Fatcow on James St

01What to order

• A5 Kobe beef sirloin, 100 g / 3.5 ozA$199 on the menu as of October 2026; fullblood Japanese Black, 850+ days on grain, Hyōgo. Also 200 g / 7 oz at A$389.
• Black Onyx sirloin on the bone, 350 g / 12 oz, MB3+A$89; Diamantina fullblood Angus, 230+ days on grain, New England, dry-aged 42 days.
• Sher fullblood Wagyu T-bone, MB9+A$55 per 100 g / 3.5 oz; 500+ days on grain, Ballan, Victoria, dry-aged 21+ days.
• Joker fullblood Wagyu sirloin, 220 g / 8 oz, MB9+A$130; 500+ days on grain, Condamine, Queensland. Also 440 g / 16 oz at A$250.
• Westholme F1 Wagyu rib fillet, 300 g / 11 oz, MB5A$89; 330+ days on grain, Queensland.
• Steak and lobsterA$240: a 180 g / 6.5 oz grass-fed eye fillet with half a live lobster, wood-fired with butter and garlic.

02The beef

Two countries, three breeds. Japan: A5 Japanese Black, all fullblood and marked not halal: Kobe (Hyōgo, 850+ days), Kagoshima (650+ days, eye fillet and sirloin at MB12+) and Kumamoto (600+ days, rump cap at MB12+). Australia, Wagyu: Joker, Muse, Stone Axe, Lotte L'grow, 2GR, Marble King, Legacy, Sanchoku, Jewel by King River, Senku, Westholme, Stonehenge, Sher and Sir Harry, from 330+ to 500+ days on grain and MB5 to MB9+. Australia, Angus: Diamantina Black Onyx and Tassis Reserve, both fullblood Black Angus from New England at 230+ days. Hereford: a CopperTree Farm grass-fed eye fillet from Gippsland, Victoria, which the menu lists as a Hereford dairy cow. Only two cuts state their aging: the Sher T-bone, 21+ days, and the Black Onyx sirloin, 42 days.

03The fire

Concrete Playground's opening report described a window onto the chef's grill. The menu cooks its live lobster, and a side of cabbage, in a wood fire; for the steaks, no current source names the fuel. At Eagle Street Pier, Man of Many described Fatcow as known for wood-fired beef. The James Street house also keeps what Concrete Playground called Brisbane's only live oyster tank.

04The story

Fatcow Steak & Lobster opened in December 2020 at Eagle Street Pier, in the space Cha Cha Char had occupied, and closed when the pier was demolished for an A$2.1 billion waterfront precinct. The Tassis Group, whose venues include Yamas, Massimo and Opa, announced its return in late 2023, and Fatcow on James St opened on May 8, 2024, in the former Space Furniture and David Jones site at 10 James Street. Allo Creative and Clui Design gave it a mid-century steakhouse look: a solid marble bar, curtained booths and two private rooms. Head chef Garry Newton had cooked at Fatcow before, as well as at Herve's and Rich & Rare. At the 2024 opening the signature was the "Golden Fatcow," a 400 g / 14 oz gold-wrapped rib fillet of Riverina Black Angus, 150+ days on grain, at A$190.

05The practical

10 James Street, Fortitude Valley. Open every day from 11:30 am until late. Bookings on (07) 3132 2689 or through SevenRooms. A private room seats 8, a semi-private room 22, and the whole restaurant takes 120. Two set menus: a Wagyu Tasting Experience at A$340 and "A Taste of Japan," served carved, at A$405. Weekends carry a 12% surcharge and public holidays 20%. The Japanese beef is marked not halal. Time Out's July 2026 guide notes leather-bound menus and steaks from A$66.

Address

10 James Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Phone

+61 7 3132 2689

Website

fatcowrestaurant.com.au

Directions

Google Maps ↗

06In Brisbane’s selections