The 18 best Italian restaurants in Brisbane

Brisbane has plenty of Italian restaurants, but Sardinian restaurants are another story. Pilloni, a corner spot in West End that's dedicated to the island’s very specific style of cooking, skips the usual carbonara-and-burrata hits in favour of handmade pastas, bottarga and plenty of delicious things cooked over fire. The room itself is loose and inviting, with warm lighting, an open kitchen and an overall laid-back energy. There are culurgiones – pasta parcels stuffed with potato and mint – malloreddus with pork and beef ragù, and fregola tossed with mussels, tomato, asparagus and saffron. The order to plan ahead for is the porceddu: a quarter or half suckling pig, spit-roasted for five hours and requiring 24 hours’ notice - so make sure you plan ahead.

Address: 166 Hardgrave Rd, West End

Price: High-end

Tucked away in Nundah Village, Rustichella Pasta Bar is a heartwarming ode to Emilia-Romagna, a region in northern Italy where pasta is as fresh as it gets. The menu incorporates regional Italian traditions and beloved dishes – think pillowy crescentine (traditional fried bread) served with mortadella and parmesan or tagliatelle al ragu. It's all handmade in-house, carrying on the old tradition of fresh pasta-making. To drink, there's an extensive wine list, including by the glass, with a curated selection of lesser-known grape varieties and a focus on regional wines.

Price: Mid-range

Perched on the Brisbane River is Popolo, a chic, contemporary restaurant that's been serving Italian fare for over a decade. With unbeatable river views that will beckon you to dine outside, Popolo – and its menu – whispers of Italian summer. Up the char factor with grilled lamb cutlets featuring goat's curd, or opt for one of their pizzas that are made from 24-hour fermented dough. And leave room for dessert – how about the pistachio panna cotta?

Address: 3 Sidon St, South Brisbane

Price: Mid-range 

Bar Monte is the neighbourhood Italian restaurant you just wish would open in your own neighbourhood. The Newstead spot comes from the same crew behind Light Years and Pixie, who know a thing or two about creating restaurants people actually want to hang out in. At Monte, that means a retro, slightly ’80s-leaning dining room with terrazzo, frosted glass and a soundtrack that only gets better as the night goes on. The menu is just as easy to love, with snacky plates, simple pastas and big Italian mains. Standouts are the crisp potato rösti topped with steak tartare and horseradish, and the yellowfin tuna crudo with charred pineapple, lemon and koji mayo. Top Sommelier Andrea Martinisi is behind the impressive wine list, and there are plenty of cocktails and snacks for those nights when you only want to stop in for a little something.

Address: 17 Longland Street, Newstead

Price: Mid-range

Hospitality is at the heart of Olive & Angelo, Angelo and Yuliya Leonforte’s cosy garden restaurant. Dining here is the perfect way to end a trip to the nearby Botanic Gardens – the service is warm and the menu has all the Italian classics. Their woodfire oven pumps out Neapolitan-style pizzas featuring fluffy crusts, with the same dough making their voluminous rosemary and confit garlic focaccia. Silky sheets of house-made pasta are used to make a lasagne that Garfield would envy, with piping hot layers of bechamel and rich ragu. And they truly take care of everyone; gluten-free and vegan pizza and pasta options are available if you need them.  

Address: 12 Edward St, Brisbane City

 Price: High-end 

Italia Lane brings a slice of la dolce vita to Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley with its industrial interiors of velvet booths, a grid metal ceiling and a sunny outdoor space. Helmed by chef Rino Avellini, this Italian diner shines brightest with its Napoli-style pizzas ranging from classics like margherita to white-base options like cotto and salsiccia. Each one comes with a blistered, pillowy crust and paper-thin centre, just as it should. You can also feast on handmade pastas, antipasti and tempting desserts, all paired with a wine list that leans towards Italy. It also won Best Casual Dining Restaurant and Best Pizza Restaurant at the 2025 Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence in South East Queensland.

Address: 900 Ann St, Fortitude Valley

Price: Mid-range

If you can’t make it to the Amalfi Coast this year, Massimo is a pretty decent consolation prize. Sitting right on the Brisbane River with front-row views of the Story Bridge, the sprawling Italian restaurant is made for long lunches, big groups and ordering more than you probably need. The menu is equally generous: start with whipped ricotta and focaccia or stuffed zucchini flowers, then move onto cacio e pepe tossed tableside in a pecorino wheel, spaghetti with live Queensland red claw or the 700-gram bistecca Fiorentina. There are three banquets if you’d rather let someone else do the ordering, plus bottomless lunches on weekends.

Address: 123 Eagle St, Brisbane City 

Price: Mid-range

Ask around and you’ll find plenty of Brisbane locals who consider Mosconi their favourite restaurant in town. Just off James Street in a converted wartime warehouse, it’s removed enough from the action that it feels like a neighbourhood secret. The room is small and intimate, and the menu changes constantly depending on what’s good that week or season. Handmade pasta, local seafood and simple Italian cooking done really well, backed by a smart wine list and unfussy service that keeps people coming back.

Address: 164B Arthur Street, Fortitude Valley

Price: High-end

It may be 17 years since owners Dan Clark and Manny Sakellarakis established 1889 Enoteca – and we're glad to say, they're still rocking the best Roman cuisine in Brisbane. In fact, they’re up there with the best Italian restaurants in the world, according to Italian outlet Gambero Rosso, thanks to their artisanal wine list and menu that's committed to Roman tradition. Fried globe artichoke, a staple in Roman Jewish cuisine, is served with lemon mascarpone and gremolata, and their renditions of cacio e pepe and carbonara are a masterclass. Generously portioned mains, like their veal saltimbocca, will have you booking a trip to Rome as soon as you leave – or another trip back to the restaurant.

