Few Brisbane restaurants carry the history of e'cco. Chef Philip Johnson opened it in 1995 and turned it into one of the country's most decorated bistros, holding chef's hats for the better part of three decades. After closing its long-time CBD home, e'cco reopened in Newstead at 63 Skyring Terrace with a wood fire at the centre of the kitchen — a second act that kept the two-hat standard while changing how the food is cooked.
The Kitchen
Johnson built his reputation on restraint: a few faultless ingredients, cooked precisely, plated without clutter. The Newstead kitchen now runs through a wood fire, and the room's most-loved experience is the Lobster Banquet — a set menu of fire-driven dishes, fresh seafood and a few e'cco classics, built around lobster cooked over the flame. Expect charred bread, share plates and the kind of seafood cookery that rewards a kitchen that has done it for thirty years.
À la carte mains sit around AUD $48 to $68, with the Lobster Banquet a higher set-price affair best booked for a group. The two chef's hats in the Australian Good Food Guide are the dated proof point that matters here, and Johnson's name above the door still means something in Queensland dining. A named chef, a named signature menu, a real price band and a current address give the page its five anchors.
The Room
The Newstead room is warmer and more relaxed than the old CBD dining room, with the glow of the wood fire setting the tone and timber and linen softening the sound. It seats a comfortable mid-size crowd without feeling cavernous, and tables are spaced for conversation. Dress is smart casual — Brisbane rarely asks for more. Service has followed Johnson across the years: assured, friendly and unshowy, the kind that explains a dish without performing it.
Best for Impressing a Guest
When a Brisbane dinner needs to signal taste without trying too hard, e'cco does the job. Three reasons: the two-hat pedigree gives a guest something to recognise, the wood-fired seafood is genuinely memorable rather than merely competent, and the relaxed Newstead room keeps the evening from feeling stiff. Picture a Friday, lobster from the fire on a shared board, the kitchen's glow behind the pass — it impresses precisely because it is confident enough not to shout. It works just as well for a milestone birthday dinner with friends who care about food.