Bars Brisbane | The Weekend Edition

Sip and snack from day to night at East Brisbane newbie Neesh Bar & Restaurant

16 Jan 2020

Usually describing something as niche is to remark on its specialised and specific appeal – for example, choosing only to eat Hawaiian-style pizzas would indicate you have niche tastes, while the films of John Waters boast a niche audience. Neesh Bar & Restaurant – East Brisbane's new go-to for brunch, lunch and evening snacks – is playfully flipping the word on its head, serving up an inclusive menu of fare imbued with a dash of creativity. more

Grassfed – Brisbane's best vegan spots — Bars

Food & Drink

The round-up: fill up on goodness at Brisbane’s best vegan spots

16 Jan 2020

Put your presuppositions in the bin – plant-based food is not just salad and steamed vegetables. Vegan cuisine is becoming increasingly prominent due to the rise of dietary requirements and a conscientious focus of what we put in our bodies. For those of you who can’t stomach the thought of canning the cutlets and trashing the T-bones in favour of salad, please relax – we aren’t here to sway you to veganism. What we will say is that dining as a vegan can be hard in our predominantly meat-eating society, but also very rewarding – even if you love bacon and eggs. We’ve chosen to point out Brisbane’s best vegan spots well worth sampling. more

Food & Drink

Hitting the clubs gets a new meaning at Wintergarden’s Holey Moley Golf Club

16 Jan 2020

When Holey Moley Golf Club first broke onto the scene in 2016, it changed the game and redefined what was possible in the realm of hospitality-meets-entertainment concepts. More than three years on and Holey Moley bars are sprouting up everywhere, with more than 15 locations in Australian alone. Brisbane scored a second indoor putt-putt bar late last year when Holey Moley landed at the Wintergarden, giving the inner-city scene a lively hang that blends games of skill with a menu of decadent eats. more

Food & Drink

Last call – The Bowery announces its closure

09 Jan 2020

In a blow for Fortitude Valley's bar scene, local linchpin The Bowery has announced its forthcoming closure. The storied boozer will wrap up proceedings at the end of January, but the announcement boasts a silver lining in the form of a new life for the space. more

Food & Drink

Discover hidden treasures at Brisbane City’s new eatery Trove

09 Jan 2020

Bar hopping in The City is all about discovery, finding hidden gems tucked away around corners and perched above street level. Brisbane CBD's newest hideaway Trove is the kind of sophisticated boozer one hopes to stumble across on a night out – a place where you can sip easy and snack comfortably, with the kind of incognito appeal you'll want to keep as your own little secret. more

Food & Drink

Craft crew 4 Pines turns on the taps at its grungy Brisbane City bar

19 Dec 2019

When 4 Pines piped its very first batch of beer more than a decade ago, no one could have fathomed just how big the brand would become. When the Australian craft-beer boom started to make waves across the country, 4 Pines was perfectly poised to ride its crest to success. Ten years on and 4 Pines beers can be found in bars, bottle shops and home fridges far and wide, but these days the brew crew is spreading the good word a different way. A collection of 4 Pines bars have popped up along the east coast, giving froth-mad punters the chance to sip the full range of beer, some small-batch exclusives and elevated pub-style fare. Brisbane is the latest city to cop a bar of its own, and it's just a short stroll from Central Station ... more

Food & Drink

King of the Wings launches bayside street-food hub StrEAT Easy

19 Dec 2019

Dylan and Katrina Pires are well acquainted with the ups and downs of running a food-truck business. The owners of beloved fried chicken-wing wagon King of the Wings have cruised the streets of Brisbane for more than six years, slinging batches of cluckin’ good bites far and wide (as far as New York, even, where they won second place at Wingfest 2016). As successful as they’ve been, they know that the livelihood of food truck vendors is largely dependent on the weather. The amount of events that have been rained out or cancelled due to fears of inclement conditions are countless, often leaving truck operators in the lurch and seeking a last-minute opportunity to sell on their stock. In a move inspired by equal parts evolution and preservation, Dylan and Katrina started pondering potential all-weather alternatives, landing on the idea of an enclosed hub where food truck… more

