What makes a great restaurant? At Broadsheet, we’re interested in how well a place lives up to its own ambitions, regardless of its age, price point or cuisine.

Maybe it’s good value for money and a reliable source of fun. Maybe it pioneered a trend, and remains the most vital example of it. Or maybe, after several decades in operation, it still feels as fresh and relevant as ever.

All are equally valid answers when it comes to determining the best restaurants in Brisbane. That’s why our list includes lively wine bars and other dressed-down eateries alongside the usual fine diners. The remit may be wide, but if you’re looking for restaurants that both define and capture our city’s culinary spirit, stop right here. These are Brisbane's absolute best.

Related Pages
Best New Restaurants in Brisbane

Gerard’s Bistro

Restaurant

The Moubment Group’s best-regarded restaurant delivers innovative Middle Eastern cuisine in a texture-rich dining room.

Gerard’s Lane 14-15 James Street, Fortitude Valley

Greca

Restaurant

Family-style Greek from Jonathan Barthelmess, one of Sydney’s favourite restaurateurs.

Howard Smith Wharf Precinct 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane

Hellenika

Restaurant

Widely regarded as one of the country’s best Greek restaurants.

Level 1 48 James Street, Fortitude Valley

Same Same

Restaurant

Same Same is the successor to Longtime, one of Brisbane’s most celebrated Thai restaurants. And as the name would imply, none of Longtime’s DNA has fundamentally changed, it’s just been refined. The service is sharper, the space is more beautiful inside and out and the food is more vibrant than ever.

Shop AM3 Ada Lane 46 James Street, Fortitude Valley

1889 Enoteca

Restaurant

Real Roman food and the Italian treatment in Woolloongabba’s antique district.

819 Stanley Street, Woolloongabba

Stanley

Restaurant

A two-storey Cantonese eatery with a star chef at the helm.

5 Boundary Street, Brisbane

Yoko Dining

Restaurant

A two-storey Japanese izakaya from star restaurateur Jonathan Barthelmess.

Howard Smith Wharves 5 Boundary Sreet, Brisbane

Leonards Bar and Bistro

Restaurant

A stylish all-day bistro (with an adjacent riviera-inspired laneway bar) that's serving first-class local produce cooked in a Euro-inflected style.

181 Mary Street, Brisbane

Montrachet

Restaurant

Brisbane’s adored French restaurant sticks to the classics in a slick King Street spot.

1/30 King Street, Bowen Hills

Otto Ristorante

Restaurant

This elegant Italian restaurant moved into the space which once housed Stokehouse Q at the start of 2021. It's a perfect fit: one of Brisbane's best restaurants deserves one of its best locations. Whether you're here for the main event or the more casual Otto Osteria, you'll be in for some superlative drinking and dining .

River Quay, Sidon Street, South Brisbane

Detour

Restaurant

From the man who brought you edible insects and Kentucky Fried Duck.

11 Logan Road, Woolloongabba

Gauge

Cafe

A challenging, inventive menu keeps Sourced Grocer’s sister cafe ahead of the pack.

77-79 Grey Street, South Brisbane

Essa

Restaurant

Via a long marble bar, this moody 60-seat restaurant puts guests up close and personal with its woodfire grill, used to cook an ever-changing menu that might include Black Angus short rib or pickled kohlrabi.

181 Robertson Street, Fortitude Valley

Joy

Restaurant

A celebrated young gun cooks (and does the dishes) in a tiny, 10-seat omakase-style fine diner down a poky laneway.

7 694 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley

Wandering Cooks

Restaurant

This long-running institution exercises its sustainable ethos in a former supplements warehouse in the West End. The industrial interiors and a carpark-turned-beer garden are the backdrop for colourful, inventive dishes highlighting local fresh produce.

63 Vulture Street, West End

The Golden Pig

Restaurant

One of the city’s favourite cooking schools has evolved over time into one of its best pan-Asian eateries. There's an extensive menu of punchy and flavourful dishes, plus multiple banquet options for groups dining. The ever-popular cooking school still runs Sundays and Mondays.

38 Ross Street, Newstead