The recap: the best new Brisbane restaurants, bars and cafes this month
And that’s a wrap – 2024 is in the books and we are just about ready to down tools for the festive break. But we’ve got one more monthly review to tick off before we flee to the beach. December was one of the biggest months in recent memory, bringing the diversity alongside some serious quality. This month we welcomed a Mediterranean-inspired lamb house, a slick shipping container coffee spot, a cutting-edge Ginza-style cocktail bar, a charming dessert specialist and an ambitious family-friendly food and lifestyle precinct.
Speed Dial, Newstead: Jayden O’Grady, Hal Cozens, and Timothy Cashin – a trio of seasoned coffee veterans – have channeled their extensive experience into Speed Dial, a cosy new coffee dispensary in Newstead. After stints with top roasters like Bellissimo Coffee and Coffee Supreme, the trio brings their expertise to a sleek, minimalist shipping container cafe near Bunnings Newstead. The 30-sqm space features a modern yet timeless design boasting timber, chrome and vibrant purple accents, inspired by global coffee culture but with a unique Brisbane twist. Speed Dial is dedicated to consistency and quality, offering approachable, high-quality coffee, including Coffee Supreme’s South blend (soon the team will expand its range with beans from guest roasters from Australia and further abroad). The cafe also serves ceremonial-grade matcha, iced teas, and pastries from Sprout Artisan Bakery, with gourmet toasties also on offer for peckish guests. Speed Dial aims to create a welcoming space for coffee lovers and newcomers alike, blending passion with accessibility.
+81 Aizome Bar, West End: +81 Aizome Bar might be one of the most striking bars to arrive this year. Why? Well, for one, it boasts an incredible minimalist design, envisioned and shaped by Derlot’s Alexander Lotersztain. The ten-seater bar is saturated in a deep indigo colour palette, with a trapezoidal bar wrought from natural wood helping give the intimate cocktail joint the essence of a high-end bar in Ginza. Behind the bar is award-winning mixologist Tony Huang, who is furthering his pioneering approach to ‘neo cocktails’, crafting drinks that employ freeze-integration techniques, tea-based infusions, sake-inspired twists and loads of fresh fruit. The prelude to an exciting new culinary concept opening in February next year, +81 Aizome Bar is innovative and immersive – a bar unlike any Brisbane has seen to date.
Dark Shepherd, Brisbane City: Michael Tassis opened not one, but two new restaurants this month. The first is Dark Shepherd, a Mediterranean-inspired lamb-centric eatery located on the riverfront at The Star Brisbane. Despite the challenge of opening during the busy festive season, Dark Shepherd is already receiving rave reviews. The restaurant boasts a moody, monochromatic interior designed by Clui Design and features a menu centered around premium White Pyrenees lamb cooked in a woodfire oven, complemented by Mediterranean-inspired dishes like woodfired scallops, pastitsio bites, and saganaki. The extensive beverage program includes a diverse wine list and signature cocktails. Tassis Group also opened Pompette – a French-inspired venue with its own champagne and oyster bar – at The Star Brisbane this month, with works progressing on two more inner-city venues Stilts and Mulga Bill’s, which will open early next year.
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Nos. Bakehouse & Cafe, Dutton Park: Nos. Bakehouse & Cafe is a new Dutton Park eatery created by baker Susan Koh and chef Hank Lyu, blending savoury dishes with delightful baked goods to evoke a sense of nostalgia. Located on Annerley Road in a space previously home to Penny Coffee Co., the cafe boasts a homey vibe, with vintage decor and a bright, welcoming atmosphere. The menu combines comfort food with contemporary Asian twists, including house-baked shokupan sandwiches (stuffed with the likes of tuna mayo and Japanese egg mayo) and unique desserts like ube Basque cheesecake and yuzu brulee cheesecake. Specialty drinks, such as Basque cheesecake iced lattes and lavender coffee concoctions, complement the offerings, along with quality Five Senses coffee. The cafe’s emphasis on local, in-house-made ingredients and inventive flavors aims to evoke warmth and nostalgia while providing something new for Brisbane’s food scene.
The Hills of Rivermakers, Morningside: December marked the opening of not only a number of quality eateries, but even an entire foodie precinct. The Hills of Rivermakers – a new and ambitious 30-hectare precinct – transformed Rivermakers’ Heritage Quarter into a vibrant destination for locals and tourists. Spearheaded by Ross Ledingham of Potentia Solutions Leisure, the project features an array of food and beverage concepts, including a pizzeria, coffee roaster, urban winery, brewery, seafood counter, bakery, deli and more. Inspired by venues like The Grounds of Alexandria and our own Howard Smith Wharves, The Hills has taken over a number of new and existing buildings, while also implementing infrastructural upgrades like expanded parking, solar panels and a garden growing fresh produce for its kitchens. The Hills of Rivermakers is, above all else, a family-friendly destination, with attractions including a petting zoo, an indoor play area and an open-air cinema sure to make the Morningside hub a popular school holiday destination this Christmas.
Many more restaurants, cafes and bars opened this month. You can have a browse through the latest foodie happenings by clicking here.