Here’s everything you need to eat and drink during the Dine BNE City culinary festival returning in 2024

It was a great idea in 2021, when Brisbane’s food scene struggled at the start of the pandemic. It returns for its fourth event in 2024 and is still a top concept today. Dine BNE City is all about getting people out to eat and drink in the city, and enticing diners with a month of specials and offers. So mark your calendar for all of June (plus the day before) and prepare for a feast.

The line-up that has just been canceled is a matter of choosing your own adventure. You can make plans for every lunch, after-work drinks and dinner throughout the month, or you can pick your favorites, or schedule the most important events. Whatever works for you, no one in Brisbane can claim there are no places to eat in June. Some involve igloos. Others need blindfolds. Some are simply about budget-friendly options.

The 2024 Dine BNE City program features eight big-ticket sessions, the first of which kicks off the culinary festival on Friday, May 31. Then you’ll head to the outdoor dining event Fireside in St. Stephen’s Cathedral to enjoy most of the last night of autumn.

Even before winter officially arrives, the chalets will be back in the Customs House from Tuesday 14 May. From there, the rest of Dine BNE City’s main events don’t take place until June, like Gather Bistro giving the rainforest garden bar a workout, Brisbane Quarter hosting a progressive dinner that takes you between different restaurants, and Madame Wu doing a wine and cocktail dining experience. Or there’s a Tasmanian wine dinner at Tillerman, Walter’s Steakhouse and Wine Bar with a Sunday roast special and The Boom Boom Room’s International Sushi Day party.

If you’re looking to liven up your lunch break, that’s where the Let’s Do Lunch program comes in. Some places offer meals for $25, and others for $35. Some specials include drinks, some do not. For first prize, Santa Monica has lobster rolls, Riverland Brisbane does spanakopita with house wine and The Walnut gives you a southern fried chicken burger with a beer to start. And on the second day, Frog’s Hollow Saloon combines toasties and house cocktails, Brisbane Phoenix has a Cantonese roast lunch on offer, Malt Dining serves brisket burgers with fries and a pint, and bento boxes come with a drink at Bar 1603 – and the list goes on. Get on.

When it’s time to stop, you can take a bar safari, as that’s the name of this part of the line-up. Prices vary, but you can get oysters and mini martinis at Alba Bar & Deli, meze and mimosas at Babylon Brisbane, bug bánh mi and champagne at Cuvee, and bug sliders and beer at Wet Deck.

For something more substantial for dinner, Vintaged Bar + Grill has a tomahawk experience for two, Tenya Japanese Restaurant & Bar creates set menus, there’s a ‘salaryman’ banquet at Harajuku Gyoza in Albert Lane and Settimo prepares a supper menu just for the month . At The Lex, evenings are all about steak, salad and sips. Or head to Donna Chang for a mini banquet featuring the restaurant’s signature dishes.

Dine BNE City runs from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 30, 2024. Visit the festival’s website for more information.