Few other customs can winkle the wallflowers off the brocade like daytime drinking: a time-honoured tradition dedicated to curing boredom and finishing the weekend on an upswing.
But stow your paper bags, and cease this frantic running to the local Bottle-O before close, Brisbane opportunists have turned the Sabbath into another excuse to drink, tan, and reflect on Saturday’s productivity.
So raise a tankard and finish your weekend on a high note at one of Brisbane’s best Sunday sessions, now with 45% less anonymous hookups #sunlight.
Eagles Nest Brisbane
Kangaroo Point
Brisbane’s newest rooftop bar, Eagles Nest Brisbane, is bursting onto the scene with an explosive Sunday sesh on Feb 15. Make a standing reservation on Sunday afternoons for a giant flute of Moet Ice and the best view of Brisbane’s technicolor sunset and the bright lights of the city as they sparkle to life.
Watt Restaurant + Bar
New Farm
Squeeze in some casual culture, a gander through the parkland or maybe a stroll along the river, then round out your piety with a slamming Sunday Sizzle at the Powerhouse’s Watt Restaurant and Bar. Enjoy the specials on jugs of Pimms or sangria and watch the house-trained wolf packs to set their moods to chill as you bask in the sweeping riverfront vistas.
Canvas
Woolloongabba
We are so in love with the chaps behind Canvas, not only for providing us with hefty breakfasts and some of the best cocktails Brisbane has to offer, but also for staying open on a Sunday, valiantly pumping out good vibes and grog to stave off that ominous Monday feeling. Why? Because they care.
The Fox Hotel
South Brisbane
For all your Sunday saucing needs, crank up the crazy with Soho Sundays at the Fox Hotel. With live DJ sets, coconut cocktails, platters of grilled deliciousness from Dandys, and a stellar rooftop view The Fox is all about savouring the last remaining drops of freedom and making the most of summer.
Hops Scotch and Beans
Spring Hill
With super refreshing jugs of local craft beers, selection of whiskeys, gins, and rums complemented by classic cocktails, Hops Scotch & Beans is the perfect place for a wind-down after a hectic weekend. When peckish chow down any of their grazing menu.
Tomahawk
South Bank
Those drawstring pants you’ve been rocking since brunch are perfect for a Tomahawk Sunday sesh. Their menu is a smorgasbord of sharable feasties with matching tipples to give you that tingly, sparkling feeling. Or even just cool down with a jar of craft suds and some of their beer-infused ice cream. Your choice.
Buffalo Bar
Brisbane CBD
Save on Red Bull, get your wings from Buffalo Bar. Boasting a positively excessive array of local and American brews on tap, as well as a dozen varieties of hot wings, the Buffalo Bar is our hot tip for ground level revels every Sunday arvo.
Soleil Pool Bar
South Bank
Dust off your finest pair of casual ¾ slacks and grab a floatie because Capri Sundays are taking over your Sunday afternoon agenda. Rock up like a living legend and you’ll be rewarded with live music, punch bowls, and license to frolic in the shimmering, chlorinated tides of Soleil Pool Bar.
Southside Tea Room
Morningside
Café, bar and home of the Red Robin Supper Truck, Morningside’s Southside Tea Room is one of our favourite nooks to roost and relax come Sunday afternoon with a fresh tub of bubbles. Licensed from 10am on the weekends so you can come for breakfast and stay long enough to get kicked out at sundown.
Woolly Mammoth
Fortitude Valley
You've heard of hair of the dog? How about hair of the mammoth? Everything is bigger and better at new Brisbane bar The Woolly Mammoth, including their monster of a Sunday session: both the ale-y Alehouse and lush Garden Bar are open from 12pm, with DJs getting the party going from 5pm. There's also a fun $10 pizza special, and Giant Jenga (see, we told you it was big).
Iceworks
Paddington
Sundays and backyards just go together, but it's best when the backyard in question's not yours so you don't have to spend Monday picking up empties and hating your friends. Iceworks have the solution: their Backyard Sunday Sessions, which includes live music on their lawn and a FREE sausage sizzle. The fun starts at 2pm.
Bitter Suite
New Farm
Our friends at Bitter Suite know the meaning of a Sunday sessions. Pop down on a lazy arvie for brews, bites, and banter with your pals. Don’t miss their Pimms’s Jugs & $12 Pizzas and enjoy the afternoon sunshine in New Farm’s lush greenery!
The Manhattan Line
South Bank
Fans of that New York flavour will love the Manhattan Line’s Dog+Pot special. All day Sunday fifteen smackers gets you a slammin’ hotdog and a pot of beer, but to make this a proper session will require multiple beers and multiple hotdogs…
Image credit: Tash Sorensen