The Restaurant & Catering Association (R&CA), the prestigious organisation dedicated to championing Australia’s foodservice industry, has acted as a voice and a spotlight for Aussie restaurants and cafés for over 100 years! Their Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence are among Australia’s most prestigious hospitality accolades, recognising outstanding food, service and innovation nationwide. So who better than them to judge and announce some of the absolute best, top-notch places to have a bite in Queensland and all of Australia?
At this year’s Awards, Fortitude Valley’s own modern Italian eatery, Italia Lane came out victorious, crowned not just Best Pizza Restaurant, but also won one of their major awards: Casual Dining of the Year. The restaurant had already taken both titles for SEQ earlier in the year, and has now cemented its place at the top with a national victory. And with Brissy’s reputation as a leader in Australia’s foodie scene, it shouldn’t come as a surprise!
Executive Chef, Rino Avellini and the rest of the team are understandably elated. As he put it, “To be recognised nationally for both casual dining and pizza is an incredible honour. We’ve always focused on creating a place where people can relax and enjoy beautiful Italian food with genuine hospitality and to see that approach celebrated on this scale means a lot to our entire team.
“This recognition belongs to our whole team and our guests who continue to support us — they’re
the reason we do what we do.”
As you may have guessed from the award, their pizzas are truly something special, and although part of the reason why is their hand-stretched dough, they keep some of the secret ingredients and techniques close to vest: you’ll just have to try for yourself!
They also have one of the most unmissable bottomless brunches in town with unlimited pizza and other classic entrées, as well as Aperol Spritz, beer and wine for only $89 per person.
Italia Lane is solid proof that the spirit and perfectionism of Italian tradition mixed with a relaxed Brisbane vibe is a winning combination!
If you’re still hungry for more, you can see the full list of winners here.