Agnes Restaurant

Agnes Restaurant in Fortitude Valley is built around a single, distinctive idea: cooking with open fire. The kitchen uses charcoal pits and a wood-fired oven rather than gas or electricity, with different woods — including ironbark, apple, cherry and olive — used to influence the flavour of the food. The menu changes with the seasons and draws on meat, seafood, poultry and vegetables sourced through regional suppliers and farmers, rather than fitting neatly into one particular cuisine.

The à la carte menu moves from snacks and starters through to substantial mains, sides and desserts. Dishes listed on the current menu include wood-roasted clams with tomato beurre blanc, coral trout with burnt lemon, wagyu short rib with burnt eggplant and black garlic, and pear tarte tatin with Maleny milk ice cream. There are also set menus for groups of two or more, with menus subject to seasonal change. Dietary requirements can generally be accommodated with advance notice, according to the venue.

The setting is spread across a heritage building’s three levels, with a main dining room, a downstairs wine bar and an upstairs terrace. The dining room looks onto the open kitchen, putting the fire and cooking process at the centre of the experience. The wine bar serves a broad drinks selection and operates as a walk-in dining space or a place to wait for a main-room booking. The terrace has its own bar and a city view, although it offers a smaller food selection, limited to a bar snack or dessert rather than the full Agnes menu. Terrace bookings are not taken.

Agnes suits diners looking for a considered meal with a strong cooking point of view, whether that means a full dinner in the main room, a more casual stop at the wine bar or drinks and dessert upstairs. The venue also caters for private functions, with a dining room for up to 24 seated guests, a wine bar for up to 45 standing guests and a terrace for up to 30 standing guests; the whole restaurant can accommodate up to 70. Agnes is open for dinner every day from 5.15pm until late, with lunch on Fridays and Saturdays from 11.30am.