Sitting on the southeastern side of the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Botanical is every bit as pretty as its namesake. It might not house 8,000 plus plant species, but it makes up for with a sophisticated modern interior, a casual atmosphere and elegant dishes.
The Botanical is a jack-of-all-trades type venue, serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner in addition to having a sleek bar and its own bottleshop. It’s modern Australian cuisine on the menu here, a sometimes ambiguous descriptor which at the Botanical means dainty lobster rolls, duck breast with kohlrabi, polenta chips and upmarket beef burgers. Speaking of beef: one of the restaurant’s major draw cards are its Thursday steak nights and Sunday roasts.
If you’re here to drink then you’ll want to come between 5-7pm weeknights: otherwise known as the Botanical’s happy hour. Wednesdays are for wine with the Botanical’s bar offering tastings of local and international producers, and each month a different beer, wine or spirit goes on special to entice punters to try something new. Swish and at the same time laid back, the Botanical is the culinary definition of smart-casual.
