There are bottomless brunches.
And then there are bottomless brunches.
Perched above the city at Hotel Indigo Brisbane, Bar 1603 is doing the latter with their House of Brunch offering. And let me tell you, this is not your ordinary brunch. This bar is tucked neatly into the CBD grid, close enough to everything yet elevated enough to feel like you’ve escaped it. Plus it feels like a well-kept secret, being hidden on level one of the hotel with no official street frontage, but when food is this good there will be no gatekeeping from me!
Now. Let’s get to the important part.
When I heard this bottomless brunch included bottomless food, not just drinks? I nearly wept into my group chat. Keep the snacks coming until I have to be gently rolled onto Turbot Street. Because normally it’s just drinks. A liquid Olympics with a single plate of eggs benny. Not here. Here, it’s Tokyo street food meets generous hospitality and I am absolutely not mad about it.
The drinks menu alone could carry the whole affair. Yuzu and Whisky Highballs. Gin and Aperol Spritzes. Wildflower Prosecco. House wines. Crisp Japanese-style lagers. It’s breezy, it’s fun, it’s dangerously easy to say “just one more.”
We added the Jansz Sparkling to start because we are adults who make excellent decisions. It’s celebratory in a flute. Then came the Passionfruit Spritz — juicy, sunshiney, so refreshing I briefly considered cancelling my afternoon plans and settling in permanently. (Spoiler alert: I might have actually done this and booked into the hotel, stay tuned for my Hotel Indigo staycation review). The Gin Spritz followed and honestly? It tasted the way I imagine flowers wish they tasted. Fragrant. Softly floral.
And then the food began arriving. A bottomless Japanese street food snack platter to share, they say. We decided to start with one of everything because that felt sensible. It was not sensible. It was heroic. And it conquered us.
Karaage chicken: golden, crunchy, giving that deeply satisfying shatter before revealing juicy, tender meat within. I’m a sucker for the salty, savoury goodness of karaage whenever it’s on a menu and this one was goooooooood.
Gyoza — both vegetarian and pork — arrive pleated and perfect, with that ideal contrast of crisp underside and silky top. The fillings are aromatic and deeply comforting. The kind of dumplings you keep eating far past your full limit because you’re not about food wastage when it tastes this good.
Egg sando? Cloud-like. That signature Japanese milk bread softness cradling creamy egg filling. It’s nostalgic and luxe at the same time, which frankly feels like a magic trick.
Tokyo fries are exactly what fries should be in this context: hot, crisp, impossible to stop reaching for. Seasoned just enough to keep you hovering over the platter like a polite seagull.
And then: the teba shio wings. My personal champions. Rubbed in a heady mix of spices with a bright tang that cuts through in the best way. With their crispy skin and juicy interior, these wings were wildly addictive. If I could have requested a private top-up rotation of just these, I would have. (And I could have because BOTTOMLESS. I just couldn’t fit them in.)
But we need to discuss the edamame. Because you think you’ve had edamame. You have not. Not until you’ve had it dressed in house dashi, brown butter and sesame seeds. It takes what is usually a polite little pre-meal nibble and turns it into something to rave about. Deeply moreish. It elevates the humble soybean to main-character energy.
All of this keeps flowing. Drinks refreshed. Platters replenished. No sad, empty plates sitting awkwardly.
What makes this bottomless brunch different is the Tokyo street food angle. It feels inspired. Trendy and tasty. A welcome break from the eggs-and-bacon routine. It’s vibrant and social and built for sharing.
Available seven days a week from 11:30am to 4pm, it’s as suited to a spontaneous Wednesday as it is to a full Saturday celebration. Ninety minutes for $65, two hours for $85, with that very persuasive $20 Jansz upgrade hovering in the wings.
Come hungry to House of Brunch. Bring friends. Order one of everything if you must (hint: you must).
Just maybe schedule a gentle post-brunch stroll.
Bar 1608, Hotel Indigo, 27 Turbot Street, Brisbane City. p. (07) 3237 2330.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
