Sunny Coast fave Bordertown brings its border-crossing eats south to The City
One of the greatest food fusions of all time would have to be the meeting of American and Mexican cuisines. If Donald Trump had his way, he’d pull the two cultures further apart, but lucky for foodies everywhere cooler heads are keeping that at bay. Spots like Bordertown are the result of this very magical fusion – a pairing of the best of both sides of the border, which took Noosa by storm in August 2017. The team behind the Sunshine Coast eatery and bar has made tongues wag with its dressed-down dining, and now Brisbane eaters can get a taste at Bordertown’s new Brisbane City location, which is opening this week.
After having sufficiently conquered the hospitality biz through an accumulated tally of decades in the industry, the trio of Cameron Birt (The Bowery), CC Smith (The Zoo) and Dan Bechly (The Buffalo Club) linked up for a change of pace, opening Bordertown in Noosa in August 2017. The recipe for Bordertown was simple – USA-meets-Mexico cuisine served in a laid-back setting, where the personality and atmosphere is as good as the grub. The trio has selected Post Office Square’s food court for its first outlet outside the Sunshine Coast, installing a streamlined version of its Noosa sibling, dropping the booze yet retaining its selection of mouth-watering morsels in a fast-casual setting. Don’t go assuming Bordertown Brisbane will be your run-of-the-mill foodcourt kiosk, though. The team has gone to great lengths to ensure there are plenty of signature twists, including an art installation from Thom Stuart and a dedicated HeArt Space where local visual and performing artists can showcase their work.
Bordertown follows an ethos of self-reliance, choosing to produce all ingredients for its menu wherever possible. As mentioned before, Bordertown prides itself on its flavoursome mash-up of American and Mexican cuisines, showcased across a range of sizeable burgers and tantalising tacos. If it’s a burger you want, you’ll be hard-pressed to choose between the six on offer, with the likes of southern-fried chicken, twice-cooked pork belly, panko-crumbed barramundi, classic cheeseburger and a mushroom burger vying for your tastebuds. On the flip side, the taco selection isn’t any easier, but you might have a better time mixing and matching. Confit chicken, fried cauliflower, slow-cooked pork shoulder, lamb barbacoa, crispy skin duck, and housemade red chorizo are just some of the choices available. One of the few ingredients bought in – the tortillas – are stone ground from locally sourced corn using an authentic Mexican recipe. Rounding out the selection is a superb choice of sides, including mac and cheese, jalapeno poppers, charred corn and chicken wings.
Bordertown Brisbane is now open in Post Office Square. Check out the Stumble Guide for all the details.
The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.
