Is there anything more indulgent than a long lunch? When you’ve got good food and drink, great company and the whole afternoon to knock yourself into a food coma it makes any other daytime activity seem pretty drab.
To ensure you get maximum enjoyment from your next long lunch location, we've wrapped up the best places in Brisbane to take a long lunch.
Hellenika
Fortitude Valley
Housed on the rooftop, and overlooking the very classy open-air pool of boutique hotel, The Calile, Hellenika is peak summer hangs, giving off serious greek island vibes, which translates very simply as the perfect day-to-night, drinking and dining haunt James Street was hanging out for.
Kiff & Culture’s Artisan Food & Drink Tour
Various
We take your suggestion of lunch and we raise you a lunchtime tour that takes in a pan-Asian banquet, a wine tasting AND a beer or gin sampling session at some of Brisbane’s coolest venues. Yeah, we thought you’d like that. Kiff & Culture’s Brisbane Artisan Food & Drink Tours include all this and more, complete with transport between the venues in a funky minibus. Get a group together for a private tour or just grab a bestie or two and jump on a public tour—either way, you’ll be in for a treat.
Manly Boathouse
Manly
A long lunch with actual water views, not just the murky river? For that, you’ll need to head to Manly, where the Manly Boathouse is dishing up some serious beachy vibes alongside epic eats. Whether you opt to eat in their airy, all-white dining room overlooking the harbour or book out one of their little boathouses, you can feast on snacks, seafood and steaks while you work through their lengthy list of cocktails.
Opa
Brisbane CBD
Greek food is the ultimate shared feast, and when it’s dished up in a venue as good-looking as Opa, it just takes the whole experience to the next level. Depending on your group size, you could be dining in one of the massive circular tables lining the river, or in one of the stunning plush booths overhung with greenery. Either way, you’ll be drooling as soon as the food starts coming your way.
Banc Brasserie
Brisbane CBD
Hidden inside an imposing sandstone building that used to be an old bank, Banc Brasserie is a swanky spot where you can tuck into sophisticated Euro-inspired eats like beef tartare with oyster mayo, enoki mushrooms and pomme gaufrette; steak frites served with skin-on fries and bernaise or pepper sauce; and spanner crab and scallop raviolo with bisque and caviar. We don’t mind it for a leisurely week day lunch ‘meeting’, but if you’ve got the time to settle in, you can start things off at the bar, where a menu of bank-themed cocktails await. A Stocks And Bonds, with espresso, Pampero Especial, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, spiced honey and chocolate bitters sounds better than any investment option right now.
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. Taking up prime waterfront real estate, Greca is the perfect setting for Greca’s Greek feasts, being both close to the water and an example of a modernised classic. Notable standouts on the menu are the slow roasted 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.
Stanley
Howard Smith Wharves
If you’re long lunching at Stanley, you’ll want to be picky with your seating and request a table outside on the deck, with those glorious Story Bridge views in front of you. Inside is beautiful, don’t get us wrong, but there’s something about eating Peking duck pancakes and dim sum with a river breeze (and hopefully a bottle of wine) that screams long lunch.
Same Same
Fortitude Valley
There’s no such thing as having just one or two courses at Same Same—it’s banquet-style all the way, and you’ll definitely need more than a quick hour to polish off every dish. You can either let the kitchen decide what that banquet involves for you, so you’ve got more time to knock back a spicy chilli margarita, or you can just go hard on eats like fried master stock chicken ribs, lamb shank massaman curry and grille scallops in curry butter.
Otto
South Bank
Since moving over to their new riverside perch in South Bank, Otto has gotten more enticing than ever, with even better views than before to go with their top notch Italian eats, particularly on a sunny afternoon over a Brisbane lunch. Best of all, you can start or finish your meal (or both) in the bar right next door, where the Aperol spritzes are plentiful and the views are just as good (if not better).
Maya
Fortitude Valley
Once you're ensconced in a plush blue booth at Maya overlooking the city views, you won't want to leave—so you'd best not have any plans for the rest of your afternoon. The first thing you order should be one of their incredible cocktails, before you choose from crispy soft shell crab tacos, lobster rolls, kingfish ceviche or crumbed jalapenos stuffed with smoky queso and black beans.
Julius Pizzeria
South Brisbane
Julius Pizzeria is easily one of the best pizza joints in Brisbane. Big call, but true. You’ll be hard pressed to find something on the menu that won’t hit the spot. The calamari is too tasty for words, while the Number 1 pizza’s name says it all: it’s freaking delicious.
Libertine
Paddington
Not only is Libertine one of our fave spots for date night option, but it's perfect for long lunches. The courtyard dining area is just the place to settle in to for an afternoon of drinking lychee cocktails while you tuck into lamb dumplings and crispy pork belly with a side of DIY green papaya salad.
Bar Alto
New Farm
A riverside seat on Bar Alto’s breezy deck, a pot of mussels in chilli, tomato and garlic sauce with a side of crusty bread in front of you and a glass of pinot grigio in hand—now that’s what we call living. A stalwart in Brisbane’s long lunch scene for almost two decades, this Italian spot really knows how to serve up a chilled afternoon.
Joey’s
Kangaroo Point
While sundowners at Joey’s overlooking the river and the city skyline can’t be beat, this clifftop spot is ideal for a casual lunch—just make sure you get in early enough to nab a prime table with a view. The menu has a little bit of everything, from sharable plates of calamari, grilled prawns and ceviche, to steaks, burgers and pastas for mains. Personally, we’d be hitting the pizza menu for a slice and pairing it with a bottle of rosé—because one glass is not going to be enough.
Il Molo
Bulimba
Italian eats, Aperol spritzes and riverside views—what more could you want in a lunch venue? Not much we say, and when it all comes with the backdrop of Il Molo’s stunning interiors, you’ll feel like you’re tucked away somewhere in Southern Italy. When you’ev finished your lunch of pizza, pasta or perhaps secondi like the parmesan crumbed chicken with lemon butter, stay on for Aperitivo hour and sip on lemon sgroppino all afternoon long.
The Jetty
South Bank
Now pulling up at a table at The Jetty in South Bank’s River Quay is a pretty good shout, we’d agree—but picking up one of their picnics and taking it down to the grass to nibble on by the river? Well that’s a feed worth clearing your whole afternoon for. Featuring spiced sweetcorn fritters, and an antipasto spread of prosciutto, salami, cheddar, olives, gherkins, hummus, toasted pita and crackers, the picnics can be ordered for two or for three and you can even BYO a few drinks to sip while you sup.
Motorwagen
Brisbane CBD
Whether you want a classic fish and chips or something more adventurous, the airy, vintage Mercedes-Benz-inspired Motorwagen is a dreamy spot for a long Friday lunch—or any day of the week really, we're all about long lunches on a Tuesday. There's a snappy cocktail and wine list to pair with your meal, and you'll definitely want to stay a little longer for one of their next level desserts to finish things off.
If you're looking for something more casual, we suggest an epic brewery—here are Brisbane's best.
Image credit: Grace Elizabeth Images for Urban List, Opa, Stanley, Ranyhyn Laine, Joey's