Brisbane/Meanjin is well known for its top-notch foodie scene, with new restaurants, cafes and impressive menus constantly popping up across the city. It’s almost impossible to keep up to date on it all.
To make it easier, we’ve introduced The Feed, your best place for finding Brisbane’s latest updates in the world of food and drink every Thursday. Hope you're hungry, because here’s all the news you might have missed over the past week or two.
Lune Has Teamed Up With Tim Tam To Create A Tim Tam Pastry With Actual Biscuit Chunks
Two of our favourite treats have come together with Lune Croissanterie teaming up with Arnott’s Tim Tam to create a limited edition pastry in celebration of the choc bikkie brand’s 60th anniversary (yes, they’ve been around that long). Taking their iconic pain au chocolat and twice baking it with Tim Tam biscuit frangipane and chocolate ganache, it’s finished with melted milk chocolate and a layer of Tim Tam Original chunks for good measure. Available during October only, you can get your hands on it at either Lune location in South Brisbane or the CBD.
After 70 Years, Iconic Brisbane Seafood Restaurant Gambaro Is Closing Its Doors
We know saying it’s the end of an era is cliche, but for the closure of Caxton Street’s Gambaro Seafood Restaurant, the phrase rings true. After opening as a humble fish and chips shop back in 1953 and eventually becoming one of Brisbane’s best-known (and loved) restaurants, the family-run destination has announced that it is closing its doors, with 31 October to be their last day of trade. Of course, with four other Gambaro venues dotted around Brisbane and the Gold Coast, including the recently opened Black Hide Steak & Seafood at Queen’s Wharf, it’s not really goodbye, and Black Hide Steakhouse on Caxton Street will also soon be adding seafood to their offering so Paddington locals can still get their fix. However if you hold fond memories of the OG, make sure you book in before the end of the month for a hit of nostalgia.
Pawpaw Is Serving Up Their Iconic Massaman Curry For Just $20 All October Long
If you asked us to name our favourite dish in Brisbane, it would have to be Pawpaw’s massaman beef cheek curry. Rich massaman sauce, melt-in-your-mouth beef cheek and pillowy potato? It’s no wonder it has been on the menu since almost the day they opened over 14 years ago. And whether you’ve yet to try it or it’s a staple on your dining out menu, here’s a little incentive to dig in—to celebrate Pawpaw being named the Best Thai in Brisbane at the recent Restaurant and Catering Awards, they’re dishing up the incredible curry for just $20, all October long. To score the deal, all you need to do is dine in at either the OG Pawpaw Cafe in Woolloongabba, Papaw Asian Kitchen in Balmoral or sister venue Mons Thai in Camp Hill, chuck ‘em a Google review and show your review at the till. See you there, we’ll be the ones licking the bowl clean.
Plans For A Massive Refurbishment Of The Victory Hotel Have Been Submitted To Council
Image credit: The Victory | Bureau Proberts
Let’s be honest, we’ve all had a drunken night at The Vic, but it’s probably not at the top of your list for a post-work drink these days. That could all be about to change, however, with the iconic city pub set to undergo a multi-million redevelopment according to the new development plans just submitted to the council. If approved, the ageing hotel will get a whole new look inside and out, with four distinct new areas, including a rooftop bar, a sports bar and beer garen, a steak restaurant and a basement speakeasy. Frankly, it looks like somewhere we want to hang out after work—and maybe even on the weekends. Of course, it’s still in the application stage so it will be a while before we see the final result, but Precision Group, who are behind the redevelopment, are hoping to kick things off in 2025, so stay tuned.
The Zoo Is Reopening As Crowbar, Brisbane’s Iconic Alternative, Punk And Heavy Music Bar
Huge news for Brisbane’s live music fans (so, everyone?)—one of Brisbane’s most beloved live music joints is returning to the city, and they’re doing it by reviving another. Crowbar, whose closure back in 2020 was a blow to the city’s alternative, punk and heavy music scene, is taking over The Zoo, the beloved music institution which closed earlier this year. Basically, the Valley is healing, and we love to see it. Trad Nathan, co-owner of Crowbar together with Tyla Dombroski, said “The Zoo has been an institution in Brisbane for over three decades, Crowbar intends to honour the amazing path laid before us and continue offering great events for years to come.” As well as a space for live music, Crowbar’s new digs will be home to Ultimate Pig, an American-inspired kitchen dishing up smash burgers, BBQ, fried chicken and more. While we don’t have an exact opening date yet, we are told it will be before the end of the year so stay tuned.
