Hot off the heels of opening Lina’s Rooftop, the crew behind the glam pool bar—as well as the Valley’s Evita Restaurant & Bar and Bulimba’s Mina—have brought yet another rooftop destination to Brisbane’s inner city. Taking over the very top level of Jubilee Place, the spectacular looking glass building which has gone up above the redeveloped Jubilee Hotel, Soko Rooftop is a lavish, greenery-adorned space full of unexpected surprises.
Combining Peruvian and Japanese influences, Soko’s two spaces are as different as the jetsetting destinations that inspired it. Outside, under the huge white metal framework that tops Jubilee Place, is a gloriously openair seating area with almost 365 degree views of Brisbane and surrounds. Yellow and white striped umbrellas provide shade for the vibrant yellow chairs scattered around plenty of tables, making it an ideal spot for summer sips.
Inside meanwhile, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into the Amazon Rainforest, with moody lighting, greenery hanging from the ceiling above, bottle green tiling and a jaw-dropping wooden feature wall that you could almost imagine is a luxe treehouse amongst it all. Dark timber tables are surrounded by black leather and plush green chairs, with more plant life providing a little intimacy between tables.
While the outside area is undoubtedly the place to enjoy a cocktail or five in the sunshine, working your way through the list of 40 odd pisco sours on the menu (including a few making use of saké and yuzu), inside you’ll want to take a seat and explore the decadent food menu. Covering everything from ceviche to yakitori, here is where those Peruvian and Japanese influences really come out to play, with a line up of eats made for sharing.
The ceviche is a must order—there’s nine different versions to choose from, including a vegan mushroom version. Small plates include the likes of cassava fritters, Latin street corn, spicy tuna on crispy rice cakes and mushroom temperature, while larger plates range from the slow cooked crunchy pork (a Peruvian classic), with salsa criolla, peppermint and charred steam corn to a wagyu rib eye with salsa verde, wasabi ponzu and black volcanic lava salt. Rounding out the rest of the menu are sushi rolls and bao buns—hopefully you’ve brought a big crew so you can sample a little of everything.
Is Soko going to be the drinking destination of the summer? There’s only one way to find out—start planning to head to the rooftop for yourself and find out everything you need to know here.
Check out more of Brisbane’s best rooftop bars here.
Image credit: Fortem Media