Food & Drink

The year in review: 2019’s biggest openings

19 Dec 2019

After the blockbuster year Brisbane's food scene experienced in 2018, you'd be forgiven for thinking that 2019 would be hard-pressed to to follow suit. Now that we sit on the precipice of a new decade, we've got the perfect vantage point to look back on the year that as. From our point of view, 2019 has not only matched 2018's gargantuan effort, but has even surpassed it! This year Brisbane was the beneficiary of several new restaurants, bars, cafes, breweries and live-music venues – with homegrown heroes and international names establishing must-try venues all over town. From Howard Smith Wharves consolidating its position as Brisbane's go-to dining precinct to the emergence of Fortitude Valley's Ada Lane as a hospitality juggernaut in its own right, 2019 has proven to be a landmark year in Brisbane's history. To celebrate this milestone stretch, we've cast our eye back over 2019 and… more

The Locals Next week:

Food & Drink

Hello Please unveils its new Fish Lane digs and menu of Southeast Asian eats

12 Dec 2019

Since the earliest days of the Fish Lane boom, Hello Please has been humbly hawking some of Brisbane's finest Vietnamese-inspired street food. The little shipping container kitchen that could, Hello Please has stood the test of time despite being conceived as a temporary fixture from its conception. As Fish Lane starts to fill in its remaining nooks and crannies, Hello Please has evolved – securing a permanent spot further down the laneway. Officially open to the public as of Tuesday December 10, Hello Please 2.0 has given its team more elbow room to experiment and deliver a complete expression of their stand-out booze and food selection. more

Food & Drink

Belgian-style beers a specialty at Northgate newcomer Fick Brewing Company

12 Dec 2019

The strongest relationships are built on a foundation of common ground, and for Nadresha Costa and Fabrizio Ceccarelli a shared interest in beer proved to be the spark for not only their romance, but their new business. The pair's brand-new brewing operation Fick is injecting a thirst-quenching dose of boutique craft-beer goodness into Brisbane's northern suburbs, pouring fresh Belgian-style ales at its Northgate brewery and taproom. more

Junk Bar | Brisbane's best cocktail bars | The Weekend Edition — Bars

Food & Drink

The round-up: Brisbane’s ten best cocktail bars as voted by you

12 Dec 2019

With party season officially upon us, it may feel like a cocktail is permanently attached to your hand like a delicious, Vermouth-tasting third limb (we definitely aren't complaining). Earlier this year, we asked The Weekend Edition readers to vote for their favourite (and most frequented) cocktail bars for the 2019 EAT/drink Awards, and we have heard you loud and clear. The battle for Brisbane's best cocktail bar got serious, so we suggest if you consider yourself a cocktail connoisseur of sorts, that you make a pit-stop at every entry on this fish-bowl sized list – the ten best cocktail bars in our great city. more

Food & Drink

Tetto Rooftop Bar and Corbett & Claude bring coastal-Italian vibes to Everton Park

12 Dec 2019

Stretching from Positano to Vietri Sul Mare, Italy's legendary Amalfi Coast is regarded as one of the most beautiful seaside stretches in all of Europe. Picturesque coastal vistas, pastel-coloured seaside towns, phenomenal beaches – there's a good reason the region is a must-visit holiday destination. But what if you didn't need to board a plane and travel across the globe to experience a slice of this paradise? Tetto Rooftop Bar is a chic drinks destination inspired by the sun-soaked bars of coastal Italy. Officially opening today, Tetto joins eatery Corbett & Claude as the newest arrivals at Everton Plaza's Park Lane precinct, creating a sceney two-level hub of on-point Italian-inspired hospitality. more

Food & Drink

Hospitality that hits the mark – Oche opens in Fortitude Valley

05 Dec 2019

Limber up your throwing arm – a brand-new analogue social experience has arrived in Brisbane and it is looking to reinvigorate an age-old classic. Oche – pronounced 'ockey' – is Fortitude Valley's newest watering hole, but this spot is so much more than just a bar. The Oslo-born concept is giving the game of darts a modern polish, creating a lively hub where punters can get competitive with pals over a game while enjoying local brews, salivation-worthy cocktails and one-handed fare conceived by some fine-dining wizards. Oche officially opens tomorrow, Saturday December 7, but we've got a first-look for you right now ... more

