Agnes Restaurant

“Oh, you’re going to Agnes? That’s one of Brisbane’s top restaurants!” So said an associate when I told him about an upcoming business lunch. Agnes is probably the definition of understated industrial chic. From the outside, you wonder whether you’re in the right place. To say the restaurant doesn’t look like a restaurant as you pry open the door is to say that Platform 9 3/4 in Harry Potter doesn’t look like the gateway to the world of magic. Until you step inside. The vibe is a cool architecturally converted warehouse type thing. The food is great. The wine cellar is particular. The staff is friendly and courteous. The ambience is subtle and unpretentious. The lamb was melt in your mouth goodness. Seldom had better. The entrees were perfectly balanced. It’s a “naked” kitchen where there is no room to hide, and because the ingredients are remarkable, there is no need to. Enjoy!

A thoughtfully executed dining experience. The cocktails were inventive without being gimmicky, and the décor is understated yet striking, with the open fire kitchen adding real atmosphere. We chose the set menu with the sirloin wagyu upgrade; each course was precisely cooked and well balanced. Standout dishes included the steak, the peach-smoked toast, and the fennel dessert. A confident, refined offering that we would happily recommend.

Had an amazing experience at Agnes. The ambience is warm and intimate, with the open-fire kitchen creating a beautiful, inviting atmosphere. The food was absolutely outstanding, perfectly cooked, full of flavour, and thoughtfully presented. One of the best dining experiences in Brisbane. Highly recommend!

Visited Agnes for a birthday dinner and were treated to a fantastic meal and service to match. We enjoyed the set menu and beverage pairings. Our waited for the evening, Sebastian, and sommelier Charlie were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. One of the best dining experiences I’ve had to date. Highly recommend.

We won’t be back. We arrived for our 7:45 PM booking with high hopes, but apparently, the table wasn't on the same schedule. We weren’t seated until 8:15 PM. To their credit, the staff were apologetic and brought out some sourdough that was, frankly, delicious—though we didn't realise at the time it would be our primary source of sustenance for the next two hours. The entrees were a mixed bag. While the tuna was fresh and vibrant, the calamari was the culinary equivalent of a beige wall: dull, forgettable, and weirdly yeasty. Then came the "Big Wait." Our mains didn't grace the table until 10:00 PM. By 9:45 PM, the table was unironically scouting the nearest Macca’s on Google Maps. For a "top restaurant," a staggering hour-plus gap between courses is less "relaxed dining" and more "test of human endurance." When the mains finally arrived, we were introduced to the $68 Murray Cod. At roughly 180g, let’s just say you should forget the gains, bru—this isn't the place for a protein fix. The inconsistency was the real kicker: while two guests received decent fillets, I was "blessed" with the tail end—over-grilled, dry, and pathetic (see photos). How a kitchen of this supposed caliber sends out such wildly different versions of the same expensive dish to the same table is a mystery. Also, a pro tip: if you don’t have a clinical obsession with capers, avoid the cod. The fish was essentially drowning in them. As for the rest: the pork was "nice" once you performed the surgical extraction required to find meat amidst the fat, and the duck was admittedly delicious. The sides? We’ll never know. They were completely forgotten by the staff, and by that point, we were too over it to even consider dessert. Agnes, you have the reputation and the price tag of a world-class establishment, but the execution on this night was amateur hour.

This is an experience and a must do for those that enjoy fine dining. It's a shared room with long tables that everyone can enjoy. The service was impeccable, each staff member was amazing, knowledgeable, patient, kind and so friendly!! We felt special from the moment we stepped in. The oyster were fresh, the calamari pasta scrumptious , the bread sour and huge , the cheese, the beef rare, delicate and so tender, the lamb not big enough, but so smoked, my favourite was the dessert, omg wow!! Book ahead and enjoy the busy but personal ambience. Thank you we loved every moment

Agnes has been on my bucket list for years so I was glad to finally visit for a solo weekend lunch. On arrival I was shown to my table in the main dining room and the wonderful server looking after our area soon came by to walk me through the menu, offer some excellent recommendations and point out quite a few items on the menu, primarily starters and sides for which they could do half serves of. Given their focus on fire most menu items were touched by fire in some way. I started with some snacks, a baked oyster and grilled pork and prawn betel leaf. Both were full of flavour with the oyster being my favourite. I moved on to a half serve of the scorched red emperor; this was recommended by the waitress and was an excellent choice with really intricate flavours. For the main I went with the roast Bangalow pork and a half serve of the King Edward potatoes. Not only did it look amazing it tasted great too and was a very generous serve. For dessert I couldn't go past the pear tart tatin and would recommend you get this top, it really showcases the skill of the kitchen and is a wonderful ending to the meal! There is an extensive drinks list available with cocktails, beers and wines for any budget however I stuck to water and some non-alc beers. The staff are clearly passionate about what they do and appreciate diners who also take an interest, they were happy to answer questions and provided a lot of interesting insight about the kitchen set-up and their processes. The restaurant itself is a beautifully designed space and most tables have a good view of the open kitchen. One small area for improvement could be the speed and flow of service as there were unusually long gaps between courses, I think being so close to Christmas they are welcoming a lot of large groups and this takes up a lot of time and resources for the kitchen, probably less of an issue at other times of the year when there are many smaller groups and it's easier to fit things in. All in all it was an enjoyable experience and one I would recommend. Tables are in high demand so be sure to book early!

Dont know how this terrible restaurant has 4.6 stars. Had the Valentines Day set banquet and every single dish was salty. Tasted like microwave food and felt like the chef was cooking it for the first time. Every dish was disappointing and definitely was NOT worth $150 pp. The manager did nothing - no refund, no discount, no explanation. They're just hiding behind the waiter. This was my second time at Agnes AND LAST (already didnt want to come back after the first but didn't know my boyfriend had booked Agnes this time). The duck was so dry. The entree tuna (?) tart was good and the oysters were acceptable (not sure how they'd screw it up anyway)