Off The Beaten Track: Unveiling Brisbane’s Hidden Foodie Haunts

Tucked away on Brisbane’s bustling Brunswick Street sits Perspective Dining. The contemporary culinary destination boasts a delectable menu, carefully curated by Head Chef Andrew McCrea, with an enviable wine list to match each dish. Dig into share-style favourites like pork cheek with Moreton Bay prawn, fennel piccalilli, apple or pumpkin with burnt skin, local honey, and lavender. Need something more substantial? They also offer a nine-course offering during summer. 

Date night coming up? We’ve got you sorted. General store turned cafe, bar, and bistro, Lloyd’s is a slice of Europe in the concrete jungle chaos that is The Valley. The restaurant serves freshly baked treats, coffee, and gourmet sandwiches by day and euro-inspired bites and yummy drinks by night. The drinks menu boasts a selection of beers, wines, spirits, and cocktails to sip and indulge. And if you’re looking for a place to sleep after a boozy night out, you can book the quirky apartment upstairs – talk about convenience! You can also hire it out for private dining events. 

One of Melbourne’s best-kept secrets, Komeyui, arrived in Brisbane earlier this year and has been dishing up reimagined Japanese bites ever since. Situated on Spring Hill’s Wharf Street, the restaurant  serves up seasonal dishes like braised pork belly in a soy sauce glaze (one word, yum!), Japanese oven-grilled glacier toothfish, and sashimi. Up at the bar, you can choose between a selection of sake, whisky, cocktails, and wine.

Located in Brisbane City’s underground is the Boom Boom Room, where the flavours are loud, and the music is louder. The charm and sophistication of this Japanese restaurant and bar offer a Gatsby-inspired setting where you can dine on big and little eats such as miso duck breast with Japanese squash, and twice-cooked pork belly with miso apple and floss furikake while an estimable line-up of sips including tasty cocktails, wines, flights of sake, and rare Japanese Whiskeys flow at the bar. Follow the music, and we’ll meet you there!

Fittingly named, Exhibition Restaurant offers an immersive experience that caters to all your senses with a six-course, 16-plated degustation. In a time where surprises are a scarcity, revel in Exhibition Restaurant’s ‘no menu’ approach, crafted with the highest quality live seafood and meats, as well as the freshest produce from Queensland’s best sustainable farms. The Japanese-style omakase menu has, in the past, included dishes from king prawns with secret sauce and mung beans, wagyu tartare with rayu oil and sweet potato, and abalone liver parfait with shokupan. If you’re in the mood for an afternoon of drinks and nibbles, Exhibition’s Wine Bar will have you imbibing on caviar bumps, shucked oysters and cured meats, and a top-notch selection of cocktails, sakes, wines and spirits.

The saying goes that behind every closed door, the rest of the world opens up. Well, behind this James Street closed door is Brisbane’s best kept secret – so secretive, in fact, that you need to text to get on the door. Sister restaurant to Essa, The Nixon Room is your concrete jungle escape. Upon arrival, you’re transported to New York’s speakeasy era of the 1920’s with each carefully curated cocktail sip transporting you to a simpler time where all you need is good company, crisp nips, and delectable dishes. Are you looking for a function space to cater your next event? Your search is over. Get in touch with The Nixon Room to see what they can do for you.