Fact: there are some neighbourhoods in Brisbane/Meanjin where the food scene just slaps: Newstead is one of them.
Catering to all with its casual dining spots, hole-in-the-wall joints, and refined dining options, this ‘burb brings the flavours, the fun, and the fashionable together for a damn good time.
So, when hunger calls, listen to Urban List, and make tracks to this side of town, because it’s got it all. Discover the best restaurants in Newstead below. Let’s fork things up.
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Evra
18a Longland St, Newstead QLD
You’ve probably joined the masses in grabbing a bowl of goodness from Brisbane’s version of Erewhon at Evra Market (and if you haven’t, how dare you), but with the extension of Evra to the floorplan, why stop there? With its farm-to-table approach led by the restaurant’s rooftop garden, this open-kitchen style restaurant champions ingredients harvested just hours before they reach your plate. Comforting and balanced, the cuisine embraces modern Australian flavours with classic Italian influences. We’re talking mud crab lasagna served tableside with zucchini flower, Western Australian marron risotto, and pasture-raised chicken with chestnut mushrooms. Even the house roll has been taken to the next level, baked daily in collaboration with Baker D. Chirico next door. Your crew needs a new spot for a long lunch—sounds like you just found it.
Niky
64 Doggett St, Newstead
Converted from a former garage into a pint-sized, shell pink wine cave, Niky invites you to get up close and personal with other patrons for a good cause: eating and drinking. Taking walk-ins only, you’re invited to pull up a chair on the footpath outside or along the bar with the sole job of knocking back some Australian grapes alongside a small but scrumptious menu of bites like dry aged beef tartare and chips, tuna crudo, and pappardelle cacio e pepe with sage and leek. Though the menu changes frequently, make the most of their locked-in $4 oysters on Wednesday. It’s a date.
Stratton Bar & Kitchen
3 Stratton Street, Newstead
A restaurant and bar built for locals to eat, drink, and celebrate in, Stratton comes to you from the team behind Mrs Brown’s Bar & Kitchen—so you know you’re in good company. Taking over two old WWII hangars on Stratton Street (hence the name), this industrial space balances a moody atmosphere for night owls, and a light and warm spot to sit during the day thanks to its glass ceiling. As for what’s to eat, you’ll find pan-Asian inspired eats, modern pizzas, and a cocktail list that’ll keep you out longer than you first intended.
The Golden Pig
38 Ross Street, Newstead
Image credit: The Golden Pig | Instagram
This award-winning restaurant hardly needs our praise (although we’re still going to give it), because the experience for both you and your tastebuds is one for the books. Serving pan-Asian inspired dishes like scallops with miso butter, sweet and spicy Korean fried chicken, and crispy smoked tofu, The Golden Pig is a restaurant with a difference, where you can go behind the grill with a cooking class before digging in.
E’cco Bistro
63 Skyring Terrace, Newstead
The home of contemporary bistro classics, e’cco Bistro sets the standard of fine dining in Brisbane, all thanks to the man behind the pan, acclaimed chef Phillip Johnson. Serving up a progressive style of dining with a focus on char-grilled meats and vegetables over a South American grill, e’cco has long secured its spot at the pinnacle of our restaurant scene. And, with several set menus in place for dining across the week, all the stress of deciding what to choose is, figuratively speaking, taken off your plate.
Rogue Bistro
14 Austin Street, Newstead
With intricate and bizarre flavour combinations, Rogue Bistro isn’t the place to get a basic feed. As the name suggests, these guys tend to go off-script, and their five-course degustation menus feature experimental dishes that’ll blow your mind. The menu changes monthly too, so you'll always find an excuse to go back.
Bosco
8 Austin Street, Newstead
Image credit: Bosco | Instagram
Any carb-lover knows that the bread course at a restaurant is infinitely better than any loaf you’ll get at home, and Newstead’s slick Euro-inspired eatery, Bosco, will have you ordering up an extra serve, because it’s baked in-house by their talented neighbour, Brewbakers. From hospitality legend Simon Hill, who lists Bar Alto as one of his own, Bosco is a sleek and relaxed venue with a mammoth wood-fired brick oven that fires up an ever-changing menu of European eats and saucy dishes, perfect for mopping up with some crusty carbs.
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Monal Dining
48 Skyring Terrace, Newstead
A neighbourhood hangout for those after a good meal without the price tag, Monal Dining at Gasworks is a relaxed yet polished eatery from Yogesh Budathoki— ex-chef at Greca, Yoko, and Honto, and co-owner Roman Bhandari. Here, the flavours are diverse, taking you across multiple cuisines, with inspiration from Europe and Asia. Start off with snacks like Hokkaido scallops with apple and green chilli, before biting into heartier dishes like lamb ribs and pickled cucumber or their lemon molasses glazed chicken doused in curry sauce. As for drinks, the wine list is an all-Australian affair, with just a few NZ offerings thrown in and not a single bottle over $300. There’s a short list of cocktails too, where you’ll find iconic classics shaken to perfection.
Ruby My Dear
12 Longland Street, Newstead
Image credit: Ruby My Dear | Instagram
With its artful jazz tunes, nonchalant vibe, and creative cocktails, Ruby My Dear is a space for the cool kids in town. This vinyl bar pairs its DJ decks with Japanese izakaya-style bites and banquets alongside a hefty wine list, sake, and spirits. Fitted with an ever-growing vinyl collection, and technic turntables, Ruby My Dear offers a refreshing change of pace in the Newstead social scene for you and yours.
