Lively spot with good music vibes and seems a good place to meet with friends. The Barbossa is an…read moreinteresting open pass through for many folks walk abouts. Great ambiance, open late. Well appointed, heavily camera'd and can boast proximity close-ish to the convention hall. Late arrived to South Bank. My plus one and I were relieved to find a nearby spot where a kitchen was still open. Something of a surprise. Many of the Yelp "open" restaurants we chose to dine were actually closed for the night by an hour when we got there. So we hot footed around and gandered around a bit the old school way saying "Are you open?" several times until, Bingo! The Barbossa was the place. Now The trick with ordering is you need to secure your table first & remember your official table number and then you are permitted to order food & beverage at the counter. Be sure to not miss this step. Moving on, we chose the pepperoni pizza. Right. Pizza is hot, crust is ok but flavor notes not heavily seasoned just nuanced a bit, but gets the job done. The goat cheese, walnut & beet salad caught my attention on the menu & received nicely prepared with protein optional for an extra charge. I chose the grilled shrimp. (No shrimp on the Barbi jokes) Ginger beer is lively and tasty. So if you are out late and need something to tide you over might I recommend the Barbossa.

Fantastic food and a great atmosphere for a Sunday morning breakfast. The service is amazing, happy…read moresmiling people with an occasional dad joke on the side. They also offer a discount for patrons attending QPAC, just let them know and show your tickets.

I used to walk past this obscure retail space on Musgrave Road in Red Hill every morning and every…read moreafternoon on my way to and from work. It was this indie-looking bottle shop that unfortunately always seemed empty. Then on a recent drive past I noticed the indie-looking bottle shop had closed but there was an alluring 'Craft Coming Soon' sign in the window. Staying true to it's independent bottle shop roots, Tony Harper (wine writer and former-owner of Anise) and his team have refreshed this space to open a bottle shop with a difference. I don't even want to call it a bottle shop for the connotations it promotes. Gone are the standard "could get anywhere" bottles of wine, beer and spirits and instead shelves are adorned with hand-selected brews from Australia and afar with a focus on introducing some of the best natural, organic and biodynamic drinks to Brisbane's palates. I was fortunate enough to meet Tony and sample a few of his favourites during a Christmas degustation tour. We sipped on organic Jean-Paul Perardel champagne, an all natural first drop white wine which we all declared is a wine that can be "all things to all people", and a Natural Selection Red Wine. This red wine was the stand out for me. Not being a red wine drinker I automatically declined a taste of this wine which is touted as "a collaborative experiment in natural winemaking." At the insistance of the group I was with I relented and tried it. I'm glad I did. It was smooth, fresh-tasting and unlike any red wine I've had mainly because it is one I'd drink again. The point to all of the above is, whatever you're looking for the guys at Craft will undoubtably have something for the occasion and in the process will arm you with a world of knowledge about brewing practices, wine making and so much more. It is the kind of "local" that you'd walk in for one thing and come out with many more, yet that's the beauty of it. It isn't a mass-market store and to me, that is a part of its charm. And, if you're like me and geek out over packaging design, their range of wines with beautifully designed labels will give any dinner party host a beautiful gift!

I discovered Cartel Coffee by accident; it was 2.30pm on a Sunday after a night out. I was walking…read moreout of the King George Square bus stop when the thought "I could really do with a coffee right now" popped into my head, then TADA- a "Cartel Coffee 2pm-3pm Flip for free" sign finds itself at my feet. I saw this as a sign and immediately walked up to the counter and ordered a coffee. This conveniently located coffee stall makes surprisingly good coffee. I honestly was not expecting much from it since it is just a coffee stall situated and the prices are so cheap. What I gathered from the posters stuck to the wall, Cartel Coffee will actually roast their own coffee on a weekly basis- no wonder it tasted so fresh and had zero bitter after taste! I find their advertising techniques pretty effective (heck, it worked for me); if you are unfamiliar with the flip for free system it is when you flip a coin and if you are the winner- your drink is free! Sadly, I lost this time around but this concept makes me want to go back there to see if I can win the next time around. With a 50% chance of it being free, why would you go anywhere else?

