Brisbane is blooming. The River City is stepping up and moving towards a 2032, which’ll likely see its hospitality scene reach the same heights as Sydney and Melbourne.

These 10 new bars are a clear statement of intent. Everything from Japanese mixology and tropical bars to live music venues and wine shop-bar hybrids was represented this year.

Here – in alphabetical order – are Brisbane’s 10 best new bars of 2025.

Aizome Bar, West End

Ten seats, one bartender, cocktails that take days to make, and no garnishes. Aizome Bar is hyper-focused. Designed by Alexander Lotersztain of Derlot Design, Aizome Bar is a Ginza-style cocktail bar. Both venues are owned by Hisatake Kamori, who’s also co-founder of neighbouring distillery and bar By Artisans.

The fit-out is in a class of its own: liberal use of aizome (indigo blue) tones, matched with natural wood and leather. Every detail has been carefully considered, from the tableware to the rotating back bar.

Yet the star of the show is the drinks. Bartender Tony Huang is known for his “neo cocktails”, which are made by freezing botanicals to break down their cell walls, steeping them in alcohol at one degree Celsius for 48 hours, and allowing them to rest. Served cold, the aromas and flavours open up like wine as the drink warms up. Can’t decide? Try a cocktail tasting flight, which comes served with exceptional paired snacks.

The Alligator Club, Fortitude Valley

It’s hard to know where to look when you step inside The Alligator Club. There’s a giant disco ball and a display case housing a worn-out pair of owner Glenn Hosking’s brown alligator-skin boots. Look a little bit further and you’ll see the stage, which hosts musicians seven nights a week, until 3am every morning. There’s a quartet of beers on tap, alongside an eclectic wine list and – the advantage of a long backbar – an extensive range of spirits. The cocktail menu is divided into eight lesser-known classics and eight fruity creations, equally suited to the humid climates of New Orleans (the bar’s inspiration) and Brisbane. For a liquid dessert, try the Pandamn It, one of many cocktails in recent years to resurrect Midori. Here, it’s mixed with gin, green apple juice, pandan and orgeat syrup, and then topped with a vanilla foam. There’s also a tiny kitchen serving six Roman-style pinsas and fries.

Barry Parade Public House, Fortitude Valley

Barry Parade Public House is a quiet achiever. The unassuming Fortitude Valley bar was opened 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 – who lovingly refurbished the heritage-listed space into a warm and inviting neighbourhood bar.

While the drinks offering casts a wide net, the options are clearly considered. There are wines by small Australian producers, plus three beers on tap and many more in cans. Cocktails are the main event, including the Broken Spanish (oloroso sherry, rum, brown butter falernum, lime and pineapple). There are also rare vintage spirits. The food is Creole-inspired, with standout dishes including fried prawn po’ boys, and Cajun-spiced corn ribs.

Bonnie Doon Public House, Fortitude Valley

When Bloodhound Bar closed last year, many were left wondering what would happen to its 19th-century Valley building. There was talk it might be turned into offices, but (thankfully) the team behind Bonnie Doon stepped in and opened a neighbourhood joint that feels homey and lived-in.

The menu leans towards Australian nostalgia, which is apt for a bar named after a classic scene from The Castle. Dishes include house-baked damper with Vegemite honey butter; devilled eggs made with curry and mountain pepper mayo; pork-and-beef rissoles; and fairy bread. The drinks list has a strong emphasis on Australian craft beer, with 14 taps throughout the venue pouring everything from a hazy IPA from Beerfarm to a double IPA from Range Brewing and a stout from Seven Mile. Cocktails double down on Aussie nostalgia and include the Prima Pavlova – a mix of pavlova gin, butterscotch liqueur, passionfruit and lemon juice.

Dark Blue, Fortitude Valley

Hannah Wagner opened moody wine bar Dark Red in Bakery Lane back in 2022. This year, she took over a heritage-listed Winn Lane site and opened another wine bar called – and you’ll sense a theme here – Dark Blue. While Dark Red has built a loyal following for its selection of Italian wines, Dark Blue gives Wagner the chance to highlight drops from Spain, Portugal and South America. Wagner might have a core red and white on offer regularly, but everything else is liable to change. There’s a tight cocktail list from Charlie Hunter (ex-Savile Row) and two gin tonicas. The food menu consists of snacky bites: tinned fish, pork terrine, pâté and crisps.

