The Woods

If anyone knows how to run a neighbourhood bar, it’s Gillian Letham and Gerard Hartnett. They ran the much-loved Mill on Constance (which closed in June 2019) and also run another venue in Bulimba, The Oxford Tap House.

Like the Ox, The Woods has six beer taps that constantly rotate with both local and international brews – you might find East Brisbane’s Semi Pro on tap alongside Garage Project from New Zealand. There are another 60 or so beers sold by the bottle and can. For wine, Letham highlights a variety of drops, such as blends from the Urban Winery Project. There are 20 gins on the back bar including Letham’s favourite, Hidden World.

For food, you’ll find braised lamb shanks, crispy pork belly and rib fillet alongside bar snacks such as popcorn chicken and fish cakes.

The fit-out combines exposed bricks walls with a moody black and mint-green colour scheme. Hartnett is a carpenter by trade, and made all the wooden elements himself by hand, including the tables and the bar.