I stumbled into Rice Queen whilst crossing the road! Very strategic, Rice Queen! How can I resist the mannequin standing outside dressed in cheongsam with chopsticks in her hair telling me to eat rice! So I walked in and quickly realised this is a restaurant come bar. There's apparently karaoke room at back? Smoking seatings by the entrance, bar area with high tables and seats and restaurant area rear of venue and near the kitchen. The deco makes you feel like you've walked into your raunchy Asian aunt's pad. With red lanterns, fake flowers, booze filled wall and spicy cooking smell from the kitchen. It was wonderful! Food We tried the mini banh me, one with pork another with lobster. At $5 and $10 a pop, these buns tasted amazing but a total rip off. The Korean inside outside lettuce wrap ( called something like ssssmmmmhhhsssww) were around the same price and we tried one with crispy fish. The KFC - Korean fried chicken were winner of the day. Get the plate of 10 because they are better than finger lickin good. But only if you like it hot! Coated generously in five spice powder, they are fried with shallots and whole chillies. Mmmmmmm We wanted desperately to try dessert but felt rather robbed at this stage so decided to leave it for a planned night out. And this is what it's great for, lots of fun for a girls night out I imagine. It probably doesn't help that the service was very " I'm too cool to be friendly whilst serving you" But Rice Queen cooks well. And if she is anything like your raunchy Asian aunt, she probably makes a mean cocktail too. read more

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Ahhh the 'Asian Fusion' of restaurants, Rice Queen is sometimes a hit - and sometimes a miss. You will find a mix of Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, and Indian dishes on the menu which opens up your night out to suits many individuals tastes. We've come here on a few occasions and its strange because sometimes to food is spectacular and other nights the food is well... bland. The service is speedy and the atmosphere is really something else. read more

Rice Queen - Bars Near Me - Fitzroy, VIC

I'm always a little bit wary of restaurants that serve up lots of different types of Asian food. I can't help but wonder, Jack of all trades, master of none? You know, can't decide what you do well so do a little bit of everything and hope for the best. Well, the flavours aren't terribly authentic but they are still quite delicious in their own way. I mean, if you wanted a really authentic plah som tum, you wouldn't come here. However, you would come here if you wanted something delicious and Asian-inspired to eat, in a setting that's fun and stylish, with fantastic cocktails and even live music on weekends. I've been meaning to try their laksa on $10 laksa night Sundays (I'm not even sure if they still do this), but have yet to take the plunge. My expectations are low - not many eateries in Melbourne, not even Singaporean or Malaysian ones, have mastered the laksa. I'm hopeful though. read more

Rice Queen - Bars Near Me - Fitzroy, VIC

Rice Queen is a beautifully set up bar and lounge restaurant on Smith St. This is a must on a Sunday night where they play some great music, you can bring some friends, play some board games (yes, board games), or pool and enjoy some great cocktails, international beers and have a great evening. One of my favourite places to go where the Steak Sandwich is the BEST I've ever had! Big call I know but they cook some mean meals there where the ambiance of the place is amazing. It's perfectly relaxed but cool and comfortable as well where there's so much to like about it. One downside might be no smoking area but with it being such a nice place to hang out in, you don't even care! Rice Queen would have to be my favourite place to go on the street. I really love it! read more

Rice Queen - Bars Near Me - Fitzroy, VIC

So it is a strange little place, this Rice Queen. Hidden upstairs, looks like a warehouse, has a great lounge feel nonetheless, complete with a piano and pretty good drinks! What they're really best for are the random specials nights. Thursday? 2 for 1 drinks. Makes the tasty stuff way more affordable. Sunday? $10 laksa. Spicy. Coconutty. Chicken or Vege. Monday? $1 dumplings. Pork or Vege. SUPER good dipping sauce. If you go on a Friday or Saturday the live music and fun atmosphere will be great for getting your friends in the mood for a fun night of drinks and dance and unintentional ab workout from the laughing. Not fancy or perfect, but certainly FUN and cheap when you hit it right! read more

