From the Agnes crew comes this buzzy Italian spot that’s all tiles, soft orange lighting and brightly coloured Sabre Paris cutlery. The menu is an extensive list of snacks, entrées, soul-warming pastas and mains, as well as a 350-bottle wine list backed by an imaginative collection of signature cocktails. The Richards & Spence-designed location on Ada Lane accounts for much of the charm, two doors down from sister venue sAme sAme, a brilliant modern Thai restaurant – treat them as an essential two-hander.

Base yourself at Brisbane's elegant Pullman King George Square, where comfort meets style in the heart of the city. Book via Qantas Hotels & Holidays to save 43% and get a bottle of sparkling wine on arrival, daily buffet breakfast for two guests, guaranteed room update to an Executive King Room with late checkout until 1pm. Book two nights for two adults from $549 (and earn 1,647 Qantas Points).^

If you dine in just one Brisbane restaurant, make it this brilliant woodfired eatery hidden in an unassuming old warehouse on the edge of Fortitude Valley. Inside is a beautiful dining room, rendered in raw brick, and gleaming steel and glass. But it’s the food you’re really here for. Co-owner and star chef Ben Williamson uses no electricity or gas – just fire – to cook a menu of seasonal, locally sourced produce, washed down by an enormous wine list compiled by sommeliers Rani Parish and Lilly Heenan.

Catch the ferry along the river to bucolic Bulimba to experience this beautiful beach-club inspired restaurant set on a first-floor terrace. Here you'll find a broad menu of fragrant Thai and Indonesian dishes – such as beef cheek massaman, soft shell crab bao bun and roasted pumpkin green curry – matched to a jazzy choice of signature cocktails and an efficient 60-bottle wine list.

Dine in style and indulge in some of the finest cuisine Brisbane has to offer on your next visit. Book now.

Popular Sydney restaurateur Jonathan Barthelmess took on Brisbane with sister venues Greca and then Yoko down by the river at Howard Smith Wharves. Both are fabulous but the timber and yellow-tiled Yoko, inspired by the owner-chef’s time in Tokyo, is arguably the more distinctive proposition. Chef Oscar Solomon cooks an approachable menu that takes in charcoal chicken with garlic mustard, misozuke kingfish collar with yuzu, and miso-glazed eggplant. There’s a tight wine list but be sure to start your meal with a yuzu slushie or nashi gimlet.

Perhaps the Brisbane Italian restaurant by which all others are measured, 1889 Enoteca occupies the ground floor of Woolloongabba’s grand old Moreton Rubber building and is all timber, brick, marble tables and booth seating on one side and shelves upon shelves of Italian natural and biodynamic wines on the other. Food is produce-driven, rustic and inspired by Rome – think pork and fennel sausage gnocchi, chilli crab tagliatelle, sage-spiked saltimbocca and Cape Grim bistecca.

Hidden just off the James Street precinct is this precise diner from Angela Sclavos and chef Phil Marchant (formerly of Gauge, a South Brisbane classic). The place is a mood, fitted out in darkened timber and defined by an enormous green marble bar that runs down one side. The menu is constantly evolving but you might eat dry-aged duck, salted mandarin and hand-rolled pici pasta with grilled prawns or celeriac risotto. For drinks, there’s a fabulous wine list that mixes European and New World drops.

Experience intimate bars, exquisite menus, and exceptional wines in Brisbane. Plan your trip today.

The go-to for Mexican food in this town, Baja freewheels its way through plates of Moreton Bay Bug tostaditas, street corn, pork belly with burnt pear and a fabulous tacos menu. For drinks, there’s a brilliant collection of hard-to-find tequila, mezcal and sotol, and a snappy wine list. The restaurant itself is hidden in a semi-subterranean Fortitude Valley spot – the perfect place from which to launch a night in Brisbane’s famous entertainment precinct.

