If you’re searching for somewhere cosy to wine and dine this winter, ditch the couch and head out to these great restaurants to try some mouthwatering winter menus that will leave your tastebuds feeling pretty darn satisfied.
Tick one of these culinary delights off every weekend, or try a few at once!
La Parrilla
Three of the best words you can hear during the colder months include slow-cooked, wood-fired, and grilled, because you just know when they are on the menu, you’re guaranteed to have something super tasty that will tantalise your tastebuds.
The chefs from La Parrilla have nailed this with their mixed grill featuring slow-cooked and wood-fired pork, chicken wings and grilled Spanish chorizo – allowing you to taste test different types of meat in one sitting!
This is accompanied with a petit salad, baby potatoes, cassava wedges, grilled corn cob, lemon, and salsa aji.
Bakehouse Steakhouse
Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you have to stay rugged up on the couch every night.
The chefs from Bakehouse Steakhouse have created a special midweek deal where you can order a half rack of Texan BBQ ribs with house fries, fiery coleslaw, and a glass of Woodford Old Fashioned – for the special price of $50, every Wednesday night.
The Sourdough Crust Co
For a dish that will give you a warm embrace with every spoonful, try the truffle mushroom risotto from The Sourdough Crust Co.
Made with mushroom, truffle, arborio rice, parmesan, cream, and parsley, all it takes is one mouthful to discover why this is one of Italy’s most popular dishes.
Fourthchild Café
With its warm and creamy texture, seafood chowder is one dish that can help you beat the winter blues.
This season, head on down to FourthChild Café to taste test their signature seafood chowder which is served in a warm cob loaf.
Be sure to finish off the night with a glass of their Tawny Port for the ultimate winter indulgence.
Indian Mehfil
Packed full of bold and fragrant spices, there’s nothing more soul warming on a cold winters’ day than a thick luscious bowl of curry.
This winter, Indian Mehfil have two must-try dishes for you to try, both featuring tender, melt-in-your-mouth pieces of meat and a deep rich red curry flavour.
The first dish is the chilli chicken curry featuring golden fried chicken tossed in soy sauce, chilli sauce, chunks of onion and capsicum.
The second is lamb bhuna, which is made with juicy pan fried lamb and spices.
The Rusty Nail
You don’t need to head to Europe to enjoy a cup of zesty mulled wine – just head to The Rusty Nail.
They will be reintroducing mulled wine, hot cocktails, and baked brie wheels to their menu, so you can sip like you’re in France without booking an expensive plane ticket.
Heisenberg Haus
Speaking of Europe, the Germans always have one dish on their mind when the leaves begin to turn red and orange colours and the air gets crisper – a traditional pork knuckle.
Featuring rich, tender pork meat on the bone and served with sauerkraut, mashed potato and classic gravy, the pork knuckle from Heisenberg Haus is lip-smackingly good.
You will need to preorder this baby though before you dine in!
Char’d at Prince Alfred Hotel
Featuring flaky pastry and delicious fillings, a steaming hot pie can be eaten for either lunch or dinner.
This winter, the PA Hotel will be serving a homemade Guinness Pie – savoury puff pastry, filled with Guinness beer-braised beef chunks, carrot, celery, leek and onion, topped with a rich red wine jus, served with creamy mashed potato and steamed broccolini.
They have also recently introduced hot rock dining, which is a volcanic rock slab heated to 400C, brought to your table with a meat of choice sizzling on top. The meat will continue to cook while it is left on the rock, allowing you to choose how much or how little it is cooked (great for steak lovers).
Memories of India
With spices being well, quite spicy, it’s no wonder a lot of people seek them out in the frosty months.
At Memories of India, two of their most ordered dishes in winter include the goat curry featuring slow cooked goat meat (bones in) in onion and tomato gravy finished with aromatic spices, and the Lamb Rajasthani – which is spicy lamb cooked with whole ground spice and onions.
Brothers Leagues Club
If lamb shanks are one of your favourite winter dishes, be sure to drop into Brothers Leagues Club.
Each lamb shank has been slow cooked for four hours and is served with mash, beans and braised vegetable sauce.
Holmes St Cafe
If you’re an early riser, kickstart your day with a warm delicious brunch and a hot cup of coffee from Holmes St Café.
A healthy option would be their halloumi stack featuring herbed mushrooms, blistered tomatoes and avocadoes, or if you’re feeling like you need to treat yourself to something a little heavier, why not try their pumpkin spiced house waffles with caramel sauce.
Claire’s Wholesome Kitchen Springfield
Nothing says winter more than a steaming bowl of porridge and that’s what you can get from Claire’s Wholesome Kitchen Springfield this winter – but there’s a twist. There’s no boring, grey-looking oats here, just creamy, silky porridge topped with fresh fruit, Lotus Biscoff crumble and Biscoff sauce! Or you can also order a hearty Benny bagel – combining eggs Benny and bagels – you get the best of both worlds!
CSI Club Services Ipswich
Winter is soup’s time to shine, and the best thing is, there are so many different varieties to try.
If you’re craving a creamy pumpkin soup or hearty vegetable, be sure to visit CSI Club Services Ipswich for lunch or dinner.
You will also be able to order a range of winter warmer cocktails from the bar.
The Retro Diner
It can be quite common to crave something sweet when it’s cold and the days are shorter, so why deny your sweet tooth?
At The Retro Diner you can satisfy your cravings with their homemade French toast banana bread topped with mixed berries, ice cream, whipped cream and maple syrup.
The catch is, you have to ask for it because it’s on their secret menu!
Another little secret is their hashie stacks, which puts a new spin on a tasty breakfast dish. The hashbrowns are loaded with various breakfast fillings and drizzled in hollandaise sauce.
Dancing Bean
Dancing Bean will be warding of the cold with hot tumeric lattes spiced with cinnamon and black pepper. They will also be stocking toasted Ruebens packed with corned beef, swiss cheese and sauerkraut.
For more places to eat and drink in Ipswich see our Eat and Drink page.
