Kiss the Brisbane of yesteryear goodbye as Howard Smith Wharves sends the city’s cool factor to soaring heights.
Brisbane is unravelling from its nondescript cocoon into a vivacious social butterfly. Home to more than a fistful of the world’s best restaurants, euphoric waterfront bars and high-luxe accommodation offerings, the city is having a real moment. Nothing encompasses everything it’s destined to become more vividly than Howard Smith Wharves, located beneath Story Bridge and right on the Brisbane River. A beautifully planned portal into the city’s re-energised future, the entertainment precinct continues to be a one-stop shop for play-all-day fun.
Top 3 reasons to visit Howard Smith Wharves
From an idyllic riverfront setting to its surprising amount of communal spaces, Howard Smith Wharves offers something for every member of your clan.
Howard Smith Wharves has reinvigorated Brisbane city. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
1. Felons Brewing Co.
Sure, there’s plenty to adore here but Felons Brewing Co., sprawled across two gigantic venues that spill into turfed al fresco spaces and riverfronting deck seating, is Howard Smith Wharves’ headline act.
Felons Brewing Co. is the jewel in the crown of Howard Smith Wharves.
While the food in the brewery makes magic out of top-notch, often locally sourced, ingredients (and three pizza ovens including one dedicated to thin ‘n’ crispy) and the beer is as good as it gets, Felons’ unpretentious, fearlessly creative ethos serves as the lifeblood of the precinct.
The beer is excellent but the food is just as impressive.
Explore the Barrel Hall, Felons’ second venue lined with barrel-aged beer and welcoming festivals, concerts, the odd art fair and smashing Thai food (more on that later), to discover just how ambitious this part of town truly is.
The evenings are just as inviting with plenty of entertainment to keep you going well into the night.
2. Howard Smith Wharves’ outdoor spaces
Multiple grass patches at the New Farm end of Howard Smith Wharves blend interactive art installations with ample room for parents to stretch their kids’ legs. But best of all, they’re positioned to take in solid eyefuls of the Brown Snake as the Brooklyn-esque Story Bridge looms overhead. Plus, the Main Lawn is dotted with bean bags, picnic tables, live music and umbrellas on Saturday and Sunday from 3pm to 6pm and you can order food to-go from the eateries. If it’s a gourmet picnic you’re famished for, they’ve got you sorted.
Head to the New Farm end of the precinct for the perfect picnic patch. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
3. A waterfront walk in the heart of Brisbane
Early birds love the New Farm Riverwalk, a suspended pathway that wraps the Brisbane River from Riverview Court in New Farm to the Howard Smith Wharves.
Early birds love to take advantage of the New Farm Riverwalk. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
If you’re visiting the entertainment precinct in the morning, you’ll spy activewear-clad, caffeine-gripping exercisers dotting the entertainment precinct. If you’re keen to venture onto Brisbane’s CBD, the riverside boardwalk will take you directly to the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens.
Walk or cycle around Brisbane’s CBD from Howard Smith Wharves. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Howard Smith Wharves restaurants and bars
Perched right up against the Brisbane River (except Gigi’s which fronts directly onto the Main Lawn), each of Howard Smith Wharves’ dining and drinking venues offer a distinct taste of high-life revelry.
Ciao Papi
Evoking sun-drenched Italian vacay vibes, Ciao Papi is a long-lunching hot spot that nails authentic carb-embracing fare from everyone’s favourite European destination.
Ciao Papi provides a dream setting for a long lunch.
Located right next to Gigis at the New Farm end of Howard Smith Wharves, the sophisticated eatery plates up a menu of al dente pasta, fresh seafood, pudgy and crispy pizzas and more.
It’s an Italian feast for all at this sun-drenched restaurant in Howard Smith Wharves.
Stanley
Situated at the CBD end of Howard Smith Wharves, Stanley’s waterfront setting pairs the warm Brisbane breeze with acclaimed Cantonese cuisine.
Stanley delivers an opulent dining ambience.
A restaurant and bar, it’s a slick operation that strives to shine a light on the world’s best produce while warming your belly with the flavour bombs of Southern China. And did we mention they do yum cha?
Cantonese cuisine at its best.