Boasting the feel of a buzzy hawker hall, Happy Boy in Fortitude Valley is an enormously popular spot for reasonably priced date nights and group dinners. Still, don’t underestimate its clever menu, which draws inspiration from all over China and its surrounds, from Taiwanese three-cup chicken to a Hong Kong-style wok-fried boneless pork chop and salt and pepper prawns – it’s helped down by a boutique Australian producer-driven wine list that’s one of the most thoughtfully compiled in town. Staying in the area? Brilliant sister venues Snack Man and Kid Curry are just next door and also deserve your attention.

One of Australia's best Middle Eastern restaurants, the newly renovated Gerard’s Bistro in Fortitude Valley draws inspiration from the ancient temples of Baalbek, offering contemporary takes on classic Levantine cuisine. Start with signature dishes such as baba ghanoush made from blackened eggplants or succulent lamb matched with saltbush zhoug, then finish with the knafeh – a traditional akawi cheese, pistachio and kataifi dessert. The extensive wine list is a cracker, along with unique signature cocktails such as the Delightful Turk, an orange blossom, rosewater, white cacao and vodka confection.

Savour a delicious Middle Eastern feast on your next trip to Brisbane. Start planning now.

Former EP & LP, Longrain and Bentley chef Louis Tikaram arrived in Brisbane to head up this brilliant 220-seat Cantonese restaurant at Howard Smith Wharves. On the menu is five-spice roasted duck with plum sauce, Moreton Bay bug spring rolls and painted tropical cray lo mein with garlic butter and roe. The heady food is matched to a hefty 400-bottle wine list and presented in a heritage-listed former water police headquarters decked out in beautiful fabrics, parquet floors and watercolour murals and lanterns.

Rosmarino is among the best of a new wave of Italian restaurants in the city, chef Dario Manca dealing in authentic Mediterranean comfort food helped down by Sicilian drops. You might eat dry aged duck breast with amaretti and potato mash, mussels arrabiata gnocchi, or raw Hokkaido scallops. The digs in the refurbished Stewart & Hemmant building on the edge of the Valley are all brick with mangrove-green walls and vintage light fittings, with old family photos dotted about the place.

The yardstick for French restaurants in this city deals in fabulous Gallic comfort food, such as a double-baked soufflé with crab meat and a refined bouillabaisse. Owned by chef Clément Chauvin – who previously worked at Gordon Ramsay's Michelin-starred Claridge's in London – the food is backed by a wine list that leans hard into French drops. It’s all served in an intimate dining room in Bowen Hills that’s decked out in red leather, white tablecloths, marble and glass.

You don't have to travel to France to enjoy exquisite French dining. Book your escape to Brisbane today.

^ Qantas Frequent Flyer members will earn 3 Qantas Points per A$1 spent unless otherwise specified, for hotel stays booked through qantas.com/hotels, except Classic Hotel Rewards and Airbnb bookings. Points Club members will earn 25% more Qantas Points, and Points Club Plus members will earn 50% more Qantas Points. Qantas Points will be credited to your account at least 8 weeks after check-out. Qantas Points can be earned on cash only purchases and the cash component of Points Plus Pay purchases on eligible bookings and will not be earned on cancelled or refunded bookings. Qantas Points may be earned by the member in whose name the booking is made. Members will not be able to earn points on additional charges paid to the accommodation provider for extras (including cots, breakfasts and other incidentals) on check-in or check-out (as applicable). Deposit Pay is available on selected properties that offer a free cancellation window that is 21 days or more in the future from the date of booking. Visit our FAQ page for more.

Pullman King George Square Offer ends 11:59pm (AEDT) 20 December 2024, unless sold out prior. Valid for stays from 16 November 2024 to 30 September 2025. A 2 night minimum stay applies. Blackout dates apply. From price available for stays 16 November 2024 to 30 September 2025. Surcharges may apply to other dates. Offer is subject to availability, which may be limited during weekends, school holidays and major events. Flights and transfers are not included. Booking cancellations and changes are permitted up to 24 hours prior to check in, after this time, you will be charged the rate for all nights unless you are entitled to a refund or other remedy under the Australian Consumer Law. This offer may be extended, changed or cancelled without notice. Prices correct as at 16 November 2024.

20 Things You Can Only Do in Brisbane