Brisbane's new small bars

Do you know where to find Super Whatnot, Scratch, Cabiria or The End?

Read my story in the latest Brisbane Where Magazine to discover all the latest cool bars and surprise your friends by suggesting some new drinking spots.




Over propping up hotel bars where you can’t hold a conversation over the roar of the television?

Head off to one of the new breed of small bars which have sprung up all over Brisbane, some in the most unlikely places.

Here you’ll find friendly, attentive service, often from the owners, an interesting, sometimes eclectic selection of beverages and small but suitable food menus.

If beer is your thing you’ll be happy to pull up a chair at any of Brisbane’s small beer beers including new comers Scratch at Milton and Bitter Suite at New Farm, or more established Archive at West End. Discover new and unusual beers from small craft brewers with a selection on tap, explore beer and food matching and join their trivia nights.

You’ll feel the wind blowing through your hair at Lime’sRooftop Bar, which not so strangely is located on the rooftop of the small Limes Hotel in Fortitude Valley.  There’s also an open air cinema which shows classic movies.

Hip Brissy cafe Brew in Burnett Lane, which is known for its great coffee and oh-so-cool aesthetic also turns into a bar at night. Don’t let the dishevelled exterior of Super Whatnot located on the other side of Burnett Lane, fool you as this New York cool inner city bar offers craft beer, gourmet snacks and an eclectic sound track.

West End West End's newest slick little bar, The End, is located next to Rabbit Hole Ideation Café in Vulture Street. 

In the western suburbs Cabiria at The Barracks, Petrie Terrace is a small bar with a focus on freshly shucked oysters and European wines with many available in 120ml pours.

Down the road in Paddington, The Lark specialises in tapas and original cocktails.  Check out the cosy upstairs seating area or enjoy a drink in the cool courtyard.

A little further from the city in suburban Ashgrove, JunkBar’s beaded curtain entry hides an interior filled with 1970s finds complete with hunting trophies on the walls. The food menu is small but includes bagels, mixed food plates and fish’n chips.

Just opposite the Gabba, tucked away at the start of Logan Road, two small bars, Canvas and Pearl Café’s upstairs bar are a welcome addition.  Award winning Canvas has everything from comfy armchairs to booth seating and a cocktail list that’s worth working your way through.

Some of the latest additions to the bar scene are attached to recently opened restaurants in South Bank’s River Quay.  Located right on the river almost under the Goodwill Bridge, the river bank sweep includes a relaxed bar at Cove and an over the water bar at Stokehouse.  Both are places to be seen for lunch and for relaxing drinks well into the evening.

Don’t forget these are small bars so if your heart is set on a particular destination it’s wise to call ahead and book if possible.

Most of all, explore and enjoy!