Brisbane Restaurant Tips by Jez79

Restaurant Name: Thai Wi Rat

Thai Wi Rat is a little restaurant located in the China Town Mall in Fortitude Valley. The Thai/ Laos food is simple and absolutly fantastic, and the prices excellent too (from A$8.90 for a main meal). You can bring your own alcohol, with a cost of $1 per person for corkage. The place is very laid back, with most of the seating outside in the mall. At night, the Chinatown mall is free of some of the bustle of the parallel Brunswick St mall, so it's a great place for a quiet relaxing meal.

Favorite Dish: Stir fried prawns with cashews or yellow vegetable curry.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: (07) 3257 0884
Address: Shop 8, Duncan St, China Town Mall

Restaurant Name: Govinda's

Govinda's is a great vegetarian restaurant in Elizabeth St (Brisbane City, just near the Elizabeth Arcade). For about $8 you can get a huge plate of food (usually a curry with vegetables and beans) and desert. They also have this great minty drink which is great on a hot summer's day. The restaurant is run by Hare Krshna's, and Sunday's there is singing and dancing followed by an all you can eat buffet (if you just want to eat go at 6:30pm). It's a great experience and you get to eat as much food as you like. They bring it all out in big buckets and spoon it out onto your plate, which is a very weird experience if you haven't seen it before. Everyone is really nice and the food is fantastic! There is a also a Govinda's cafe in West End. The restaurants are open to anyone and there is generally a huge mix of people, particularly on weekdays when you get a lot of local business people.

Favorite Dish: Vegetable curry - mmmmm!! I also love the lemon/mint drink.

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Theme: Vegan/Vegetarian
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: Elizabeth St (across from the Myer Centre), Brisbane City.

Restaurant Name: Citywok

Citywok is a great little place in Brisbane's CBD. Located on the Charlotte Street end of the Elizabeth Arcade (which starts across from the Myer Centre and the Queen Street Mall), it has a loyal following for both lunch an dinner. As the name might suggest, the food is Asian, with most of South East Asia, Indonesia and Southern China represented.
Lunch options include a selection from the bain marie cabinet, or freshly cooked orders, and come at a bargain price. Dinner is also a bargain, with meals starting from $7.20 (average $9). Meals are quite large and very delicious!! There is a fantastic vegetarian selection, with a whole side of the menu dedicated to non meat options, which come with tofu or soy pretein (and egg for those who want it). I can't recommend this place enough! The restaurant is open Monday to Friday, closed Saturday and open Sunday.

Favorite Dish: Sweet Corn soup is or vegetable spring rolls are great entrees (if you're very hungry!!) and the laksa and Malaysian fried broad noodles are my current favourites from the main meal menu.

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Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Charlote Street, Brisbane CBD

Restaurant Name: Peppe's Mexican

The restaurant is simple design, with indoor and outdoor dining.

Favorite Dish: Bean burrito with rice and sour cream. Call me a creature of habbit, but this is my fave mexican meal. There is a variety of meals to choose from, though there is less of a range than Montezuma's. The food at Pepe's tends to have a bit more chilli, but it's fantastic. The restaurant is simple design, with indoor and outdoor dining. One time we went there was a man with a guitar serenading everyone, which was pretty funny and gave the place some atmosphere.

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Theme: Mexican
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: Milton Shopping Village Baroona Rd
Milton
QLD, 4064
Ph: (07) 3369 6726

Restaurant Name: Lucky's Trattoria

Lucky's is a simple Italian restaurant that is always packed to the max. Set in a courtyard off Brunswick St, the place has a great atmosphere. The food is reasonably priced, and there is a great range of pizza or pasta dishes available. There is also a range of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) available.

Favorite Dish: Pumpkin ravioli

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Theme: Italian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (0)7 3252 2353
Address: Shp 14/ 455 BRUNSWICK ST, FORTITUDE VALLEY

Montezuma's Mexican Restaurants
Montezuma's is really great for atmosphere, as all the restaurants are decorated with (funnily enough) Mexican stuff. The menu is great - lots of variety and reasonable prices. It's usually very busy so it's good to book ahead, or you could get take away and enjoy the food at home.

