From vinyl listening bars to hidden speakeasies, Brisbane’s bar scene is packed with variety. It takes something special to stand out from the crowd. Enter Barry Parade Public House, a Fortitude Valley bar serving Creole-influenced food, innovative cocktails and vintage spirits.

The bar, which opened in late October, is run by three friends: bartenders Dan Gregory (The Gresham, Eau de Vie, and Black Pearl) and Brennen Eaten (Alba Bar & Deli, The Gresham), and barrister Lachlan Henry. Together, they transformed the heritage-listed space, previously home to Rosy Cafe, into an inviting neighbourhood bar.

“We were actually looking for a space in the city, but this popped up,” Gregory tells Broadsheet. “A few other hospitality people had looked at the space before us, but it was a blank canvas, and a lot of work had to be done. The flooring was definitely one of the drawcards.”

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The original 1920s terrazzo floor remains a focal point, complemented by timber finishes and a dark green colour palette. The result is a sleek space that works equally well for daytime drinks or late-night cocktails. Nestled between the city and Fortitude Valley, the bar has been drawing patrons from both areas.

While the drinks offering casts a wide net, the options are clearly considered. In the lead up to opening, Gregory talked about the need for bars to put equal emphasis on cocktails, wine and beer.

“Cocktail bars have a bad habit of letting the wine and beer selections fall to the wayside,” Gregory said in August. “You can’t get away with that anymore. There’s a big push for having a good overall selection, even if you’re categorised as a cocktail or whisky bar.”

That means you’ll find wines by predominately small Australian producers like Koerner, Mac Forbes and Sven Joschke, plus three beers on tap and many more in cans.

But the cocktails are still the main event, and there are innovative creations like the Strawberry Sundae Milk Punch (cocoa butter vodka, strawberry gum, cream sherry, and waffle cone milk), the Broken Spanish (oloroso sherry, rum, brown butter falernum, lime, and pineapple) and the Detour (black raspberry, Pineau des Charentes, pineapple, and green grapes). Rare vintage spirits, collected by Gregory over the past 15 years, have also proven popular.

The concise food menu makes the most of the limited kitchen space, with French cheese and charcuterie sliced-to-order alongside Creole-inspired dishes – like fried prawn po’ boys, jalapeno cornbread with crème fraîche, and a pulled duck and smoked sausage gumbo that’s already become a signature.

Barry Parade Public House
122 Barry Parade, Fortitude Valley
No Phone

Hours:
Tue to Sat 3pm–midnight
Sun 1pm–midnight

barryparade.com
@barryparadeph