Some things just go together, like PB and jelly, and Posh and Becks, so this year we’ve teamed up with MINI to bring you, our discerning readers and drivers, our fortnightly MINI Fave 5 series: The must-try guide to Brisbane, celebrating the launch of the new MINI 5-door hatch!
SO WHO'S ON OUR HIT LIST OF BRISBANE'S BEST NEW OPENINGS?
Brisbane! Stop dazzling us with fabulous new openings day after day, after day. (Kidding, never stop please.)
2015 has been a pretty stellar year for the Brisbane food and drink scene: we’ve added burger joints galore, rooftops bars, mega milkshakes, seriously good coffee and epic breakfasts worth getting out of bed for.
But there have to be winners, y’know? Among all that was shiny, great and new in Brisbane this year, here is The Urban List’s fave 5 new openings for 2015. If you haven’t tried them, you’d better get on that.
Lick! Ice Cream
Graceville
Graceville must have felt like it won Willy Wonka’s golden ticket when Lick! Ice Cream’s first flagship store arrived last month. There are 18 super creamy flavours to choose from fruity boysenberry to rich dark chocolate, but it’s Lick’s pretty-as-pie sundaes that are where it’s at. Top of our list is the ‘Doffle’—a donut-hybrid concoction—along with their coffee-tastic Lickamisu and delicious old-school Banana Split.
fitz + potts
Nundah
fitz + potts in Nundah is laying a claim to being Brisbane’s ultimate summer beer garden. The kitsch décor, including umbrellas, flamingos and astroturf, puts you in the mood for fun and frivolity. The craft beer line up is seriously well curated including Ekim Black IPA and Willie Smith’s Farmhouse Perry and the menu only takes fitz + potts up a notch: excellent pickles, delicious jaffles and goat pies are the main features.
Barbara
Fortitude Valley
New Fortitude Valley bar, Barbara burst on the scene last month offering a sophisticated drinking nook complete with sleek wood interiors, excellent beers on tap and new school cocktails. But the best thing about Babs is that this Brisbane bar is the home of shouting. There’s a huge board next to the bar dedicated to shouting your mates; you can buy a drink for a friend and their name goes up on the board…so next time they step into the bar, boom! They get surprised with their fave beverage. Genius.
Les Bubbles
Fortitude Valley
Once an illegal casino and brothel, now a classy French-style bistro, Les Bubbles in the Valley has added a dose of decadent dining to Brisbane this year. The menu is centered around their signature meal, traditional steak frites, cooked to medium rare perfection and accompanied by an unlimited supply of fries. The fit-out is pure Paris with a long banquette and bar running down the length of the restaurant and cosy red leather booths dotted along the side. And in a nod to the building's seedy past, you can walk down a secret staircase to get to the restaurant's decadent Bathhouse bar, complete with 15-person spa tub.
The Bleachers
West End
Burger-obsessed Brisbanites thanked their lucky stars when burger institution, Ben's Burgers, announced they were upping the ante with new venue The Bleachers in West End. In addition to the well-loved classic burgers, The Bleachers' offer additional burger-licious creations including a glazed beef option with pickles and tonkotsu and a fried chicken winner with special mayo. Finish off with a super smooth soft-serve ice cream and we're as happy as Larry.
We're thrilled to partner with MINI to bring you our Fave 5 series—our fortnightly guide to the best of the best in Brisbane. From food to fashion, Campari to Crossfit, each Fave 5 edition is researched and recommended by The Urban List, and driven by the new MINI 5-Door Hatch—putting the city at your fingertips and giving you the freedom to explore it!
Image credits: Ariana Gillrie