On a street lined with some of Brisbane’s best dining, Gemelli Italian has carved out its place as a James Street favourite. Opened by the Carney brothers in 2021, the restaurant brings with it a legacy of family tradition, authentic cooking and the kind of Italian hospitality that makes every meal feel like a celebration.
The atmosphere is warm and buzzing, with marble, brick and timber giving the space a timeless, easy elegance. The menu is a love letter to Italy, beginning with antipasti made for sharing. Plates of beef carpaccio dressed with rocket, capers and Grana Padano, wood-fired king prawns in garlic and chilli, or golden mushroom arancini with truffle oil are the kind of starters that set the tone for what’s to come.
Handmade pasta holds a special place on the menu. The Rigatoni Ragù, slow-cooked for eight hours with oxtail and pork shin, is rich and comforting, while the Spaghetti Alla Marinara, with market fish, prawns, calamari, clams and mussels, is every seafood lover’s dream.
But it’s the woodfired pizzas that often steal the spotlight. Bubbling and blistered straight from the oven, they arrive with all the theatre you’d expect. The Capricciosa is a crowd favourite piled with ham, olives, artichokes and mushrooms, while the Pescatore turns up the heat with prawns, calamari, garlic oil, chilli and parsley over a rich San Marzano tomato base. For a vegetarian twist, the Ortolana loads on wood-roasted eggplant, capsicum and zucchini.
And then there’s dessert. The Tiramisu is silky and timeless, the Nutella Bomba is as decadent as it sounds, and the dessert gnocchi dusted with cinnamon sugar are made for sharing (if you can bear to). Add in the Tartufo Pistacchio, a pistachio sponge cake shaped into a sphere with creamy vanilla filling and a coating of crunchy pistachios, plus panna cotta and house-made gelato churned fresh in-house and there’s truly no wrong move.
Pair it all with a glass from their carefully curated wine list or a classic affogato spiked with Frangelico, and you’ve got the full James Street experience wrapped up.
Gemelli Italian James St
15 James Street, Fortitude Valley, QLD, 4006
(07) 3741 7990
Gemelliitalian.com.au
