Dining + Retail

A growing demand for shopping local means a variety of home-grown retail and dining options are flourishing in downtown Toowoomba to keep our growing population entertained!

What's on offer?

A stroll through Toowoomba’s CBD streets and laneways is full of temptation! Local boutiques, spas and salons mingle with fashion houses, homewares and large department stores within Grand Central Shopping Centre.


During the week, Toowoomba’s CBD is buzzing with activity from business and government. After hours, locals gather for social and cultural activities.


Friday drinks are not to be missed down the pub, in a moody cocktail lounge or wine bar.

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Real Regional Stories

dine local

A group of people are sitting at a table in a restaurant

When it comes to what’s on the menu in Toowoomba, a mix of well established venues and new culinary experiences means the city’s food and dining scene is vibrant and evolving, according to local food writer Kristen O’Brien from Dine Darling Downs. 


“I have seen so much change and growth in the last 10 years in the foodie scene,” Kristen says. 


“We have so much to offer here from cosy cafés, trendy laneway bars and eateries to top quality restaurants and of course our famous country pubs.”


Kristen says Toowoomba is also high on the radar for foodies in the South East.


“It is the perfect weekend escape for our friends just down the range in Brisbane, we find they are often surprised at how cosmopolitan the dining scene is here.”


With a bounty of fresh produce on Toowoomba’s doorstep, there’s no shortage of local flavours for home cooks to experiment with too.


“The abundance of fresh local produce is also a drawcard, with the Toowoomba Farmers Market a popular spot on Saturday mornings for locals and visitors to stock up on some farm fresh fruit and vege and freshly baked bread,” Kristen says. 


“There are plants, flowers, meat, eggs, honey and so much more, all made or grown on the Darling Downs.”

Head to Dine Darling Downs

Love Your Local

You’ll find a mix of supermarkets, restaurants, takeaways and specialty stores at Toowoomba’s suburban shopping centers located somewhere near you.

A bar with a lot of bottles on the shelves and a bull skull on the wall.
friday night idea

the plate restaurant

Unique to Toowoomba The Plate restaurant is turning the local dining scene on its head with a unique venue featuring a Restaurant, Bar and inhouse craft-brewery, Bone Idol Brewery. Savour an exciting modern Australian menu for lunch and dinner, enjoy a great beer with your mates on the front terrace, and chill at the bar or lounge with an eclectic mix of European and Australian wines, spirits, and cocktails.

Be sure not to miss them!
wwwtheplaterestaurant.com.au

retail therapy

Grand central shopping centre

Grand Central is centrally located in the heart of Toowoomba CBD, offering a true experiential shopping destination in Darling Downs.


Grand Central offers the only Myer department store in the region and features over 70 fashion stores including H&M, Country Road, Seed, Sheike, Veronika Maine, Jacqui E, Portmans, Sussan and Sportsgirl. Grand Central is home to many other leading national retailers including Target, Coles, Rebel Sport, The Body Shop, Birch Carroll & Coyle Cinema, and 140 specialty stores.

View the store directory
Grand Central Shopping Centre

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