The banks of the Brisbane River will welcomed a brand-new resident in December 2022 when Babylon Brisbane – a three-level restaurant and bar from Mantle Group Hospitality (The Sound Garden and The Charming Squire) – launched at 145 Eagle Street. Babylon is the second of its name to feature in the Mantle Group portfolio, following on from the opening of Babylon Sydney on Pitt Street in 2019. Opening in two stages, Babylon’s 120-seat restaurant and 14-person dining room launched first, followed by Babylon Gardens – 645-sqm alfresco space boasting unbeatable views of the Brisbane River and Story Bridge. Both areas are designed by award-winning architectural design practice Hogg and Lamb, with the fit-out capitalising on Babylon’s riverside location. In the kitchen, Babylon Brisbane’s head chef Ferdinand Sari is working with with Babylon Sydney’s head chef Robert Taylor to deliver a menu of Levantine cuisine, a style of food born in the southeast corner of the Mediterranean encompassing countries like Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Egypt and Cyprus. Expect the likes of meze, gozleme and house-made breads, as well as flavoursome woodfired dishes and seafood. On the terrace, guests can sip signature cocktails including the Semiramis’ Throne (Tanqueray Sevilla, mastic liqueur, apricot, lemon, falernum and orange blossom) and the Turkish Espresso Martini (Turkish coffee and cardamom-infused Metaxa 7, chocolate liqueur, orgeat and cold brew), while nibbling on shared snacks including kadinbudu (spiced beef, kashar cheese and rice balls with muhamarra), lamb gozleme with garlic labneh and iskender sauce, and pulled chicken pita with amber, toum, sumac, onions and pickles.

Image credits – Steven Woodburn and Markus Ravik