We get it. You’ve had a long week, and you need a drink. Or five. You want to get dressed up, but not too dressed up. You want to mingle, but not be caught in a throng of fresh-faced eighteen year olds. You want to enjoy a good chat and not be deafened by the doof doof music screaming out of every speaker. Well have we got the solution for you!
Suburban bars are popping up all over Brisbane, and provide the perfectly chilled vibes you need to enjoy your drink (and you can park your car overnight without fear of a hefty city fine, winning!).
That Little Place | Mt Gravatt East
Cheese boards? Check. All Australian wines? Check. Live music on a Saturday night? Check! That Little Place has it all going on every Friday and Saturday night, and if you’re feeling more hungry than peckish after a few drinks, you can even BYO food from one of the local takeaways. Grab a pizza from next door and enjoy the uber chilled atmosphere, ice cold craft beer or wine in hand.
The Stables | Ascot
Fittingly named for it’s location on Racecourse Road, The Stables not only pours craft beers from boutique brewers you’ve probably never heard of, but they also have a whinny-ing grazing menu. With chipotle pulled pork nachos, Szechuan peppered squid and freshly cooked prawns up for grabs, quit horsing around and get in there!
The Junk Bar | Ashgrove
If you haven’t heard about Junk Bar and their cocktails yet, you’ve clearly settled into suburban life just a little TOO much. Get out of the house, get yourself into one of their vintage couches under the moose head and order yourself a drink. They’ve even got a secret lounge to hunt down – but maybe do that before you have too many wines.
Too Zero Bar | Stafford
The view of the French countryside painted on the wall might not be real, but the list of boutique wines, spirits and liqueurs sure is. The perfect place for a first date, friendly catch up or all out drinking session, they’ve also got some pretty delish drinking food, from fat duck pancakes to mac ‘n’ cheese balls with bacon jam
The Oxford Tap House | Bulimba
To really feel like you’re drinking in Queensland, take a seat on The Oxford Tap House’s wrap-around verandah, get your hands on an ice cold craft brew or a jug of Pimms and enjoy the breeze. Don’t let the brews get the better of you though, not when there’s crispy cheddar croquettes and white wine and garlic mussels to tuck into.
Canvas | Woolloongabba
If it’s good food as well as good drinks you’re after, head straight to Canvas and order yourself a whole line up of tapas – as well as plenty of crafty cocktails to match, of course. The best part of their menu though, is dessert, with some sweet treats that are almost as boozy as the cocktails.
All Inn Brewing Co. | Banyo
Hosting food trucks every weekend, live music every Saturday night and a new beer of the month every new moon, you’ll get all in at this hopping joint. The All Inn beers are full flavoured ales that are free from additives, unfiltered and unpasteurised. Does that mean you won’t have a hangover the next day? We’re not sure, but we’re willing to find out.
Fitz + Potts | Nundah
Dive bar meets Grandma’s lounge room, Fitz + Potts packs more community vibes into their rooftop bar than you’ll find in the whole Valley. Find a spot amongst the macramé and 70s wallpaper and order one of the daily beers on tap or the classic cocktails on the board. Espresso martinis in the ‘burbs? Why would you bother trippin’ to the city?
Sailor & Walrus | Manly
Relaxed, quirky and more than a little bit nautical, Sailor and Walrus will have you walking home like a drunken sailor after indulging in one too many sips from their long wine list. Nibble on cured meats and Spanish preserves while you attempt to drink your way through the list – but when the ground starts rolling, it’s probably time to go home.
The Retro Bar | Kenmore
Remember vinyl? And lava lamps? And cosmopolitans? The Retro Bar does, and you’ll either remember the 70s or wish you did when you walk into their dimly lit bar. For us, it’s their Toblerone tangos that take us back to being 18 again – though we’re not sure we could drink 3 of them any more.
Gypsies Wagon | Gaythorne
If there’s one thing we love more than drinking in the suburbs, it’s tucking into a juicy burger in the suburbs, and The Gypsies Wagon crew know how to do both. While you sit down to an epic battle over a classic board game in their mismatched lounges, tuck into big pile of chilli loaded fries and sip on a whiskey sour.
Bet you know your reply to that ‘so what are we doing this weekend’ text now. Drinks and chill, friends, drinks and chill.
Words by Rebecca Grady
Canvas | Woolloongabba
If it’s good food as well as good drinks you’re after, head straight to Canvas and order yourself a whole line up of tapas – as well as plenty of crafty cocktails to match, of course. The best part of their menu though, is dessert, with some sweet treats that are almost as boozy as the cocktails.
All Inn Brewing Co. | Banyo
Hosting food trucks every weekend, live music every Saturday night and a new beer of the month every new moon, you’ll get all in at this hopping joint. The All Inn beers are full flavoured ales that are free from additives, unfiltered and unpasteurised. Does that mean you won’t have a hangover the next day? We’re not sure, but we’re willing to find out.
Fitz + Potts | Nundah
Dive bar meets Grandma’s lounge room, Fitz + Potts packs more community vibes into their rooftop bar than you’ll find in the whole Valley. Find a spot amongst the macramé and 70s wallpaper and order one of the daily beers on tap or the classic cocktails on the board. Espresso martinis in the ‘burbs? Why would you bother trippin’ to the city?
Sailor & Walrus | Manly
Relaxed, quirky and more than a little bit nautical, Sailor and Walrus will have you walking home like a drunken sailor after indulging in one too many sips from their long wine list. Nibble on cured meats and Spanish preserves while you attempt to drink your way through the list – but when the ground starts rolling, it’s probably time to go home.
The Retro Bar | Kenmore
Remember vinyl? And lava lamps? And cosmopolitans? The Retro Bar does, and you’ll either remember the 70s or wish you did when you walk into their dimly lit bar. For us, it’s their Toblerone tangos that take us back to being 18 again – though we’re not sure we could drink 3 of them any more.
Gypsies Wagon | Gaythorne
If there’s one thing we love more than drinking in the suburbs, it’s tucking into a juicy burger in the suburbs, and The Gypsies Wagon crew know how to do both. While you sit down to an epic battle over a classic board game in their mismatched lounges, tuck into big pile of chilli loaded fries and sip on a whiskey sour.
Bet you know your reply to that ‘so what are we doing this weekend’ text now. Drinks and chill, friends, drinks and chill.
Words by Rebecca Grady
