The Fifty Six, Brisbane City: The opening of multi-level dining hub Naldham House was one of the biggest stories of 2024. DAP & Co.’s vertical hospitality precinct wowed guests with its Euro-style brasserie and elegant upstairs cocktail bar, Club Felix. But it was the venue’s mysterious top-floor restaurant that had the rumour mill churning. And then, finally, all was revealed when The Fifty Six officially opened its doors to the public in February. Inspired by Brisbane’s early history – particularly that of the first 56 Chinese immigrants to call the city home – The Fifty Six specialises in Cantonese-inspired cuisine, with Singapore-born head chef Gerald Ong putting together a menu that blends modern Cantonese sensibilities with traditional culinary philosophies. Dishes like scallop and prawn siu mai, baked Queensland blue swimmer crab with calamansi, and cumin Margra lamb riblets with eggplant are served in elegant Anna Spiro-designed surroundings. All told, The Fifty Six made its mark as an early front-runner for 2025’s best new restaurant.

Penelope, Fortitude Valley: If we were ranking Brisbane’s best looking restaurants, Penelope would sit right near the pointy end. With its Art Deco-inspired checkerboard tiles, rendered walls, fluted glass, gold-hued velvet upholstery, heavy curtains and quartzite stone tabletops, Coats Group’s European-inspired bistro, bar and supper club scores top marks in terms of aesthetics. But does the food and drink stack up? Yes, we can confirm it does. Taking a page out of the classic bistro cookbook, Penelope offers a menu that, while slightly retro, is fun and full of flavour. Some early standouts of the offering include duck parfait with pickled sour cherry, crispy chicken tenders with buttermilk ranch and hot honey, pasta alla vodka with smoked mozzarella, and chicken thigh cotoletta with wild garlic. But it’s the late-night menu that many will be drawn to – three-cheese jaffles, club sandwiches with smoked bacon and steak frites available until 1:00 am? We’re in heaven. Throw in a killer drinks program featuring classic cocktails and a globe-spanning wine list, and it’s no wonder why Penelope has made so many friends.

Layla, West End: One ongoing storyline of Brisbane’s hospitality industry is the influx of interstate talent looking to plant a flag in the local food scene. Shane Delia, the chef and restaurateur behind Melbourne’s beloved Middle Eastern restaurant Maha, introduced himself to local foodies back in March with Layla, his first Brisbane restaurant. Nestled in the heritage-listed bowels of the Thomas Dixon Centre, Layla saw Shane and his team presenting Middle Eastern cuisine in a new light, incorporating influences from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. These influences are found in dishes like Layla’s Hervey Bay half-shell scallops with carrot hummus, Persian lime and toasted-coconut sambal, Moorish brisket borek buns with sticky turmeric and chilli jam, and salmon kibbeh neya with burghul, mint and sweet onion and aleppo sambal. Juxtaposed against the restaurant’s character-filled bones (softened by blue velvet upholstery, walnut timber and terrazzo floors), Layla bridges luxury and informality with panache – a manoeuvre that only a maestro like Shane Delia could pull off.

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Cartel Del Taco, New Farm: When the Cartel Del Taco crew announced plans to expand over the river to New Farm, Brisbane foodies flipped out with excitement. Once bookings became available, locals wasted no time snagging every available seat. Four months on and it’s still buzzing – such is the popularity of Cartel Del Taco, which has remained one of Brisbane’s busiest restaurants since it first opened in Hawthorne in 2022. The taqueria’s New Farm location boasts the same electric neon-lit atmosphere as its cross-river sibling, but the CDT crew has taken the opportunity to expand its offering far beyond tacos. Sure, you can still devour as pastor and suadero tacos as usual, but you can also rip into empanada-style beef pastes, beef birria tortas, teetering seafood towers and flame-licked tomahawk steaks fresh from the woodfire parilla grill. Throw in more than a dozen margarita variations, an expanded selection of artisanal mezcals and ice-cold Mexican beers, and it’s no wonder why Cartel Del Taco New Farm has been busy from the jump.

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Stilts, Brisbane City: Tassis Group’s barnstorming run of restaurant openings crescendoed in February with the arrival of Stilts. The (literally) elevated restaurant draws inspiration from iconic Queenslander architecture and showcases the finest produce the state has to offer, alongside unbeatable views of the Brisbane River, city skyline and Story Bridge enjoyed through the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows. In the kitchen, head chef Dan Hernandez is utilising the best Queensland produce available to craft a menu that is broadly Modern Australian, with some Mediterranean touches. Like all Tassis Group venues, protein and seafood shines. The likes of roasted bone marrow with beef crudo and fresh horseradish, pan-seared Canadian scallops with morcilla, corn puree and crispy leeks, Moreton Bay bug linguine, Angus tomahawks, and bistecca alla Fiorentina are all bona fide highlights.

