Top 5 Private Dining Rooms in Brisbane for Roundtables
4 minute read.
Everyone’s favourite big country town is booming, why now?
My theory is that the 40,000+ people that have moved from Sydney and Melbourne in the past 18 months actually want to stay out past 7pm, so more than 12 restaurants can survive up there now.
I’m kidding… but not really.
I’m from Brisbane (so I’m allowed to rag on it) and spent last week in the land of XXXX. I spent a morning whizzing around the city on a Lime Scooter to check out the best private dining rooms the east-coast underdog has to offer.
Check out my guide below in order of a a very scientific “how much I wish I could go to a Roundtable there” metric.
Walter’s Steakhouse
A relatively new venue (3 years) and located just past Eagle Street Pier (which you could say is Brisbane’s Circular Quay) Walter’s brings old-school class to the Queensland capital.
Walter’s boasts New York Steakhouse energy juxtaposed by the 3m high windows that look over the Botanic Gardens & drench the space in natural light. Of the 2 private spaces, one enjoys these windows while the other is decked out with an old-world bookcase that would look at home in The Harvard Club.
10/10 would have lunch with the Godfather here.
The Stats:
PDR Capacity: 20 on one table
Cuisine: Steakhouse-style
Location: CBD
Pros: Ambience, service, desirability
Alchemy Restaurant
As iconic as the Brown Snake itself, Alchemy Restaurant is a staple in the Brisbane dining scene and probably has the most versatile private dining space in Australia.
Alchemy is located just north of Eagle Street Pier and looks out over the Story Bridge, but more importantly the iconic Brisbane Jazz Club.
With space indoors for up to 40 guests total, the PDR includes an outdoor terrace which is perfect for pre-lunch drinks & soaking in the river breeze.
The Stats:
PDR Capacity: 22 on one table
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Location: CBD
Pros: Versatile space, location, views, safe bet
Blackbird Bar & Grill
Despite having frequented Brisbane’s most iconic riverside watering hole as a youngster I couldn’t remember that much about it… for no specific reason.
Blackbird remains an unchanged staple of Eagle Street Pier, beckoning the concrete cowboys to walk their new RM Williams up the iconic steps to the happy hour promised land.
But, take a hard left at the top instead and you’ll head into the iconic restaurant that’s been around since 2014.
A bonafide staple, Blackbird is a safe-bet crowd-pleaser I’d equate to Rockpool in Sydney, as far as business lunches go.
The Stats:
PDR Capacity: 24 on one table
Cuisine: Grill-Style Modern Australian
Location: CBD
Pros: Location, reputation, safe bet
Otto Ristorante
Residing where Stokehouse used to proudly perch on the riverbed at Southbank, Otto Brisbane brings north all the elements that make the beloved Sydney restaurant so great.
With the same management, similar menus, stunning views and striking architecture, Otto is a quintessential Brisbane dining experience.
Having opened in 2021, the restaurant boasts a stunning private room upstairs called Sopra.
The Stats:
PDR Capacity: 24 on one table
Cuisine: Italian, seafood-focused
Location: Southbank
Pros: Hot venue, food, service
Donna Chang
A bit of a wild-card, however we simply couldn’t overlook anywhere that’s name is a Seinfeld reference- after all my dog is named “Lainey”.
Donna Chang is relatively new to the scene (2018) and sits in a gorgeous 1920’s-era bank in the heart of the CBD. It’s attached to the Adina (but not managed by, don’t worry) and boasts mouth-watering banquet-style Chinese.
The only consideration here is food-coma avoidance, so make sure you get all the important information out before mains.
The Stats:
PDR Capacity: 18 on one table
Cuisine: Chinese
Location: CBD
Pros: Hot venue, great food, unique ambience
Obviously you could go through the painfully tedious process of booking these restaurants and getting everyone to the event yourself - OR you could just let us do it for you and take the credit (we’re ok with that).
Check out my guides for Sydney and Melbourne.
Still here? Use this as an excuse to zone out during whatever Zoom meeting you’re on and appreciate some vintage TV gold.
