James Street newcomer Mosconi brings a slice of Europe to Fortitude Valley, with its cosy setting, Portuguese-style interiors, and food made with love. It’s like Nonna’s kitchen taken up a notch, with timeless tapas-style snacks and heartier fare like the linguini with blue swimmer crab, and potato gnocchi with Italian sausage, radicchio, cauliflower and walnut.

Bistro dining doesn’t get much better than Nota. Shortened from ‘familiar kitchen’ in Latin, Nota makes familiar, soulful fare paramount. Pick the Chef’s Feast and you’ll sample the best on offer, from pork belly with Asian slaw, to Brisbane Valley quail with sweet corn polenta. We love the toasted house marshmallow and sorbet for dessert.

Housed in an old brick warehouse in Fortitude Valley, Agnes reinterprets modern Australian cooking in an alluring way. Start with malted sourdough with smoked cultured butter and swordfish with grilled fennel, horseradish cream and soy, before diving into wood-roasted duck with blood plum, witlof, rosemary oil or dry aged heritage pork with hazelnut cream, wood-roasted grapes and verjus. The menu is cooked entirely over fire – no electricity, no gas – and the variety of locally sourced woods in the fire give the flavours a uniquely Australian spin.

A Jonathan Barthelmess venu is always a hit and Yoko Dining on Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves is the most recent example. A reinvented version of the traditional Japanese izakaya, Yoko marries pop-infused fun and flavour with sophisticated cuisine. Don’t miss the miso-glazed eggplant or kingfish with goma and cucumber.

Stanley is one of Brisbane’s hottest restaurants, and with Louis Tikaram at the helm it’s easy to understand why. Highly sophisticated, elegantly plated, and packed full of modern Cantonese flavours, Stanley is a Brisbane staple. Don’t miss the Peking duck pancakes with cucumber, leek and hoisin, or the salt-and-pepper Moreton Bay bugs with fresh chilli and coriander.

On the fringe of the Exhibition Precinct in Brisbane’s Bowen Hills, Maeve is the perfect spot to meet, before or after you catch a cultural moment. Pop by for a glass of vino at the wine bar, or make a night of it in the dining room, where you can sample dishes hand-plucked from Europe, from chicken liver parfait to burrata with blistered grapes and aged Pedro Ximenez balsamic.

Fresh produce and stunning interiors is the name of the game at Hellenika at the Calile, a modern Greek restaurant on James Street. Pick a selection of share plates from the salads, mezedes, larger plates, and fresh fish menus, then sit back and relax into the poolside setting.

Super Whatnot is the fun, city-based wine bar Brisbanites have been waiting for, specialising in interesting wines, tasty beers, and beautifully crafted cocktails. Choose a selection of snacks from the Morsels menu, including ceviche, coxinha and quesadilla, and enjoy the set from local DJs.

La Lune Wine Co is a full sensory experience, with every step of the journey curated to perfection. Stylish, social and interactive, each dish has been designed to pair perfectly with a certain style of wine – be it charcuterie or taleggio risotto. High-quality ingredients are paramount, which shines through with every bite and sip.

At Corbett & Claude they believe that life is better shared, and what better way to kick this off than with mouthwatering pizza. Dubbed ‘the original meeting destination,’ Corbett & Claude makes date night easy, with its gorgeous setting, trustworthy menu, and tasty tipples. Stick with the classics like margherita or quatro fromaggi, or try something new like the mushroom and Persian feta.