The best restaurants Brisbane has to offer right now

Attention to detail and thoughtfulness course through the veins of Essa, Gourmet Traveller’s 2025 Queensland State Winner. In this sleek dining room, every dish exudes whimsical elegance, with every element carefully considered. Take, for instance, the grilled Moreton Bay bug — brushed with bay leaf butter and topped with a scatter of sea herbs that lend the dish an unexpected lift.

An oldie but a goodie, Agnes still burns bright five years later. The menu dances between old favourites – the potato sourdough with smoked butter isn’t going anywhere –  and new thrills, including peach-smoked oxheart tomatoes with Olasagasti anchovies on toasted sourdough. As usual, fire leads the way, whether its calamari and cavolo nero grilled over flame and finished with roasted beurre blanc, or otherwise.

Housed in a stunningly refurbished church in West End and decked out in mid-century furniture, August delivers classic yet creative food and drink, inspired by European techniques and dishes. Scallop St Jacques, for example, is finished with grated black truffle to enhance a creamy morel sauce. Meanwhile, the light-filled dining room isn’t the only source of warmth. With service lead by chef Brad Cooper’s partner, Matilda Riek, August glows with approachability and comfort.

From the opening snacks to the petits fours delivered in a wooden box, the 24-seat underground diner proves dégustation dining still delights. The tasting menu rewards with over 20 kaiseki-style plates showcasing unexpected ingredients — even Nutri-Grain gets a look-in via a crisp churro dessert in which the classic cereal is transformed into miso to make a butterscotch sauce that pairs perfectly with salted cream. The wine list leans Old World and spotlights small producers.

A decade on and Gerard’s still has the moxie that helped put Brisbane’s dining scene on the map. Creative cocktails flavoured with baharat salt and za’atar sit pretty next to a host of wines from Lebanon and Morocco, while the food punches above its weight, charged with Levantine flavours. Wood-grilled manoushe lathered with toum and curry leaf za’atar become the perfect vessel for an impossibly creamy baba ganoush enriched with parsley oil.

A bistro that excels at all the right things, Gum Bistro celebrates small wine labels and pairs them with unpretentious, seasonal food. The menu spotlights locally sourced vegetables from Falls Farm and proteins treated with care. Order a platter of crunchy crudites with dill-spiked goat’s yoghurt, or seared trevalla in beurre noisette with capers. On weekends, you’ll find elevated spins on classics like steak and eggs — with premium wagyu beef and boudin noir sausage upgrading the stock standard steak.

You know that warm and fuzzy feeling – dare we say joy – that comes with exceptional hospitality? It’s hard to miss here. Owner-chef Sarah Baldwin and beverage expert Loren Mitchell-Moore are consummate hosts at this 10-seat counter. When the food is this good and the company this nice, time slips away.

This corner spot in one of Brisbane’s more offbeat neighbourhoods brings a certain laid-back charm and gregariousness to the area. After your mandatory aperitif — say, a Bitter Roma Rosso with an orange slice — follow up with a tight double act: frittura di pesce (fried calamari and small fish served with wasabi mayo) and a raw prawn chickpea tart. From there, venture into ragù territory or enjoy the market fish of the day, cooked over coals. A glass of wine is less of a question and more of an expectation. Choose from a wine list spanning regions from Tuscany to Tasmania and interspersed with Sardinian labels.

This casual diner in Fortitude Valley makes a serious play for Brisbane’s best Thai. Crispy chicken skin is turbo-charged with smoked river trout, green mango and peanut relish, while Chiang Mai beef larb is brightened with fresh, fragrant herbs. The cocktail list is sharp and the wine offering caters to soft, aromatic whites to cut the spice. Excellent service closes the loop, with chef Martin Boez doing the rounds — ordering advice at the ready.

The Brisbane spin-off of cult-favourite Melbourne powerhouse, Supernormal, feels distinctly different thanks to its golden tones, river views and indoor palms. Service however, is as attentive as ever, and with a splurge-worthy wine list and thoughtful touches, the northern outpost still carries The Trader House DNA.

Indulgence comes with a side of creativity at this Japanese restaurant at the bottom of The Calile Hotel. Oscietra caviar gives a briny edge to white chocolate ice-cream drizzled with yuzu olive oil, while highly marbled wagyu tenderloin arrives with onion jus and black truffle. The finest otoro and sea urchin are also found here in this moody dining room that oozes modern luxury. Drinks follow suit with an extensive sake selection and splurge-worthy wine options from Champagne, Burgundy and Australia. You won’t want to stop at just one.

Style meets substance at this moody diner by the Rick Shores team in Mermaid Beach. Taking inspiration from Mexican, Argentine and Brazilian influences, Norté brings the coastal party. Go for the crisp tostadas topped with raw beef and heightened with fermented chilli and taki kombu, or the short rib glazed in tamarind beef jus that simply falls off the bone; stay for familiar and unexpected European, Australian, Mexican and South American drops.

Less is more at this no-fuss restaurant in Burleigh Heads, where simple yet high-quality ingredients are left to speak for themselves. Take the Cantabrian anchovies, laid simply on a plate and finished with top-quality olive oil; or the charred king prawns in garlic prawn butter studded with capers. A shift from Mediterranean to French has birthed exceptional dishes like confit duck leg with silky soubise, balanced with barbecued purple cabbage and rhubarb — as well as a sharp, French-leaning wine list. Santé!

How the guide works

To earn a place in this guide, each venue must excel from welcome to farewell, with service, design, originality, consistency and atmosphere each carefully considered. But the most crucial area of excellence is always the food. From fine-diners to city wine bars, bistros, trattorias, izakayas and many more, every restaurant featured in this guide should be considered gold standard. It’s an exciting snapshot of how we like to eat out in 2025 and beyond. All of the restaurants reviewed were visited anonymously between March and July 2025 with reviewers paying their own way.

The price guide has been updated this year to convey the average cost for two people. While we’re big fans of solo dining, restaurant visits are more often a shared experience, and this adjustment reflects that.

PRICE GUIDE

Average cost for two diners, not including drinks.

$ = under $100
$$ = $100 to $175
$$$ = 175 to $250
$$$$ = $250 to $325
$$$$$ = $325+