The best fine dining restaurants in Brisbane can totally transform a milestone anniversary or a crucial client dinner. We’ve spent a lot of time exploring the city’s food scene, moving past the family restaurants to uncover spots that offer culinary luxury.

You might crave a rare Wagyu steak or a fresh waterfront tasting menu. The options across the city are incredible right now!

We always keep a close eye on the newest restaurants opening up, but sometimes established icons deliver the most reliable upscale experience. Let’s dive into the top spots you need to book for your next big celebration!

1. Longtime Dining

Website: longtimedining.com

Address: Level 1, QueensPlaza

Contact: 07 3185 5525 | [email protected]

Hours:

• Monday-Thursday, 11:30 AM – 9:00 PM
• Friday, 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM
• Saturday, 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
• Sunday, 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Longtime Dining blends authentic Eastern culinary traditions with modern Western hospitality right in the heart of the central business district. You get an elevated atmosphere perfect for a high-stakes corporate dinner or a relaxed weekend date.

If you order their signature Forbidden Duck, they carve it right at your table instead of hiding the process in the kitchen.

Parking in the city can be a headache, but they offer a $13 flat-rate parking deal after 4 pm on weekdays.

However, you can’t alter their yum cha menu for special dietary needs. This strict rule makes it tough if anyone in your group has specific food sensitivities.

They also require full table participation for their set banquets. You can’t just mix and match lighter dishes if someone has a smaller appetite.

Impeccable service and outstanding experience

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and this is primarily the impeccable service extended to us by Samantha. She is so hands on and quick and super efficient,  Not often you get this service even in fine dining 5 star restaurants. A real asset to your company!

• Woan Ling Choong | Google Reviews

Best peking duck and great hosting

Nice fine dining Chinese restaurant. We were served by Samantha and she is the absolute best host, making sure we’re always taken care of. Food was great – their forbidden duck is, I feel, the best peking duck I tried yet.

• Exploringwithamelia | Google Reviews

2. Exhibition Restaurant

Website: exhibitionrestaurant.com

Address: 109 Edward Street

Contact: [email protected]

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM

Exhibition Restaurant hosts only nine tables per sitting, ensuring an incredibly intimate and unhurried omakase experience. 

We recently booked a table here for an anniversary, and the hidden subterranean basement setting felt genuinely special.

The kitchen builds spontaneous courses based on hand-selected seasonal ingredients, so you never look at a printed menu.

Moreover, they offer an $80 dining credit on weekend reservations to put toward custom drink pairings or extra courses. You can easily adapt the entire menu to be gluten-free, which is rare for such an exclusive spot.

Unfortunately, they can’t cater to vegan or lactose-free diets. The heavy reliance on live seafood and meat means plant-based diners simply can’t eat here.

Also, even with a gluten-free menu, cross-contamination remains a real risk since they bake bread in the same prep space.

One of the best fine dining meals

OKAY so this was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. I have very little knowledge of the fine dining scene in Brisbane and was unsure how I felt about dropping $250 on a set menu, but I am so glad I did it and absolutely understood where my money was going.

We opted to sit by the kitchen, and spent half the time in awe of how the staff operated, and were one of the last patrons to leave for the night so we witnessed the clean-up at the end of the night as well.

• Michelle Nguyen | Google Reviews

Luminous gem in fine dining scene

While value may not be the hallmark of this experience, Exhibition stands as a luminous gem in Brisbane’s fine dining scene—an encounter reserved for those seeking the extraordinary.

From the moment you enter, it’s clear that every element has been meticulously orchestrated. The intimate, atmospheric setting provides the stage for a carefully choreographed performance of culinary artistry and modernist technique. Each course arrives with precision, creativity, and a sense of theatre that elevates the experience beyond mere dining.

• DBO | Google Reviews

3. Massimo Restaurant & Bar

Website: massimorestaurant.com.au

Address: Boardwalk LVL Riverside Centre, 123 Eagle St

Contact: (07) 3221 1663

Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM | Friday-Saturday, 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Massimo Restaurant & Bar brings Amalfi coastal cooking right to the Brisbane River, pairing house-made pasta with panoramic waterfront views. The restaurant sits along the Eagle Street boardwalk, making it a scenic spot for a celebratory birthday lunch.

They even run a dedicated in-house seafood tank, letting you order live Queensland red claw prepared fresh.

The tableside culinary theater really stands out, especially when they swirl the cacio e pepe inside a giant pecorino cheese wheel right beside you. 

Plus, you can easily book their private dining room for a gathering of up to 35 guests.

Just be aware that this private space relies on a drawn curtain rather than a solid, soundproof wall. Background chatter from the main dining floor easily drifts in, making it less ideal for quiet speeches.

