Aunty

Aunty is a stunning moodily lit Pan Asian restaurant and bar tucked away in an ex-warehouse space on Fortitude Valley's James Street precinct.

Occupying the spot previously occupied by the likes of City Winery and Campos Coffee Aunty, by the esteemed Tassis group. focuses on the rich culinary traditions of Asian cuisine with both classic techniques and contemporary flair.

The gorgeous 400m space  pays homage to traditional Cantonese tea houses with seating for up to 100 diners, and has been designed as a series of intimate moments rather than a single room, through creative use of levels, booths and curtains.

Deep green banquette seating, rich timbers and marble surfaces are layered throughout, with subtle references to mahjong tables and tiles woven into the interiors. A semi-private dining room seating up to 24 offers a more secluded setting for long lunches and celebratory dinners.

A defining feature of the kitchen is the woodfire grill, which brings depth and intensity to select dishes, adding a subtle smokiness that underpins the menu’s bolder flavours. 

The menu focuses on Modern Asian cuisine influenced by traditional techniques, designed for sharing and centred around generosity. Signature dishes include whole chilli mudcrab, cooked to order from the live tank, ½ duck two ways, and char siu pork neck prepared with clarity and confidence.

Refined small plates include Wagyu beef tartare, Sichuan salad and raw kingfish (charred citrus soy, watermelon radish & macadamia chilli oil) as welll as charred lamb  ribs and Golden Sand calamari (with salted egg yolk, curry leaf & fresh chilli).

Must try are the signature dim sum, including Moreton Bay Bug Siu Mai (smoked bottarga); Char Sui pork puffs (water chestnut & wattleseed); Chicken Xiao Long Bao (chicken & lemon thyme broth) and prawn or cauliflower & mushroom spring rolls.

Also recommended are dishes from the wok including sweet & sour prawns (with celery, broccolini & black vinegar caramel); Wagyu stir fried beef (with oyster sauce, kai lan & five pepper blend); and  chilli crab Shanghai noodles (crab butter, bisque foam). And from the grill it's hard to go past the Char Sui Pork Neck (with honey glaze & charred pineapple sauce) and fermented chilli half chicken (spiced broth & chilli oil).

Save room for the Dessert Dim Sum menu, with choices such as Five Spice caramel crunch bar snd Sesame & white chocolate dumpling.

Lunch and early evenings are equally catered for, with a lunch special menu from $24, and a daily happy hour from 3–5pm offering $8 Counterpoint wine and beer, $12 spritz, and a $12 lobster roll — a playful nod to Aunty’s belief that good food shouldn’t wait for dinner.

The beverage program matches the ambition of the kitchen. Aunty’s wine list spans approximately 250 labels, curated to complement the menu’s richness and restraint, while the cocktail offering features over 10 original serves that draw inspiration from Asian spirits and flavour profiles, executed with a contemporary hand.

Aunty reimagines a familiar cultural figure, not as nostalgia, but as quiet authority. In many Asian communities, an Aunty is the keeper of tradition, the one who knows how things should be done, and the one who makes sure everyone at the table is looked after. That same spirit underpins the experience here: refined, generous, and confidently in control.

Good to know - As the twelfth addition to The Tassis Group's already impressive portfolio, Aunty will continue the group’s
tradition of creating distinctive dining destinations and innovative culinary experiences.

Need to know - There is onstreet metered parking nearby.

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