Where to stay
W Brisbane’s Extreme Wow Suite overlooks the city
(Photo: Ralph Tooten)The Calile Hotel
The short drive from Brisbane airport only takes 20 minutes but it’s enough to transport you to a different world as you arrive in the palm-fringed precinct known as James Street in Fortitude Valley. The vibe is pure Palm Springs and at the heart of the precinct is The Calile Hotel, an urban resort marked by sweeping mid-century modernist curves and brutalist concrete pillars and panels. Designed by local architects Richards & Spence, the team that set the tone for the entire precinct, the 175-room hotel is achingly attractive thanks to a subtle pink sand palette used throughout. Brass accents add a polished elegance to every room — and even extend to the central pool, where the name of the hotel is spelt out in brass letters beneath the gently rippling water.
W Brisbane
Rather than shy away from the BrisVegas nickname cast on the Sunshine State capital, the W Brisbane has unabashedly embraced it. An eclectic concoction of sweeping water views, Australiana paraphernalia and a psychedelic colour palette welcomes guests to each of the 312 rooms (including 32 luxury suites) — think oversized pineapples, neon lighting, and fixtures plucked from traditional Queenslander homes. An army of facilities will further tempt you to linger a while, from the spa and gym to an outdoor pool right by the all-important Wet Deck bar. It’s certainly tongue-in-cheek, but this vivacious addition is as vibrant and sunny as its new hometown, and (refreshingly) doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The Westin Brisbane
The name The Westin crowns more than 230 hotels and resorts, but despite its global omnipresence, Brisbane’s Mary Street edition marks the brand’s Queensland debut. A sophisticated coastal vibe permeates all sixteen floors — starting at the resort-style pool. The Nautilus Pool Bar takes poolside lounging up a notch, heated for year-round swimming with private cabanas and the city’s only swim-up pool bar to toast your stay in leisurely style. But nowhere feels more rejuvenating than the Heavenly Spa, a fragrant oasis tucked away on the third floor where guests can recharge in the steam room, hydrotherapy bath, or heated bed in one of the five treatment rooms. Contemporary rooms start at 34 square metres, while light-filled suites average 60 square metres with floor-to-ceiling city views and an indulgent rain shower.
Crystalbrook Vincent
“Be bold. Give in to temptation.” The card on your minibar neatly sets the tone for a stay at this glamorous hotel, set high overlooking the Brisbane River at Howard Smith Wharves. It’s all about drinking in the pleasures of the city here. On the doorstep are an almost bewildering selection of dining options — with more excellent choices a swift elevator trip or bike/e-scooter ride away in Fortitude Valley’s James Street precinct. Crystalbrook Vincent, formerly The Fantauzzo, oozes effortless cool. Rooms are slick and more than a little sexy with tactile green velvet couches, mirrored surfaces and polished concrete ceilings. Extraordinary exterior views are cleverly framed, too — your outlook changing with room type — perhaps close-ups of the sculptural Story Bridge and widescreen river vistas, or cocooning cliff-face details and lush greenery.
Best restaurants to book in Brisbane
Pneuma
Pneuma is full of surprises, starting with the dimly lit, maze-like trek (up the stairs, past the toilets and the kitchen) that suddenly reveals an airy, urbane dining space, all high ceilings and large arched windows, tended by a charming and efficient floor team. That’s just for starters. The menu can read as experimental — crisp potato tossed with eel cream and squid ink powder, cheddar and Comté tart with burnt leek, pork with foie gras and pickled dates — but it never forgets the deliciousness factor. The wine list, Oz heavy with some old-world gems, is impressive too, while the very reasonable prices deliver a final surprise.
Gerard’s
An impressively successful recent renovation of Brisbane’s much-loved purveyor of modern Middle Eastern food, Gerard’s, has delivered a dramatically lit, rammed-earth walled room with a new central concrete bar (pole position for the people-watchers) and a sharply focused menu that skilfully blends Levantine and Australian influences. Wood grill-blistered barbari bread with local goat’s curd, a fermented cabbage salad sharpened with citrus and sorrel and a cardamom and white chocolate cheesecake rub shoulders with an excellent list of cocktails and wine, while the sharp young service team seem genuinely intent that you have a good time.
Short Grain
It comes as no surprise but still sparks joy that Martin Boetz’s Brisbane version of his legendary mod-Thai Longrain restaurants is a singularly delightful place to eat. The corner warehouse space at Short Grain is drenched in natural light from a series of large windows, just as the menu — a kind of greatest-hits compilation — is drenched in flavour. The salt and pepper cuttlefish is here, as are the flavour-bomb betel leaf snacks and the whole fish, crisp fried and lively with caramelised pineapple and chilli. Do not, under any circumstances, forgo one of the cocktails which are all precision-tooled to match perfectly with the menu’s fragrant, punchy flavours.
Hellenika
As one of Brisbane’s most in-demand restaurants, Hellenika can be trusted to serve something delicious any time of day. But there’s something particularly indulgent about breaking your fast poolside as the resort slowly begins to stir. Keep it fresh and light with brûléed grapefruit and rizogalo (Greek rice pudding) or go the full Onassis, which includes bacon, a lamb cutlet and a spicy Greek sausage.
Same Same
Across the road from The Calile, you’ll find Same Same and arguably some of the tastiest snacks in Brisbane. Inspired by Thai street food, the menu is bursting with flavour bombs. Save yourself the stress of ordering and just get the banquet, which opens with sticky pork and prawn on a betel leaf and ends with the best panna cotta you’ll ever taste. Every dish is a winner, but the coconut curry of Queensland king prawns will haunt your dreams.
