With more than half a billion streams globally and an ARIA chart-topping album, The Jungle Giants has established some serious musical street cred in Australia. When they’re not headlining festivals and selling out shows from the East to West Coast, you’ll find the wonderfully cheeky indie-pop gang hanging out in their hometown of Brisbane. Follow along as the band’s songwriter-guitarist Sam Hales and lead guitarist Cesira Aitken show us their favourite late-night haunts in Brisbane.
The QA Hotel
Kick off your Friday with pints and pool at one of The Jungle Giant’s favourite watering holes, the QA Hotel. This James Street pub in the hip ’burb of New Farm, just a stone’s throw away from Brisbane CBD, is where the band unwinds with a bevvie or two. Bring your A-game to the pool table, because the loser will be picking up the tab for the next round.
Hikari
Feeling peckish? Make a dash to Hikari in Teneriffe, a breezy 15-minute stroll down the road. This low-key Japanese pub-izakaya puts a spin on traditional eats, serving up tuna tacos, salmon sashimi and beef rib bao, along with larger mains like chashu pork ramen and chicken katsu curry. Keep the bevs flowing with Japanese sake, umeshu (plum wine), whisky and Aussie wines.
Bosco
Named after either the Italian word for wood or a star from season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, this moody woodfire restaurant in Newstead is a love letter to the coastal and olive oil regions of France, Italy and Spain. Take cues from The Jungle Giants and order the flatbread gilda, oysters mignonette and Bosco’s signature croqueta.
The Nixon Room
End the night in style at this cosy cocktail and Martini bar hidden down a charming, fig-lined laneway in Fortitude Valley. Fittingly, the drinks here take their names after music legends, like the Dolly (tropical punch) and Pamela (grapefruit highball). While The Jungle Giants mainly head here for Margaritas, there are also dirty dogs, hashbrown wagyu tartare and bougie popcorn to fuel your late-night adventures.
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