Pasta La Vista! Eat Up At Brisbane’s Best Italian Restaurants

Masters of some of the best Italian in Brisbane, Biànca has been showered with well-deserved praise since its opening last year. A focus on honouring the classics with a nod to Aussie produce, slink into the suave James Street venue and indulge in house-made pasta and bread with Italian-sourced wines to pair. Made to share, indulge your way down the antipasti menu with mouth-watering buffalo mozzarella panzanella salad, cantabrian anchovies, and a serving of calamari fritti before getting to the mains. From the metallic meat slicers at the bar to the open style kitchen, there’s thought out theatre behind every step. Go on, unbutton your jeans and order the spanner crab linguine (this may just be our last meal request) or the rigatoni with pork shoulder ragu, prosciutto and green olives. This Italian trattoria has embraced restaurant-style practices in the perfect blend of casual dining with an effervescent atmosphere, and we simply can’t get enough!

What began as an intimate wine bar has newly transformed into a full-scale restaurant with a whole lot of Italian love behind it. Rosmarino Ristorante is tucked off McLachlan Street in Fortitude Valley, bursting with character and personality aplenty. With a rustic outdoor courtyard filled with foliage, a wine cellar to be admired, and an interior of exposed brick and feature walls, this building is rich in history since 1898. Head Chef Dario Manca has transformed his obsession with bread, flavours and Italian eats into a menu bursting with à la carte picks and degustation delights. With specialties of pan rendered, seven-day aged Maremma duck breast, and Moreton bay bugs spaghetti, lose yourself in this mastery of Italian cuisine.

Aperitivo is our fave way to while away the hours, and you can experience this Italian way of dining at Fortitude Valley’s La Costa Restaurant. Whether it’s a traditional spritz topped with an orange slice and Sicilian olives, a glass of Veneto Rosé, or a cocktail that packs a punch, a drink before eating is how the Italians do it – when in Rome! La Costa is a tribute to coastal Italy with their seafoam-green, white décor, and European oak table tops. Celebrating the ocean first and foremost, they’ve got us looking to the sea with their paccheri served with Moreton bay bug and prawns and chilli prawn pizza. xFollowed closely by their range of local meats, cheeses and legumes, they’re well and truly paying homage to all things green, white, and red. Grab the gang and celebrate day or night, Riviera style.

Your carb-loaded dreams will come true at Ripiena, Fortitude Valley’s very own pasta laboratory. Head Chef Nicolo Campagnari began his love affair with Italian food as a boy working at his family’s tavern in Verona, before moving to Australia and opening Ripiena with his wife in 2018. The venue combines a wholesale pasta kitchen and dine-in section, where patrons can enjoy batches of freshly made pasta, prepared in-house by a team of specially trained pasta chefs. Mixing, kneading, sheeting, folding, drying, storing ­– everything you eat is authentic, keeping to tradition with provincial Italian pasta. Embrace a carb overload meal and pick up 100g of Brisbane’s best prosciutto to-go! 

Since opening its doors in 2010, this Italian dining spot has made its mark on the foodie scene as one of the finest. Located in the hub of Fortitude Valley, Tartufo transports diners to the 1920s with its décor: leather booths, tiled floors, and art-deco detailing create an alluring space where diners can enjoy exquisite Italian cuisine and old-fashioned hospitality. From an indulgent eight-course degustazione to a true Neapolitan pizza, these ingredients have either been made in-house, carefully sourced, or grown with local producers, especially for Tartufo. Psst, you can even find a few of owner Tony Percuoco’s secret recipes on their website to try at home!

For authentic Italian served with flair, take yourself on a trip to Toscano, where the atmosphere is equally as delightful as the food. Located in the basement of a century-old warehouse near the City Botanic Gardens, this modern Italian cocktail bar exudes an elegant ambience with its glowing neon signage proclaiming, ‘good food, good wine, good friends, good times’, all while slinging traditional and modern cocktails across its mosaic tiled back-lit bar. Not a cocktail fan? Take your pick from their premium wine selection. Plating up Neoplitan-inspired dishes, expect entrees like potato croquettes with Scamorza cheese, cured meat, and honey mustard. For the main affair, say ciao to plates of Nonna’s meatballs or a Wagyu bresaola with rocket and shaved Parmesan panuozzo. Come hungry, leave 100% satisfied.

You could be forgiven for thinking you’d found yourself in the streets of Rome when you book a table at Mosconi. This hidden two-level wine bar and restaurant will cure those hunger and travel pangs all at once. This divine Italian eatery offers a small handful of tables placed on the footpath outside, making it a romantic place to stop for a wine and bite. With small plates of mixed olives, Pacific oysters with lime caviar, and scallops, to heartier meals like the linguini with Mooloolaba prawn, fermented chilli, zucchini, and lemon pangrattato, say ‘salute’ to a meal to remember.

Nothing says “I love you” quite like creamy burrata, ice-cold Aperols, and velvety tiramisu. At Ciao Papi, nestled at the end of Howard Smith Wharves, romance is always on the menu alongside la dolce vita. This effortlessly stylish riverside spot is perfect for intimate dinners, slow lunches, or sparkling sunset nibbles that turn into late-night feasts. Share plates of pillowy gnocchi, al dente pasta, wood-fired pizzas, fresh seafood, and bright salads – all served with a refreshing river breeze. And when it’s time for dessert, grab two spoons to dive into their spongy tiramisu or house-made gelato. Ciao Papi is the ultimate setting to woo, indulge, and celebrate love. Bellissimo! 

No surprises here – Bar Pacino’s Italian-inspired menu is just as iconic as its riverside views. Think classics with a modern twist: loaded pastas, woodfired pizzas, and share plates that are perfect for grazing. It’s the kind of place where carbs are always the right call, and the cocktail list is every bit as irresistible. From long lunches with a side of sunshine to date night feasts and post-work pasta cravings, Bar Pacino delivers bold, comforting Italian flavours that hit the spot every time. One bite in and you’ll be planning your next visit before the plates are cleared.