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Best Things to do in West End

The historic inner city suburb of West End is one of Brisbane's most multicultural and bohemian neighbourhoods and makes a great place to explore.

Main dining and shopping precincts, Boundary and Vulture Streets, which are home to vintage and bookshops, boutiques, cafes, bars and breweries, are a hive of activity from morning to late at night. The West End fashion scene is a top spot for the latest trends in clothes. And if you head off the beaten track you'll find a bounty of treasures too. 

Here are some that are worth checking out:

A stunning contemporary steak and seafood restaurant surrounded by lush greenery at West Village
The Fourth Monkey is a funky, Caribbean-inspired, tiki bar in West End with a fairy-lit, dog-friendly, cocktail garden
August is quietly and understatedly one of the best restaurants in Brisbane, located in a heritage-listed church on a corner in West End
This stunning Greek restaurant and bar is located in the charming West Village precinct
Gum Bistro is a charming and cosy foodie's restaurant occupying an historic West End shop
The all inclusive new kid on the neighbourhood block - a bar, eatery and entertainment venue where everyone's welcome
A stunning 200+-seater upmarket Thai restaurant within Factory 2 of the heritage-listed Peters Ice Cream factory buildings
Neo-Generalist is a gorgeous vintage store where the Wild West meets old Hollywood glamour
BY.Artisans is a stunning bar, distillery, cafe and creative space occupying a dreamy beautifully repurposed warehouse in West End
A stunning Sardinian restaurant and bar perched on a hill and serving exquisite regional food
Brisbane's secret inner city craft brewery and bar is Brisbane Brewing Co. tucked away down a West End laneway
Cafe Disco in West End is a charming little bar and eatery, with a divine Bangladeshi- flavoured menu and a boutique wine list
A super cool ambient warehouse garden bar and restaurant on Vulture Street with casual vibe and outstanding food
A gorgeous children's boutique and cafe located in a beautifully refurbished old corner shop
Kafenio offers traditional Greek and Cypriot cuisine from its blue and white West End workers cottage
Morning After is an oasis of contemporary cool on Vulture St – an uber chic breakfast and brunch café that, as its name suggests, is the ideal place to revive after a night out
The Boundary Hotel, West End’s iconic landmark pub circa 1864, is a fascinating multi-layered labyrinth of ambient nooks and crannies
Banette Bistro is a charming little French bistro that brings an authentic taste of France to West End at great value prices
This vibrant West End eatery specialises in traditional Korean street food, from jumbo chicken skewers to tteokbokki and
Meeple & Mug is Brisbane's only games cafe - a fun, convivial place for dates, family and friends to gather in West End
The European-inspired bakery Kürtősh at West Village is famous for its Hungarian chimney cakes
A rustic neighbourhood wine bar and eatery located in an historic West End cottage
Found in a laneway off Russell Street, this West End thrift shop is filled with pre-loved fashion, shoes, books, homewares, and
Mama Taco is a cool, contemporary Mexican Taqueria & Mezcaleria nestled in the historic Rialto Theatre
Ippin Japanese Dining is a stunning fine diner taking Japanese cuisine to the next level
A lively Shanghai-style street food dining hall located in the refurbished heritage-listed Soda Factory
SWOP is a secret source of vintage and pre-loved clothes that keen hunters will find in the main street of West End
This cosy industrial chic bar in West End is a local favourite
A world-famous gelateria has arrived in Brisbane, scooping a delectable range of creamy gelato and refreshing sorbet
This Ukrainian cafe and pizzeria in West End dishes up a tantalising array of Eastern European eats
West End's popular coffee haunt has reopened with a fresh new look and a tantalising new brunch menu
Cordeaux Social Club is a cafe by day, wine bar & bistro by night, nestled in a peaceful pocket of West End near the river
The Swiss Gourmet is also a nifty little cafe specializing in good value brunches and light meals
Frydays is a casual late night Korean diner and bar in the middle of the action on Boundary St
Not much has changed inside since this shop opened in 1975, but the produce is fresh and bountiful and staff are helpful and informed.
You Came Again is Brisbane’s first vegan tapas bar, perched in a line-up of historic West End shops
Lokal + Co is an inviting oasis of Nordic cool tucked away in a West End side street, and the only place in Brisbane to offer Norwegian-inspired cuisine.
The quintessential Greek taverna, perched high on a hill in the original heartland of Brisbane's Greek community
Gilligan’s island meets Blue Hawaii at Jungle tiki bar, the West End oasis where the lost world of the Pacific south seas can be found alive and kicking.
Walk through the door at this secret West End emporium and be overwhelmed - in the nicest possible way
Mu’ooz, the long-time fave Eritrean restaurant of Moorooka, has upped roots and moved into a quaint Queenslander in West End.
Covent Garden is a splendid botanical-themed bar and eatery with tropical rear garden in a colonial West End store.
Superthing is a gorgeous, pastel-hued bakery cafe found on Montague Road in West End
Commercial radio refugees and those who despair at the quality of downloads might want to hoof it to this fabulous little record and CD shop.
A stylish contemporary Euro-Asian restaurant and bar at the Mollison Street entrance to West Village in West End.
A budget-friendly Japanese restaurant with an all-you-can eat a la carte menu and table service
This West End op shop is a beacon for bargain hunters and afficionados of vintage fashion, retro furniture and
The Twin is a funky West End cafe with garden courtyard, slinging delish deli-style sandwiches on house-baked bread
A chilled laidback vibe permeates this boho market by the river
Little Greek Taverna serves some of the best budget food in West End
Cobbler is the type of bar that you frequently look for but never find – a cool New York loft style whisky and cocktail lounge
Housed within a primary coloured colonial cottage at the busy intersection of Boundary and Vulture Streets is a second hand book collector’s dream
This lively West End restaurant dishes up some of the best Mexican food in Brisbane
The Bearded Lady is your quintessential West End bar - an anything-goes kind of joint that is cosy recycled wood cabin
The cafe equivalent of the trusty old pair of comfy slippers, West End Coffee House is a favourite chilled hang-out for locals
A peaceful fringe of Moreton Bay fig shaded parkland on the river at West End that was wiped out by a monster wall of water in the 1893 floods and submerged again in 1974 and 2011.
Catchment Brewing Co inhabits a stunning character-filled art deco building, with its own beers brewed onsite
Lychee Lounge is a stunningly opulent east meets west cocktail bar on West End's main drag
The Gun Shop is a West End institution, renowned its fabulous breakfast fare.
A visit to Nostimo Greek Restaurant at the Greek Club, South Brisbane, is the next best thing to visiting Greece
The hidden gem of an Indian eatery occupies one half of an old cottage and serves the best biryani in Brisbane
BOSC is a rustic little beer and gin bar that oozes warmth and hominess from its corner outpost on West End's Vulture St
California Tacos brings a taste of the Baja to Brisbane with a SoCal-inspired Mexican eatery & bar in the heart of West End
A bookshop that hits all the right pages with locals and visitors alike, Avid is a gem of a place.
A sustainable vintage fashion shop giving life to landfill by a curated recycled collection of clothes, accessories and shoes
This hilltop cottage lit by colourful Turkish lights and candles is an enduring Brisbane favourite
A former West End Thai restaurant has been transformed into a warm and welcoming wine & vermouth bar with vintage vibes
The bespoke live entertainment venue gives a tip of the hat to London's famous theatre district in the heart of Brisbane's West End
See if you can find West End's two tiny doors that are an easy walk apart


Looking to discover more hidden gems of Brisbane, check out our Guide to Brisbane Suburbs HERE! Happy exploring!

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