FEASTING TOP FIVE GUIDE · THE QUEENSLAND EDIT
Around the world in Queensland: five July tables
Five Queensland restaurants, five cuisines and one month of eating around the world without leaving the state.
July became an accidental trip around the world. No airport queues, no carefully folded itinerary, just five Queensland tables that kept pulling dinner in a different direction.
There was Spanish food built for a long, noisy table; Thai cooking that brought fragrance and heat; Korean barbecue with the grill doing half the talking; dumplings in the middle of Brisbane; and an Italian meal on the Gold Coast that made the evening feel a little more dressed up. This is the pleasure of eating in Queensland right now: the world arrives one plate at a time.
01 · Brisbane, Queensland
Botellón
Botellón is where the month found its rhythm: Spanish plates, the promise of sharing, and the kind of table that improves when nobody is in a hurry.
Lifting a slice of toasted bread topped with smooth duck liver pâté and sweet fig is the exact moment I knew lunch at Botellón in Graceville was meant to be lingering. If you love fine wine, Spanish-style share plates, and long afternoon chats that stretch on effortlessly, this Graceville spot sets a wonderfully relaxed pace for a feast with friends.
Botellón delivers a warm, relaxed venue in Graceville perfect for sipping wine and sharing vibrant Spanish plates with friends.
What I’d start with: Duck liver pâté with fig, Crispy eggplant chips, Patatas bravas.
Read the full recommendation02 · Brisbane, Queensland
Haad Thai
At Haad Thai, the journey shifted into something brighter and more aromatic. It is the sort of meal where choosing across the table is more rewarding than guarding a single main.
I honestly was not expecting to find one of my favourite Thai dishes tucked inside a suburban shopping centre. Stepping past escalators and storefronts at Westfield Carindale, HAAD Thai quickly breaks the usual shopping-centre mould, serving creative food that feels like a destination meal in its own right.
HAAD Thai elevates shopping centre dining into a true destination experience, pairing 30 years of Rayong family heritage with creative fusion hits like slow-cooked beef cheek massaman pasta.
What I’d start with: Beef Cheek Coconut & Peanut Pasta, Chicken Satay.
Read the full recommendation03 · Brisbane, Queensland
WooDam Korean BBQ
WooDam put the fire at the centre of dinner. Korean barbecue changes the pace of a meal; you cook, talk, wait, turn and eat, all without needing the evening to be anything more complicated than that.
I didn't come to WooDam Korean BBQ for a quick, rushed meal. The moment real charcoal hits the embedded grill at the table, the entire space comes alive with heat, smoke, and sizzle.
WooDam Korean BBQ delivers an authentic, unhurried Korean BBQ experience where real charcoal heat, rich Wagyu, and a massive spread of 15 fresh banchan turn dinner into a lively tabletop event.
What I’d start with: Chef's signature charcoal experience with MB8-9+ Wagyu beef, House-made spread of 15 banchan side dishes, Shark ice pole.
Read the full recommendation04 · Brisbane, Queensland
Little Red Dumpling Brisbane CBD
Little Red Dumpling brought the trip back into the city with the direct comfort of dumplings: small parcels, immediate satisfaction and an order that always seems to grow after the first round.
There is something satisfying about heading below street level in the middle of Brisbane and finding a dumpling bar waiting underneath. Little Red Dumpling’s Charlotte Street location brings handmade dumplings, bao and share plates into an underground CBD setting.
Handmade dumplings and fluffy bao are the starting point, but the cumin lamb ribs and comforting rice dishes make it easy to build a much bigger feast.
What I’d start with: BBQ pork bun, Fried chicken bao, Cumin lamb ribs.
Read the full recommendation05 · Gold Coast, Queensland
Modo Mio
Modo Mio was the polished final stop. Italian food on the Gold Coast gave July its closing scene, the sort of dinner that feels celebratory even when the only occasion is having made it to the table.
Italian food can be excellent and still feel transactional. Modo Mio gave us the opposite experience, with hospitality and atmosphere that made the table feel like somewhere to remain rather than somewhere to finish quickly.
The smoky Linguine con Granchio was the memorable dish, supported by warm hospitality and the sort of atmosphere that makes you stay longer.
What I’d start with: Modo Mio Sour, Cirrani Peach Bellini, Carpaccio di Carne.
Read the full recommendationFive cuisines later, the lesson was not that Queensland can imitate a trip overseas. It was that the state’s dining scene is most interesting when each restaurant is allowed to express its own character. The next journey can start with a booking rather than a boarding pass.