Bars Brisbane | The Weekend Edition

Queens – a disco-grunge bar slinging natural wine and snacks – opens in Fortitude Valley

03 Jun 2021

Loud music, disco balls, natural wines by the glass – if we were creating our dream bar from scratch, there's a good chance these three things would be on our wish list. Good news for anyone whose predilections closely mirror our own, Queens in The Valley is bringing all of the above together in one punchy neon-lit package. The glam-meets-grit nightspot, which comes from the team behind Commercial Road Public bar, opened over the weekend and is already shaping up to be a stellar setting for regular revelry. more

Food & Drink

Toscano Bar & Kitchen brings Naples-inspired nosh and creative cocktails to The City

27 May 2021

As we approach the mid-week hump, thoughts inevitably turn towards weekend plans. Looking for a new sipping spot to try? Toscano Bar & Kitchen – a glamorous Neapolitan-style parlour specialising in artfully crafted cocktails, imported and Italian-inspired wines and mouth-watering pizza-panino hybrids – officially opens today, Wednesday May 26. Here's what you can expect ... more

Food & Drink

All aboard Brisbane Distillery’s double-decker gin bus

27 May 2021

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

Food & Drink

Soak up Italian Riviera vibes at The Valley’s new cocktail spot The Parlour

20 May 2021

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

Food & Drink

The Granite Belt comes to Brisbane with cafe and wine bar Balance & Blend

13 May 2021

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

Food & Drink

Make yourself at home at new Bowen Hills watering hole Half Pint Kitchen + Bar

13 May 2021

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

Food & Drink

Get a look at City Winery’s new Eagle Street cellar door and bar

06 May 2021

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

Food & Drink

The Ghanem Group’s sky-high Mediterranean-inspired rooftop bar Iris opens tonight

06 May 2021

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

Food & Drink

Drink your way through The City’s best watering holes on these boozy bar trails

05 May 2021

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

Food & Drink

Here’s the tea – LÜCHA Black Bar and Dining is now open in The City

22 Apr 2021

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

Food & Drink

Weekend sundowners sorted – Spuntini Bar pops up at Howard Smith Wharves

22 Apr 2021

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

Food & Drink

Old world meets new at Brisbane City’s Leonard’s Bar & Bistro and Dawn on Spencer

01 Apr 2021

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

Food & Drink

Fearless beer – Working Title Brew Co. gets ready to unveil its debut range

25 Mar 2021

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

Food & Drink

Introducing Eleven Bridges – South Brisbane’s new gin bar and craft distillery

18 Mar 2021

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

Food & Drink

Take a trip to Tel Aviv at ZA ZA TA’s cocktail bar sibling Kazba

18 Mar 2021

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

Food & Drink

Pavement Whispers: Albion’s Craft’d Grounds reveals details of its forthcoming dining and lifestyle precinct

18 Mar 2021

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

Food & Drink

Pavement Whispers: BrewDog reveals plans to open a craft-beer hotel here in Brisbane

18 Mar 2021

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

Food & Drink

Sip sundowners at Sanctuary Cove’s dreamy new cocktail and wine bar Destino

11 Mar 2021

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

Food & Drink

Stones Corner scores a slice of New York City with the arrival of Brooklyn Depot

11 Mar 2021

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

Food & Drink

Now pouring – Queensland mixer crew Long Rays unveils its innovative tonic and soda fountain

11 Mar 2021

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