The Best Laneways in Brisbane (and What to Do in Each)

Brisbane came late to laneway culture. For decades its back lanes were for bins and deliveries, until the council started reclaiming them around 2010 with lighting, paving and art, and a change in licensing laws let small bars open in spaces too tight for a pub. Fifteen years on, the city's best drinking, coffee and street art is tucked down its lanes, if you know which ones to turn into.

Here are the laneways worth finding, what each is good for, and the places to try when you get there. Venues change, so this list was checked in October 2026.

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Best for: coffee in the morning, cocktails at night.

Burnett Lane runs between George and Albert Streets, parallel to Queen Street Mall, and it's often called Brisbane's oldest laneway. Whatever the title is worth, the history is real: the lane is named after James Burnett, the colony's first surveyor, and it runs over the yard of the convict settlement's Prisoners' Barracks. Today it's narrow, lit with festoon lights, and busy from first coffee to last drink.

Look out for Mace Robertson's tiny red door and the blue birds by local artist Blu Art Xinja. Burnett Lane features on three of our walks: Laneway Cafés, Small Bars and the Street Art Trail.

Best for: dinner before a show, murals, a long evening.

Fish Lane runs behind Melbourne Street, from the Grey Street end near the Cultural Centre through to Manning Street, a few minutes' walk from QPAC and the galleries. It's Brisbane's busiest laneway dining strip and its best concentration of large-scale murals, so come before dark to see the walls and stay for dinner.

For food, the lane also has Julius Pizzeria, Chu The Phat, Hello Please, Clarence and Gelato Messina for afterwards. Nitō, a Japanese grill from the Clarence team, is due to open in November 2026.

If you're staying nearby, our South Bank guide has the hotels within a short walk.

Best for: live music in a basement.

Eagle Lane runs between Eagle Street and Queen Street near the river, and it's grittier than Burnett Lane. The reason to come is Brooklyn Standard, a basement bar behind an unmarked laneway door with live music six nights a week. It's one of the stops on our Small Bars walk.

Best for: a hidden bar, dumplings and gelato.

Bakery Lane runs off Ann Street, between Warner and Brunswick Streets, and it's heritage-listed: exposed brick, little boutiques and independent food spots.

Best for: independent shops, burgers and street art.

Winn Lane runs off Winn Street, between Ann and McLachlan Streets, behind The Zoo live music venue. It's the Valley's creative lane, full of independent fashion and beauty businesses, with walls that are repainted constantly.

It's one stop on our Street Art Trail, and it's best wandered slowly together with Bakery Lane.

Best for: themed bars and a neon night out.

California Lane runs off McLachlan Street near Brunswick Street, with a retro, pastel-and-neon look and a run of themed bars.

The CBD lanes (Burnett and Eagle) are five minutes apart. Fish Lane is a 15-minute walk across Victoria Bridge. The Valley lanes (Bakery, Winn and California) sit within a few blocks of each other, about 15 minutes' walk north of the CBD or one stop on the train to Fortitude Valley station.

Our walks join them up for you:

If you'd rather have a local lead the way, this small-group tour combines the laneway bars with the street art, with a drink included:

And if you'd like your laneways with a few ghosts, the evening Haunted Brisbane CBD ghost tour finishes close to the bars of Burnett Lane.