Nonda
76 Skyring Terrace, Newstead
Have fun with friends—that’s the sentiment at Nonda, where Korean, Japanese, and Chinese cuisines join forces to create a unique Asian-fusion experience. This sleek dining experience has a sophisticated menu of raw dishes, snacks, dumplings and noodles, seared plates, sides, and dessert, so grab a spot at one of the large stone shared tables and settle in for a feast. One thing’s for sure: you’re not leaving hungry.
Mrs Brown’s Bar & Kitchen
32 Commercial Road, Newstead
Serving up impressive share plates alongside a well stocked bar (all things point to greatness), Mrs Brown’s is a former warehouse turned neighbourhood kitchen ideal for afternoons with friends and post-work drinks (i.e every day of the week. With a menu designed to be shared, you’ll find plates of spring rolls, dumplings, chicken wings, chips, and a cheeseboard alongside more substantial dishes like slow roasted lamb shoulder, sweet and sour ribs, rotisserie pork, and a range of curries. Hunger pangs, be gone.
Maggie May
84 Longland Street, Newstead
Image credit: Maggie May | Instagram
The 70s called; it wants you to come to dinner. Bask in the era of disco at Maggie May, where retro share plates are designed to keep the gossip and good vibes flowing. From your morning brew all the way through to late night bites, the menu has dishes for the meat lovers as well as vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free among us. Dig into bao buns and spring rolls, fried chicken wings, burgers, pasta plates, and more alongside an extensive wine list, beer, spirits, and cocktails.
Newstead Social
2 Masters Street, Newstead
Eat, drink, socialise: that’s the winning formula for any good meal out, and at local fave Newstead Social, that’s precisely what you’ll get. From weeknight dinner deals and lunch specials, to trivia nights, drag bingo, big screens to watch the footy on, and bottomless brunches, this pub doesn’t stop the good times from coming. As for what’s to eat, you’ll find an extensive menu of pub favourites alongside contemporary dishes, and an equally impressive drinks list to compliment it.
Duckfat
3b/63 Skyring Terrace, Newstead
Forget what you think you know about French food: Duckfat is doing it different. Ditching the white tablecloths and stuffy waiters (find that at their sister venue, La Belle Vie), you’ll find a cuisine that’s approachable, fresh, and innovative alongside easily recognisable French dishes. From baguettes with imported French butter, cognac tartare, and onion tatin, to the foie gras, escargot, and mussels with french fries, Head Chef Samuel Perrin has created a menu to please the masses. Merci.
Ping Pong
76 Skyring Terrace, Newstead
Image credit: Ping Pong | Instagram
Pink is one way to describe Ping Pong, but so is delicious, flavoursome, and experimental. Brought to you by the crew from Morning After and Yolk, you’ll taste Thai flavours with a creative flair. Dabbling in everything from curries to stir-fries, noodles and snacks, the plates here are great for sharing. Grab your mates, order a few rounds of the boozy slushies, and snap a shot for the ‘gram.
Smokey Moo
1/68 Longland Street, Newstead
When a restaurant dedicates almost their entire menu to one item, you know it’s got to be pretty spectacular—and for Smokey Moo that’s their slow-cooked smoked meat. With a loyal, meat-loving fan base, this urban wild west joint creates a cowboy ambience, where slow-cooked cuts are smoked over black wattle and macadamia wood for eight to twelve hours. Match that with their cocktail list and you’ll be doing the hoedown in no time.
Milky Lane
76 Skyring Terrace, Newstead
When it comes to burgers, there’s only one view: the bigger, the better. So, make your cheat day count at Milky Lane, where everything is supersized. Serving up heart attacks like the Kevin Bacon where you’re encouraged to dip your burgs into hot, melty cheese sauces (would you like loaded fries with that?), Milky Lane is not for the faint of heart (or thigh clothing, for that matter). As for the drinks, prepare to gulp down thickshakes loaded with whipped cream and topped with your choice of chocolate bar. Buckle up.
Reef Seafood & Sushi
76 Skyring Terrace, Newstead
Image credit: Reef Seafood | Instagram
Fresh from the sea, Reef Seafood offers up oceanic delights as good as they come with a Japanese twist. A casual alfredo dining experience with an extensive menu that blends East and West flavours together, Reef offers everything from sashimi and sushi to seafood platters, and the classics. With live tanks, an oyster bar, and sushi made fresh to order, the experience at Reef will reel you in, hook, line, and sinker.
Botany
1/76 Skyring Terrace, Newstead
Long lazy lunches and cocktail filled afternoons are standard practice at Botany. A garden-inspired restaurant with a prime corner spot at Gasworks, this restaurant and bar covers everything from breakfast and lunch to dinner and drinks with a Euro influence. The list of eats includes things like lemon and garlic hummus, Moreton Bay bug sliders, ratatouille paella, and espresso panna cotta, with an extensive offering of Australian, New Zealand, French and Italian wines for pairing.
Santorini Restaurant Grill Bar
5 Kyabra Street, Newstead
Greece may not be in your bingo card this year, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fare, because Santorini Restaurant Grill Bar nails the brief. Their eight-page beast of a menu boasts all the Greek classics like yiros, souvlaki, moussaka, and Youvetsi, while the blue and white interiors and archways filled with murals of Santorini will make you feel as if you’re dining with the Gods.
Looking for a change of scene? Head here:
Main image credit: Evra | Supplied
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