Additionally, weekend dining triggers a hefty 12% surcharge.

Lovely dinner with beautiful waterfront views

My mum and I had such a lovely dinner at Massimo last weekend, and we left already talking about when we’d be back!

If you’re looking for a fine dining Italian restaurant in Brisbane, Massimo is absolutely worth a visit. The waterfront location overlooking the Story Bridge at night creates such a beautiful atmosphere and makes it the perfect spot for a special occasion or date night!

• Samantha Bailey | Google Reviews

Superior customer service and stunning banquet

We dined today on our last day in Brisbane devouring the stunning banquet. We were served by Sheri who created the atmosphere and experience of fine dining. Highly attentive and intuitive in her service.

Highly recommend the restaurant and superior customer service experience.

• Karen Aistrope | Google Reviews

4. Rich & Rare Restaurant Brisbane

Website: richandrare.com.au

Address: West Village Garden Pavilion, 97 Boundary Street, West End

Contact: (07) 3638 8888

Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM | Friday-Saturday, 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Rich & Rare strips away the stiff atmosphere of upscale dining while serving ultra-rare Japanese Black Wagyu with a Marbling Score (MB) of 12+.

We visited a few weeks ago for a relaxed lunch, and the unpretentious vibe made the whole meal incredibly comfortable. They keep their kitchen open continuously, letting you grab a premium steak dinner at any time of day.

You get a complimentary classic side with every grill order, which keeps the final bill surprisingly reasonable. They even let you upgrade any steak cut by adding half a live lobster straight from the tank.

However, if you order the signature Wagyu tomahawk, expect a mandatory cooking wait of nearly an hour. This long prep time easily slows down your meal if you’re on a tight schedule.

Underwhelming banquet meal with lovely waitstaff

Second visit here – first time was alright so thought we would give it another go. We ordered the Dover banquet. Unfortunately soooo underwhelming, wagyu bites were mushy, flavourless & no longer hot. Steak was cooked well but very salty. It was a fine dinner, but not for $230+ (also have to pay a Saturday OR Sunday surcharge & eftpos surcharge so keep in mind). Fine spot if you haven’t had other great dining experiences to compare it to but I wouldn’t go out of my way to return :/

On a positive note, the waitstaff are lovely and the bread is delish.

• Sophia | Google Reviews

Exceptional food and high quality service

The service was excellent with water & wine was  topped up when needed but our staff member was like a breeze blowing through where we hardly noticed.

The food was exceptional. We’d looked at the photos online & what we received was exactly as we’d hoped, or better.

Fantastic selection of wines to suit our whole group, with any questions we had being answered insightfully.

If you’re looking for a fine dining experience with high quality food, exceptional service & a beautiful location, this is a brilliant choice.

We will be back again.

• Wendy Morris | Google Reviews

5. Sono Japanese Restaurant | Portside Wharf

Website: sonorestaurant.com.au

Address: Level 1, Portside Wharf, 39 Hercules St

Contact: (07) 3268 6655 | [email protected]

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM | Friday-Saturday, 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM, 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM | Sunday, 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM, 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Sono Japanese Restaurant offers authentic private tatami rooms for intimate dining just a short trip from the central business district. You can take off your shoes and enjoy a highly choreographed degustation menu while overlooking the Brisbane River.

They also host a live teppanyaki performance where chefs cook premium meats over an open flame right in front of you.

The kitchen relies on seasonal Australian produce paired directly with fresh imported Japanese ingredients like Hokkaido scallops. You can easily match these premium dishes with their award-winning wine and sake program. 

Unfortunately, booking those private tatami rooms or teppanyaki seats requires you to hit a mandatory minimum spend. This rule creates a frustrating financial barrier if you just want a light dinner.

Additionally, the teppanyaki section strictly caps party sizes at 10 guests, locking out larger celebrations.

Top Japanese fine dining in brisbane

This has to be one of the best fine dining Japanese restaurants in Brisbane.

The service was top notch, we were lucky to get the window side table with a water view. It was a weeknight and it was full, but they are very well run, our dishes only took a very short time to be served.

We ordered the tasting banquet and we got to taste so many different dishes, some of us were already full after the entree dishes 😅. However the Wagyu steal and the miso cod were not to be missed, so tender and flavoursome!

• Heng Tang | Google Reviews

Amazing ten course Japanese tasting experience

My husband and I ordered 10 courses of their tasting menu which is the Zen course and we were amazed of how the courses were served. Such an amazing experience of a Japanese fine dining. We will definitely come back and try other courses in the menu.

Excellent food and great service.

• Dinna Fernandez | Google Reviews