Agnes Restaurant Review

Award winning seasonal wood fired dining in an industrial setting in Brisbane’s popular Fortitude Valley.

The Brisbane Travel Guide acknowledges the Turrbal people, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Agnes Restaurant is located. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging, and recognise their continued spiritual and cultural connections to Country.  Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.

It seems everyone who is anyone is talking about Agnes Restaurant these days. And really I’m not surprised.

Firstly, in 2023, Agnes was voted Australian Restaurant of the Year by Gourmet Traveller. And then, recently, it got a special mention by the New York Times as the place to eat in Brisbane.

So I thought it was about time I checked it out, and I’m pleased to say it did not disappoint! 

We were paying customers at Agnes, so you can rest assured that our review is 100% unbiased.

This post may contain compensated links.  Please refer to our disclaimer here for more information.

About Agnes

Opening in 2020, Agnes is led by head chef and co owner Ben Williamson (previously from Gerard’s Bistro).

From the outside, you’d hardly know an award-winning restaurant is behind the facade of the old heritage-listed building. But inside, you’ll find 3 floors, with a cozy walk-in 20-seater wine bar on the ground floor and a tiny small walk-in rooftop bar and terrace offering fantastic city views.

The second floor, the floor you enter on, is where the action is. Here, you’ll find an open kitchen featuring multiple woodfire pits. You won’t find any gas or electricity at this restaurant, as all the food is cooked on an open fire.

The vibe

Housed in a converted industrial brick warehouse, Agnes has an interior deliberately kept dark. Minimal lighting, black ceilings and black furnishings encourage a moody, hearth like feel. The dimmed, low-hanging lights encourage a real focus on the table, accentuating the beautiful dishes when they arrive.

The main dining room on the second floor is a little more noisy, but considered prime position thanks to its fantastic views of the open kitchen. The downstairs wine bar is super snug, with an incredibly intimate, cozy feel, making it a fabulous location to dine with that special someone.

Menu

Be prepared for a taste and smell sensory explosion! The food is all the more impressive when considering that no electricity is used in the kitchen. 

The locally sourced menus change according to seasonal availability, so I recommend checking their current online menu when booking.

Snacks and starters

There are plenty of snacks and starterm, ranging from $7to- $45.

Options included whipped roe served with smoked tomato, nectarine and milk toast or sourdough crumpet accompanied by Yellowfin tuna, crème fraîche and caviar,r as well as Coral trout crudo with burnt cucumber, green chilli and or tasty Tiger prawns served with fermented chilli butter.  

Our waitress recommended we order 2-4 dishes from the snacks and starters, 1 main and 1 side dish – which we found very sound advice.

We ordered sourdough with the smoked cultured butter – divine! I could have eaten that butter on its own, it was so good. The sourdough comes as a huge chunk of bread, though, and we could have easily shared one slice rather than ordering one each.

We also shared one serving of Bay of Fires cheddar gougère, eggplant, with smoked sesame, green olive and walnut and the wagyu tri-tip with miso hollandaise and white onion.

All dishes were incredible, but unless you’re not planning on eating a main dish – I’d recommend just 2 (3 at the most) snacks and starters between two people as we were pretty much done at this point.

Mains and sides

The main course options are a little limited; there are only 5 choices.

Prices range from $70 – $10,8 with a splurge option of Westholme wagyu shortloin at $320. Crowd favourites include wood roasted duck served with smoked cherries, radicchio and rosemary or the delicious Murray cod served with fennel seed cream, orange and pine nuts.

At the recommendation of our waitres,s we ordered just one main – but as mentioned above – we would have quite happily walked away satisfied at this point.

Our choice for the main course was the Bangalow pork tomahawk with tomato and date chutney which was absolutely divine! And for a side, we just couldn’t pass up the new potatoes with caper and mustard vinaigrette and fine herbs.

While we might have considered it to be looked down upon asking for a doggy bag for the leftovers – we needn’t have been concerned as our waitress offered to pack up the leftovers before we even had the chance to ask, which was a relief as there was so much leftover (and it was amazing the second day).

Dessert

There is a good choice of dessert,s and prices vary between $14and- $38. Options included a cheese selection, caramelised pineapple with rum raisin cake and a lighter than air Valrhona chocolate mousse. 

As you’ve probably guessed, we passed up dessert, which was a real shame as from gazing across the room at what other diners were enjoying, they looked delectable!

Drinks

The extensive drinks list includes cocktails with a wood fired element and a large selection of wines from around the world.

You should be able to find something you like in the 1,400 bottles available!

If you can’t decide, the resident sommelier will happily recommend a wine to pair with your food order. 

Bookings

Agnes is one popular place, with prime dining times being snapped up months in advance!

We booked a few weeks ahead and only managed to get a table in the Wine Bar at 8.15 pm.

Tables in front of the open kitchen are the prime spots – so if you want to eat here AND at a reasonable time, then be prepared to book well in advance or be willing to compromise on the location and time you dine.

Verdict

As I said in the intro, everyone who is anyone is talking about Agnes, and now I see it’s for good reason.

For those after fine dining cuisine in a more casual and welcoming venue. The food is incredible and the service second to none, and I just loved the moody intimate feel inside the old warehouse.

If you haven’t tried Agnes, don’t delay in making that booking. I suspect that, having been named restaurant of the year in 2023 and now mentioned by the New York Times as the place to eat in Brisbane, Anges is going to remain busy for quite some time to come.