With a set menu, the choices are made for you, which means less analysis paralysis and more conversation. And set menu courses are often served up family-style to share, which gives the meal a communal feeling. Then there’s the value. With a bit of planning, finding a prix-fixe of four, five, six or more courses that don’t cost a week’s rent is easier than it sounds. Yeah, we’ll take a good set menu every time.

With all that in mind, we’ve rounded up five of our favourite sub-$100 set menus from around Brisbane from a range of culinary styles that’ll satisfy every appetite.

Gerard’s

Gerard’s in Gerard’s Lane off James Street leans into refined Middle Eastern bazaar style with intricate Moroccan tiles, marble and brass that hint at the flavours to come. The $85 set menu is built to share; seven dishes of snacks, large plates, sides and a dessert. Flavours and dishes come from all parts of the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, but they all share the hallmark warm spices and fresh flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine. You’ll start with light snacks such as sesame-topped barbari bread served with reduced whey before moving to the main spread, which revolves around local lamb collar with fassolia (a classic white bean dish), crunchy Palestinian farmers salad, and charred cucumbers with baladi, a Lebanese soft cheese.

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Greca

Greca is restaurateur Jonathan Barthelmess’s love letter to Greek dining. The bustling 210-seat warehouse diner pays homage to the Greek taverna. It champions charcoal and wood-fired cooking (which you’ll spot in the open kitchen), and celebrates communal eating. Greca offers three set menus, from $65 to $95, the latter of which is a languorous 12-dish experience. There are trad staples including the sizzling, honey-smothered saganaki Barthelmess popularised at his Sydney restaurant The Apollo; fresh bites such as Hokkaido scallop crudo, yellowfin tuna and kingfish with orange and capers; and substantial mains such as the 12-hour baked lamb shoulder and whole grilled market fish. Settle in with a house fizz and relax.

Yoko Dining

Designed to harness the charm of Tokyo’s late-night vinyl bars, izakaya Yoko Dining is filled with vintage touches (including turntables and a vinyl collection in the upstairs bar), pale timbers and a signature shade of yellow that threads itself through the heritage-listed warehouse space. A la carte dining is perfect for a casual bite and a quick glance at the 150-strong wine list, but the banquets should be your focus. Choose from nine or 11 dishes ($75 and $95 respectively) and dig into Yoko classics such as the Nikkei ceviche with spicy aji amarillo chilli all scooped up in crunchy rice crisp. And tender Wagyu striploin served with wasabi, yuzu kosho and mustard.

Sasso Italiano

There’s plenty of charm at Wollongabba diner Sasso Italiano, with walls populated by painter Libby Haines’s dinner table scenes and a jumble of textural marble, glass and timber. It’s an approachable neighbourhood Italian spot with something special going on. Set menus are a choice of $59 and $89 options, both of which require at least four diners. Settle in for dishes such as fresh burrata with bagna cauda, wakame, capers and a bread crumble; the table’s choice of pizza on Sasso’s bubbly, long-fermented, semi-wholemeal dough; and a mini cannoli with dark chocolate and whipped ricotta to round it all out.

Hellenika

Perched atop James Street’s Calile Hotel, Hellenika is an approachable alternative for those of us pining after a luxury Greek getaway. The space is open and airy, decked out in Santorini-resort white with marble touches to complete the escapism. There are two set menus (one is $90, the other, at $110, just nudges over our budget) that celebrate Greek classics done right. Easy-going staples include silverbeet-wrapped veal and rice dolmades, baked lamb with lemon potatoes, and bougatsa (flaky filo filled with semolina custard).

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with HSBC's Everyday Global Account. You'll receive 2% cashback on tap and pay transactions under $100 whenever you use your Visa Debit Card. Set menus have never looked so good.