The Best Restaurants in Fortitude Valley
The Valley has always been known for its energetic dining scene, but things have really gone into overdrive the last few years. That’s partly thanks to the opening of the Calile Hotel and its Ada Lane dining precinct, which has seemingly galvanised the whole area into upping its game. Whether you’re after classic Italian fare, the best Thai in town or fun and fast share plates, The Valley has you covered.
Restaurant
Hellenika
Widely regarded as one of the country’s best Greek restaurants.
Restaurant
Agnes
Four of Brisbane’s best restaurant brains are behind this theatrical diner, featuring a woodfire-driven menu and impressive 1500-bottle wine list.
Restaurant
SK Steak & Oyster
SK is restaurateur Simon Gloftis’s second restaurant at The Calile Hotel, after Hellenika. But where Hellenika focuses on the delicate flavours of Greek cuisine, SK focuses on big and bold ingredients such as dry-aged beef and prestige seafood. The room is expansive and so is the wine list. If you’re after New York steakhouse glamour, this is where you’ll find it.
Restaurant
Short Grain
Longrain’s Martin Boetz has returned to his hometown to open one of its most thrilling Thai dining experiences. He’s serving up punchy dishes like red curry with coconut braised duck, and fried whole fish with caramelised turmeric.
Restaurant
Gerard’s Bistro
The Moubment Group’s best-regarded restaurant delivers innovative Middle Eastern cuisine in a texture-rich dining room.
Restaurant
Baja
Refined share plates and mezcal on a classy corner of Brunswick Street.
Restaurant
Same Same
The successor to Longtime, one of Brisbane’s most celebrated Thai restaurants. As the name suggests, the site’s DNA hasn’t fundamentally changed – but the service is sharper, the space is more beautiful, and the food is more vibrant than ever.
Restaurant
Rosmarino
Housed inside an 1890's brick building, this moody Italian wine bar lists more than 150 sustainable drops from Sicily and beyond. House-made pastas and antipasti sidle refined mains with a traditional twist.
Restaurant
Sushi Room
Hit the the Calile Hotel’s 1960s neo-futurist diner for exquisite sushi and sashimi. But while it’s primed for special occasions, it isn’t here to hurt your wallet. Sip from an affordable list of sakes, Japanese whiskies and more than 150 international wines.
Restaurant
Etna
Etna isn’t your typical neighbourhood pizzeria. Set within a heritage space, this cosy spot from the team behind Valley favourite Rosmarino takes cues from a couple of boundary-pushing Italian pizzerias. The result? Inventive toppings (duck, Hokkaido scallops) interspersed with the classics, backed up by a 120-strong wine list heavy on orange styles and pét-nat.
Restaurant
Restaurant Dan Arnold
Chef-owner Dan Arnold is no stranger to a Michelin-starred kitchen. At his eponymous Brisbane restaurant, he draws on his time working under some of Europe’s most lauded chefs – and the result is a modern expression of haute cuisine through Queensland produce.
Restaurant
Gemelli
Rustic Italian cooking reigns at this spacious, timber-clad restaurant. Visit for woodfired Napoli-style pizza; oxtail and pork shin ragu rigatoni; plus a lengthy list of Italian vino to match.
Restaurant
The Lodge Bar and Dining
Kiwi menswear brand Rodd & Gunn have taken on an iconic, heritage-listed spot on James Street for their QLD debut. With a Michelin-starred chef on the tools, it’s serving blue-crab fettuccine, buttered bug rolls and meat-pie croquettes, paired with a 250-bottle wine list. There’s also a first-floor bar with views across the precinct.
Restaurant
Joy
A celebrated young gun cooks (and does the dishes) in a tiny, 10-seat omakase-style fine diner down a poky laneway.
Restaurant
Bianca
This beautiful, fast-paced and very fun Italian restaurant is from the Same Same and Agnes crew. Expect house-made pasta, stacks of antipasti and soft-serve gelato, accompanied by a 350-bottle wine list – all in one of Brisbane's most beguiling dining rooms.
Restaurant
Tartufo
One of the best places in town for true Neapolitan pizza.
Restaurant
Happy Boy
Modern Chinese food and a killer wine list from brothers Cameron and Jordan Votan.
Restaurant
Honto
Prawn doughnuts with yuzu curd are the kind of creative fare you can expect at this moody, communal Japanese restaurant from the owners of Longtime.
Restaurant
Bisou Bisou
You'll find this new wave French brasserie on the ground-floor of the luxe Hotel X. Enter for French favourites and remixed classics. Plus, a cheese trolley, an oyster and caviar bar, and a 200-strong wine list.
Restaurant
Ripiena
Brisbane’s first pasta laboratory, which aims for complete authenticity in its pasta and sauces.
Restaurant
Essa
Via a long marble bar, this moody 60-seat restaurant puts guests up close and personal with its woodfire grill, used to cook an ever-changing menu that might include Black Angus short rib or pickled kohlrabi.
Restaurant
Mosconi
A war-era warehouse transforms into a beautiful 60-seat Italian restaurant.
Restaurant
Biang Biang Fresh Noodle
Not just any old noodles. These cult biang biang noodles are the perfect combination of firm and chewy. They might come packed with pork mince (or cumin lamb), garlic, soy sauce and shallots. Enjoy them alongside pork wontons and spring rolls in this no-fuss noodle joint.
Restaurant
Sunshine
Fill your plate, cafeteria-style, with any combo of up to 35 Mediterranean-style dishes (many of them vegan) including juicy stuffed tomatoes, spanakopita and orzo pasta. Dine in under a sea of yellow umbrellas, or take it away to enjoy at home.
Restaurant
City Winery
This urban winery boasts a cellar door, a 70-seat restaurant and beautiful 20-seat private dining room.
Restaurant
Les Bubbles
A single-dish menu makes this restaurant distinct (and then there’s the bathhouse downstairs).
Restaurant
The 203
The combo of a celeb chef and a true farm-to-table offering makes this Italian steakhouse stand out in the crowd. Come for top-tier steaks by Stradbroke, handmade pastas and classic cocktails with a twist.
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