Brisbane's Top Ten Fine Dining Restaurants - Medina Hotel

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Brisbane Top Ten Restaurants

10 of Brisbane’s favourite places to dine out

Riverside Brisbane, Australia’s only sub-tropical capital city, is also one of our sunniest, with an average eight hours of sunshine each day. With weather this kind all year round, the best dining is al fresco. Places to try include Asian and European restaurants at West End, cafes and delis at New Farm, all styles at Racecourse Road at Hamilton and around Brunswick Street in Fortitude Valley, bars and grills in Caxton Street, Petrie Terrace, and restaurants created in quaint Queenslanders in Toowong, Indooroopilly, Red Hill and Paddington.

1. Head to the

Gunshop café

for the best brunch in town. A no-booking policy on weekends means you may have to wait for a table, but it's worth it. Pancakes, fetta hash cakes or French toast with boysenberries are good choices, and there are plenty of omelette or sausage/bacon combos. Lunch and dinner are popular too at this rustic spot that was once, as the name suggests, a gun shop. 53 Mollison St, West End. Tel: (07) 3844 2241

2. The tudor-style

Shingle Inn

is Brisbane’s oldest coffee, cake and tea shop and a city icon. Corner Edward and Queens Sts in the city. Tel: (07) 3221 9039

3. The riverside view from

Bretts Wharf Seafood Restauran

t at Hamilton is so pretty it’s almost a cliché. An almost obsessive bias towards fresh Queensland produce and seafood means the constantly changing menu serves the best in town. It’s right on the City Cat ferry route. 449 Kingsford Smith Dr, Hamilton. Tel: (07) 3868 1717

4. Also on the City Cat ferry run,

Watt Modern Dining

is located within the Brisbane Powerhouse Centre of Live Arts and flanked by New Farm Park and the river. Make sure you try sand crab ravioli with seared scallops and one of their innovative cocktails in the riverside bar. 119 Lamington St. Tel: (07) 3358 5464

5. Lure Restaurant

at The Coro is one of Brisbane’s best seafood restaurants. Meals are dished up in a seriously gorgeous contemporary dining room. Don’t go home without checking out the famous see-through toilet door. 28 McDougall St, Milton. Tel: (07) 3369 9955

6. Isis Brasserie:

a definite Brisbane favourite for its innovative dishes, elaborate wine list and warm welcoming atmosphere. Opened in 1997 in Brisbane's old red light district Isis is the place to go for fine dining. The huge picture windows frame the ongoing street theatre of Friday night in Fortitude Valley. 466 Brunswick St. Tel: (07) 3852 1155

7. Gianni Vintage Cellar Bar Restaurant:

the row of limos with their bored drivers waiting outside indicates that this is the place for serious movers and shakers. Menu is classically Mediterranean and the ambiance tres chic. 12 Edward St. Tel: (07) 3221 7655.

8. E’cco:

Brisbane’s most highly awarded restaurant, tucked away on Adelaide Street East, serves up a deliciously modern Australian menu– try the shoulder of pork poached in master stock, crispy squid, Asian greens and mandarin sauce. Cnr Adelaide and Boundary streets. Tel: (07) 3831 8344.

9. Tukka:

dine out on the Australian coat of arms at Tukka, a new restaurant dedicated to native Australian cuisine. 145B Boundary Street, West End. Tel: (07) 3846 6333.

10. Freestyle Tout

, located in the valley’s trendy Emporium of upmarket shops and restaurants, has the most delectable desserts in Brisbane. Indulge in one of their mouth watering cakes, sorbets or pastries. 1000 Ann St. Tel: (07) 3252 0214.

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