Calling all gin enthusiasts! A double-decker gin bus has driven into Brisbane full to the brim with a collection of boozy imbibes just waiting to be sipped. Currently parked at City Botanic Gardens every Sunday, this coach full of cocktails is the handiwork of the team at West End distillery and bar Brisbane Distillery. Here's all of the delicious details ... more
The majesty of the Italian Riviera has been documented across numerous works of film and literature, but Fortitude Valley cocktail bar The Parlour is tapping into some different senses to evoke the ravishing glamour of the Ligurian coast. The cocktail-oriented sibling to La Costa, Cielo Rooftop Bar and La Valle, The Parlour is positioning itself as a moody and secluded late-night joint where drinks flow, disco balls spin and the glitz of bygone generations is resurrected nightly. It opens on Wednesday May 19 – here's what you can expect ... more
Southeast Queensland wines are having a moment right now, with the Granite Belt in particular vying for a place among Australia's wine-growing pantheon alongside the likes of the Margaret River, Adelaide Hills and the Hunter Valley. One homegrown operation leading the charge for recognition is Balancing Heart Winery, a picturesque estate near Girraween that is peddling primo handcrafted and textural vino crafted from grapes grown in the rich soil of the Granite Belt. Before it seeks to build its name nationally, the winery is looking to first win hearts closer to home with its new cafe-meets-cellar-door Balance & Blend, which opened in Coorparoo last week. more
If there's one thing the Cheers theme song taught us about hospitality, it's that we do want a place (this place being a local bar) where everybody knows our name. Newly open Half Pint Kitchen + Bar in Bowen Hills operates on this warm and approachable mantra, and has created an atmosphere that's almost an extension of one's living room – just with the added benefit of craft beer on tap, juicy burgers cooking on the grill and more board games than you could reasonably keep in the back of your own linen cupboard. more
It's an exciting time for denizens of Eagle Street. The iconic riverside hub has welcomed its fair share of new faces recently, but its most recent arrival might tickle the sensibilities of oenophiles more than the others. Lauded Fortitude Valley-based micro-winery City Winery has expanded to Eagle Street Pier, with a brand-new cellar door, wine bar and bistro set to open at the strip on Friday May 7. If you've made plans to be elsewhere this Friday, scrap them – we've got an inkling this will soon become your go-to sundowner spot. more
We've heard all about stairways to heaven, but spare a moment for elevators – they'll get you there quicker! If your idea of heaven is colourful cocktails, Mediterranean-inspired eats and some killer views of Brisbane City and beyond, then jump in the elevator at Hotel X and hit the button for its rooftop bar and restaurant Iris. The Ghanem Group's second dining destination at Hotel X officially opens to the public tonight, Wednesday May 5, traversing the tastes of the Mediterranean coast and pairing a vibrant summery essence with some near-unbeatable views. Read on for a look inside ... more
If you've lived in Brisbane long enough, you've probably done your fair share of pub crawls (either guided or unguided). A great way to explore new and storied watering holes, these drinking adventures are always a fun time spent with friends. If you're eager to get out and about in The City, new food festival Dine BNE City is putting on three boozy trails that'll have you sipping, strolling and snacking your way through some of Brisbane's best drinking spots. These aren't your average pub crawls. more
You can never have too much of a good thing, especially when the thing in question is some of the tea-infused goodness from LÜCHA Kitchen + Bar. The beloved Elizabeth Street eatery doubling its presence in the inner-city, opening brand-new sibling site LÜCHA Black Bar and Dining today, Thursday April 22, in Albert Lane. This sophisticated newcomer builds upon the strong foundations laid by its more casual older sibling by focusing on group dining and curated culinary expeditions – just think of everything you love about the LÜCHA dining experience, then multiply it! more
Oh, to be cosied up at one of the many bars that dot Italy's Amalfi Coast, spritz in hand, a plate of snacks at our elbow and a picturesque view spreading out in front of us. Forgive the wistful daydreaming – the travel bug has bitten us, hard. The imaginative crew at Howard Smith Wharves is looking to soothe our wanderlust woes, with brand-new pop-up concept Spuntini Bar acting as a healing balm for anyone chafing at the thought of no Italian sojourn in 2021. more
Last week Brisbane City's dining scene welcomed a newcomer to its midst, one that has put its own singular stamp on one of The City's most hallowed restaurant spaces. New York and Paris-inspired bistro Leonard's and laneway bar Dawn on Spencer have officially launched in the old Urbane and The Euro space on Mary Street, showcasing a multifaceted drinking and dining offering curated by a group that's earned its bread and butter by raising the standard of hospitality across the nation. more
