Persone

Persone is an upmarket Italian restaurant and bar in Brisbane Quarter, with stunning dress circle views of QPAC and South Bank.

The luxurious bespoke venue is the Gambaro family’s flagship Italian restaurant, adding to their stable of impressive eateries including award-winning Black Hide Steakhouse & the iconic Gambaro Seafood Restaurant.

Entry to the restaurant is via the dazzling foyer of The W ( where diners take a lift to the first-class dining precinct on the 2nd floor) or via the George St entrance to Brisabne Quarter. 

You’ll find the entrance to Persone via a corridor which opens to the bar, and features some of Brisbane’s best views on the right and, further on, the bustling restaurant.

As with the rest of the Gambaro restaurants, no expense has been spared outfitting Persone, with its designer furniture and glamorous décor like a gleaming centre tiled pillar, gold curtains and tiny gold barbell lamps on the tables. Diners can sit inside or on a wraparound curved balcony with a majority of tables enjoying river and South Bank views.

Persone’s menu, with a seafood focus, is a fitting match for the surrounds and the on point silver service. Crudi (raw) starters include Natural Oysters with limoncell granita, Beef Carpaccio (with leeks, parmesan and tarragon dressing) and the highly recommended Tuna Crudo with pickled cucumbers, orange and negroni syrup.

An extensive Antipasto menu includes Grilled Asparagus with quail eggs, pancetta and truffle pecorino, Grilled Prawns with roast capsicum and salsa verde, Burrata with balsamic and caramelised onions and melt-in-the-mouth Polpette (beef, pork and fennel meatballs with Napoli sauce, parmesan, basil and chargrilled bread).

Must-try Primi include Spaghetti al Granchio (with crab, cherry tomato and chilli) and pappardelle al ragu (pork and beef ragu).

There’s also a range of Pizza with Bologna, Tuscany, Sicily and Roma toppings.

For Secondi, there’s Porchetta (pork belly with pumpkin puree, kale and vincotto), Cotoletta alla Milanese (crumbed veal cutlet with lemon and rocket) and Angus Eye Fillet (200g Stanbroke marble score 3+) with rosemary potatoes.

Recommended accompaniments (Contorni) include baby carrots, goats yoghurt, honey and hazelnuts or heirloom tomato salad with olive oil dressing and fresh basil.

Save room for Dessert, with the Tiramisu an absolute stand-out, as well as Crostata di Ficchi (caramelised fig tart, almond ice-cream and honeycomb).

The wine menu features a range of premium wines and champagne by the glass and, by the bottle, an excellent selection of quality Italian wines including White and Red, Varietals, Pinot Grigio, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Blend and Sweet as well as top shelf NZ, Australian and a handful of French wines.

There’s also Spritzers, premium spirits and classic Italian cocktails and liqueurs.

All of these drinks can also be enjoyed at Persone bar, which also features a bar food menu of pizza, polpette, arancini, fried local calamari, marinated olives and pumpkin bruschetta.

Good to know- Persone also has an excellent value children’s menu for ages 8 and under, including pasta with meatballs, Napoli or creamy cheese sauce, ham and pineapple pizza, and ice-cream sundae, Nutella pizza or choc/vanilla gelato. Kids can enjoy a main, dessert and soft drink for under $25.

Need to know - As well as the North Quay hotel lobby entrance, diners can enter via 300 George St (the rear of The W Hotel).

The menu may have changed since our visit.

See our full curated list of restaurants in Brisbane CBD HERE

See our full list of the best Italian restaurants in Brisbane HERE

Still hungry for more suggestions on where to eat out in Brisbane, head to our comprehensive Eat & Drink section HERE! Happy grazing!