Brisbane changed a lot this past year, mostly while everyone was looking somewhere else. A garden the size of a small park opened in the CBD. A chef from one of Paris's best restaurants quietly took over a heritage corner. The old Gum Bistro came back as something else entirely.
None of these need the hype. They need a booking, before the rest of the city catches up. Here are five of the new rooms actually worth your night, from the most ambitious openings of the year to a rooftop that only makes sense as the sun drops.
1. Golden Avenue
A 500 square metre Levantine garden, on the world list.
● 67 Edward Street, Brisbane City · @golden.avenue.restaurant · Get directions
The Anyday Group's seventh room and its first in the CBD, a palm-filled, pink-granite Levantine garden running wood-fire grills, house flatbread and mezze from culinary director Ben Williamson and head chef Tim Yates. It opened in August 2025 and landed on Condé Nast Traveler's 2026 Hot List of the best new restaurants in the world. Few Brisbane rooms have been talked about more.
Booking note. Open from 11:30am, dinner till late, all day Friday to Sunday. Banquet menus run around $84 to $130 per person for larger groups.
2. Venner
The old Gum Bistro room, back as neo-Nordic.
● 237 Boundary Street, West End · @restaurantvenner · Get directions
A sixty-seat neo-Nordic room in the old Gum Bistro space on the upper end of Boundary St, from the Milquetoast crew with a chef out of Blume. Ferments, preservation and a serious aquavit bar, the name borrowed from the Danish word for friend. Gourmet Traveller called it one of the best openings of the year.
Booking note. A $105 set menu, with a la carte too. Wed and Thu from 5pm, Fri and Sat from 4pm, Sunday brunch 11am to 2pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
3. Niiwa
A Japanese garden bar that stays up late.
● Shop 10, 65 James Street, Fortitude Valley · @niiwa.jamesst · Get directions
The Hideki team's James Street garden bar, built around ikebana and a feminine, fashion-forward room. Shio miso edamame dip, a spicy tuna dip with nashi pear, reworked okonomiyaki and omakase, then DJs and live jazz on Friday and Saturday. It is as much a late drink as a dinner.
Booking note. On James St, the city's best dining strip. Book ahead for weekends when the music starts. Bookings through SevenRooms.
4. The French Exit
A Paris bistro in a heritage CBD corner.
● 169 Mary Street, Brisbane City · @thefrenchexit.restaurant · Get directions
Another Anyday room, an eighty-seat Parisian bistro in a heritage building on the Mary and Edward Street corner. Steak frites, escargot and duck a l'orange from exec chef John-Paul Fiechtner, who spent two years at the Paris great Le Chateaubriand, with head chef Ryan Carlson and a 500-bottle wine list. It opened in December 2025.
Booking note. Open from 11:30am, dinner till late, all day Friday to Sunday. Book ahead through Anyday.
5. Ruma Rooftop
A tropical rooftop above New Farm, best at golden hour.
● Level 1, 84 Merthyr Road, New Farm · @ruma_rooftop · Get directions
The newest of the five, a tropical rooftop above Little Lane from the Sunsets team, all palms, terracotta and Papua New Guinean detail (Ruma means home). Chef Felipe Oliveira runs native-ingredient share plates, coconut ceviche and lemon myrtle charcoal chicken, with a list of signature cocktails. Time it for the sun going down over New Farm.
Booking note. Opened March 2026. Wed to Fri from noon, Saturday 11am to 11pm, Sunday to 10pm. Book through SevenRooms or email hello@rumarooftop.com.au.
A note on the picks
Verified June 2026 against each venue's own pages and recent local coverage. Golden Avenue opened August 2025 and made the 2026 world list; the other four all opened between December 2025 and March 2026. Set prices and trading hours move, so confirm on the booking page before you go.
Always check opening hours and booking pages directly before heading in.
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