Spend date night at these romantic restaurants in Brisbane

It makes sense that some of Brisbane’s best restaurants make for prime date night venues. What can we say, Brisbane loves a bit of atmospheric lighting at mealtimes. From award-winning Italian to high-end Cantonese dining, neighbourhood Euro-diners to glitzy New York-style steak houses, when it comes to romance, the river city knows how to turn it on.

Whether it’s head-over-heels love, platonic love, or family love, we could all do with a little more romance in our lives. Dial up the romance for your next dinner à deux; these are the most romantic restaurants in Brisbane.

Hellenika, Fortitude Valley

Didn’t get that Euro summer with your beau? Scrap the flights and book a table at Greek restaurant, Hellenika. Located on the pool deck level of The Calile Hotel on Brisbane’s James Street, this is as close to a holiday romance as it gets. Book a table on the terrace and order mezze-style. The 200-strong international wine list and expert cocktails pair beautifully with house favourites baked lamb, southern rock lobster and raw kingfish with citrus. Opa!

Otto, South Brisbane

A Brisbane icon boasting sweeping river and city skyline views, Otto never disappoints. This multi-award-winning Italian restaurant serves up fine dining dishes with aplomb; paccheri ai frutti di mare (Moreton Bay bug, squid and blue swimmer crab pasta), spaghettini with Champagne lobster, and veal rib eye with confit tomato. For something extra special, book in for the six-course tasting menu with wine pairing. Bellissimo!

honto, Fortitude Valley

Hidden down a back alley in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, honto may seem unassuming behind a black service door, but inside it’s all class. After your eyes adjust to the glistening chandeliers illuminating the floor-to-ceiling black fit-out, you’ll notice how buzzing this contemporary Japanese dining haunt really is.

Book a seat front and centre at the raw bar and watch the chefs expertly prepare sashimi and oysters to order. After dinner, enjoy a nightcap and dessert in the adjacent bar, ôô, until the early hours.

SK Steak & Oyster, Fortitude Valley

The definition of decadence, SK Steak & Oyster is fine dining at its very best – and one of Brisbane’s most romantic restaurants for a special occasion. Conjuring the decked-out steak houses of New York’s Upper East Side, the restaurant is a vision of crisp white tablecloths, sparkling glassware (even a baby grand piano in the foyer). If you’re after old-school opulence, you’ve found it. To really spoil your loved one, order the oysters with champagne mignonette, better yet the signature seafood platter with lobster. There’s even an entire menu dedicated to potatoes. Now, that’s true love.

Stanley, Brisbane City

Sit alfresco at Stanley’s and you’re treated to gorgeous views of the Story Bridge; dine inside and you’re transported to opulent, Cantonese-style interiors of old. It’s a win-win when looking for a romantic restaurant in Brisbane. As a specialty Cantonese fine dining restaurant, Stanley is utterly unique. Indulge in a caviar bump before tucking into their signature dim sum platter, Moreton Bay bug spring rolls, and Peking duck pancakes, all washed down with a glass of champagne.

Stanley have even designed a ‘pontoon’ menu, specifically for guests boating on the Brisbane River. So, if chartering a boat for your next date, pick up something extra special from the pontoon outside Stanley and they’ll deliver straight to your boat. The ultimate delivery service!

Sushi Room, Fortitude Valley

Behind a non-descript doorway near the lobby of The Calile Hotel you’ll find Sushi Room. Theatrical, seductive, elegant; this 60-seat Japanese fine diner is self-described as a ‘Bond villian’s lair’, fitted out neo-futurist style to let the food do all the talking.

Book one of the restaurant’s intimate booths or take in the action at the counter at watch head chef, Shimpei Raikuni, at work. Sashimi, nigiri and hosomaki – everything is made to order. Choose from a la carte, enkai and omakase menus, with the chef’s choice Sashimi Moriawase the perfect share size.