Food & Drink

The round-up: what’s open in Brisbane on New Year’s Day

02 Dec 2019

In the blink of an eye, we're at the end of the year. It seems like it was yesterday we entered 2019 bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and now we stand at the precipice of a new decade, perhaps a bit weary, but wiser none the less. Whether you're thinking of capping of 2019 with a rager (go you good thing), or are keen to get an early night's sleep (and a refreshed start for 2020), you'll still need sustenance on New Year's Day. We've compiled a list of spots trading on the first day of 2020, so be sure to make your first 2020 meal a good one – it'll set the tone for the rest of the year! more

Food & Drink

Craft your own artisanal gin at West End’s Brisbane Distillery Company

28 Nov 2019

The artisan spirit trend has Australia firmly within its grasp, with small-batch distilleries crafting drops to rival international juggernauts in quality. Brisbane is now fostering its own burgeoning distillery scene, with community-oriented Brisbane Distillery Company leading the charge when it comes to variety. Nestled in the leafy heart of West End, Brisbane Distillery is not only producing its own batches of gin, vodka and rhum, it's on-site gin school is giving folks the chance to concoct and take home a gin of their own creation. more

Food & Drink

Stairway to heaven – Toombul lifts the veil on its anticipated dining playground UPSTAIRS

28 Nov 2019

For much of its 50-year existence, Toombul Shopping Centre has played second fiddle to Westfield Chermside as the go-to shopping and dining destination for locals of Brisbane's northern suburbs. Well, the status quo is set to shift thanks to Toombul's first-of-its-kind dining and entertainment hub UPSTAIRS. The brand-new precinct officially opened to the public last week, showing off its first wave of killer eateries. Come and get a closer look at some of the mouth-watering arrivals ... more

Food & Drink

Barko & Co opens a new location at West Village’s The Garden Pantry

28 Nov 2019

In May this year, Teneriffe's cafe scene scored a charming environmentally conscious brunch spot in the form of Barko & Co. The riverside hub quickly caught on with ethically and sustainably minded eaters, and it's been welcoming hordes of guests through its doors ever since. On Friday November 15, the Barko & Co team unveiled a sibling venue in the heart of West End, opening in prime position at The Garden Pantry in West Village. Fans of Barko & Co's brunch style now have a second outpost to source it, but this venue has the added benefit of nighttime trade – complete with cocktails, wines and a menu of Spanish-meets-Australian eats. more

Food & Drink

The round-up: ring in 2020 at Brisbane’s best New Year’s Eve soirees

28 Nov 2019

They say how you spend New Year’s Eve predicts how the coming year will unfold. So, unless you’re cool with spending all of 2020 at home in your pyjamas eating left-overs, you’d better get planning. May we suggest skipping the desperate Google search this year for a concise and informative list? Here, we’ve put together a guide of the best places in Brisbane to welcome 2020. more

Food & Drink

Release the hounds – BrewDog officially opens its Brisbane brewery

21 Nov 2019

Picture Brisbane's craft-beer brewing scene as a dog park, and every pooch within it represents a local brewery. If you look around, you'll notice there are dogs of every shape and size marking their territory, from grizzled veterans with greying muzzles to hyperactive newcomers eager to play. Tomorrow, Thursday November 21, BrewDog opens its first (and highly anticipated) Australian brewery and taproom, marking a the arrival of a new big dog on the scene. With a reach spanning continents and 94 bars (yes, you read that right) to its name, you'd think a hound of this size would be an intimidating arrival. Not so! This canine is shaping up to be an incredibly friendly addition to the park, eager to be a constructive and supportive contributor to Brisbane's thriving craft-beer market. BrewDog is officially off the leash, and it wants to get to know you. more

Food & Drink

Step right up – Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq opens at UPSTAIRS at Toombul

14 Nov 2019

It's hard not to succumb to the allure of a carnival – the bright lights, adrenaline-fuelled attractions and covetable prizes make for an exhilarating experience. That being said, carnivals are typically transient, with various roaming operations popping up for a few nights of fun before moving on. Aside from the EKKA, it's hard to know exactly when you'll be able to savour convivial funfair delights again. Well, until now. Today, Thursday November 14, marks the arrival of Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq – a modern interpretation of the classic carnival spectacular. This all-in-one entertainment concept is bringing the dazzling spectacle of the fairground to Toombul's new dining playground UPSTAIRS, from its cutting-edge arcade games, sideshow thrill rides and menu of eye-popping eats and drinks – on offer seven days a week. more