Birdees Is Set To Be Your New Favourite Bar Again After A $7 Million Refurb
There's few bars in Brisbane as iconic as Birdees—even if you can't remember a single night you spent there (that was after all, the Birdees appeal). Well, the Valley nightlife spot is gearing up to be a favourite of the nightlife scene once again with a $7 million refurb currently underway. Reopening at the end of the year with a whole new lease on life, the new Birdees will feature a redesigned beer garden with a new pool and an open kitchen serving up gastro-pub style meals from day to night, while inside on level one you'll find plush curved booths wrapped in red curtains. Basically, it will be nothing like the Birdees that you don't remember—stay tuned for more details when we have them.
The Gold Coast’s Paddock Bakery Has Come To Brisbane
Image credit: Paddock Bakery | Instagram
A stop at Burleigh’s Paddock Bakery for one of their famed creme brulee doughnuts, cookies, croissants or cakes is essential to any Gold Coast road trip—but it's no longer necessary. With Justin Lane, another Burleigh icon, having opened in Brisbane (read all about that here), they’ve decided to team up and come along for the ride, taking over Justin’s Takeaway Shop on Alfred Street in the Valley every Monday to Friday from 6am to 3pm. While there isn’t quite enough bench space for Paddock Bakery’s entire offering, they’ll be bringing a varied selection along each week, which will include plenty of fan favourites. Even better, they’ve designed a sandwich and toastie menu just for us, with a Southern fried chicken sandwich, French onion and gruyere cheese toastie, and a veggie wrap on the line up alongside their famous Reuben and smoked salmon bagel.
Brooki Bakehouse Is Opening A Second Brisbane Location For Their Viral Chunky Cookies
While there’s no denying Brooki Bakehouse’s chunky NYC-style cookies are worth waiting for, the lengthy queues stretching down the block from the Valley bakery on the daily can be quite off putting. However you might not have to queue for quite so long at their new location, with a second store set to open at the Brisbane Airport’s Domestic Terminal on Friday 20 September. Sure you’ll have to have a plane ticket in hand to get there, but who doesn’t want to start a vacation with a box of Brooki cookies? As well as cookies, you'll also be able to grab brownies, cupcakes and even merch, so be sure to head to the airport early for your next domestic flight…
Stanley Is Transforming Their Upstairs Dining Room Into A Sleek Lounge Bar
Image credit: Stanley | Facebook
Not content with just being one of Brisbane’s best places to dine, Stanley is also aiming to be your new favourite spot for a cocktail with the soon-to-come launch of Stan's. Taking over the Howard Smith Wharves restaurant’s second level, this sleek, moody lounge bar will serve up expertly crafted cocktails with a fresh twist as well as rare spirits sourced from across the globe. While you sip, you can nibble on Executive Chef Louis Tikaram’s menu of sophisticated Cantonese bites—if you’re not planning on heading downstairs for dinner post-cocktail. The space is currently undergoing a brief transformation (though if you’ve ventured up there you know it’s already a dreamy, oriental-inspired bolt-hole), ready to re-open as Stan's in early October, so stay tuned for a look inside…
Gelato Messina Is Dropping A Caramelised White Choc Chip Chocolate Cookie Pie
Image credit: Gelato Messina | Supplied
Messina’s bake-at-home cookie pies are making a glorious comeback this month in collaboration with Hugo’s Deli. If you haven’t heard of Hugo’s, this famed Melbourne sandwich deli is famed as much for their cookies as their sandwiches, and Messina has turned their most popular cookie flavour into a giant pie version. Featuring chocolate cookie pie dough with caramelised white chocolate chips, ritz custard, and milk crumbs with crushed ritz on top, it’ll go perfectly gooey in the middle after 20 minutes in the oven. Best served with a scoop of your favourite Messina gelato. You can get it in all Messina stores, no pre-ordering necessary, from 20 September, but get in quick because stock will be limited.
Montrachet Is Reopening Next Month With A New Michelin-Trained Chef Owner At The Helm
The news that Brisbane dining institution Montrachet was going into administration last month was a huge blow to the city’s hospitality scene—but you don’t have to say goodbye to that ionic crab souffle just yet, because the venue will soon be reopening with a new owner at the helm. Clement Chauvin, the French-born, Michelin-trained chef behind Canberra’s award-winning Les Bistronomes, is relocating to Brisbane to bring the iconic restaurant back to life, with plans for a 1 October reopening underway. According to a Courier Mail write up, he’ll be keeping the famed crab souffle, steak tartare and creme brulee on the menu, but also give things a shake up and add some Les Bristronomes classics to the line up—stay tuned for more.