What a great little coffee cart. This pop up cart sits next to OfficeWorks on Adelaide Street. It's…read morealways there, so you don't have to go hunting around for it. The guy working behind the cart was really chatty and friendly. They have a coffee card for regulars - every 6th coffee is free! If it's your first time visiting Cartel Coffee, they will stamp your card twice, so you're only 3 more coffees away from a free one!

Formally known as the scary sounding "Flaschengeist",…read more Liqurious has transformed itself into a great speciality gift store. Known for it's intriguing combinations, This store offers amazing Liqueurs, spirits, fortified wines, oils and vinegars for you to fill up and take home in whatever size bottle you need. I remember being stumped for good gift idea's for my manly man friend, but after talking to the friendly sales staff I got to take home white port in a bottle that had a GLASS SHIP IN IT. (Needless to say it's so boss it still resides on the kitchen counter.) With liqueurs ranging from mango melon, pineapple, rose, limoncello, cognac and walnut, AND melon (as well as a yummy chocolate vodka.) This place definitely has you spoiled for choice. Now is the season for yuletide giving and If you're stumped for a unique gift idea this place is great alternative to that giftcard you were guiltily thinking of buying.

This is another of those fab little shops that I had largely ignored until one day, when I was…read morehanging in Adelaide Street waiting for a bus, I decided to pop in. And oh, what a place full of delightful, alcoholic things! But first there's the amazing oils (I don't cook, but even I was impressed). I totes wanted the Mandarin Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil to dress some of my Christmas Day salads with. Or perhaps even the Raspberry Caramelised Balsamic Vinegar to dip breads in? Then I realised that I was loitering right beside a huge bottle of chocolate Port. Yes, you read that right. It's Port and it's chocolate flavoured. You can even soak strawbs in it. Then there were the other amazing liquers, just ripe for adding into cocktails: watermelon, rose, mango, macadamia nut). I underestimated you, Liqurious. Respect.

Sometimes I just want to go and peruse the wine section at a bottle shop. Dan Murphy's is the place…read morefor this. Let's face it. When you talk about a chain store, they're all much of a muchness bar for location and service. So let's get the generic Dan Murphy's stuff done quickly. Generic: They have a fantastic range at fantastic prices. Often wine deals where you buy a case and get them cheaper. Great amount of imported liquor. A lot of things you probably hadn't heard of. If you can't find it here you probably won't find it elsewhere. Location: This Dan Murphy's is okay. It's actually attached to the Hamilton Hotel, so you have to park there to get in. Nothing too special, but if you're coming from the city it is a bit annoying to get to because of Kingsford Smith Drive having a lovely centre island between lanes. There is a set of lights right outside from which you can head in or outbound. Service: Nothing stood out but the guy who served was very nice. Had a bit of a chat and a joke and got the job done well. Sometimes that's all you need!

Such a great place to buy Liquor of all kinds. The Wine…read morestaff are often unbelievably knowledgeable & helpful.

When my friend moved from West End to Coorparoo, I had visions of the severe withdrawals she'd be…read morehaving from all things local and organic in West End. Turns out, Coorparoo is pretty well equipped. And if I recall rightly, West End doesn't have an organic butcher. Watch out--Coorparoo could be the next big thing! Allsop and England is a fantastic little butcher and everything in there is organic except the cheerios. Most of their meat comes from an organic grower in Roma and their chicken from an organic free range grower in Murgon, so you can be sure that your meat isn't travelling too far. They not only sell all your regular cuts of meat beef, lamb and pork, but also do a few things out of the ordinary like goat and duck. We bought a whole duck from there the other day and roasted it--amazing. The prices are reasonable, in fact really reasonable considering it's organic. I'd say it's definitely cheaper than buying Coles organic meat, for example. With so few organic butchers around, I would make a special trip just to go to this butcher. In fact, I'd like to make a habit of it.