LPO, Tarragindi

When comedian and radio host Matt Okine returned to Brisbane from Sydney, he struggled to find a good neighbourhood wine store. So, alongside longtime friend Dan Wilson, he opened one. LPO, which arrived in late March, is a wine store, but its licence allows it to sell wines by the glass for guests to sample. As a result, there will always be four whites and four reds available to taste – each of which can also be purchased by the bottle. Education is a key focus. Wilson, who previously ran wine bars in London, isn’t afraid to crack open a special bottle and sell glasses at cost. Many bottles ring in under $20, while others are priced for special occasions.

Ruby’s Wine Shop, Albion

If you’ve noticed similarities between Ruby’s Wine Shop and LPO, it’s no coincidence. Nurse-slash-wine lover Tamara Husler had been mulling over opening a wine shop or bar for years, but after watching Dan Wilson successfully combine the two at LPO, she saw a path forward. She reached out to Wilson for advice and launched Ruby’s Wine Shop last month. On the shelves, you’ll find around 100 bottles of minimal-intervention wines, six to eight of which will always be open for tasting. Named after Husler’s rambunctious dog, who you’ll see on the shop floor, Ruby’s doesn’t have a kitchen, but you can order from next-door’s Olive Thyme or BYO food to enjoy.

Shaman, Brisbane CBD

Despite our hot weather and love of rum, tropical bars are few and far between in Brisbane. Pete Hollands’s Shaman is changing that. It only opened in November, but it has the same lived-in feel you’d expect from a decades-old drinking den. It’s incredibly well hidden, down an alleyway with no street signage, down a flight of stairs, behind a large wooden door. The room is designed to envelope you, drawing your focus to little details like the slowly spinning wooden ceiling fans or the leadlight lampshades. Although there’s a large collection of rum and tequila on the backbar, there’s no laundry list of spirits to work through. Instead, there’s just a pamphlet offering a concise range of South American wines, exactly one beer (Estrella), and recommended rums and agave spirits. A 12-strong cocktail list strikes a balance between the familiar and the adventurous. There are Daiquiris, Margs, Old Fashioneds and retro recipes like the Fluffy Duck, an orange-cake-flavoured disco drink seldom seen since the ’80s and believed to have originated in Sydney.

Wild Legs, Newstead

From the trio behind Albion’s Adela, Wild Legs is an unfussy Newstead wine bar with marble tables and alfresco seating under fairy-light-strung trees. The team is keeping things tight with a wine list of just 80 bottles and a frequently rotating by-the-glass offering. The goal is to spotlight sustainably-produced, organic drops – preferably from Queensland producers. Classic wine bar dishes – Gildas, cheese boards and charcuterie – are available, alongside more playful plates like stracciatella with roasted pineapple, and a mini mortadella sandwich on a brioche bun. The cheese soufflé with malbec-red-onion jam is a true standout.

Winnifred’s, Fortitude Valley

Winnifred’s is in a league of its own – and because of that, it took a place on both our best new restaurants and bars lists. The champagne-dedicated venue is not only a first for Brisbane, but perhaps a first for Australia. With 14,000 bottles from 63 different growers and grandes marques, it’s an ambitious project. A few years ago, you might have wondered if Brisbane was ready for something like it, but since Winnifred’s opened in August, the city has answered with a resounding “yes”. Owner Megan Nunn named the venue after her grandmother Winnifred Barrett, whose welcoming energy she’s looking to emulate. The venue is divided into several spaces: out front, a small sunny garden; further inside is an 18-seat bar and a 60-seat bistro; and upstairs, two private rooms host functions and masterclasses.

Reporting by Elliot Baker and Kit Kriewaldt.

The Best of 2025 is proudly presented by Square, Kia, NAB and Four Pillars. The bars in this article were selected independently by Broadsheet's editors.