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Essa Restaurant, Fortitude Valley, AU-QLD

Essa Restaurant

4.7
4.7
692 Reviews
$41 to $100
Wine Bar

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 8 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Innovative
  • Great for fine wines
ESSA provides a destination to escape the expected.

Just like the raw interiors in which we reside, our work is simple but considered.

The ethos in the kitchen embraces collaboration with local farmers, hunters and providores, promoting an environmentally conscious approach to the menu. Harvest driven dishes provide the creative parameters for our ever evolving dining experience.

ESSA is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5pm till late and Friday, Saturday and Sunday lunch from 12pm.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $41 to $100
  • Cuisines
    Wine Bar, Modern Australian, Modern European
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Fri, Sun 12:00 pm–4:00 pm Dinner Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (07) 3177 1011
  • Website
    http://www.essa.restaurant/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress

Featured in

Experiences

  • Five Chefs, Five Plates

    $66.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    An experimental series taking over Wednesday evenings, providing the younger chefs, guest chefs and local producers with a platform to showcase fresh ideas and menu offerings. Every Wednesday night you can sample Five plates from Five chefs from $66pp. Dishes change weekly so no two weeks are the same. Please note on Wednesdays this is the only menu available and dietary requirements cannot be catered for.
    Five Chefs, Five Plates photo

  • Sunday School at Essa

    $88.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Things are a bit different here on Sundays. We let our hair down, turn up the music and serve a big family style lunch from 12pm. It's all share plates and the menus changes often but, so you know what to expect we post the menu on instagram every week. Oh yeah and there's a bit of booze too! Heaps of fun, but especially great with a large group of friends and yes, we can organise dietary requirements if you let us know when you book, leave a note in the comments In session every Sunday, kick ons in The Nixon Room from 2pm.
    Sunday School at Essa photo

  • $68 Friday Lunches at ESSA

    $68.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Friday Lunch $68pp It’s Friday at Essa, time for an express or long lunch Every Friday join us for our $68pp lunch + add ons The Nixon Room is open from 4pm for cocktails to finish the day
    $68 Friday Lunches at ESSA photo

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 692 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.5Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

  • Brisbane

    Best Ambience

  • Brisbane

    Best Value

  • Brisbane

    Innovative

  • Brisbane

    Great for fine wines

  • Brisbane

    Romantic

  • Brisbane

    Good for special occasions

  • Inner Suburbs

    Best Overall

  • Inner Suburbs

    Best Food

  • Inner Suburbs

    Best Service

  • Inner Suburbs

    Best Ambience

  • Inner Suburbs

    Best Value

  • Inner Suburbs

    Innovative

  • Inner Suburbs

    Great for fine wines

  • Inner Suburbs

    Romantic

  • Inner Suburbs

    Good for special occasions

  • Inner Suburbs

    Most Booked

692 Reviews

  1. David

    Orlando

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Thoroughly enjoyable night. Great food, service, and atmosphere. We opted for the wine pairing and for some reason the timing between the wine being poured and the meal being served was not coordinated, so we ended up drinking the wine before the meal arrived. On the upside the sommelier noticed this and topped up our glasses. Speaking of the sommelier he was fantastic. Full of energy and quite a character. His wine selection was very well considered pairing each course with a wine that on face value made no sense, but when consumed with the wine was outstanding. For anyone who truly enjoys the art of pairing, this experience is a must.

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  2. Tiffany

    New York City

    16 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    16 reviews

    Dined on 21 September 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    So disappointing… waited to be seated for longer then it should have taken, then there was a menu shortage as we were given a menu to share, waited far too long to be asked if we wanted to order drinks.. only to be told that it was sold out and given an alternative wine description as ‘muscular’😳… 2023 Chardonnay😂, had to ask for our wine to be topped up, food offering was flat… good not great, service was even flatter, asked for the bill.. then to wait and wait… so walked to the door and paid, no warm goodbyes… just tap and go!😏 Im going to be kind and assume that they had staffing issues… if not… this is the most overrated restaurant in Brisbane.🫣

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  3. Christopher

    Amsterdam

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 21 September 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Unique food options beautifully presented and rich in taste.

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  4. CharlotteG

    Brisbane

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 18 September 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We visited Essa for their Wednesday 5 plates/5 chefs offer and it was sensational. The menu was well thought out and everything worked beautifully together. The service was fantastic and the wine recommendation was 10/10. I would recommend Essa to anyone looking for delicious food paired with moody ambiance, and will be visiting again.

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  5. Troyden

    Brisbane

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 11 September 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic food and service. Thank you Rob, we were very impressed.

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  6. Kirsty

    Brisbane

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on 7 September 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    The service was very attentive. However the food was disappointing as the degustation menu was lacking fresh ingredients to balance the meat dishes.

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  7. Lauren

    Brisbane

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 1 September 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    An absolutely incredible dining experience from the moment we were greeted until we walked out the door. It’s not often that you find a venue that has it perfectly balanced between a 5 star dining experience and “vibes” but the entire team has completely nailed it. The food…… oh my! The blood brother cocktail…… get out of here! Deliciousness. It was genuinely the most enjoyable dining experience- made even better by the enthusiasm and charm of Chris and Lauren. Will return many times - congratulations to the Essa team on completely nailing the brief and understanding the assignment.

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  8. Margaret

    Brisbane

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 31 August 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful as always! Exquisitely delicious - exceptional produce - creatively prepared!

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  9. Nicholas Ashby

    Brisbane

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 29 August 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful experience, beautiful food, excellent service and a well thought out wine list. One of Brisbanes best

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    Sydney

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 25 August 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The churros with manchego cheese sauce was devine!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Essa Restaurant is rated 4.7 stars by 692 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 8 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Essa Restaurant

181 Robertson St, Fortitude Valley, AU-QLD 4006

Additional information

  • Area
    Fortitude Valley
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Fri, Sun 12:00 pm–4:00 pm Dinner Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Price
    $41 to $100
  • Cuisines
    Wine Bar, Modern Australian, Modern European
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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