Address: 10-12 Logan Rd, Woolloongabba

Price: Mid-range

It’s hard to feel down when you're indulging in an Italian feast with sparkling views of the river before you at Ciao.  Located at the New Farm end of the Howard Smith Wharves precinct, it's the perfect waterfront location to enjoy an Italian meal. Take your oysters here, naturally, and then nibble on some calamari fritti. Their woodfire is also put to work on mains like their chargrilled sirloin.

Address: 5 Boundary St, Brisbane City

Price: Mid-range

After years of being solely a Gold Coast institution, Gemelli’s is proving to be a hit in Brisbane. The name is fitting – the founders, the Carney brothers, are twins – and "gemelli" means twins in Italian. Proud of their Italian background, they cherish their annual sauce and salami-making traditions and bring that same Italian hospitality to the James Street precinct. This rustic-chic restaurant with exposed beams and brickwork churns out wood-fired pizza and homemade pasta with bold ingredients like 24-month prosciutto di parma and dried figs (drool!). From aperitivo to dessert, you'll enjoy one delicious mouthful after another. 

Address: 15 James St, Fortitude Valley

Price: Mid-range

Tartufo is the shining result of owner Tony Percuoco’s decades-long career uplifting Italian cuisine. The mosaic floors and red leather booths in the expansive dining room have an air of occasion, but the food here is straight from the heart. Special regional dishes you may not find in other Italian restaurants pop up on the seasonal menu, like mafalde pasta with braised rabbit, and grilled hiramasa kingfish served in fish broth and drizzled with fennel and parsley oil. Percuoco, who hails from Naples, also makes a mean sfogliatella – a Neapolitan dessert of flaky pastry filled with a semolina ricotta filling.

Address: 1,000 Ann St, Fortitude Valley

Price: Mid-range

The twin restaurant to Sydney’s waterfront venue, Otto Brisbane continues to celebrate the legacy of evocatively simple yet polished Italian cuisine. Like an indulgent summer romance,  Otto’s riverfront location at South Bank charms you, while the elevated interpretations of Italian classics only intensify the longing to enjoy every morsel. Choose from small bites (those plump oysters!) and then move on to perfectly al dente pasta and local seafood cooked on the wood grill – the menu changes with the seasons to highlight the produce. And, yes, the spaghettini with Champagne lobster is worth the hype.   

Address: Shop 1, River Quay, Sidon St, South Bank

Price: High-end

Sleek modern Italian in an airy terracotta-toned dining room, Biànca Restaurant is all about taking Italian classics and adding a sprinkle of modern Australian magic. From the terracotta-toned fit-out to the generously sized menu, this trattoria is sleek as it is warm. Its extensive antipasti menu features gems like crudo di mare with scallop, tuna, snapper, ocean trout and citrus, while pastas are kept simple and traditional – the mafalde with beef ragu is definitely one to try. There's a touch of the inventive in the almond gelato with Jerusalem artichoke honey, but if you want something more tried-and-tested, there's always tiramisu.

Address: Shop AM5 Ada Lane, 46 James St, Fortitude Valley 

Price: Mid-range

Beccofino is a buzzy, casual restaurant that opened in 2004 with a focus on woodfired pizzas and quality produce. With thin middles, puffy outer crusts and ingredient-forward toppings, the pizzas are sublime. The 'Number 1' pizza has slices of prosciutto di Parma, while the yummy mortadella, burrata and crushed pistachio number is white-based (pizze bianche). Entrées, pastas and mains are all kept classically Italian, while seasonal specials are inventive and always changing. 

Address: Cnr 10 Vernon Tce & Florence St, Teneriffe

Price: Mid-range

Much like the elegant interiors of Rosmarino’s 120-year-old Hemmant Merchants building, this family-owned restaurant is all about updating Italian tradition with style. It serves refined modern Italian cuisine with a top wine list to match. Farinata, a chickpea pancake from the Liguria region, is the best way to kick off a meal, topped with stracciatella and basil oil. Snapper crudo is dressed with a refreshing yet punchy chilli tomato water, and burrata is spruced up with truffle-infused abbamele (Sardinian citrus-infused honey caramel). Pasta and mains are driven by the country’s best produce, and are best enjoyed with their extensive Italian wine list.

Address: 6 McLachlan St, Fortitude Valley

Price: Mid-range

With 35 years of experience and a whole lot of love going into each dish, Marinara Restaurant is a family-style restaurant features chequered tableclothes and wholesome vibes. The menu leans into timeless favourites – think fettuccine Don Carlos, hearty veal scaloppini and rich mushroom cannelloni – it nails the sort of fare you crave when you want something familiar and fulfilling. The restaurant isn’t flashy, and that’s exactly its charm; it’s a soothing yet bustling spot that locals love.

Address: 254 Hawthorne Rd, Hawthorne 

Price: Mid-range

Ramona Trattoria in Coorparoo is a celebration of cooking deep-rooted in culinary traditions from all over Italy. They hand-shape and cut all their pasta, their focaccia and pizza dough is naturally leavened and slow-fermented for at least 48 hours. The seasonal menu may include hand-cut tagliatelli served in a white bolognese-style ragu, mortadella pizza and steak/fish of the day. The 48-seat space breathes warmth, while a pared-back bar co-pilots the experience with low-intervention wines and Spritzes. It feels like dining in a sophisticated friend’s well-stocked kitchen – relaxed, seasonal and endlessly satisfying.

Address: 131 Leicester St, Coorparoo

Price: Mid-range