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In the past decade Brisbane has transformed from a culinary backwater into a city full of inventive dining options. Top chefs have decamped to Brisbane's best eateries and are busy putting put a fresh subtropical spin on Modern Australian, pan-Asian, and Mediterranean cuisine.
Imaginative dishes capitalize on abundant regional produce: fine fresh seafood—notably the local delicacy, the Moreton Bay bug (a sweet-fleshed crustacean)—premium steak, Darling Downs lamb, cheeses, macadamia nuts, avocados, olives, and fruit, matched with fine regional wines.
Most of the city's hip cafés, bars, and smart fine dining establishments are clustered in the CBD, West End, Fortitude Valley, New Farm, Teneriffe, and Petrie Terrace; you'll also find some excellent eateries in the riverfront South Bank precinct, and a smattering around the suburbs, particularly Rosalie, Paddington, Milton, Ascot and Woolloongabba. For terrific fresh seafood, head for Brisbane's bayside suburbs, such as Manly, Redcliffe, and Sandgate.
Typically, dining ambience is relaxed, seating is alfresco, and well-mannered children are welcomed.
An exciting addition to Brisbane's dining scene, this modern Chinese restaurant offers delicious, fresh food and a wonderful wine list amid the grandeur of a renovated 1920s bank. Beneath soaring ceilings and chandeliers, choose from a menu that includes traditional favorites (with a focus on spice) and more adventurous combinations like Moreton Bay bugs with salted duck egg and fermented chili.
Beloved Brisbane institution e'cco serves innovative fare to a loyal following in a relaxed setting. The menu consists of seasonally changing Mediterranean- and Asian-inspired Mod Oz dishes, with a focus on fresh, local ingredients. For a bit of everything, order the excellent tasting menu; it showcases five dishes (A$89) and can be paired with top Australian wines by the restaurant’s sommelier (A$169).
Specializing in "vera cucina Romana" (real Roman food), this award-winning Italian restaurant in Woollangabba's antique quarter is well worth crossing the Brisbane River for. The menu favors simplicity over complexity: elegant starters like lightly fried zucchini flowers stuffed with cheese and anchovies, freshly made pasta or fish of the day for main, tiramisu or panna cotta for dessert. The setting is romantic and old-worldy, and the wine list is, as you would expect, extensive with an emphasis on Italian varieties.
With its prime riverfront location at Eagle Street Pier, overlooking the Story Bridge, floor-to-ceiling windows, and designer interiors inspired by The Great Gatsby, Blackbird is a great place for a special night out. With a focus on sustainable local produce, menu highlights include sumptuous shellfish platters, as well as a choice of seven varieties of steak, suckling pig, and local fish cooked to perfection on an open wood-fired grill. All matched with an award-winning wine list.
Perched on the wharf at Breakfast Creek, this iconic, Heritage-listed hotel is renowned for its breezy tropical beer garden and superb trademark steaks. Non-steak eaters also have plenty of options, including vegetarian dishes, salads, and fresh seafood.
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