Taste your way through the best restaurants in Queensland

Residing in a heritage-listed bank building in Brisbane’s CBD, Donna Chang is opulent Chinese dining at its finest. The vaulted ceilings and natural light make for a dramatic backdrop, but it’s the extraordinary dishes that will take your breath away.

A modern take on Sichuan and Cantonese dining, Donna Chang oozes with charm and creativity. As well as hand-crafted dumplings made daily for lunch, the kitchen takes dinner next level, utilising often hard-to-find ingredients while showcasing the breadth of detail and tradition in Chinese cuisine.

sAme sAme, Fortitude Valley

Brisbane institution and high-end Thai staple, LONgTIME, has migrated from its longstanding location in Chinatown. Changing its name and taking up residency in Ada Lane, James Street’s new lifestyle laneway, and part of The Calile.

Great news for fans of Longtime’s menu; you’ll find all the classics such as the duck red curry at sAme sAme, but with new dishes added to celebrate the new venue. Featuring a slick, minimalistic limestone and oak fit-out, dining at sAme sAme is as much about the food as it is about the experience.

The upstairs bar is ideal for pre-dinner cocktails, and the casual dining seating overlooking the laneway is perfect for a quick bite to eat.

Hellenika at The Calile, Fortitude Valley

The boutique Greek taverna on the Gold Coast that came north to Brisbane, Hellenika was already a firm favourite with Nobby Beach locals and day tripping Brisbanites. Now, all grown up in breathtaking new digs atop the Calile Hotel, Hellenika is making a name for itself as one of the best Greek restaurants in the country.

Owner Simon Gloftis’ vision for Hellenika was to create a sleek, modern Mediterranean-style eatery in the heart of Fortitude Valley – and he’s certainly succeeded. Diners can sip on cocktails along the marble bar overlooking the hotel’s elegant pool, or choose to dine in the restaurant, where traditional Greek dishes such as salty pork belly, spanakopita and grilled octopus make for the perfect blow out.

Otto Ristorante, South Bank

Awarded Best Queensland Wine List by Gourmet Traveller Wine, Wine List of the Year and Two Hats at the Australian Good Food Awards 2019, Otto Ristorante is the first Queensland outpost from Sydney’s renowned Quay and Bennelong owners. So, you know it’s good. Very good.

Perched on the river's edge in South Bank, the southern Italian menu has been designed with the Queensland climate in mind, executing iconic Italian dishes with flair: oysters with lemon and black pepper granita, Villani Culatello with balsamic watermelon, and house-made pasta.

Gauge, South Brisbane

Well before the accolades – including two chefs hats in 2021’s AGFG – Gauge was doing something special in Brisbane's Fish Lane Arts Precinct. Head chefs Cormac Bradfield and Phil Marchant utilise SEQ’s bounty of fresh produce to create a memorable dining experience in an intimate setting, where food is for far more than simple sustenance.

The menu changes with the season but expect exceptional dishes like barramundi sashimi with green apple and elderflower and black garlic bread with brown butter. Its location also earns it a solid spot on the list; opposite South Bank’s famous entertainment quarter, QPAC, this is the restaurant to dine pre- or post-show. And it has the wait list to prove it.

Elska, New Farm

New on the scene and already gracing the peaks of best restaurant lists by Gourmet Traveller and Australian Good Food Guide is Elska. The intimate 12-seat restaurant in New Farm offers an ever-evolving degustation menu, celebrating Australian produce with Nordic culinary flair. More than a meal, this is an experience - with an open kitchen to watch all the action. 

Agnes, Fortitude Valley

Tucked into an old brick warehouse in Fortitude Valley, acclaimed chef Ben Williamson is heating up the city's dining scene with wood-fired cooking at Agnes. With a leafy terrace, sleek wine bar and main dining room offering set menus and private dining experiences, Agnes is all about simple food, great flavours and the best local produce transformed over a custom-made stone hearth.

Equally divine, Agnes Bakery can be found nearby on James Street for all your carb needs.

Gold Coast

Restaurant Labart, Burleigh

Since opening in mid-2018, Labart, in Gold Coast’s burgeoning Burleigh, has been a welcome addition to the new wave of fine dining options in the area. Given owner and Head Chef Alex Munoz’s experience in previous prestigious Australian dining institutions, big things were always on the cards.