ORGANIC BUTCHER. What more possibly needs to be said?…read more Eating organic meat has always been far more important to me than eating organic veggies (if you can do both, you get pats on the back). Luckily, today, I'm going to save you from a long winded, morally righteous rant about it. I'll keep to the basics which are said as simply as this: ORGANIC MEAT IS GOOD FOR YOU, THE ANIMAL, AND THE FARMER. SHOP HERE. ALL THE TIME. START TODAY. Allsop and England also like to keep it local too. You'll see the signs proudly exclaiming that they like "to keep it Australian". Most of their meat comes less than 10 hours driving distance away in Queensland, and so, in the grand scheme of things, these guys are really keeping it close to home. They don't really do 'fancy' here. They've got all your classic cuts, and meats, but nothing too over the top or flashy. They don't need to draw you in using tricks. They're local, they're organic. What more do you want? I am ecstatic to report that the prices are no more expensive than what you'd find at Coles or any other non organic butcher. Are you reading this properly? At Allsop and England, you essentially pay less to eat better meat. I hope I've made my point clear. This is your new butcher. It's good for you, your pocket, for the butcher, for the animals, for the farmers that supply the butcher. Feel proud to purchase your flesh goods here.

I've reviewed a different Dan Murphy's before, and I'm going to begin with making a similar point…read more Most of these chain places are the same. Dan Murphy's have good prices. You can get cheap, nice wines, as well as imported alcohols at a reasonable price. I like them. What makes this Dan Murphy's special is that it's next to my favourite Woolies. Yes, yes, it's another chain so it's all the same. But it's not, I swear! You want to make a cocktail and need some extra ingredients? Just pop over next door to Woolies and grab them! Opening hours are pretty stock standard for Dan Murphy's but are still good. From 9am every day, to 8pm Mon-Wed, to 9pm Thur-Sat and until 7pm on Sunday. Have a gander. They have a huge range and good prices.

Out at Skygate, this Dan Murphy's is located near the 24 hour Woolworths, but sadly isn't open 24…read morehours. That said, the hours are better than most bottle shops in the suburbs, so it's still handy if you need to nip out late for a bottle of something. It's not the biggest Dan Murphy's I've been in, but it's certainly big enough, with a great range. If you live in the area and need a decent bottle shop to visit, this might be the place for you.

I came to Brewhouse with a friend who was born "down under"; he's trying to help me cultivate a…read moretaste for cricket. We wanted a dinner venue where we could catch up over a few cocktails, enjoy a good meal and catch a cricket match. Arriving around 7pm, the place was very quiet; the host said we could sit at whatever table we liked; he expected that it would get a lot busier as the night went on. Being somewhat tired of burgers and chips for dinner, my friend and I both totally loved the food here; everything is exceptional, and the menu has a nice, broad selection; it's easy to find a dish you'll like. Tip: Over and above some outstanding food, they have an excellent selection of locally brewed craft ales - just the ticket to enjoy while watching some cricket ;-)

The Brewhouse is currently my fave spot for lunch in Brisbane. Unfortunately it is a little out of…read morethe way for me, so I don't get here anywhere near as much as I'd like. For me, the $15 steak special is unbeatable, while my partner swears by the haloumi salad. So far everything we've tried on the menu has been well above average and the prices are always fantastic. The selection of beers on tap is impressive indeed. As I am usually designated driver, I stick to the Brisbane Pale Ale, which is by far the tastiest light beer I've sampled. They also have cider on tap. The average price for a pot is $4. On a recent visit my mate could not believe the value for money on offer. The Brewhouse has ample seating out back, along with an outdoor section. I'd avoid the Sports Bar. Service can be a little slow at times, but I'm usually very happy to sit back and relax with my beer. There is a handy car park in the rear. Street parking is almost impossible, unless you don't mind a walk.