When it comes to Brisbane/Meanjin’s best restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars, there are some dishes that are pretty much iconic. They’re the ones that never leave the menu, no matter how many new seasons come and go, and that are talked about in certain circles with a reverence bordering on obsession. Even if you haven’t tried them, you might have double tapped them on Instagram, drooled over them on a menu last time you looked for a place for dinner or heard about them from a friend.
If none of the above is true, then it’s about time it was. We’ve canvassed the OB真人视讯 team, scoured our endless iPhone snaps and asked the people who know to list the 50 dishes that you should have eaten if you live in Brisbane—and frankly, there’s never been a better time to tick them all off. Go forth, support our local hospitality scene and give yourself a food baby while you’re at it.
You can also get our top 20 new Brisbane dishes right .
- Katsu Sando | hôntô. Any meal at hôntô should start with a plate of these bite-sized morsels in their dark and cosy bar—the fillings may change, but their must-order status doesn't.
- Zucchini Chips | Hellenika. Any meal at Hellenika (or even just wines) should start with a bowl of these crispy, crunchy zucchini chips.
- Duck Ragu Pappardelle | Beccofino. We should probably order something different one of these days, but Becco’s duck ragu is just too good to pass up. Best eaten with an Aperol spritz to wash it down.
- Cacio E Pepe | . It was a tough choice between 1889 enoteca’s gnocchi and this, but in the end, cheesy simplicity won out.
- Tonkotsu Ramen | Taro's Ramen. Do we even need to say more? Comfort food of champions and the best ramen in the city, don’t try to convince us otherwise.
- Chicken Burgers | Same Same. These aren't just any chicken burgers. The betel leaf is also a must-order.
- Chocolate Sour Cream Cake | Jocelyn’s Provision. A party just isn’t a party without one of these bad boys on the table.
- Breakfast Carbonara | Morning After. This West End cafe introduced us to the joys of eating pasta for breakfast when they opened and we’ve never looked back.
- Chilli, Garlic And Tomato Mussels | Bar Alto. There is no greater pleasure in life than tucking into a half kilo pot of mussels on Bar Alto’s deck and mopping up every ounce of sauce with grilled ciabatta.
- Nutellla Lava Cookie | Peach Cafe. Chunky, buttery and oozing with Nutella, these cookies make it acceptable to eat chocolate for breakfast.
- Saganaki | . Fried cheese with honey. What more incentive do you need?
- Number 1 Pizza | Julius Pizzeria. Any one of Julius's pizzas is a damn good slice, but we always find ourselves going for this tomato, fior di latte, basil and prosciutto di parma number.
- Taco Tuesdays | Cheeky Poke. Sure, you can get Cheeky Poke’s crunchy poke-filled tacos any day of the week, but on Tuesdays you get them for $5, a bargain if we ever heard one.
- Haloumi Doughnuts | Za Za Ta. These savoury doughnuts are basically just deep-fried haloumi and we're here for it.
- One Pan Hotcake | Farmhouse. The toppings change with the seasons, but you’ll always find this sweet, fluffy hotcake on the menu at Farmhouse.
- Crema Bologna Gelato | La Macelleria. Along with pretty much everything else in their gelato cabinet…
- Beef Bolognese Gnocchi | Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers. Even if you think you’re not a gnocchi fan, you’ll be won over by this pillowy goodness.
- Twice Cooked Pork Belly | Libertine. A mouthful in more ways than one. Feast your eyes on the crispiest pork belly you ever did see—then set about demolishing it.
- Dry Aged Steak | Walter’s Steakhouse. This is the best steak in Brisbane, no question. It comes still sizzling from the pan, and is best paired with a side of their insanely buttery mash.
- Barbecue Platter | Barbecue Mafia. Low and slow-cooked meat at its best, this plate is loaded up with smoked brisket, pulled pork, mac ‘n’ cheese, slaw, fries and bread rolls.
- Beef Wellington | Rothwell's. A visual stunner as well as a delicious feast for two, this pastry-wrapped feed has a bit of a wait, but it's well worth it.
- Bacon And Egg Roll | Yolk. When it comes to hangover cures in Brisbane, this is pretty much the be all and end all to clearing up the cobwebs in your head.
- Feta Fries | The Yiros Shop. Not that you need to add a side of fries to one of the Yiros Shop’s loaded yiros, but these golden fries topped with feta crumbs could be a meal all on their own.