A standout for the southern QLD coast, Labart houses a menu with a heavy focus on local produce from SEQ and northern NSW. The paired-back, French-style bistro feels a million miles away from the golden sands of Burleigh Beach, but has been booked out for months as it becomes the dining destination on the coast.

Rick Shores, Burleigh Heads

Named as one of the best dining experiences in the country, Rick Shores is so close to the water it’s literally lapped by the waves off Burleigh Beach.

A culinary team drawn from the kitchens of Australia’s top South-East Asian restaurants (Spirit House, Longtime, Longrain), the food here almost outshines the view. The high end, Thai-inspired menu is a what’s what of balanced, creative dishes, but it’s arguably their most famous bar snack, Rick’s bug roll, that has people hitting up the southern Gold Coast on the regular.

Find more incredible Gold Coast dining here.

Sunshine Coast

Sum Yung Guys, Noosaville

Sum Yung Guys was born from four mates’ passion for pan-Asian cuisine and a love of the Sunshine Coast. A stone’s throw from the region's most beautiful beaches, this lively eatery has been named one of the 50 hottest restaurants by The Australian and top 100 restaurants in the country by The Australian Financial Review in 2018, among its many accolades. Progressive dishes like the Hiramasa kingfish, green scud and laksa, and the wok-tossed mussels with lemongrass, ginger and coconut water make this hidden Sunshine Coast gem an absolute must-try.

The Long Apron, Montville

Housed in a luxurious homestead in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, The Long Apron at Spicers Clovelly Estate is not your average hotel restaurant.

When the hotel is actually a boutique homestead in the gorgeous Sunshine Coast Hinterland, and the restaurant is the type of place you’d book months in advance for that special occasion lunch or dinner. When the two combine, it’s magical.

Head chef Andrew Birse takes his inspiration from French and Japanese cuisine, and being classically trained, he has a skill for clean precise dishes with an excellent balance of flavour and elegant presentation.

Locale, Noosa

Just steps from the golden sands of Noosa's Main Beach, delve into authentic Italian flavours at Locale. Whether you're settling into a three course meal or pulling up a chair for an afternoon spritz, Locale offers a relaxed dining experience with ingredients pulled straight from their Noosa Hinterland farm.

For more Sunshine Coast flavours, head here.

Central and Northern Queensland

Water St Kitchen, Bundaberg

Proving regional Queensland has plenty of drawcards for foodies, cosy Water Street Kitchen quickly became one of Bundaberg's most acclaimed dining destinations since opening in 2017.

With a menu based around sourcing the best ingredients from Bundaberg's thriving food bowl, this is the place to come for breakfast, lunch of dinner with the likes of breakfast gnocchi, sand crab lasagne and ginger and mandarin pannacotta gracing the menu.

Melaleuca, Port Douglas

This tropical village has a reputation for its dining scene that nearly surpasses its sweeping ocean views and Great Barrier Reef access. Combining both views and flavours is Melaleuca - a newcomer to the Wharf Street precinct that has already scooped up chefs hats in 2020 and 2021.

Run by husband and wife team Adam and Namhee Ion, who have a passion for incorporating Asian flavours into their dishes, you can expect a menu full of fresh flavours from Malaysian butter prawns to Moreton Bay Bugs in a Thai curry broth. 

Nu Nu, Palm Cove

If you want to know what Tropical North Queensland tastes like on a plate, make a beeline for chef Nick Holloway’s Nu Nu (you may have seen him on MasterChef in 2015).

Nestled nicely on the paperbark tree-lined esplanade of Palm Cove, with cracking views out over the Coral Sea and Double Island, this is fine dining with its tie not only loosened, but left at the back of the wardrobe.

A four or seven-course tasting menu is available and is perfect for those who can’t possibly choose between cinnamon roast Victorian lamb with caramelised Mungalli yoghurt and pumpkin custard; and wok-fried north Queensland mud crab with chilli tamarind, sweet pork, market greens, jasmine rice and ginger broth. 

Still hungry? Check out these Cairns restaurants or explore the food trails through Atherton Tablelands and the Daintree.