Snack Man, Fortitude Valley

Snack Man is the brooding handsome sibling to adjacent restaurant Happy Boy’s light and airy space. Black walls and almost impractically low lighting makes everyone look incredibly attractive, the curated international wine list doing its bit in that department, too. Dining here is share plate-centric, the dishes are a celebration of Chinese snack-style dining and street food. Sit by the floor-to-ceiling glass frontage and watch the world go by while ordering another serve of dai zi gao, or sit kerbside underneath the fairy-lit trees to really dial up the romance.

Montrachet, Bowen Hills

The most-awarded French restaurant in Queensland, Montrachet has been a local favourite for over a decade. The venue exudes a Parisian ‘je ne sais quoi’, which naturally makes it incredibly romantic without even really trying (which by definition is the very essence of French-ness). Its burgundy red leather booths and crisp white table linen are a lesson in classical French décor, while the food and wine menus offer an equally, classically French experience (think double cooked crab souffle, steak frites, and their infamous crème brûlée). Pair this with an impressive wine list (including some choice drops from the motherland) and you’ve got yourself one perfect date night venue. 

Beccofino, Teneriffe

A Brisbane restaurant icon, Beccofino is where to go if you want five star service and unbelievable Italian food. Every. Single. Time. This local favourite Italian eatery is the perfect date night spot; always bustling but still intimate. Start with a round of Aperol Spritz on the fairy light-lit alfresco patio, then go full Italian and do dinner right: antipasti, primi, secondi, dolce. Hell, throw in one of Becco’s Napoli-style woodfired pizzas for good measure. Finish with espresso. This is the definition of feeding the heart through the stomach…

Agnes, Fortitude Valley

If your date is a self-confessed ‘foodie’ then book a table at Agnes for extra brownie points. Having recently been crowned best restaurant in Australia – only the second ever QLD venue to take out the title – this is the restaurant to see and be seen at right now. Once an old warehouse, acclaimed head chef and owner Ben Williamson has converted the space into an achingly chic multi-level dining hall, cooking everything over fire, harnessing woodfire and smoke as his cooking tools of choice.

This is no gimmick, either. Agnes set the standard for fire pit cooking in Brisbane, and now boasts numerous fine dining accolades, thanks to dishes like baked oysters with XO and nduja butter, burnt leeks with whipped almond and candied fennel, and duck with smoked onion. Did we mention the wine menu just took out best wine list in Australia, also? Do yourself (and your love life a favour) and get on the waitlist.

Nota, Paddington

Head to neighbourhood restaurant, Nota, for seriously classy, seriously intimate, European fine dining. The self-proclaimed ‘unpretentious’ 60-seater makes for the perfect low-key date night; the fit-out is all exposed walls, well-worn leather and deep wood – it screams grown up dinners with matching wines.

Cheers your significant other with a glass of small batch champagne at the bar before being seated and treated to the freshest local produce. The menu is constantly changing based on what’s available and in season but expect standout dishes like red emperor with Jerusalem artichoke chips, scallops with parsnip puree and pistachios, and Fraser Isle spanner crab casarecce. 

1889 Enoteca, Woolloongabba

Recently named one of the world’s best wine lists (let that sink in…) 1889 Enoteca has been dishing up traditional Roman fare in Brisbane for over 15 years. Accents of marble and stripped wooden floors, deep red banquette seating, and some of the most ambient lighting going, Enoteca oozes old-school romance. Everything from the food to the décor is textural, indulgent – it’s the Italian way. Share a plate of their famous gnocchi with your beloved, maybe a serve of cacio e pepe and a bottle of their finest plonk. Romance is anything but understated, here.

Rosamarino, Fortitude Valley

If Italians’ love language is food, then Rosamarino is a love letter to Italy. This intimate restaurant in heritage-listed digs in Fortitude Valley will transport you to the streets of Rome with its award-winning wine list and elegant menu of handmade pastas, traditional antipasti and desserts. This is the place to order that special bottle of wine; something from Italy’s Mount Etna will do nicely, paired with their life-changing tiramisu.

Looking for more incredible Brisbane restaurants for a special occasion? Head here.