10 Great Restaurants in Brisbane

Gerard’s Bistro in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley has been delighting guests for over a decade with their modern, award-winning take on Middle Eastern flavours using locally sourced ingredients. Although the menu changes frequently to showcase seasonal flavours, you can usually find irresistible takes on meltingly tender slow-cooked lamb or charcoal-grilled fish.

Choose from the multi-course set menus (which offer the best value for group dining) or go a la carte to create your own tasty dining experience. The impressive wine list has wines from Australia and around the world with a particular focus on those that pair especially well with your meal.

Elska is a Scandinavian-inspired tasting menu-only restaurant in Wilston, a short distance from Brisbane’s Central Business District (CBD). The hyper-seasonal menu changes daily according to the produce that growers and foragers bring to the chefs. Fermentation and preservation play a key role in Elska’s culinary direction, with dishes such as kelp tart filled with slow-braised octopus, house sriracha, fermented okra and courgette.

This intimate 12-seat restaurant offers a special exclusive dining experience focusing on Australian native and local ingredients. Dietary restrictions, excluding vegan, can be accommodated with at least 72-hours’ notice.

Alchemy is a chic Italian-focused restaurant along the Brisbane River by the ferry terminal, with views over the city skyline and Story Bridge. The menu is extensive, so if you’re feeling indecisive in the face of so much temptation, Alchemy’s 2 or 3-course set menus offer good value and fewer choices!

Along with its award-winning food and stunning river views, Alchemy has also gained an excellent reputation for its wine list, which features many boutique wineries and hard-to-find Australian and international wines.

Malt Dining in the CBD spreads across 3 levels in one of Brisbane’s heritage buildings—dating back more than 160 years—and serves up Asian-inspired modern Australian cuisine in the Attic restaurant. Malt’s Whisky bar showcases an enviable array of whisky from around the world in rustic-chic surroundings with a solid timber bar and exposed rafters.

Feast on delights such as Brisbane Valley quail with peanut curry and smoked lychees, or snack on oysters with cayenne and watermelon hot sauce paired with creative craft cocktails. The 4-course set menu with wine pairings offers up excellent value and a chance to taste your way around Malt’s dishes and wine cellar.

Joy restaurant is an intimate 10-seat fine dining restaurant in Fortitude Valley, and it’s probably unlike any other restaurant you’ve ever been to. Guests eat side by side at a long counter and won’t find any menus at Joy, as it is inspired by omakase-style dining ('I leave it up to you'). You might eat seared scallops with corn milk, sour pumpkin and kaffir lime, or corn and smoked caviar chawanmushi. Whatever it is, it’s almost certain to be delicious.

Reservations at Joy are notoriously tough to score; they book 4 months ahead and spots are released on the first of the month. Follow their Instagram account to try and secure a cancellation.

La Lune Wine Co in south Brisbane’s foodie scene offers the chance to explore a European-centric wine list—with notable local exceptions—paired with a sharing menu of seasonal dishes. You’ll find uniquely Australian ingredients on the menu here, such as ‘roo tartare or rock oysters, alongside French and Italian-influenced recipes with a dash of Asian flavours.

Let the knowledgeable staff pick something delicious for you from their 'mystery choice' wines or look out for the monthly wine dinners which highlight different regions and producers with a special menu.

Agnes, in the Fortitude Valley, has a rooftop bar and a downstairs wine bar, with a restaurant neatly sandwiched between the two, serving modern Australian food from a wood fire grill. Enjoy watching the sparks fly and the theatre of the kitchen crew cooking over charcoal pits with wrought iron hanging racks, using a range of fuel from cherry wood to ironbark.

On the menu there are superb grilled proteins to be found, and veggies also get a lick of smoke and flame with a dash of French, Japanese, and Middle Eastern flavours such as charred carrots with smoked labne, mandarin kosho, and buckwheat.

Essa is a multi-award winning modern Australian fine dining restaurant in the Fortitude Valley with an ever-evolving menu of sustainable, seasonal ingredients from local farmers, hunters, and growers. Raw, pickled, smoked, and wood-fired dishes pepper the tasty harvest-driven menu. Let the team choose for you with the 'Leave it to Us' menu, a multi-course feast that’s best shared with friends.

Visit Essa at the weekend for 'Sunday School'—a family-style lunch where the kitchen shows off its playful side with caviar bumps and frozen vodka shots over a well-priced multi-course set menu.

sAme sAme is a contemporary Thai restaurant in the Calile Hotel in the funky James Street district of Fortitude Valley, serving up Thai classics with a modern Australian twist. The crash of sizzling woks and aromatic smoke from the coals speaks to sAme sAme’s authenticity with a twist of local ingredients such as a coconut turmeric curry with Queensland tiger prawns.

Go with a group and order up the chef’s banquet option—a generous exploration through some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. Come hungry!

Greca is a contemporary Greek taverna at Howard Smith wharves overlooking the Brisbane River, serving classic Greek dishes with a few modern Australian touches. You’ll find all your favourite Greek dishes on the menu, from saganaki with honey and oregano to souvlakia and charcoal-grilled swordfish. Be sure to try the local seafood such as kingfish and fresh-shucked oysters too.

Find a seat out on the stylish patio overlooking the river and the Story Bridge and relax into Mediterranean hospitality with fun ouzo cocktails like the Santorini Southside.