In the shadow of soaring hospo big shots like Lune Croissanterie and Gelato Messina lies a hidden laneway—by day, it's a more of a thoroughfare for hurried locals on their way to work but by night, crisp tablecloths are flung out, wine glasses are shined and seasoned chefs warm up. Yes, we’re talking about South Brisbane’s Fish Lane.
This street art-adorned strip is the perfect culinary pre-game before meandering over to South Bank, QPAC or QAGOMA, or even into the city. If you’ve not yet explored the delicious offerings that call the laneway home, here’s Urban List's take on the best Fish Lane restaurants to eat your way through.
Maeve Wine Bar
Level 1/39 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane
Maeve Wine Bar is helmed by three best friends from Melbourne, Sydney and Europe and upon stepping past the threshold, you can immediately tell. The interiors are distinctly snug and also somehow firmly Melbournian and European. The whole place feels like the experience of downing Maeve’s saffron rum baba with cultured cream—rich and warm.
Of course, the main point of flex here is the expertly arranged wine collection, but don't discount the menu which offers refined Euro-inspired snacks, shared plates or something more substantial.
Southside
63 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane
Image credit: Southside | Instagram
The team behind the iconic Rick Shores restaurant have ventured into another nature-focused eatery with Southside. This time around, the gang has traded in the idyllic waves of Burleigh for a proper rainforest oasis that gives O’Reilly’s a run for its money. The same level of five-star service, expert wine pairings and unique cocktails we’ve come to know from this team await you here, as well as intriguing dim sum, punchy noodle dishes, share plates and luxe sides.
If you can't make up your mind, or you just want a proper banquet, there's an eight-course 'Feed Me' menu for $69pp, with the option to add matching wines for an extra $35pp or $49pp. Be sure to check out their events spaces and Southside’s day job Kiki Kiosk—a banh mi and coffee hut that also does a mean espresso martini.
Julius Pizzeria
77 Grey Street, South Brisbane
If you find yourself heading into Fish Lane for that mandatory post-lunch coffee to push through the workday, you’re guaranteed to be instead transported right to Naples thanks to the scent of fresh woodfire pizza wafting out from Julius. Somewhat rouge woodfire pizzas like the pizza patate e pancetta, with mozzarella, scamorza, pancetta, potatoes and rosemary earn this spot its undeniable credit, but the pasta primi’s and well-rounded mains are not to be discredited. The whole affair goes down in a chic, warehouse-style space with exposed brick archways that are perfect for catch-ups and date nights alike.
Chu The Phat
111 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane
Image credit: Chu The Phat | Instagram
You wouldn't expect industrial and old-world Orient to ever even be mentioned in the same sentence together, much less work so well as an interior vibe, but somehow it just does at Chu The Phat. Umbrellas reminiscent of ones you’d expect to find in a cocktail poolside in Bali border the whole affair, as does the all-encapsulating glass exterior. Food-wise, the menu takes a trip through, well, most of Asia with bites clearly paying homage to the street food of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea. Its downstairs bar, The Doll House, spills out onto colourful Fish Lane and provides the perfect setting for pre- and post-dinner tipples.
Hello Please
10 Fish Lane, South Brisbane
Outside, a giant blue street art octopus carefully wraps its tentacles around Hello Please—and for good reason. Serving up not-your-cute-Viet-grandma’s Vietnamese eats, Hello Please is as experimental as they come. The sleek bar area and next-level service would lead you to believe that the whole joint is an unattainable level of bouge, but you'd be wrong. Instead, there is a trendy and cheeky air about the place with a heavy focus on retro tunes, good vibes, and shared dining. From dishes like the fort aged comte spring rolls with hot honey to the chicken parfait vovo with Davidson plum, it's a must for all adventurous eaters.
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Bar Rosa
77 Grey Street, South Brisbane
Image credit: Bar Rosa | Instagram
Bar Rosa is the youngest and newest offspring of a team that is taking over the restaurant space in South Brissy. Siblings include Beccofino, Julius Pizzeria and Bar Brutus and luckily the family values of mind-blowing Italian eats and service that gives cousin Richie out of The Bear a run for his money ring true here too, paired with a wine list impressively curated wine list you’ll only be too happy to drink your way through. Eats here mostly consist of small plates that lend themselves perfectly to sharing, with the exception of the weekly rotating house-made plates of pasta and handful of larger mains.
Big Roddy's
67 Fish Lane, South Brisbane
Texas BBQ and Aussies, Queenslanders specifically, is a genius pairing and it's one that has certainly been tapped into at Big Roddy's Rippin' Rib Shack. This is not a spot for your fanciest fashion and snooty waiters, instead, you don your plastic bib seated in one of the red leather booths and get ready to make the best kind of mess. Think literally anything on your cheat day meal list, and they are guaranteed to serve it up here. From chilli con carne topped loaded fries to slow-cooked ribs galore, and burgers that can only be described as obscene (in a good way), the whole fun affair combines good food with good vibes and somehow results in the perfect unwinding dinner–complete with belly laughs and all.
El Planta
58 Hope Street, South Brisbane
Image credit: El Planta | Instagram
If you’ve had jackfruit on your list to try for what feels like forever, El Planta is the place to take the meatless plunge. A song and dance is not made about their strictly vegan menu here, although it should be because it's so bloody delicious that you never find yourself secretly missing meat. From the wall art to the decorative mezcal vases, the whole place just oozes cool—also, it's hard to not feel a casual at-home-ness with the Queenslander-typical tongue and groove panelling peppered around the place.
Tacos are an irresistible drawcard on the menu—think cauliflower with crushed chickpea, verde and pine nuts on a steaming hot and housemade tortilla or jackfruit with adobo sauce, grilled pineapple and salsa verde. And while the line up changes seasonally, it is always 100% plant-based, mostly gluten-free and always authentic where it matters, local where it counts with a large amount of produce coming from within a three-hour radius of Brisbane direct from the hands that grow it.
La Lune
3/109 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane
As far as watering holes go, La Lune is Fish Lane’s resident quiet yet confident achiever. A wine bar by all accounts this may be, but La Lune also boasts an impressive menu that simply nails the brief. Bespoke share plates include refined bites like the salt-baked celeriac with hazelnut pesto and pickled garlic or the ultra freshly shucked oysters. There are also hearty mains flying off the pass, our crowned jewel being the golden beet risotto with raisins and buffalo curd. The team is beyond happy to help you find the pairing of the century sans the snootiness many sommeliers are known for.
Midtown
15 Manning Street, South Brisbane
New kid on the block Midtown might not be in Fish Lane per se, but it’s certainly close enough to warrant inclusion on this list, especially if we’re talking must-visit South Brisbane venues. The perfect start or finish to any gastronomical journey down the laneway, here you’ll find a lengthy list of martinis of all kinds paired with intriguing bar snacks like wagyu beef tartare cigars, seacuterie platters and lobster filled mini croissants. Depending on the mood you’re in, you can squeeze into the narrow, dimly lit bar itself, or nab yourself an outdoor table to soak up the eclectic West End vibes.
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Image credit: Explore Fish Lane | Facebook
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