If you’ve just searched “restaurant near me” from somewhere around Brisbane’s inner south, the short version is this: we’re Factory 51, an Italian restaurant at 51 Holdsworth Street in Coorparoo. We’re open Tuesday to Sunday, there’s free parking in the Coles car park across the road, and we’ve been feeding this part of Brisbane for more than ten years. The rest of this page covers the practical things people usually want to know before they decide: hours, parking, what the food is like, and whether you’ll get a table tonight.
How to Pick a Restaurant When Every Result Says 4-Plus Stars
Most restaurants in any search result sit somewhere between 4.0 and 4.8 stars, so ratings only get you so far. In our experience, the things that actually decide where people end up eating are more practical.
Is it open right now? We serve dinner Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm. Lunch runs from 12pm on Fridays and from 11:30am on Saturdays and Sundays. We’re closed Mondays.
Can you park? Parking ruins more dinner plans than bad food. The Coles car park is directly opposite our front door on Holdsworth Street and it’s free, and there’s street parking on the blocks around us as well. Of all the restaurants on the southside, ours is probably the easiest to park at.
Will you get a table? On a weeknight, almost certainly. Just walk in. Friday and Saturday nights book out, so reserve ahead or call 07 3324 0844. If we’re full when you arrive, we’ll take your number and call when a table frees up rather than send you away.
Does it suit the occasion? A weeknight dinner, a date, a family table of eight. A good local restaurant should manage all three without you having to think about it, and that’s a big part of why locals keep coming back here.
What Kind of Restaurant Is Factory 51?
Factory 51 is a converted red-brick warehouse down a lit laneway, with exposed beams, polished concrete floors and a woodfired oven you can usually smell before you see the door. The food is Italian. Pasta and gnocchi are made in house every day. The pizza dough is cold-fermented over several days, stretched by hand and cooked in a wood-burning oven, so the base comes out thin and slightly charred rather than soft and uniform. The antipasti are meant for the middle of the table, and the tiramisu is made in house too.
It’s not a dressy room, but it isn’t a casual pizza shop either. People turn up in work clothes on a Wednesday and dressed up on a Saturday and neither looks out of place.
If Italian is specifically what you’re after, our Italian restaurant near me page goes into the menu and what to order in much more detail.
Restaurants Near You: Coorparoo as the Southside’s Dining Hub
Coorparoo has slowly become the suburb the surrounding area drives to for dinner. If you’re searching from anywhere nearby, these are the rough drive times to Factory 51:
- Camp Hill: 5 minutes
- Greenslopes: 5 minutes
- Stones Corner: 5 minutes
- Holland Park: 7 minutes
- Norman Park: 7 minutes
- Annerley and Woolloongabba: 8 minutes
- Tarragindi: 10 minutes
- Brisbane CBD and West End: 12 minutes
Camp Hill and Greenslopes are close enough that we effectively count as a local option. Holland Park and Tarragindi have decent casual spots but fewer places suited to an occasion, which is when people tend to make the short trip over. And compared with heading into the CBD, you keep the easy parking, skip the traffic, and the night is generally more relaxed.
We’re not the only restaurant in the suburb either. Our guides to the best restaurants in Coorparoo and the best restaurants across Brisbane’s southern suburbs cover the wider scene.
Match the Restaurant to the Meal
Dinner tonight, no plan. Tuesday to Thursday you can walk in. The room is quieter and service has more time for you.
Date night. Warm lighting, shared plates and a wine list that doesn’t need explaining. Most couples are here for two or three hours. Book on weekends.
Family dinner. Pizza and pasta is easy to share, the staff are used to kids, and there’s enough room that a big family table doesn’t feel like it’s in the way.
A group catch-up. Antipasti first, then pizzas and pastas down the middle. Eight to twelve people works well in the main room.
A celebration. Birthdays, engagements and corporate events run at The Workshop, the exclusive-hire function venue next to the restaurant, so private events and regular dinner service never get in each other’s way.
Birthday Dinners: What a Local Restaurant Does Best
Birthdays are the backbone of our trade, as they are for most suburban restaurants. After more than a decade of them, we have a fair idea of what makes one work.
The shared format does a lot of it. Antipasti to start, then woodfired pizza and handmade pasta down the middle of the table. A table of twelve can still hold one conversation, and nobody gets stuck ordering from a cut-down group menu.
For bigger milestones there’s a separate option at the same address. The Workshop is its own exclusive-use events venue beside the restaurant, with a private bar, a laneway terrace and room for up to 180 guests, and the food comes from the same kitchen team. A 30th or 50th for sixty people runs there as a fully private event. A birthday table of eight stays in the restaurant. Either way the food is restaurant food, not function-centre catering.
If you’re planning one, our birthday venue Brisbane page covers formats, menus and how to book.
Getting Here
Factory 51, 51 Holdsworth Street, Coorparoo QLD 4151. The entrance is via the laneway off Holdsworth Street. Park free in the Coles car park across the road or on the nearby streets. The 160, 161 and 175 buses stop on Old Cleveland Road, a few minutes’ walk away, and rideshares can drop you right at the laneway.
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 5pm to 10pm. Friday 12pm to 10pm. Saturday 11:30am to 10pm. Sunday 11:30am to 9pm. Closed Mondays.
Bookings: Book online via OpenTable or call 07 3324 0844. Walk-ins are welcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
What restaurants are near me in Coorparoo?
Coorparoo has a mix of casual spots and places worth planning a night around. Factory 51 at 51 Holdsworth Street has been the suburb’s anchor for over a decade, with woodfired pizza and handmade pasta, open Tuesday to Sunday. Our Coorparoo dining guide covers the wider scene.
Where can I eat near me tonight without a booking?
Tuesday to Thursday you can walk into Factory 51 without much trouble. On weekends it’s worth calling ahead on 07 3324 0844. If we’re full, we’ll take your number and call when a table opens.
Which restaurants near me have easy parking?
The Coles car park directly opposite Factory 51 makes us one of the easiest restaurants to park at on the southside. There’s street parking on Holdsworth Street and the side streets around us too.
Is there a restaurant near me that’s good for a birthday dinner?
Yes, birthdays are our bread and butter. Groups of six to twelve sit in the main restaurant, and bigger milestone birthdays can book The Workshop, the separate exclusive-hire events venue at the same address, which holds up to 180 guests. The birthday venue Brisbane page has the details.
Can the kitchen handle dietary requirements?
Yes. Gluten-free, vegetarian and most other requirements are easy for us. Mention it when you book or when you arrive and the staff will point you to the right dishes. A few things on the menu are naturally gluten-free and others are simple to adjust.
What’s the best restaurant near Camp Hill, Greenslopes or Holland Park?
All three suburbs are five to seven minutes from us in Coorparoo, which is why so many of our regulars come from there. The southern suburbs dining guide has a fuller answer.