Morag Kobez

There’s always time for a tipple when you’re travelling around Australia. Our thirsty country is swimming in stellar watering holes that are loved by locals and tourists alike. We’ve even got a handful of contenders on the World’s 50 Best Bars list to back us up. Whether you’re looking for the best spot for cleverly crafted cocktails or a natural wine bar with superb snacks, drink your way through our selection of the best bars in Australia. After a meal? Check out the best restaurants in Australia here.

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? Try some of the best bars in Brisbane.

Ramen, sushi, okonomiyaki, gyoza. Japan's food culture is a phenomenon, and Brisbane is blessed with an abundance of great Japanese dining options. From bustling little yakitori and izakaya bars to splurge-worthy multi-course meals, here are the best the city has on offer. Want to take a trip to India instead? Check out our list of the best Indian eats in town. Craving an old-school hunk of beef? Here are the best steaks in Brisbane. Money no object? These are the best restaurants in Brisbane bar none.

From tiny bars tucked away in city laneways to casual, kitschy neighbourhood balcony bars, these are all well worth a visit.  Brisbane may be renowned for its sprawling pubs and beer gardens, where you can settle in for a laid-back session and soak up the year-round sunshine - but these days there’s a whole lot more to the river city’s booze scene than meets the eye. Whether you’re looking for the best spot for cleverly crafted cocktails or a dive bar where you can drink with your dog, these are the pick of the bunch in Brisbane right now. Hungry? Find the best places to eat in Brisbane here.

Brisbane weather turns on an endless supply of sunshine, and the city boasts many beautiful places to relax and make the most of it. The summer barbie is an institution in these parts, and the perfect way to catch up with friends and family in the great outdoors. Here are our tips for the best spots to visit this summer – and they all have free barbecues on site, so all you have to do is bring the snags and the snacks.

When the mercury rises this summer, leave the city behind and head for the hills. Nothing completes a hike through the rainforest like a relaxing swim in a cool, clear swimming hole surrounded by nature. Round up some friends, pack some snacks and hit the road. If hiking isn’t your scene, fear not. There are also beautiful, historic dams just outside the city where you can skip the hike and take a dip in the calm waters and just laze around on the grass in the sunshine.  

West End might be renowned for its cheap and cheerful bars, but this definitely isn’t one of them. Behind the floor-to-ceiling velvet curtain, more than 300 bottles of whisky await, with some seriously luxe drams on offer. Served with an eyedropper of water or hand-cut ice, if you must.  

Forget about Electric Playground, Planet Nightclub, Mystique and the day club Boom that have all called this former Presbyterian church home over the years. Forget about the pounding house/electro beats, the laser lights sweeping the courtyard and the clenched jaws of ravers in search of phat all-night beats or post-festival after parties. This deconsecrated house of god and Fortitude Valley icon is now a place for those who worship at the altar of hardcore, metal, alt-rock/indie, punk and neo-psychedelia. Opening a venue that’s all about alternative live music? How very refreshingly 1990s of you, the Brightside. We take our beanies off to you. Inside the church is a big, no-frills, standing-only space with just a few booths and a couple of couches up the back. Front and centre is a decent-sized stage that’s already seen a swag of international and local bands play to packed houses.  There’s a pretty well-priced, bare-bones bar list, as is fitting, with an emphasis on quantity rather than quality (think band-themed buckets, depending on the line-up). Tables outside in the courtyard are a chill spot for a drink in the afternoon or evening regardless of whether there’s anything on inside. And if you’re too much of a tight-arse to spring for the cover charge, or too slow to get a ticket before the even sells out, you can sit outside in the beer garden for free even while the bands are on. We think that if there is a god, she’d love what they’ve done with the place.

Don’t be deterred by the menacing Grim Reaper mural on the wall outside. The welcome is warm, and so is the ambience inside this cavernous former warehouse in Brisbane’s oldest laneway, Burnett Lane. The amber glow of 1,000 bottles of quality booze behind the bar will warm even the darkest of hearts.  

E'cco Bistro is an institution. Owner and chef Philip Johnson was a pioneer of the Brisbane restaurant scene, and continues to keep it simple with favourites like salmon carpaccio, gnocchi with shiitake, mizuna and walnuts and fresh desserts like citrus parfait, meringue and crème fraîche sorbet. More than 20 years on, Johnson’s unfussy fare is still a favourite, ​​and the three- and five-course set menus are exceptional bang for your buck.

