Source : the age
It’s Queensland Day on June 6. Did you know?
We certainly did, given the enthusiasm emanating from the Department of the Premier and Cabinet over the past few weeks.
Mostly it was about All the Best. This lighthearted bit of boosterism’s stated intention is to shine a light on Queensland’s best food, beverage, beaches, florists, banh mi and whatever else, but really, it’s a two-month popularity contest.
For the businesses it’s aiming to celebrate, if you mobilised your social media following, you were a good chance of nabbing at least a place.
But that doesn’t mean the 75,000 unique votes didn’t spotlight some gold in Brisbane and its surrounds.
Take cafes and bakeries. Cafes winner, Farmhouse in Kedron, opened in 2017 in part as a tribute to Farmer Joe’s, the much-loved produce store and community hub that had closed in the same space in 2009. But it’s grown into something much more than that – particularly in its post-pandemic years. It’s one of the best full-service cafes on the northside.
If I’m road tripping on the weekend, I’ll use any excuse to swing past bakeries winner The Baker’s Duck in Toowoomba, an icon in that city on the back of its precisely baked pastries, flaky pies and killer sourdough. It changed owner in 2023 but is as excellent as ever.
All the banh mi entries are legit. Banh Mi Factory is perhaps better known these days for its Austin Street outlet in Newstead, but it was the Zillmere original (if you don’t count its market origins) that was announced the winner for 2026. They’re cracking buns either way.
In second place, Darra Takeaway on Railway Parade perhaps rivals neighbouring icon Scotts Road Takeaway as the best on the strip, while Hello Please’s Maris Cook and Jesse Stevens are card-carrying fans of third placegetter My Street Food in Woolloongabba.
The butcher run-off was the subject of a friendly “ButcherTok” battle between Rode Meats in Stafford Heights and The Bellmere Butcher in the suburb of the same name.
They ended up placing first and second respectively, with Rode Meats a favourite among northside barbecue tragics.
For burgers, Just Poppy’s is an absolute classic out at Goodna, having moved on from Riverhills last year. It’s neat to see an old-school Australian-style burger (there are actually 69 of them on the menu) take out second place.
Third placed, Mr Jeebus (formerly Benz on Miller) in Tingalpa was still one of the better American-style burgers around town, last time I checked.
It’s pleasing that brewpubs are allowed in on the pub action – in this state, they’ve become the default for local boozers after most of our originals fell under the spell of gaming revenue.
For my money, though, third-placed Slipstream would edge out winner Landers Pocket, which, while great, is a bit more of a destination or occasion spot.
Of the pizza placegetters, third-placed Julius on Fish Lane is a stone-cold classic; it would be in my running for best pizza in Brisbane (its pasta is killer too).
I haven’t visited winner Munja Pizza in Wynnum or second-placed Proper Pizza Cafe and Bar in Jindalee, but Munja gets co-signs from enough reliable sources that it has me thinking it’s more than just local bias.
Among the ice cream shops, Gelato Messina is always a vibe, even if there’s a stack of brilliant alternatives around town: La Macelleria, Anita, Nom Nom and Milani Minus Eight Degrees, to name a few.
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Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.
