The recap: the best new Brisbane restaurants, bars and cafes this month
Is it just us, or was February absolutely massive for Brisbane’s dining scene? When it comes to new openings, the second month of the year is typically one of the quieter periods. Not so this year! Foodies were positively spoiled with an influx of fresh-faced bars and eateries – some of which might end up on our ‘Best of 2025’ lists. From pour-your-own wine bars and multi-level izakaya-style party spots, to sophisticated Cantonese-inspired restaurants, neon-lit taquerias and overwater fine-diners, here are five new openings we loved in February …
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 cocktail bar, Club Felix. But it was the venue’s mysterious top-floor restaurant that had the rumour mill churning. This month, all was revealed when The Fifty Six officially opened its doors to the public. Inspired by Brisbane’s early history – particularly that of the first 56 Chinese immigrants to call the city home – The Fifty Six is specialising 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 is an early front-runner for one of 2025’s best new restaurant openings.
Cartel Del Taco, New Farm: When Cartel Del Taco 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. 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 buzzing 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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Stickybeak Wine, Woolloongabba: Wine bars come in all shapes and sizes. By and large, most vino joints pour the wine for you, but at Stickybeak you’re in control. The two-level, 60-seat joint from the BTG Wine team is equipped with ten self-serve WineEmotion machines, each capable of holding and dispensing eight wines apiece. That means Stickybeak has eighty wines available to sample via tasting portion (25 ml), half glass (75 ml) or full glass (150 ml). Stickybeak goes to bat for Australian winemakers, with more than 80-percent of the range produced domestically. That includes vino from esteemed makers like Stargazer Wine, Powell & Son, Ox Hardy Wines and Nocturne Wines, to name a few.
Goros, Fortitude Valley: For many Sydney-based revellers, Goros is a fixture of the nighttime party circuit. Solotel Group’s multi-faceted hot spot has been home to many a memorable (albeit, slightly blurry) night out, and now Brisbane can get a taste of the Goros magic now that it has expanded to Fortitude Valley. Combining the best aspects of restaurant, bar and club in a neon-lit, izakaya-inspired package, Goros has it all – including three karaoke rooms, a games room and a dance floor. But unlike its Sydney counterpart, Goros ups the ante over Sydney with its food and drink offering. Solotel executive chef Hamish Ingham has crafted a menu that celebrates bold Japanese flavours – think tuna-filled temaki rolls, saltbush tempura with chilli miso mayo, squid karaage with salt and sancho pepper, Alaskan king crab with chilli miso butter and fries, and matcha soft-serve ice-cream with pistachio praline.
Stilts, Brisbane City: Tassis Group’s barnstorming run of restaurant openings crescendoed last month with the arrival of Stilts. The elevated (literally) restaurant draws inspiration from iconic Queenslanders and is showcasing the best produce of the state alongside unbeatable views of the Brisbane River, city skyline and Story Bridge 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 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.
Many more restaurants, cafes and bars opened this month. You can have a browse through the latest foodie happenings by clicking here.