5 of the best restaurants in Brisbane
GOMA Restaurant
GOMA is one of the Best restaurants in Brisbane and is exactly the kind of place where smug locals like to gather to bang on about their Brisbane lifestyle. And rightly so, because from where we’re sitting – at a seat near the window, which frames the serpentine river – life in the Queensland capital looks sweet. Douglas Innes-Will has taken over the reins as executive chef and the restaurant remains one of the hottest tickets in town. Fittingly dishes present like artworks on the plate: order the Fremantle 9Dorf Farms chicken with black rice, black vinegar and black garlic. qagoma.qld.gov.au
Mr Percival
Mr Percival’s is part of Brisbane’s ambitious Howard Smith Wharves precinct, one of Brisbane’s dynamic new dining precincts. Start with drinks on the sun-splashed deck followed by dinner at the waterside restaurant run by head chef Damien Styles (ex The Fish House, Burleigh Heads). The 200 sq. m restaurant, with interiors by Anna Spiro, was inspired by the beach clubs in Europe and features dinky pink umbrellas on the deck and retro upholstered furnishings around the indoor-outdoor space. The thing to do here, at this restaurant named after the pelican in the Australian novel Storm Boy, is to eat lobster rolls a baguette’s lob from the girders of the Story Bridge. howardsmithwharves.com
El Camino Cantina
Frozen margaritas, two-buck tacos, jalapeno poppers, and satisfyingly fat fajitas. These are a few of our favourite things at El Camino Cantina, owned by the juggernaut that is the Rockpool Dining Group. Here, the crowd is a mix of young travellers and inner urbanites that sit in clumps around the colourful neon-bright space, which is decked out with lurid sombreros and Day of the Dead-inspired motifs. Margaritas with ridiculous flavours help to get the party started as do the unlimited free tortilla chips with salsa. (Opens 30 November 2018). elcaminocantina.com.au
Donna Chang
Donna Chang serves Chinese cuisine, but not as you know it. Located in the new Adina Apartment Hotel on George St, this inner-city eatery sources all its produce from within a 100km radius. And, with executive chef Jake Nicolson (formerly of the Lakehouse, in Victoria) behind the beguiling modern Chinese menu, you must think of any excuse to eat here. This new venture is a boon for Brisbane and we appreciate everything from the elegant décor to the well-trained waiters. The food presents a riot of flavours, nodding to Sichuan spice and contemporary Cantonese fare. Go-to dish: ma po of braised wagyu brisket with silken tofu wrapped in crisp pastry. donnachang.com.au
Medley Café & Restaurant
One of the best things about dining out in Brissie is the ability to do so al fresco.
Medley Café & Restaurant’s open-air space is perched atop the riverbank, which allows for a sweeping outlook over the river and leafy-green surrounds of Kangaroo Point. The menu is a medley of traditional and modern dishes from around the world, which means you could curate a global-inspired feast with options such as huevos rancheros, eggs a la mer and Russian blini or chicken and prawn nasi goring. medleykp.com.au
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