Donnie’s, Teneriffe: Brisbane isn’t short on pizza spots, from the tried and true Napoli-style slice slingers to the more obscure rectangular Detroit variety. Donnie’s, the new Tenerrife eatery and cocktail bar from Canberra transplants Jackson McLoughlin and Nickolas Kruckel, is shining a light on the crispy and pliable pizzas of New York City. Before Donnie’s opened, the duo flew out Alim Nayil of Patio Pizza in the UK to assist with the formulation of Donnie’s all-important dough recipe, which is a lower-hydration dough that is cold-fermented for 48 hours. Jackson and Nick are then topping the dough with an assortment of premium ingredients, including American cup ‘n’ char pepperoni, vodka sauce and burrata, ‘nduja and hot honey, and meatball ragu with whipped ricotta. Rounding out the Donnie’s offering is a selection of snacks (think smoked-mozzarella sticks and Philly cheesesteak spring rolls) as well as a tight wine list, a tidy selection of signature cocktails and tap beers.

L.P.O. Neighbourhood Wine Store, Tarragindi: When comedian and Tarragindi local Matt Okine texted his good friend Dan Wilson asking, “How hard is it to open a wine shop?”, Dan – drawing on years of experience running a number of acclaimed venues in London – replied, “With me, it’s pretty easy.” This exchange sparked the creation of L.P.O., a cosy, character-filled wine shop nestled in the leafy heart of Tarragindi. Though it has only been open for a short while, L.P.O. has quickly become a local favourite, offering a curated selection of minimal-intervention wines in a stripped-back, plywood-lined space designed to spotlight the bottles themselves. Dan’s curatorial ethos centres on accessibility, authenticity and emotional resonance, with the goal of guiding customers toward unique wines that reflect not only terroir but also mood and feeling. Stocked with both local and international labels, L.P.O. serves wines by the glass to help demystify the buying process, while offering rare vintages on weekends to surprise and delight.

Dark Blue, Fortitude Valley: Since opening its doors in 2022, Dark Red has become a beloved fixture in Brisbane’s wine-bar scene. Known for its ever-changing Italian wine list and for the warm, personal touch of owner Hannah Wagner (and her furry sidekick Daisy), Dark Red is the welcoming port in the heart of the storm known as Fortitude Valley. In May, Hannah expanded her footprint in the nightlife precinct, opening Dark Blue – a more refined yet still approachable bar located in the heritage-listed Shannon’s Building at the entrance to Winn Lane. Boasting a moody, romantic atmosphere with a grungy New York loft-style aesthetic, Dark Blue leans more heavily into cocktails, with a Mediterranean-inspired list curated by Charlie Hunter (formerly of Savile Row), offering inventive twists like the Med Martini and Caramel Carajillo. Wine remains a key focus, but this time Hannah is spotlighting Portuguese, Argentinian and Chilean varieties. Throw in some conservas and snacks, and Dark Blue is set to be just as cherished as its sibling.

Evra, Newstead: Though most restaurants claim that produce is key to its offering, few eateries go to the same lengths as Evra to prove it. Following the success of its coastal- and rural-inspired grocer and deli, Evra is building on its ethos of locality and quality with a refined yet approachable dining experience that showcases produce sourced from across Queensland – including its own rooftop farm. Executive chef Kelvin Andrews has crafted a share-style modern Australian menu boasting French techniques and Italian and Vietnamese influences, featuring standout dishes like South Australian marron risotto, Wombeyan Caves Aylesbury duck, and a decadent mud-crab lasagne. Premium proteins from suppliers like CopperTree Farms and BlueReef underscore the restaurant’s strong ties to regional producers, while Evra’s beverage program includes a globe-spanning wine list and a curated cocktail menu with inventive sips like the Day Spa and Americano Perfecto, rounding out a polished yet welcoming neighbourhood dining destination.

Idle, New Farm: Since it opened in late June, Idle has been jam-packed. We mean busy – like, really busy. But what did you expect from the spiritual successor to Agnes Bakery, one of Brisbane’s most beloved pastry spots? Anyday’s brand-new venue isn’t Agnes Bakery 2.0, though – it’s bigger, brighter and more ambitious. When the Anyday brains trust – Tyron Simon, Bianca Marchi, Ben Williamson and Frank Li – decided to close their James Street bakery, they did so in order to create a concept that could offer the community more than killer croissants and sourdough loaves. At Idle, located on Merthyr Road in New Farm, not only can patrons can pick from head baker Mitch Suchowacki’s sensational range of baked goods (we are loving the tonka bean kouign-amann), but also a suite of stacked sandwiches, fresh salads, charcoal-roasted chickens and a dine-in menu of Euro-style brunch dishes. Coupled with a marketplace offering of primo pantry fillers and an Italian-inspired retro-futurist aesthetic crafted by Tamsin Johnson, Idle is a one-of-a-kind hybrid venue that is setting a new standard for daytime destinations in Brisbane.

Honourable mentions: There have been a number of top-notch newbies to make their mark on Brisbane’s dining scene in 2025. Also worth a shout out is Hai Hai Ramen’s new West End spot, Tassis Group’s all-day eatery Mulga Bill’s, Solotel’s Japanese-inspired eatery and party spot Goros, Latin-inspired cafe and wine bar Salud, Bulimba brewpub Fuel Brewing Co., winsome Newstead wine bar Wild Legs Wine Room, Osso Bar Italia in The City, pour-your-own wine bar Stickybeak, Wang Chung in Manly, and OLLI Italiano in East Brisbane.

There’s more to come – be sure to check out our list of the most anticipated openings on the cards for the rest of 2025!