Nothing epitomises summer like a glorious afternoon at a lawn bowls club. The humble bowlo is an ideal place for the community to gather, enjoy a few drinks and partake in a casual roll.

As recently as a few years ago, the beverage and food offering at Brisbane’s bowls clubs could best be described as “questionable”, but recently a clutch of lawn bowls clubs have undergone a transformation. While classics like XXXX Gold are still ubiquitous, they now sit alongside a series of (mostly local) craft beers and small-producer wine lists. The food offerings have also been elevated with excellent clubhouse restaurants, pop-ups and food trucks.

While there are many longstanding and well-known bowls clubs, we’ve singled out some standouts with exceptional food and drink. Here (in alphabetical order) are the best bowlos to hit up this summer.

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Banyo Bowls Club, Banyo

On any given afternoon Banyo Bowls Club’s recreational green is filled with friends and family enjoying casual bowls, kids with soccer balls and live music on weekends. The permanent on-site Japanese restaurant, Hiro Meshi, serves up dishes like chicken karaage, Wagyu yakiniku don and chicken katsu curry don. The bar features classics like XXXX Gold alongside seven dedicated craft beer taps. Expect to find a Wayward Blue Blast Sourade or a Molly Rose Hazy Pale Ale amongst the offering.
16 Froude Street, Banyo
(07) 3267 5250

Bardon Bowls Club, Bardon

Have you seen Cheers? If you have, you’d instantly recognise Bardon bowlo as the sort of place where everyone knows your name. The close-knit community was saddened in February 2022 when a flood closed the bowlo’s clubhouse, but a pop-up bar in the greenkeeper’s shed kept locals content until the clubhouse reopened 10 months later. The clubhouse kitchen will open in March, but for now, there are rotating food trucks. A selection of craft beer taps is on offer, including Aether’s Australian Pale Ale and Fixation’s Hazy IPA, while mornings offer coffee from Bancroft Roasters.
69 Bowman Parade, Bardon
(07) 3366 2981

Camp Hill Bowls Club, Camp Hill

Boasting stunning city vistas, Camp Hill Bowls Club features an eight-tap bar with two rotating craft beer options. You may find a Ten Toes watermelon and mint sour or a hazy pale ale from Revel. The wine list includes pét-nats and orange wines from lo-fi producers. A bottle of Esoterico from Unico Zelo pairs perfectly with dishes from Pan Thai, the in-house Thai restaurant. The menu includes a duck red curry, crispy basil prawns and a massaman curry. There’s also The Swampy, a house drink mixing Sars cordial with XXXX Gold, a concoction originally served to the greenskeeper after he’d finish rolling the green.
150 Ferguson Road, Camp Hill
(07) 3398 1297

Mount Gravatt Bowls Club, Upper Mount Gravatt

With two greens, including a large undercover one, Mt Gravatt Bowls Club welcomes bowlers rain, hail or shine. The staff are more than happy to give novices a tutorial before they start rolling. For drinks, there are 19 beer taps with 14 of those dedicated to craft beers from south-east Queensland breweries. You’ll find Black Hops, 4 Hearts, Revel and Felons all on regular rotation. A clubhouse bistro serves roast dinners, pizzas and daily specials.
1873 Logan Road, Upper Mount Gravatt
(07) 3349 2367

The Clubhouse Moorooka, Moorooka

Not many bowls clubs can claim that all their beer taps are dedicated to craft beer, but The Clubhouse Moorooka can, with 14 rotating taps pouring beers from local breweries like Slipstream, Hiker, Range, Happy Valley and Helios. The bowlo regularly hosts food trucks, while the bar serves cheese and charcuterie platters. In the mornings, Bean on the Green serves coffee from Renegade Roasters, fresh-baked muffins and homemade sausage rolls. Local bands often play sets and events are held regularly and have included an Olivia Newton-John day, the Australian Pinball Championships and a Puppalooza dog event.
76 Koala Road, Moorooka

Wellers Hill Bowls Club, Tarragindi

The tap list at Wellers Hill Bowls Club rivals that of the best craft beer bars in town. There are 12 taps featuring Range Brewing, Bodriggy and New England Brewing Co, among others. Most beers are limited to a single keg, meaning they rotate constantly. On the food front, Wellers Hill hosts food trucks from Thursday to Sunday as well as a regular Wednesday night taco and bowls night with Socal Tacos. Thursday night is trivia night for any buffs in the area.
34 Esher Street, Tarragindi