Ever since the craft-beer movement started showing what was possible beyond the big-name brewing framework, the industry has witnessed an outsized explosion of experimentation. With the spectrum of beer varieties as diverse as it has ever been, many brewers are revelling in the opportunity to get imaginative with its ingredient combinations. Working Title Brew Co. is a new entrant to the scene, a gypsy brewing operation that has big dreams and bigger ideas. Next month the two-man operation will unveil its debut range of brews, made and released in conjunction with some of Brisbane's best bars. Here's what froth fiends can expect ... more
Brisbane's got an abundance of bridges, 15 to be exact. The city also has a growing number of small-batch distilleries – the newest of which is drawing inspiration from some of Brisbane's historical overpasses. Eleven Bridges in South Brisbane is a newly open bar, eatery and craft distillery that should be a go-to destination for lovers of all things gin. Take a gander inside ahead of the official launch of Eleven Bridges' debut range next week ... more
A good bar will help you forget about the world for a while, but a great one can transport you to another part of it. Kazba is a brand-new cocktail and snack spot that looks to shuttle sippers to Israel, where drink making is less a vocation and more of an alchemical art form. Here, spices, spirits and specialised ingredients are mixed to create tempting decoctions, each given life with a bit of theatricality. What results is a transportive (and thirst quenching) experience not readily found in Brisbane. Kazba opens this Friday March 19 – here's what you can expect ... more
If we told you there was a venue in Brisbane that housed a craft-beer brewery, specialty espresso bar, street food and farmers market, patisserie, wine and cocktail bar, and live-music facilities, you'd probably say that such a unicorn-like venue didn't exist. You'd be technically right, but not for long! Today, Wednesday March 17, the team behind Craft'd Grounds is revealing the first details of its forthcoming 2600-sqm all-in-one hospitality hub. Here's what we know ... more
We love a lavish hotel experience. Room service, poolside cabanas, housekeeping – in all honesty, the hotel might be one of the best parts of any vacay or staycay experience. In good news for anyone who has ever wished to stay in a hotel room with its own beer tap, BrewDog has announced today its multi-phase plan to build upon its Murarrie beer campus, including the construction of Australia's first-ever craft-beer hotel. Here's what we know ... more
After weeks of excited whispers, Sanctuary Cove's The Marine Village has welcomed Destino – a dreamy new cocktail and wine bar that doubles as a homewares haven. If rustic beach-chic styling and crafted cocktails float your boat, you're going to swoon over this pretty northern newcomer. more
Stacked burgers, loaded hot dogs, photograph-worthy cocktails – if we were to summarise the best bits of Brooklyn Depot, we'd probably start with these three. With more time we'd also mention the barbecued morsels, decadent milkshakes and hip New York-inspired vibes. And, if we could go on longer, we'd also discuss the loaded fries, mozzarella sticks and mouth-watering desserts. Oh, and it'd also be good to mention that Brooklyn Depot has also opened in Stones Corner, with all the aforementioned highlights available seven days a week. There's almost too much to touch on, but, seeing as you've twisted our arm, we'll happily divulge all the details – read on to learn more ... more
Nothing grinds our gears more than ordering a gin and tonic and seeing the bartender reach for the bottle of bottom-shelf tonic. We think good gin deserves to be paired with an equally good tonic, and the crew behind Brisbane-born Long Rays agrees. The burgeoning brand is quickly establishing itself at the forefront of the mixer game and today marks its first foray into the realm of bar apparatus. Long Rays has installed a specialty tap system at one of Brisbane's best bars, not only helping spread its product to the masses, but also help do its part in combatting excess landfill. more
Brisbane's craft breweries have carved out a unique niche in Brisbane's drinking and dining landscape, with many evolving into the go-to local for folks wetting their whistle on a weekend. Slipstream Brewing Co. in Yeerongpilly has established itself as one of these neighbourhood watering holes, luring in families and friendship groups with its range of sip-worthy sessionable beers. After more than four years of operation, Slipstream brewing has reached a threshold – it has become too popular to stay small, but too intrinsic to the community to pack up and depart for larger pastures. The Slipstream team has found a happy medium – taking over a neighbouring mechanic's warehouse, the crew has expanded its Yeerongpilly footprint, opening a spacious brewpub and beer garden with its own kitchen (and a larger bar, of course). The new-look Slipstream debuted last week – take a look inside… more
On Monday February 22, Fortitude Valley's newest accomodation arrival Hotel X will open its doors to guests. On the same day, the award-winning group behind restaurants such as Donna Chang, The Boom Boom Room Izakaya and Blackbird Bar & Grill will lift the cloche on its brand-new Parisian-inspired restaurant and lobby bar Bisou Bisou. We've been given an advance look at the restaurant's mouth-watering menu, which blends the indulgent flavours of French cuisine with some quintessentially Queensland touches. Take a look inside ... more