- Beef Cheek Massaman Curry | Pawpaw Cafe. Most Brisbanites probably know Pawpaw for their brunches, but it’s their massaman curry that has us coming back again and again. Just excuse us while we order some takeaway…
- Kentucky Fried Duck | Detour. Once an icon at Public, Detour’s head chef and owner brought the recipe with him when he left their kitchen, and boy are we glad he did.
- Matcha Tiramisu | Nonda. Tiramisu is great, but have you ever tried Nonda's matcha version?
- Crab Souffle | Montrachet. This fluffy, double baked crab and gruyère cheese souffle has been on the menu longer than we’ve been online—and we hope it never leaves.
- Cheese Wheel Pasta | Il Verde. This weekly pasta special served out of a literal wheel of cheese is such a hit that Il Verde is better known as “Home Of The Cheese Wheel Pasta.”
- Classic Cheeseburger | Ben’s Burgers. This perfectly stacked burger is so quintessential we suspect they used it as inspo for the emoji burger.
- Biang Biang Noodles | . Handmade noodles stretched right in front of you in a spicy sauce makes this a messy one—but it's worth the clean up.
- Dumplings In Sweet Soy Chilli Sauce | . These guys dish up the best dumplings in town, and nothing beats their pork dumplings. Nothing.
- Raspberry White Chocolate Doughnut | Nodo Donuts. Choosing just one of Nodo’s baked, gluten-free doughnuts might be divisive, but it really is the best.
- Crispy Chicken Skin Yakitori | Bird’s Nest. These guys know how much you love chicken skin—so they’ve loaded up an entire skewer with it and grilled it until it’s nice and crispy.
- Steak Frites | Les Bubbles. This Valley restaurant does one thing and they do it well—perfectly juicy steak and bottomless fries. Yes, bottomless.
- Basque Cheesecake | Agnes Bakery. It’s the baked treat that people lined up for hours for in lockdown—and now it's available permanently at thier bakery.
- House Fried Rice | Happy Boy. This fried rice with shredded roast duck and preserved veg is practically a meal unto itself—not that we can ever resist the eggplant with roast pork belly.
- M.C. Cheesie Toastie | Melt Brothers. We never know mac ‘n’ cheese could taste so good between bread until Melt Brothers showed us, adding maple bacon, BBQ sauce, aioli and even more cheese for the ultimate toastie.
- Gonuts | . Thursdays are gonut day at Flour & Chocolate, when they take croissant pastry, deep fry it and top it with all manner of creative flavours.
- Culurgiones | Rosmarino. These pillowy sardinian ravioli bites became a Rosmarino signature almost as soon as the Valley spot opened it's doors.
- Focaccia And Tallow Candle | Establishment 203. As fun as they are delicious, these melting tallow candles are perfect for dipping soft and fluffy focaccia in.
- Potato And Truffle Spring Rolls | Southside. Potato and truffle all wrapped up in crispy deep-fried pastry? Yes please. Southside have turned the typical spring roll on it's head and we dig it. A lot.
- Nutella Gnocchini | Prova Pizzeria. Any feast at this pizza spot should end with their dough bowl filled with fried pizza dough bites smothered in Nutella.
- Dessert Roti | Roti Place. For this treat, the biggest roti you’ve ever seen is fried up and twisted into a giant cone, before being drizzled with condensed milk. Watch how it’s done .
- Kale Salad | Botanica. Usually we don’t make friends with salad, but Botanica’s parmesan and crouton loaded kale salad is another story. You’ve got to ask for it though—tell them we sent you.
- Antipasti | Bianca. Look their pasta is incredible, but we never get to eat as much of it as we like, because we've always filled up on antipasti. Choose a bunch of dishes and dig in.
- Banh Mi | Darra Takeaway. Definitely the cheapest dish on our list at just $5.50 a pop, these freshly made banh mis are so good you'll need to queue for them.
- Pho | Cafe O Mai. These steaming hot bowls of Vietnamese soups are 'unphogettable,' whether you get beef, chicken or even the vegan version.
- Birria Tacos | Cartel Del Taco. If you haven't jumped on the birria train yet, this is where to do it—the slow cooked beef birria with warm consomme is iconic.
- Chunky Cookies | . Known as the internet's favourite cookie, you'll have to queue up early to get your hands on a freshly baked version of one of these.
- Croque Madame | James & Antler. A good morning starts with this sourdough toastie packed with smoked ham, manchego and egmont cheese and mustard and leek cream, topped with a fried free-range egg.
Want more? Check out the best restaurants in Brisbane here.
Image credit: SK Steak & Oyster, Greca, Rothwell's, Little Red Dumpling, Southside