Mimi Wong

Brisbane restaurants are a celebration of the city’s diversity. From a sprawling Greek taverna overlooking the river and a tiny, Nordic-inspired fine diner to a contemporary Chinese eatery with a spicy Sichuan fish broth that will make your eyes water, these are the places Time Out recommends for a culinary adventure in the River City. Need a nightcap? These are the best bars in Brisbane.

What better way to curb seasonal nostalgia than with a mere three-hour inland drive to the mountain-enclosed city of Canberra? Most Sydneysiders simply recall that one excursion to Parliament House from too long ago. But for returning visitors and Canberrans alike, it’s the promise of rich cultural institutions, tranquil city mornings with vibrant pockets of cushy cafés, dinners sipping cool-climate wines and its neighbouring nature exhibitions that is the city’s charm. These are the most tranquil Airbnbs in Canberra. RECOMMENDED: These are the best things to do in Canberra right now.

What is it? Tucked in the foodie hub of Woollangabba, Detour’s share plate gallery is a refreshing celebration of inclusive and sustainable dining. Opened in 2017, their innovative dual menu of omnivorous and herbivore dishes has become a bucket-list, all-encompassing eating experience and continues to magnetise all of Brisbane’s vivacious diners.  Why go? The 140-seat venue coalesces contemporary techniques and influences of modern Australian cuisine in its equal celebration of all things vegetal and animal. Featuring uniquely Australian ingredients and with a menu that is almost entirely gluten-free, the contemplative invitation of emu tartare, fried duck with jalapeno cornbread to their rendition of ‘fossilised’ carrots and coal-roasted miso broccoli becomes universally undeniable.

What is it? This self-titled venue is a love story by Brisbane native, chef Dan Arnold, to emulsify contemporary Australian cuisine with his French sensibilities. Located on Ann Street in Fortitude Valley, the set menu is an exceptional bespoke dining experience for first-timers. Why go? Before you’re even attempting to decipher between the three, five and ‘Carte Blanche’ course menus on offer at Restaurant Dan Arnold, an accordion of conversational starters disguised as amuse bouchées become your fanfare. The decadence of technique-driven cuisine that can be enjoyed through as elaborate as eight dishes becomes the protagonist on a stage of bare and earthy interiors. With an everchanging seasonal menu, innovative dishes, like carrots immersed in a ginger and lemongrass emulsion; coral trout enrobed with beurre noisette; or wagyu paired with ratatouille stuffed zucchini and eggplant caviar, ensure that Arnold’s French Michelin expertise is not lost in translation.

What is it? The twin restaurant to Sydney’s waterfront venue, Otto Brisbane continues to celebrate the legacy of evocatively simple yet polished Italian cuisine. Having newly engraved itself in the ultra-scenic shore of Southbank, the glasshouse venue welcomes both a casual spritz or afternoon sprawls all summer long. Why go? An indulgent summer romance: the affair of Otto’s al fresco osteria and ristorante with the South Bank waterfront radiates seasonal allure. The unashamedly simplistic interpretations of Italian classics only intensify our summer lust to saturate in summer rays and share stories between nimble bites of citrus oil-enrobed crudo and curvaceous Skull Island prawn mafaldine.

What is it? Provocatively unassuming, hidden behind brass doors is a sultry diner masquerading in the dining precinct of Fortitude Valley. Commemorating the best of local and seasonal produce, executive chef Phil Marchant’s beguiling showcase of all things raw, pickled, smoked and grilled is a delightful contrast against James Street’s more illustrious venues. Why go? Opened in 2021, Essa’s signature green-marble enclosure of the bar and open kitchen is a monument to their ethos of honouring seasonal ingredients. Through classic technique yet unpredictable flair, the chefs attempt to make every mouthful a revelry of nature’s best. Whether you’re seated front-row to their custom-built woodfire grill or in the rear nook of this dim-lit venue, expect to be unexpectedly aroused by their swordfish crudo dressed in nectarine hot sauce, pickled sardines with preserved lemon and wakame jam, or woodfire kissed John Dory with a voluptuous scampi sauce.

What is it? With crystal chandeliers, a spacious main banquet hall and plush velvet seating, Donna Chang’s ode to Chinese cuisine harmonises authentic Sichuan and Cantonese flavours with modern elegance. The CBD fine diner is an intersection of East and West; patrons will find themselves housed in heritage-listed interiors while endeavouring through an odyssey of modern shared plates. Why go? Numbing, cooling, strange, mouth-watering is met with an equal amount of woodfire and rich emulsions of fermented chilli mayonnaise and beef fat vinaigrette in Donna Chang’s epic menu. Enjoy the musical embrace of sitting in the main dining hall or make a reservation in the private mezzanine for a ceaseless evening of flavourful morsels and a dalliance of the best of locally sourced seafood kissed.

What is it? Set below the Metro Arts theatre of Brisbane, Exhibition becomes the unexpected final act of any show. Akin to its theatrical counterparts, chef and owner Tim Scott has curated a provocative and multisensory dining experience, engaging in a seasonally evolving menu that is also a committed nod to culinary arts and craftsmanship. Why go? The modicum of dishes on the venue’s nightly six-course exhibit can only be accredited to their devotion to Queensland’s best local and sustainable produce. Be prepared to immerse yourself in the spectacle of abalone liver parfait served with milk bread; features of shrimp and scampi with secret sauces and fingerlime; and multiple monologues of rare and smoke-kissed wagyu.