Café culture

You won’t need to follow your nose too far to sniff out the heady aroma of quality coffee.

The award-winning Bellissimo roasts and serves coffee from beans sourced from across the world from 6am until 6pm, as well as an all-day dining menu. Also on Oxford Street is Mugged,  a hole-in-the-wall takeaway spot popular with locals, and Yo-chi, where frozen yoghurt is all the rage, make a healthy breakfast bowl or a sweet tooth’s dream with more than 35 toppings available. Or start the day right at Darvella Patisserie. The almond croissants are scrumptious, the sandwiches, wraps and bagels are fresh and light, and the speciality pastries blend intriguing ingredients with surprisingly moreish results.

Linger a little longer and make your way over to Hawthorne where Sister Cafe, a street-side pastel paradise  serves fresh and quirky breakfasts from its inventive, seasonal menu. The breakfast gnocchi alone is worth the visit. The nearby Paper Cup Coffee Co is run by passionate and enthusiastic coffee lovers who roast their own beans. If you’re feeling a little peckish, Froyay is the newest frozen yoghurt place in town, but is also serving a delicious array of toasties, pastries, smoothies and coffee. You can grab any of these tasty bites for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert.

Riding Road is also home to a buzzing café scene. Little Hideout Cafe is a hidden oasis with a pet-friendly back deck and a balanced menu of healthy, fun and indulgent food. Willow Café is a top spot for breakfast, lunch, coffee catchups and weekend boozy brunches. Its Eggs Bene selection alone caters to almost every appetite, craving and dietary need. For grab-and-go coffee, try Microlot Coffee House or The Chemistry of Coffee.

Casual dining

Leafy streets and river breezes make for a perfect atmosphere for casual lunches and dinners. Hawthorne Road houses a bustling dining precinct with cuisine from across cultures. Take your tastebuds around the world with authentic offerings at Downtown Istanbul, Mameek Kitchen, Mucho Mexicano, Cartel Del Taco and Marinara Restaurant.

If you’re craving the fresh flavours of Asia, settle in at Vietnamese Mint, grab a sushi fix from Sushi Mura, a Thai curry from Mahanakhon Thai Street or a pad Thai from Thai Legend.  Grab a flavour packed Vietnamese dish at Bahn Mee, or indulge in wontons, bao buns and dumpling at the Little Red Dumpling.

Oxford Street is burger central with fresh, wholesome and budget-friendly burgers and sides at Betty’s Burgers and Grill’d.

Finer dining

For a relaxed yet refined meal or to celebrate a special occasion, score a seat on the back deck at Il Molo. Sunset drinks followed by contemporary Italian at this riverside location is a blissful way to spend a Brisbane evening. You can also sample authentic Italian fare at Sugo Mi – its pizzas are known to draw devotees from all corners of Brisbane.  For another European showstopper, Stella crafts their dishes with quality ingredients and freshness, just like their homemade pasta made with organic ingredients. For a Mediterranean oasis, Mede  offers fresh and locally sourced traditional dishes that will transport you onto the sunny beaches of Greece and Turkey.

Pawpaw Asian Kitchen has a lush, plant-filled interior and an extensive menu perfect for big groups and intimate dinners alike. Melrose is an open rooftop cocktail bar and restaurant where you can sit under the blue sky by day or stars by night. Choose your gourmet adventure with bar and a la carte menus as well as banquets catering to all appetites and dietary requirements including vegetarian and vegan. For a taste of East Asia, Luckies Kitchen is serving fun and creative plates that is bursting with traditional flavours.

Mexicali brings lush Mexico to Brisbane with their fun interior, delicious food and margaritas, and live DJ’s on a weekend. Hawthorne is home to Izakaya Haiiro, a dark and moody restaurant serving unique Japanese dishes with traditional Japanese techniques.

Pubs and bars

Join the locals at Revel Brewing Co for a tasting paddle of brews made fresh on-site as well as one of its cheesy wood-fired pizzas. Head a few metres down the road and sample a local brew at the nearby The Oxford Tap House. It pairs a traditional drinking hall atmosphere with gastropub eats.

For a relaxed pub experience, Oxford 152 has earned a reputation as the perfect bar and restaurant to catch up with a group of mates. Sample a local craft beer while feasting on Brisbane's fresh produce Or sit in the secret garden out the back to watch the big games playing live on the big screen.

Il Molo serves spritz and snack specials during Aperitivo Afternoons from 3pm to 5pm every Wednesday to Sunday and Melrose welcomes everyone for drinks before and after dinner at its dedicated cocktail bar from Wednesday to Sunday.

Something sweet

As the day winds to an end, it’s only natural you finish your food trail through Bulimba and Hawthorne with dessert. Besides serving exceptional pizza and pasta, Sugo Mi also operates a gelato bar, secreted down a laneway behind the restaurant.Further along Oxford Street, is home to Le Caprice, an authentic French patisserie, filled with exquisite sweets, fresh filled baguettes, quiches and tasty cakes. Gelatissimo serves up to 30 flavours a day from its bright shopfront and Nom Nom Natural Gelato offers a range of vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free scoops.

Hawthorne is home to Sweet Tooth, where the name describes exactly who it is perfect for. Think Biscoff cheesecake, Nutella cookie pie, chocolate brownie sundae, fresh gelato and so much more.