Windmill and Co (Brisbane, Austalia)

In most airports worldwide after you have passed through security gates you will be presented with a plethora of shops and restaurants, some examples are Hong Kong International Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Singapore Changi Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport to name some.

In Brisbane its quite different, though there are ample shops they are not as par as the ones I listed above. Shops are OK, there might be several options that you can work with but restaurants, I think there were around 5 or 6 in which apart from 2 are fast food.

One of those non-fast food restaurants is this Windmill and Co nicely located at the middle of the terminal with large window panes overlooking the runway so you can enjoy watching planes fly and land on the runway while enjoying your food.

They do have a good menu from a mix of different cuisines, they also offer a wide range of beer brands and in fact I even discovered my new favourite beer in here, the Hoegaarden.

Another good thing with this airport with my experience, it was never busy so it’s a real pleasure to go in and out of it, from check in to security clearance it might only take you 15 to 20 minutes tops which gives you a lot of time to wind down and wait for your next flight. That’s what I always do when I go back to New Zealand after a business trip, wind down have a drink and eat in this place.

Like I said they offer different food items from different cuisines the latest ones I tried was this Tandoori Chicken Skewers ($20.90) served with rice, mint yoghurt, cous cous in red wine jus. It’s a good plate of different flavours and textures blending well together. I am not a fan of chicken breast but they cooked it perfectly here, making it tender, juicy and it packs a lot of flavour.

If you want something light then try their bruschetta ($12.90) which basically a rustic cut tomato, onions, basil over garlic oiled grilled ciabatta dressed in balsamic glaze and olive oil. This apparently goes well with the Hoegaarden.

If you feel having some salad then their Beef & Cous Cous Salad ($18.90) is a good option. Don’t be fooled by the salad name as this plate of couscous, tomato, cucumber, Spanish onion, parsley, mint, lemon, olive oil, Persian fetta and sliced porterhouse steak is massive, it can feed a family so be warned. This definitely filled me up and I can’t even finish it, I love the combination of fresh tomatoes and salty feta then topped with some meaty steak. This certainly is a man’s salad! its massive, it’s delicious.

the only way to finish this is with some cold apple juice to cleanse your palate.

While there is the restaurant in front of it as an option, they mostly offer bar food like fish and chips and burgers which I do not prefer. I would be glad to be in this place every time as they offer a wider range of food items plus they are perfectly located in the best way possible inside the departure terminal.

Windmill & Co – Bar & Bistro
Address: Brisbane International Airport, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, QLD 4008
Phone: +617 3406 3000