Boasting a history of more than 130 years in the river city, Lennons Restaurant & Bar on Queen Street is as much a part of Brisbane as City Hall.

Hotelier John Lennon built the first stylish three story Lennon’s Hotel on George Street in 1884, with the restaurant moving to its current location in the contemporary Next Hotel in 1972, and named in honour of this heritage. With a view out to bustling Queen Street Mall, and an atmosphere oozing decadence and charm, Lennons has cemented itself as an inner city mecca for fresh produce, personal service and charcoal flame grilled fare.

A hearty menu offers a range of nibbling appetisers, entree delicacies, sizeable mains, portioned sides, and the Argentinian Parilla Grill selection. Thankfully, the knowledge of our waiter made the choice simple. Toasted sourdough with molasses butter was intriguing but good, perfectly paired with Sicilian herbed olives. A considerable hunger deserved an array of dishes for main, choosing to share the velvety ricotta gnocchi with an Oakey Beef grass fed scotch fillet, served with duck fat roasted potatoes and cafe de paris sauce. Between the tantalising traditional Italian pillows of soft ricotta gnocchi that warmed the palate, and the medium rare cut of beef, so supple a knife sliced through with ease before melting in the mouth, we were in awe of the perfect simplicity Lennons granted. To lighten the indulgence, a dish of mixed winter greens with salted almonds and lemon had a stake at the table.

To round out the evening, we chose the inventive take on a banana banoffee, a semi-freddo dotted with salted walnut crunch, paired with a banana sauce, honeycomb and topped with toasted granola – a moreish marvel that had us going back for more and more.

Candle lit and bursting with ambiance, Lennons is the perfect reserve for a special evening of indulgence, or Friday night romance.

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