all the rage this year, and the ones at The Wheat House sure know how to pose for the camera. The pastry blocks come in an assortment of flavours from lemon and strawberry to chocolate, caramel, matcha and more.
Pavlova croissant
Lune, South Brisbane and Brisbane City
There’s almost nothing this pastry powerhouse creates that doesn’t set socials alight, but the festive-inspired pavlova croissant will surely brighten up your feed. The deconstructed version of the classic dessert features meringue shards, strawberries, kiwi and passionfruit, a coconut frangipane and whipped cream.
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