City restaurants for working lunches

In an office lunchtime rut? Tired of boring meetings in the same boardroom? Take your working lunches and team meetings off-site for a change of scenery and a delicious menu that will inspire creativity and productivity.

Here’s our fave business casual spots for work lunches in The City:

Beach House Bar & Grill

With a view over the Albert and Elizabeth street intersection, Beach House has the ideal gastropub menu and a sizeable venue to cater for any size working lunch requirements. Meet here for hearty helpings and a moreish menu with burgers, pasta, seafood and schnitties to fuel those big-budget decisions, minus the price tag.

Image source: Beach House Bar & Grill

Cheeky Poké Bar

New to Ulster Lane, your team can nab the cool cachet that comes with dining at a new City restaurant. Cheeky Poké Bar offers healthy meals of fresh ingredients topped with tasty sauces that promises your best self in a bowl. Now that’s something you want to put forward at your next meeting.

Grill’d 

While Grill’d has three City locations (Albert Street, Eagle Street and Wintergarden), we love the convenience of the eatery on the top level of the Wintergarden overlooking Queen Street Mall. Take the team for stacked burgers that’ll satisfy plus popular sides such as sweet potato chips to share. (Sharing is caring, team).

Hakataya Ramen

This slurptastic ramen joint in The Myer Centre is a go-to for traditional Japanese noodle soups and team bonding. Split some gyoza for starters and follow up with a big bowl of ramen with broth made daily. FYI: paper aprons are available on request so you can all return to the office in pristine condition.

Image source: Hakataya Ramen

New Shanghai

With a cosy ambience and an extensive menu of Shanghainese specialties and delicious dumplings, New Shanghai QueensPlaza has banquet tables to suit any size lunch meeting. Don’t be daunted by the queue, which moves quickly at lunchtime, or be sure to book ahead to accommodate larger groups. 

Stanton Brisbane

With a luxe fit-out overlooking Queen Street Mall, Stanton offers a classic menu of traditional cafe favourites. This is the place to impress, but not at the expense of the company account. Sink into stuffed armchairs inside, or grab a table outside and choose from tapas-inspired share plates, pizzas fresh from the pizza oven and club classics. 

Vapiano

A two-level Italian restaurant tucked into Albert Lane, Vapiano is a fresh-and-fast casual affair. Tuck into the $15 Lunch Combo menu available from Monday to Friday with a choice of pasta bakes and pizza foldovers plus a soft drink. We guarantee some carbs will help everyone power through those spreadsheets in the afternoon. 

Som Tum Bar

Fresh and flavoursome, Som Tum Bar will provide a different perspective for casual business lunches. Situated off George Street in the Brisbane Quarter, Brisbane’s first som tum bar dishes up its namesake Thai green papaya salad (aka som tum) with an array of toppings that will appeal to all palates. 

Image source: Som Tum Bar

Tokyo Premium Curry

On the top level of the Wintergarden, Tokyo Premium Curry has plenty of booths available to cosy up to a heart-warming bowl of authentic Japanese curry. Schedule your next working lunch here to partake in curries, ramen soups and curry ramen. Plus, you can impress your guests with the secret menu and free BYO.  

In a hurry? Check out our list of 40 cheap eats in The City for lunch to-go!