Range Brewing Is Opening Another Neighbourhood Bar In Camp Hill Next Month
Suburban craft beer lovers, we have good news. Range Brewing, who you’ll know from their Newstead brewery as well as Patio By Range in Rosalie, are opening another neighbourhood bar, this one in Camp Hill’s Martha Street district. Like Patio, the new venue will be a sun-drenched corner spot designed for sinking cold ones with your mates while you tuck into bites from a curated food menu. Doors open on 27 September, and you can follow the team along for progress updates here.
Gelato Messina Just Dropped Bake-At-Home 1.2kg Brownie Kits For Your Weekend Baking Needs
Image credit: Gelato Messina | Instagram
If you, like us, dig the big ol' brownie chunks out of Gelato Messina's brownie specials and wish you could just have a whole slab of the stuff, you're in luck, because now you can. The gelato legends have just dropped bake-at-home brownie kits, which come with everything you need (barring a few eggs and some butter) to whip up a 1.2kg tray of chocolat brownie. Eat it warm out of the oven with some gelato or just stash it in your fridge for midnight snacks, because one thing's for sure, you're not sharing. The brownie kits are available on Gelato Messina's website to be shipped Australia-wide, and come in at the bargain price of $28—grab yours here.
You Could Eat Out For Free For A Year Thanks To This Charity Raffle
Imagine eating out for free every single week for a whole year. Well, that dream could become a reality thanks to global charity Altru’s new 52 Weeks Of Dining competition, which will see one lucky winner score 52 vouchers to some of the best restaurants in SEQ—we’re talking Rothwell’s, Establishment 203, Rick Shores and more. With over $11,000 worth of vouchers to win, $25 for a ticket seems like pretty good value right? Better yet, all money raised will be going to help Altru continue their work providing relief to those in need to due to poverty, homelessness, disability or other disadvantages. You can grab yourself a ticket here to go into the draw, with the winner drawn on Tuesday 8 October.
Suttons Beach In Redcliffe Is Getting A Stunning New Pavilion With Three Hospitality Spaces
Image credit: lahznimmo architects | Instagram
Anyone who grew up or still resides in Redcliffe will be familiar with the Suttons Beach Pavilion, an iconic art deco bathing pavilion on the waterfront which recently had to be demolished due to structural issues. If so, you’ll be pleased to know that the space it left behind won’t be empty for long, with a new pavilion design just announced for the seaside precinct. Created by lahznimmo architects with Plummer & Smith, the new ‘pavilion’ will be sleek and modern, but take a few queues from the original building and also the surrounding native flora, and feature plenty of public spaces across two levels, including a deck. Best of all, there’ll be three different hospitality spaces involved, and while we’ll definitely have to wait a while to find out what they’ll be (construction won’t start until mid-2025), we’re pretty confident there’ll be fish and chips involved. You can read up on the entire project here.
Harajuku Gyoza Is Doing Sumo-Sized Sushi Tacos
Image Credit: Harajuku Gyoza | Supplied
Love sushi and tacos? Well at Harajuku Gyoza you can now combine your two loves thanks to their mega-loaded new sushi tacos. Hitting the menu once again for a limited time, the huge handfuls come in six finger-licking flavours: crispy chicken karaage, salmon, panko prawns, teriyaki chicken, vegetarian and beef tataki, with fillings wrapped in house-made crispy nori and rice paper taco-like shells. They sound like the ideal lunch to us, but you can also get them for dinner at Harajuku's CBD and South Bank locations.
Donna Chang Is Now Doing Takeaway So You Can Dig Into Their Signature Dishes At Home
Image credit: Donna Chang | Supplied
If you love eating out but not the whole dressing up and leaving the house part, we have some incredible news for you. Donna Chang, the city’s swanky modern Chinese restaurant from the Ghanem Group, is now offering takeaway, so you can order your fave Szechuan and Cantonese dishes to eat from the comfort of your couch. Available through an online ordering system, the menu features a selection of their most loved dishes, including scallop and prawn wontons, spiced lamb buns, dan dan noodles and char siu pork neck with honey glaze. Just pick out your starters, mains and sides, and you’ll be able to pick it up in 30 minutes. Takeaway is available seven days a week for lunch and dinner, so you can even order it for a swanky office lunch with your work wife that will make everyone else in the building jealous. Find out more and put your order in here.
Got some tasty news you think we should know about? Drop our editor an email at editorbne@theurbanlist.com.
Image credit: LUNE | Supplied