If you’re still trying to nail down your weekend plans, look no further. With Brisbane going through an enormous period of growth, it can be hard to choose a place to spend your precious weekend time, let alone knowing what you’ll want to eat.
To keep things nice and simple, here are three goal-smashing Brisbane restaurants that are well worth hitting up this weekend.
Snack Man
Fortitude Valley
In the space next door to Brisbane icon Happy Boy, Snack Man does away with the fine dining Chinese food currently doing the rounds. Instead, they’re serving ‘Chinese food of the people’, which translates to authentic small plates like buns and dumplings sourced from across all the different regions of China. The vision for Snack Man is a place to get a drink that isn’t a bar, and as a place to get a snack that isn’t a restaurant. That said, with 120 seat capacity, it’s more than likely you’ll just end up working your way through all 20 items on their menu and the local wines on their drinks list.
Greca
Howard Smith Wharves
Part of the Apollo family that has laid roots in Sydney and Tokyo, Greca is a contemporary Greek taverna poised on Brisbane’s shores. Joining the refurbished Howard Smith Wharves precinct, the refurbished waterfront real estate is the perfect setting for Greca’s Greek feasts, being both close to the water and an example of a modernised classic. Already, the notable standouts on the menu are the grilled octopus, baked lamb shoulder, and the grilled saganaki drizzled in local honey, but the Full Greek set menu is your best bet if you want the full gustatory tour.
Ripiena
Fortitude Valley
Another one for honouring food traditions, Ripiena is an artisanal pasta laboratory-slash-micro restaurant. Promising fresh pasta that is completely handmade on the spot, Ripiena’s menu is a small and authentic selection of pastas with a strong focus on filled pastas like ravioli, tortellini, cappellacco and angolotti. All pasta is made on site in their open kitchen so customers can see for themselves all the love and effort being folded into each morsel. Being a small venue, Ripiena can host between and 10 and twenty guests for dinner, but if you can’t stay they strongly encourage buying some fresh pasta to cook at home.
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Image credit: Greca