The Embassy has come a long way since it's days as The Embassy Hotel from my uni days in which it was a dark, dingy spot offering standard pub meals and cheap beer and techno dance music on Saturday evenings. It reinvented itself as a craft beer bar and the ambience has definitely improved! It was one of the first places in the Brisbane CBD to offer decent beer and still has one of the best ranges available. I think the beers on tap change regularly and are written up on a chalkboard behind the bar. To be honest, I didn't take a lot of notice of them but I saw White Rabbit, Stone & Wood and Moon Boy featured, as well as a nice sounding oatmeal stout.
The food menu has also improved dramatically and while still pub food, it's definitely on the more interesting end in the currently popular American style. Sliders (2 for $15.50 with a side of hand-cut shoestring fries) are a popular choice and options include the standard cheeseburger and pulled pork. As by definition of slider (mini burger), it's not a huge meal but you can amp it up with an additional for $4.50. For the gluten-intolerant, you can have them with GF bread for an additional $1. Then there are the other main meals such as the Beef Brisket Nachos ($15), Embassy Taco ($15), BBQ Smoked Pork Ribs ($22) and Philly Style Wagyu Roll ($16) or you can still get your steak sandwich, rump steak, fish and chips or pizza if you want a more standard option. For something a bit fresher, there are some tasty sounding salads such as a Lamb Kofta Salad ($16). And if that's not enough, there are a range of share plates such as Spicy Buffalo Wings ($12.50) and Sweet Potato Fries ($9). They also have several specials available and today's included slow-cooked lamb rump, pork fillet, lamb sausages and a lamb pie, although by 1pm everything but the pork had sold out.
I chose the Embassy Taco with Smoked Beef Brisket. For $15 I was concerned it would be tiny but the staff member serving me assured me it was more burrito-like in size and was filling. Even with that I was surprised how large it was when it arrived - a slightly puffed up tortilla absolutely stuffed with pulled beef atop a creamy avocado, tomato and onion salsa. Coriander leaves and melted cheese topped it off and a cheek of lime was served next to it on the wooden board. It was so full I had to eat about half the meat before feeling confident about picking it up but there was still plenty of beef left. The beef was smoky and saucy and absolutely delicious and the salsa (creamier than I expected) added some lightness along with the lime juice. A really great option for only $15! Several of the people I was with had the Philly Style Wagyu Roll with fries which they enjoyed but didn't think was great. Someone else tried the taco with Spiced Battered Fish but tried my beef and thought it was better.
We went there for a team lunch for 10 people and it was a good option for that. It's also possible to make reservations and I advise you do if you have a larger group. I've also been for drinks on a Friday afternoon and it's a great option although when they have live music, it can get very loud. read more