Blume
Yes, Blume is a 90-minute drive from Brisbane but it’s an easy and scenic 90 minutes through beautiful countryside to Boonah where owner-chef Jack Stuart’s degustation menus await like clever and delicious gold at the end of the rainbow. A celeriac remoulade, umami-charged with savoury yeast almost overshadows the pepper-spiced barbecued quail main event while a thrillingly crisp chickpea flour cannoli is lifted with feisty celery relish and grated cheddar. The room, light and airy, and service, low-key but never missing a beat, bring a beautifully relaxed rhythm to the seven- to nine-course meal here. Accompanied by a drinks list that’s as thoughtful with the cocktails as it is with the wine, it’s a great excuse to hit the road.
Brisbane’s best bars
The Nixon Room
This sultry speakeasy is the answer for a suppertime Martini and elevated bar snacks. Enter The Nixon Room via the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it side door on a vine-covered wall the side door (hint: Essa’s their neighbour), and once inside it’s a straight-up vibe. Enjoy a Golden Hour tipple or stay for the main event — think lobster rolls, caviar-topped oysters and a drinks list that keeps the good times rolling.
LOS
LOS is levelling up Brisbane’s drinks scene with its moody, loft-style bar and urbane interiors. Head up the spiral staircase from Same Same and settle in at one of Brisbane’s coolest hangs, cocktail in hand. Expect new takes on Southeast Asian classics (hello Los Piña) and a vibrant vista overlooking James Street.
Bar Francine
Best described as West End’s buzzy neighbourhood bistro, Bar Francine melds heritage Queensland with contemporary cool. The same can be said for the drinks list; stick to the classics with a French Negroni, sip on an eclectic take on a Paloma or tour the vast list of vinos. Food-wise, the Euro-inspired menu may include ocean trout rillette or the tongue-in-cheek chips with sauce à la Heinz.
Bar Miette
Aperitivo hour is an all-day affair at Bar Miette. Elevating European-style snacks and sips, this riverside reviver is a swish new spot perfect for a Spritz or two, from sparkling Milano Fizz to the elegant Miette Martini. With an all-encompassing view and an impressive drinks list to match, Bar Miette is best enjoyed the way the Italians do — alfresco.
Maker
Fish Lane’s backlit boozer, Maker, is the ideal spot for a nightcap on date night. Expect a crafty collection of cocktails that hit the high notes, from a rye whisky with miso butter number to a floral-facing gin, yuzu, and citrus showstopper. Cin cin.
Best bakery spots in Brisbane
Agnes Bakery
Offspring of one of Brisbane’s best restaurants — the wood-fired, industrial-chic Agnes in Fortitude Valley — Agnes Bakery shares a similar love of fire but applies it to a truly sensational range of baked stuff. It’s hard to pinpoint a highlight. The sourdough menu includes a sensational smoked potato number that’s hard to go past but there are also excellent croissants, Danishes, cinnamon buns, sausage rolls and an inspired Basque cheesecake. A charming timber shopfront and super-helpful staff help seal the deal.
Brooki Bakehouse
A word to the wise: if you’re not fond of queuing, you’ll need a little forward planning to get your hands on Brooki Bakehouse’s immensely popular cookies. For those who can’t get enough of owner Brooke Saward’s almost cartoon-like, exuberantly sweet and delightful baked goods — chunky cookies laden with chocolate chips and nuts, multi-flavoured macarons, super-choc brownies — the queue won’t be a problem, particularly as there’s also well-made coffee available when you make it into the tiny, marble and brass-detailed shopfront. But order ahead and you can skip the queue; the smug feeling is almost good as the cookies themselves.
Sprout Artisan Bakery
Just across the road from Agnes Bakery in Fortitude Valley, the duelling bakery scenario is a kind of delicious torture. Sprout is helmed by German-born and trained pastry chef Lutz Richter and his partner Rebecca Foley and is a bakery with sustainability and local ingredients among its core values. But Sprout’s worthiness is matched with deliciousness, particularly with the range of excellent sourdough loaves, each made with a painstaking process that can take 72 hours to complete. Add the likes of savoury and sweet Danishes, croissants and croissant toasties, lemon meringue pies and perhaps the city’s best cinnamon buns and you too will concur that there’s a baking revolution happening in Brisbane right now.
Things to do in Brisbane
Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art.
(Photo: Tourism & Events Queensland)Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art
With Brisbane’s burgeoning cultural precinct just a short stroll away, take advantage of the W’s handy location and head for the Victoria Bridge, towards the cluster of buildings that houses the creative pursuits of the River City. On the south side of the river, among a gaggle of theatres and museums, you’ll find the creative power couple, QAGOMA. Consisting of the Queensland Art Gallery and the celebrated Gallery of Modern Art, the duo offers a number of compelling exhibitions.
The Brisbane River
Get better acquainted with Brisbane’s most famous resident – the river – with a ride aboard one of the 22-strong fleet of high-speed CityCats transporting residents from one bank to the next. Commence your cruise from the city terminal (one sits just outside the W Brisbane), winding your way around the waterway’s famous curves until you greet the iconic New Farm Park. Make like the locals and spend a leisurely day picnicking on the grass in the rose garden, while snacking on treats gathered at the Saturday morning markets held at the nearby Brisbane Powerhouse.
