Drink and dine Queensland

Bursting with new restaurants to explore and innovative tastes to try, Queensland is ready to delight food lovers with fresh, locally sourced flavours.

Never has top local produce from the Sunshine State’s rich food bowls been more important, and the quality shows in every mouthful. Here are some of the most talked about new openings to tantalise your tastebuds.

Exhibition, Brisbane CBD

Underground and intimate, Exhibition is a new addition to Edward Street in Brisbane’s CBD. The basement of the 130-year-old Metro Arts building has been transformed into a 24-seat subterannean restaurant and bar. Expect a five-course Japanese Omakase style degustation. Also new in the CBD are Frog’s Hollow Saloon, Leonards, and Rothwell’s Bar & Grill. And while you’re in the area, why not stay at the new voco Brisbane City Centre?

Lina Rooftop, South Brisbane

Enjoy rooftop highs with beach club vibes inspired by Brisbane’s epic skyline views. With bright white décor and a 30-metre rooftop infinity pool, you could be in Vegas, St Tropez or Dubai. Love rooftop bars? Check out Iris Rooftop, Fiume and Hibiscus Room, then stay in luxury at Emporium Hotel South Bank.

Take a dip at The Calile Hotel.

Sushi Room, James Street

From the team that gave us Hellenika and SK Steak & Oyster comes Sushi Room in James Street. Don’t be misled by the simple name. The sushi here is premium with a price to match the theatrical dining experience. Think fatty Japanese tuna, Tasmanian sea urchin and prawns from New Caledonia. Seek out more Valley tastes at The Lodge Bar & Dining and Sunshine Eatery and bed down for the night at The Calile Hotel.

Bianca, Fortitude Valley

Leave the chic boutiques that line leafy James Street and head down Ada Lane to Bianca, a peachy-hued trattoria with a massive salumi bar and a rotating list of home-style pasta. Stay for the Insta-worthy desserts. For more from the Bianca team, head to Agnes, Honto and Same Same. And complete the stylish experience with an overnight escape at Miss Midgley’s.

Transport yourself to sunny Italy at Bianca.

Herve’s Restaurant and Bar, Albion

Upstairs at new food hot spot, Craft’d Grounds, itself a 100-year-old revamped timber mill, is Herve’s Restaurant and Bar. Sample an Aussie menu with a relaxed French twist created by kitchen royalty, Chris and Alex Norman, formerly at The Square and Ritz Hotel, London. In the mood for more? Hop over to Essa, Gemelli Italian, Bisou Bisou or Rosmarino. And you can’t go past a sojourn at the five-star Hotel X.

T’ang Court, Gold Coast

Expect signature dishes, including baked seafood rice with cream sauce in a crab shell, Peking duck served with Cantonese-style barbecued pork and baked Australian oysters in port wine when T'ang Court opens this September at The Langham, Gold Coast. The authentic Cantonese also includes one of T’ang Court’s most guarded recipes, crispy salty chicken. Find more excellent food at Uncle Su, Etsu Izakaya, Rick Shores, Miami Marketta, and slumber the night away at The Langham Gold Coast.

Enjoy premium wood-fired cooking at Agnes.

Rubi Red Kitchen and Bar, Gold Coast

Dining at Rubi Red Kitchen is like travelling through Asia, with an eclectic Asian fusion menu to sample. It takes a prime position in the Gold Coast’s Nobby Beach dining strip with Michael Lambie, former head chef of Marco Pierre White’s Knightsbridge restaurant at its helm. Plus, why not try Paloma Wine Bar and finish with a poolside drink at Isoletto, before hitting the hay at Dorsett Gold Coast?

For travel inspo and details on Queensland’s stellar dining scene, visit queensland.com

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