Food & Wine in
Queensland, Australia

Queensland's Culinary Moment Has Arrived

Something remarkable is happening to Queensland's food and wine scene. With the 2032 Brisbane Olympics drawing the world's attention, interstate restaurateurs and chefs are flooding the Sunshine State in numbers not seen since the 1980s. Condé Nast named Supernormal Brisbane one of the best new restaurants in the world in 2025. Gourmet Traveller handed its Queensland State Winner to the sublime Essa. The Scenic Rim farm-to-table movement has placed regional producers on national menus. And the Granite Belt — Queensland's cool-climate wine heartland — is producing Shiraz, Chardonnay, and alternative Italian varietals that are turning heads at wine shows across Australia.

This guide covers every element of Queensland food and wine travel — from Granite Belt cellar doors and Gold Coast hinterland wineries, to Brisbane's extraordinary dining boom, Noosa's produce-led coastal cuisine, tropical seafood experiences, and the food festivals that bring the state's culinary identity to life every year.

Queensland Wine — The Granite Belt & Beyond

Queensland has two officially recognised wine regions — the Granite Belt and the South Burnett — and over 86 wineries spread across the state. The Granite Belt, centred around Stanthorpe and Ballandean in the Southern Downs, is Australia's highest wine-growing region — with vineyards planted between 700 and 1,000 metres above sea level on the Great Dividing Range. This altitude creates a cool microclimate utterly unlike the rest of subtropical Queensland, enabling the production of wines that stand comfortably alongside those from the Barossa, Eden Valley, and Margaret River.

Best Queensland Wineries to Visit

Brisbane's Restaurant Revolution — 2026 & Beyond

Brisbane's dining scene is undergoing a transformation without precedent. With the 2032 Olympics on the horizon, big-name interstate chefs and groups are racing to establish a presence in the Queensland capital — and the result is a dining boom that has elevated Brisbane from a city with good food to one with world-class food. Queen's Wharf, Fish Lane, Fortitude Valley, and Newstead are all humming with extraordinary new venues, while heritage precincts like West End and South Bank continue to deliver Brisbane's most characterful dining.

Brisbane's Table is Set for the World

Queensland's dining scene is booming ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics — the most exciting food city in Australia right now

Noosa — Australia's Farm-to-Table Capital

Noosa has quietly established itself as one of Australia's most compelling food destinations — a coastal town with the culinary ambition of a capital city and the produce access of a farming region. The Noosa Hinterland and the broader Sunshine Coast region supplies extraordinary ingredients: Bangalow pork, Shark Bay scallops, Ten Acres sourdough, Falls Farm vegetables, and some of Australia's finest macadamia nuts. The result is a dining scene that travels from destination to destination with remarkable ease.

Cibaria Noosa, Alessandro Pavoni's first interstate expansion, opened at Elysium Noosa on Hastings Street in 2025, bringing scallop crudo with finger lime and truffled risotto to the beachfront. Meanwhile The Long Apron at Montville, perched in the Blackall Range hinterland, has long been the Sunshine Coast's most celebrated fine dining experience — a French-leaning degustation menu in a distinctly Queensland setting.

Queensland's Signature Ingredients

Queensland's extraordinary geography — from tropical north to cool-climate south — creates one of the most diverse agricultural landscapes in Australia. These are the ingredients that define Queensland food culture and appear on the state's finest menus.

Gold Coast Food Scene — Beach Glamour Meets Culinary Substance

The Gold Coast has long been associated with beachfront cafés and tourist-strip dining — but the city's food scene has matured considerably in recent years. Rick Shores at Burleigh Heads remains one of Australia's most celebrated beachfront dining experiences, celebrated for paperbark-smoked duck and Moreton Bay bug bánh mì on its alfresco deck. The team's newest venture, Marlowe at Fish Lane Brisbane, has brought the same touch to the capital.

The Gold Coast Hinterland's Albert River Wines, housed in a historic Queenslander that was home to three Queensland premiers, serves a modern Australian menu with Mediterranean and Japanese influences alongside estate cellar door tastings. Sarabah Estate Vineyard, nestled in a pretty valley near Canungra, offers Euro-chalet dining and Granite Belt-sourced wines in one of the Scenic Rim's most romantic settings.

Scenic Rim & Hinterland — Destination Dining Country

Southeast Queensland's regional dining scene has quietly become one of Australia's most exciting — chefs are trading city skylines for rolling hills, working directly with local farmers, fishers, and growers to create menus shaped by the seasons. These restaurants — all within a scenic two-hour drive of Brisbane or the Gold Coast — represent Queensland's most distinctive food experiences.

Queensland Food & Wine Festivals — 2026 Calendar

Queensland's calendar of culinary events spans everything from intimate Granite Belt harvest celebrations to the Noosa Food & Wine Festival — one of Australia's most beloved coastal gastronomy events. Plan your visit around these key dates to experience Queensland's food culture at its most festive.

Queensland Food & Wine Travel Tips

• 1Book Granite Belt cellar doors in advance for weekends and during the April–June winter season — many boutique wineries operate limited hours and fill quickly during cool-weather touring season.
• 2Autumn (March–May) is the best time to visit Granite Belt wineries — harvest season brings the region to life with crushing activities, cellar door events, and the region's famous golden and crimson deciduous tree displays.
• 3For Brisbane dining, book top restaurants (especially Essa, Supernormal, Donna Chang, Golden Avenue) 2–4 weeks ahead. Weekend dinner reservations at peak venues can book out in days.
• 4Always ask about matching wine flights at Granite Belt cellar doors — most offer 5–8 wine flights for $15–30, often including cheese and charcuterie pairings that dramatically enhance the tasting experience.
• 5The Noosa Food & Wine Festival (May) sells out extremely fast. Register for the mailing list in January and have your credit card ready at 9am on the morning tickets go on sale.
• 6For the most authentic tropical Queensland seafood experience, visit the Cairns Esplanade Night Markets or Marlin Marina fish markets early morning for barramundi, coral trout, and reef prawns caught the same day.
• 7Sirromet Winery offers helicopter arrival from Brisbane — a spectacular 15-minute flight over Moreton Bay and Mount Cotton that turns a winery visit into an unforgettable full-day event.
• 8Designated driver arrangements are standard for Granite Belt touring. Cooee Tours' wine tour packages include door-to-door coach transfers so every member of the group can taste freely.

Frequently Asked Questions