Five to try: enhance your business lunches with these prix fixe and express set-menu offerings
We’re still in the early stages of 2025 and we’re already sick of meal prepping. While we agree that planning ahead is the smart option, a number of Brisbane restaurants are offering killer lunch options that don’t leave a lasting sting on the wallet. If you’re looking to impress some potential clients or are simply keen to treat yourself to a nice lunch, here are five prix fixe and express set-menu options that are worth checking out.
Naldham House, Brisbane City: Since opening last year, Naldham House’s brasserie has become a go-to nosh spot for many, with executive chef Douglas Kyte’s menu of European-leaning cuisine finding fans across town. The restaurant has just launched a brand-new prix fixe lunch menu, which is available from Monday to Thursday. Guests can opt for a two-course meal (for $49 per person) or the three-course feast ($59 per person), dining on a choice of entree (including the likes of chicken liver parfait with warm baguette), main (such as pasta cavatelli with braised oxtail ragu, smoked eggplant cotoletta or roast chicken salad with pea, lettuce and stracciatella) and dessert. Make a booking here.
C’est Bon, Woolloongabba: Did you know that you can get a taste of C’est Bon’s otherworldly French fare during the day? It’s true – the Woolloongabba icon serves a prix fixe lunch on Fridays and Saturdays, with head chef Andy Ashby whipping up a snack, entree and a selection of mains to choose from for just $55 a pop. Currently, the menu includes sweetcorn Madeleines with corn bavarois, spring pork cheek cavatelli with aged comte and nettle veloute, and a choice between two mains – dry-aged mackerel with cafe de Paris bearnaise and chicory, or vadouvan Elgin chicken with Meyer lemon and eggplant. If you feel like splashing out, C’est Bon also offers a host of add-on items, such as Merimbula oysters with melon Chartreuse granita, Moreton Bay eclair and ratatouille tarts. Secure a spot here.
The 203, Fortitude Valley: Over in The Valley, Stanbroke’s high-end steakhouse and Italian restaurant The 203 has also just launched an express lunch menu that is available now on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Guests can sink into one of The 203’s plush booths and enjoy a curated two-course menu, which features tempting options like cappellacci filled with roasted pumpkin and buffalo ricotta and The 203’s signature steak sandwich. This offering is a steal at $50 a head – click here to make a reservation.
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ESSA, Fortitude Valley: Keen to start the weekend early? A visit to ESSA to try its Friday lunch menu is a must. Every week, head chef Phil Marchant and his team deliver a punchy spread that weighs in at $68 per person. Start with the likes of ESSA’s bread lathered in Tommerup’s Dairy Jersey milk butter, LP’s saucission sec, line-caught spangled emperor crudo with white soy, szechuan pepper and tangelo, new season peas and broad beans with macadamia, wasabi leaf oil and nasturtium, and your choice of hand-rolled pici pasta with an aromatic sauce made with caramelised scallops, or chicken leg (deboned and stuffed with pork-and-fennel sausage) bathing in brown butter sauce. If you’ve got that Friday feeling, make a booking here.
Rich & Rare, West End: If getting the most bang for your buck is top priority, it’s hard to look past Rich & Rare’s Power Banquet. Aptly named for its overwhelming levels of value and satisfaction, this nine-course lunch is available from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, seven days a week, for just $54 a head. The jam-packed set-menu offering includes (but isn’t limited to) artisan sourdough ciabatta, jamon Iberico, seared scallops with caramelised cauliflower puree, barramundi with tobiko and miso butter, sirloin steak with mushroom sauce and a dessert to finish. There’s a good chance you might need a power nap after this Power Banquet – make a booking here.
Honourable mentions: We’ve heard nothing but good things about the $45 Pronto Lunch at Settimo in The City, ZA ZA TA’s $55 Saturday long lunch, Fatcow on James St’s $55 two-course (and its $68 three-course) Prime Time lunch and the $58 Rabbit Banquet at Longwang in The City.