This is an intimate, immersive dining experience in the Valley with just ten seats. The kitchen and dining room are one and the same, and the succession of small dishes is a little bit Scandy, a little bit Japanese, and crafted with a whole lot of heart. Watch the delightful owner-chef Sarah working her magic before your very eyes, serving up a set menu of artfully presented morsels. 

Translated from old Nordic, the name means love, and this 12-seat degustation restaurant is clearly a labour of love for owners Freja – who oversees the warm timber-lined dining room – and chef Nathan, who is responsible for creative, hyper-seasonal 15-course menus. You might be lucky enough to experience the Wagyu with smoked garlic, black garlic and sweet onion broth, or crocodile tail with native curry, but whatever’s on the menu it’s sure to be a unique blend of local produce cleverly intertwined with Scando style. Seriously, the minimalist menus here read like ingredients lists – or surrealist poems.

This smart French restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner offering classics like mornay of Fraser Island crab, Angus tartare and Parisienne gnocchi. Fancy some Champagne and caviar at the rooftop bar, aptly named ‘Ooh la la’? You’ll see the Brisbane skyline in a whole new light.

This bustling contemporary pan-Asian indoor-outdoor casual diner in Fortitude Valley really comes to life at night beneath the giant fairy-lit Poinciana tree outside. Spice up your life with the fish slice or prawn and pork wontons drowned in Sichuan chilli broth, or chow down on comfort-food favourites like Taiwanese fried chicken on miniature milk buns.

This big fat good-times taverna in the Howard Smith Wharves precinct comes with a view of the Brisbane River thrown in. ​​Kick back on the terrace amid the giant potted olive trees and ever-present breeze and enjoy a couple of plates of mezedes like saganaki or calamari, or go all out with the Almighty Aphrodite set menu.

Behind the very unassuming façade lies a hive of activity with Nicolo and his team kneading, folding and coaxing handmade pasta into delicate tortellini and silky ribbons of fettuccine to serve his loyal following in the small dining room. There is simply no better pasta in all of Brisbane. The dreamy carbonara is reason enough, but the innovative Italian wine seals the deal.

La Lune is exactly what a wine bar should be. The use of Coravin allows for all kinds of wonderful wine by the glass, and the dishes are designed to perfectly complement the vast array of wine varieties, spanning hot dishes, raw dishes, charcuterie and cheese. We’ll be back for the best-ever kangaroo tartare with black garlic. Genuine hospitality is alive and well here: with chef-owner Paul on the pans and partner Bailee working the floor, you will be very well looked after indeed.

It’s impossible to work your way through all the different beers on offer at Tippler’s Tap but you’ll have a whale of a time trying. From the USA there’s Schmaltz Lager, Heretic Brewing Evil Cousin Imperial India Pale Ale and Uncommon Brewers’ Bacon Brown Ale – to name but a few. If wheat beer’s your thing, there’s Hitachino Nest White from Japan, 4 Pines Hefeweizen from New South Wales or a very fancy $45-a-pop Tallie from Italy. The range is staggering. One wall of the bar is dedicated to bottled craft beer; on another there are ten very low-tech taps with an ever-changing array of beer – many of which will be new and exciting, even to beer enthusiasts. Most endearing of all is a very old-fashioned hand pump serving chocolate oatmeal stout from Bacchus Brewing in Capalaba – yes, Capalaba! It doesn’t get any fresher than that. Don’t be overwhelmed by the choices; the staff are up for a chat about beer, and even offer tastes. Claim a stripy deck chair out the front, or cosy up in one of the booths in the cool, dark interior. The interior décor is decidedly masculine and den-like – in a good way – with low lighting, hand-crafted timber furniture and a mountain-scene mural adorning one wall. On paper, the food menu might seem a little crass, including ‘Chicago-style’ hot dogs, sliders, chilli and a 1kg serve of buffalo wings. Get past those initial reservations and get amongst the fragrantly spiced, golden, crunchy-fried wings with blue cheese and black sesame sauce for bar-sna