Yoko
Next door to Stanley you’ll find Yoko, renowned for its incredible Japanese fine dining and one heck of a weekend brunch — one of Brisbane’s best bottomless brunches.
Dine in a divine waterfront setting at the fine-dining Japanese restaurant, Yoko.
Score a table on Saturday to seize their Buns + Bubbles brunch package or visit any other time for relentless good times. The fit-out is sensational, paying homage to traditional Japanese dining with a minimalistic palette of soft leather booths and warm timbers.
Order a Japanese feast at Yoko.
Greca
Stretchy pants are recommended. You’ll savour the fabulous flavours of Greece at Greca, a restaurant inspired by traditional Greek tavernas and mirroring the same fun-loving ambience.
Let the day turn to night while dining within Greca’s beautifully-designed venue.
Located right next to Yoko before you hit Mr Percival’s, this light and airy space dishes up an a la carte menu with all the classics (pita and dips, saganaki, eggplant moussaka, grilled sardines, lamb shoulder, souvlakia and it goes on) refined through elegant technique.
The lamb shoulder is a firm favourite.
Mr Percival’s
Here for a good time? Mr Percival’s is Howard Smith Wharves’ overwater bar and one of the original venues to pull serious crowds to the entertainment precinct. And for good reason.
Embrace the party-loving vibes at Mr Percival’s. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
It’s impossible to avoid getting swept up in the merriment of cocktail-laced catchups when the views directly beneath Story Bridge are this iconic. Sit back and spur on all-day waterfront antics with a menu that features small plates and large plates to pick at between drinks.
The deck is the place to be when meeting for a drink. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Felons Barrel Hall
While the brewery food next door is bangin’, Felons Barrel Hall offers an entirely separate menu of flavour-crammed Thai. Designed to share with the whole table, dishes span traditional snacks, salads, curries and three very surprising burgers. Wash the goodness down with the team’s barrel-aged beers that come on tap or by the bottle in the shape of cleverly packaged wine-inspired designs.
Felons Barrel Hall plays host to a range of festivals and concerts.
Gigi’s Homestyle Cooking
But first, coffee. Gigi’s Homestyle Cooking is located at the New Farm end of Howard Smith Wharves and offers an adored cafe menu just as the name suggests. Sit in the leafy garden overlooking the Main Lawn to enjoy creative, Greek-inspired eats including a lamb shoulder roll, sardines on sourdough, spanakopita, baklava, and of course, a killer cup of coffee.
The food at Gigi’s is always satisfying.
Howard Smith Wharves accommodation
There may only be one spot to rest your head at Howard Smith Wharves but it’s one of the city’s most acclaimed overnight stays.
Crystalbrook Vincent
If you haven’t fallen head over heels for the Crystalbrook chain yet, prepare for hotel excellence centred on creativity and design.
It’s hard to improve upon a hotel pool with this view. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
As each location is distinguished through a unique character, Crystalbrook Vincent celebrates Australian artist Vincent Fantauzzo so naturally hundreds of his original works line the walls.
Inside the rooms at Crystalbrook Vincent. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
While the rooms are flawless, there’s also Fiume, the rooftop bar, to slink into come sundowner o’clock, plus Mews, a top Howard Smith Wharves spot for breakfast at the CBD end of the precinct.
The history behind Howard Smith Wharves
Modernising while showcasing its original 1930s structure, Howard Smith Wharves is a tribute to the last surviving wharfage in central Brisbane. It was first built by the Queensland Government as a project to provide relief work during the Depression era, around the same time Story Bridge was erected across the Brisbane River.
Soon after, it served as a shipping facility for Howard Smith Co Ltd.
Sitting pretty, yet vacant, since 1960, the heritage-listed site was transformed through a $110 million development project in 2017 which aimed to breathe new life into the precinct while honouring its legacy roots. Several buildings were raised above sea level to create flat grounds and in went the new structures that stand today.
In 2023, it was revealed that Howard Smith Wharves is set to undertake a $20 million expansion in the coming years which will see multiple pontoons added to utterly transform the face, and potential, of the Brisbane River.
The transformation of Brisbane and Howard Smith Wharves continues to evolve. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
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