When you tell people you work at Broadsheet, their responses typically go one of two ways. Either they ask you to pick your favourite venue – an impossible task when you consider the rate the industry is expanding and all the hot new restaurants, bars and cafes we welcomed this year – or they ask you to distil your experience down even further and pick a favourite dish. 

Impossible. 

Yet that’s exactly what I asked local Brisbane chefs and Broadsheet contributors to do for this article. In a great year for eating, in a great food city, here are 12 dishes that stuck in our minds this year.

Fried quail with Levantine chilli oil, Golden Avenue

Ben Williamson’s bekaa wings (basically Middle Eastern-style buffalo wings) from his Gerard’s Bistro days have always held a special place in my heart. But I reckon the fried quail at Golden Avenue – which he approached with the same philosophy – is somehow even better. Think Southern fried chicken, but with juicy quail and Levantine flavours (thanks to loads of spices and peppers). Pro tip: order some house pita to swipe through the addictive chilli oil. – Elliot Baker, senior contributor

Kinoko soba, Aizome Bar

I used to think the ideal drinking food was dependent on the drink: chips are great with beer, while a steak and a Martini are a perfect match. Then this simple bowl of noodles at Aizome Bar proved me wrong. The umami combo of the dashi broth and braised Urban Valley mushrooms satisfies even the most intense craving for a meaty snack to accompany a cocktail (or several) at the bar. Shiso leaves add a fresh, savoury edge that’s undeniably moreish. But this isn’t a replacement for dinner – the snack-size serve makes an excellent impromptu entree or late supper. – Kit Kriewaldt, subeditor  

Khao soi, So What Stereo

I love Thai food, so it’s no surprise that a Thai dish is taking the top spot for me again this year. So What Stereo’s khao soi is my go-to comfort meal. Delicious tender chicken, sweet rich creamy curry with a hint of lime, bouncy egg noodles and crunchy garnishes of pickles, onions and fried noodles. It doesn’t get better than this. – Fergus Hurst, photographer

Tuna belly tostada, Birria Boy

I like to order raw fish dishes like I’m a low-stakes gambler playing roulette with restaurant menus: minimal investment, riding the risky high and overjoyed if I win. At Birria Boy, I won big: an underrated cut of fish (fatty-ish tuna belly), zingy, flavourful sauces (smoked crema and salsa verde) and a crisp vessel (tostada) came together to create God’s perfect image. Forget about broths and white soy and fruit accompaniments. Sauce on fish on chip is where it’s at. – Becca Wang, contributor and Supper Partying columnist

Chocolate cake, Bistro Livi

This silky, ultra-dark flourless chocolate cake is, quite honestly, perfect. Moussey. Slick. Each ultra-rich spoonful, cut with slightly sour mascarpone, is there and gone in a flash. And it almost passed me by. Full to the brim after one of my most memorable meals of the year – a solo 5.30pm dinner in October, on my first visit to the sleepy Murwillumbah – I listened to co-owner Nikky Wilson: “take the chocolate cake to go”. If I must! Plastic-wrapped on a bistro plate, it came home with me. The Hunted & Gathered 70 per cent chocolate is the power, but that thoughtful, special service from the Bistro Livi team is the magic. (And yes, Bistro Livi is technically in New South Wales, but only halfa from the border, so it’s a lot closer to you, Brissie. Jealous.) – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor

Tagliatelle pasta with tiger prawn, Biànca

On a recent trip to Brisbane, I was told I had to eat at Bianca and, honestly, I’m still thinking about it. Sure, there was the delicate crudo and the cloud-soft tiramisu, which were both delicious, but it was the fresh ribbons of tagliatelle tangled with yellow tomato, tiger prawn, shellfish oil, fennel and chilli that floored me – bright, buttery, fragrant, with a touch of heat and simply incredible. It was hands-down the best pasta I’ve had all year! – Stacey Caruso, contributor 

Whipped knafeh, lemon verbena syrup, vanilla bean and lime ice-cream, Layla

When I dined at Layla, I was told there’s a group of friends who go walking in the afternoons and regularly stop in for this dessert. They eat it, then continue walking. I want to know how I can join this group, because this dish is an absolute banger. It’s built on a whipped cheesecake-like base, topped with crisp kataifi strands and a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream. It sounds rich, but it isn’t – finely-grated lime zest really lifts and brightens the whole dish. – Elliot Baker, senior contributor

Offal boat noodles, So What Stereo

If there was a competition for the most different bowls of noodles eaten in a year, I think I’d take out first place. From shimmering bowls of chicken pho and red laksa with whole soft-shell crab to unctuous black bean noodles and Taiwanese beef soup, there’s nary a noodle I haven’t slurped (sorry). The one that took my Best Noodle Prize in 2025 was the formidable So What Stereo’s beef and offal boat noodles. The broth is rich, tangy and complex, and the offal (tripe, intestine and tendon) is soft and luxurious. But it’s the gems of crackling, the crunch of greens and the slippery, fresh noodles that take it all the way. Don’t be a fool, order the large serving. – Becca Wang, contributor and Supper Partying columnist

Wagyu beef dumplings, Sabrosa Dim Sum House

I’m normally a purist when it comes to dim sum, and Sabrosa does nod to trad Cantonese tastes with dishes like siu mai and fresh-steamed wontons. But the menu item that keeps giving me flavour flashbacks months after eating it is one you definitely won’t find on the streets of Hong Kong. Sabrosa’s wagyu beef dumplings taste like the offspring of a juicy old-school beachside burger (very Noosa) and the kind of bao you’d find in a delightfully dingy Sham Shui Po laneway. Slathered in black vinegar crispy chilli oil, it’s a winning combo of Chinese sensibility and big Queensland flavour. – Jo Walker, special features editor 

Deep-fried toffee ice-cream with char siu caramel, The Fifty Six

It’s a difficult thing to admit these days, but I’m a salted caramel sceptic. My distaste for it has cost me friends, ice-cream scoops, and any number of sauces. I just don’t need my sweets to be savoury. Or so I thought, until I tried the deep-fried ice-cream at The Fifty Six. The sauce is made using roasting juices from the restaurant’s signature char siu pork. Instead of adding salt I don’t need, it gives the caramel a richer, rounder flavour that takes this from a familiar dessert to an unmissable dish. – Kit Kriewaldt, subeditor  

Genovese beef ragu, Sofia’s Broadbeach

Sofia’s Genovese beef ragu had me at first bite. The hand-made egg pappardelle is tossed with braised beef, tomato, and white wine, finished with a very healthy serving of shaved pecorino. It really is the elevated comfort food of my dreams. Now that I’m moving from Melbourne to Brisbane, a drive down to the Gold Coast is all that stands between me and another bowl. Did this one dish impact my choice to move? Quite possibly. – Ella Witchell, graphic designer

Crispy chive cakes, So What Stereo

I didn’t order these when I went to So What Stereo, so it’s somewhat surprising these little bundles ended up becoming my Brisbane dish of the year. There I was, minding my own business, eating my boat noodles, when Meek (the cafe’s co-owner) brought a little bowl to my table and said, “I think you should try these”. Thank you, Meek! The crispy chive cakes are a triumph flavour.  Chives, tapioca flour, salt, sugar and dried garlic are steamed, left to cool and then deep fried. They keep their deep green colour and punchy taste. It’s crisp on the outside but inside, the texture is bouncy like mochi. I could have eaten three bowls. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

The Best of 2025 is proudly presented by Square, Kia, NAB and Four Pillars. The dishes in this article were selected independently the Broadsheet team.