Favorite Dish: Bean burrito with rice and sour cream. I'm vegatarian and I've found there is a variety of meals I can eat. All my friends tell me the meat meals are great too.

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Theme: Other

Directions: There are a number of Montezuma's restaurants around Brisbane and on the coasts. I have tried the ones at Burleigh, Mooloolaba and Mt Gravatt and found them all really good. Check the local phone dire

Restaurant Name: Mythos

Mythos is located in New Farm, an inner city suburb of Brisbane. New Farm has been undergoing a transition from a seedier inner city area into a trendy urban mecca. The old houses and old commerical areas are being replaced with funky shops, restaurants and bars, along with a huge number of appartment complexes. Mythos is a product of this new development and has lived up to much of the hype. The restaurant has been packed with people every time I've been, but manages to retain a laid back feel. You can sit inside, in the courtyard or outside on the footpath. Throughout the night there is often a belly dancer performing, which adds a bit of interest. Mythos is BYO alcohol.

Favorite Dish: I can remember the name of the dish but it involved meditteranean style pasta with prawns and garlic bread. Absolutly delicious! The servings are huge and loaded with flavour. My friends tell me the souvlaki is also fantastic. There are some great options for a group banquet, and pleanty of choice for entree's and mains. Not so great for vegetarians, but I think you can ask for some of the dishes to be modified so they have no meat or animal products.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: James Street, New Farm
Directions: Next to The Purple Olive on James St. Check www.yellowpages.com.au for contact details.

Restaurant Name: Spanish Tapas Bar

The Spanish Tapas Bar is located in a complex off Brunswick St in Fortitude Valley. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, with indoor and outdoor seating and live entertainment some nights. The menu focusses on traditional spanish fare, with a wide variety of tapas (entree size) or mains, and a fully licenced bar with some excellent Spanish wines. The Sangria (red wine cocktail) is excellent, and all the food we had was superb. The prices are a not exactly budget, but on par with many of the places in the Valley. I highly recommend this place!


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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 455 Brunswick St
Website: www.spanishtapas.bar.as

Restaurant Name: Giardinetto Perfect Italian

Giardinetto is located right in the middle of Fortitude Valley. It's close to the mall, various clubs and pubs, and on weekend nights it's always bustling. The restaurant has tables inside and outside on the sidewalk - if it's a wet night I recommend booking inside. Meals range from pasta to pizza and the occasional risotto, and there is a good selection of entrees. Last time I was there it was licenced and BYO, with a corkage charge for anything you bring yourself. Serves are average but reasonable - this place is a bit more high end than your local pasta joint, so it's not a huge mound at a bargain price. The price is a bit above average, but an entree, meal and drinks won't break the bank.

Favorite Dish: Spinach and ricotta ravioli - the sauce varies from tomato based to creamy and is always fantastic. The other various pizza's and pasta's are also impressive.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 366 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley

Restaurant Name: Donpeppes Restaurant & Cafe

Peppe's is a great restaurant in a not so convenient location. If it was located in the inner city I'm convinced it would be impossible to get a booking. Springwood is one of the suburbs in Logan City, between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It's not difficult to get to but if you're staying in Brisbane it's a bit of a hike. But it's worth it. The restaurant has a bunch of regualr locals, a lot of take-away business, and will vary from being bust to very quiet on any given night. The staff are very nice and the meals are always on time. The prices are reasonable and the restaurant is licenced, so it's great for anything from special events to a casual night out.

Favorite Dish: I've never had a bad meal from this place. The pasta, pizza, steak, chicken, veal and risotto's are all great. I usually get the vegetarian lasagne or pasta primavera (being vegetarian) and it's always fantastic.

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Theme: Other

Other Contact: ADDRESS
Watland Plaza 1 Watland