Cool setting, good seating for groups of 4-8, totally let down by food quality, an oddly limited menu, and atrocious service. The Korean tacos are my favourite on the menu, but twice when I've been here they've been out of them. The san choy bao is passable, but come with a small amount of lettuce and extra lettuce costs $2.50(!!) Prawn toasts and chicken skewers are OK but pretty boring. They have three curries but you could go to pretty much any other Asian place in Fitzroy and get a MUCH tastier and cheaper dish. The char kway teow and kung pow are decent but in the same boat. The service is just absolutely terrible. Last time I was there, we literally waited 20 minutes to get our (bottled) drink order delivered after sitting down, and then the same thing happened with our second round order. I get that they make fancy cocktails, but you shouldn't ever have to wait 20 minutes for a few bottled beers. They have a good amount of waitstaff, but they appear to make a sport out of ignoring attempts to flag them down. Several times now, out of desperation, I've had to walk over to the bar to make simple requests for drinks or sides. I have repeatedly had requests for sauces or sides forgotten by the waitstaff. Which is a shame, because it has great decor and a really cool vibe. I still go here with small groups because it is one of the better mid-range options on Brunswick Street. It's frustrating because they could be a neighbourhood favourite of mine with just a little more attention to menu, food quality, and service. read more

I wanna give them 3.5 out of 5 - better than a 3, but not quite a 4... "...FINALLY GOT HERE ~ GORGEOUS DIGS.. FABULOUS VIBE.. LOYAL CREW.. NICE DRINKS.. INTERESTING FOOD..." Okay.. sweltering today - Monday, but decided to eat lunch at RICE QUEEN, Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.. They're air-conned - Cool... So, just cos they're booked out almost ev'ry night of the week - very possible considering the karaoke resurgence.. don't despair - weekday days it's just a very simple walk-in.. Food to share: -2 x 10 pce buckets Korean Fried Chicken - they use the meaty rib - very easy to eat, and no fatty skin - we devoured these - even sucked the bones...!! -I serve 'Gado Gado Salad' - one of my favourite dishes - almost live on it when in Bali - kinda disappointed with the guys' rendition - pretty poor, actually... -Pair of 'Baby Bahn Mi w Chicken' - yeah,, all good.. but nothin' to write home about... -1 serve 'Sugar Bun Chips' - OMG.. another amayzin' thing to do with that damned brioche.. f'me who would'a thought something so simple...!!! -Pair of 'Baby's w Soft Shell Crab' - WOW.. could have eaten 10 o'these - reminded me of something 'Gazi' does amazingly - but these ones.. well, like eating deep-fried mini tarantulas in soft little buns...!!! -2 serves 'Coconut Pandan Ice-cream' - green.. full of coconut flavour.. creamy.. delish.. -2 serves 'Strawberry & Sichuan Peppercorn Sorbet' - icy.. cooling.. just a whiff of fire... Drinks: 2 x LLB's - didn't skimp on the lime juice or bitters.. lots of ice.. 3 x Pale Ale's - nice and cold.. light, smooth and lemony on the palate.. goes down easy.. Service: Barbara - Gorgeous girl - Happy - Sincere.. Cost: We'd bought 4 Groupon Vouchers - $60 [Think Deal is still current..] Extras - $50 Fat value experience at $110 for 4.. Yes, really want to go back - try some of their other stuff - word is the 'Calamari' - really good - I've travelled countries for seriously good calamari... Visited on 18 Jan 2016 for lunch. read more

Stumbled across this one while wandering Brunswick, unsure of what we felt like for dinner. Such a great space- with it's array of rainbow colours, hanging lights and lanterns which transports you faraway, to an undefined Asian country. Ordered pork and prawn dumplings with their black vinegar dipping sauce from the Smaller dish section as I wasn't too hungry. Unfortunately- would have loved to have had an empty stomach for this place. Great because it comes pan fried or steamed (my pick and it was delicious) Friend got one of their chicken curries- specifically the Sri Lankan Kiri Hodi which had a range of vegetables such as broccoli, baby corn, potato, snake beans and curry-absorbed pieces of tofu. Great as it came with steamed rice on the side. Definitely a sharing dish- we couldn't finish it. Would love to come back with more friends to be able to share in the cool atmosphere and to try their drinks menu from the cool bar we saw to one side of the room. read more

What an enjoyable experience. Great work by our waitress, Christine (sp?) who dominated the service, with a smile and a great attitude. Enjoyed a few interesting Japanese craft beers, nice seeing those on the menu. And the food was tasty, well prepared and thought out. Really though, it was the service that made it a great experience. Looking around the venue it did seem that all the staff were also on point. Good work all! read more

Been in Melbourne a week. Are everywhere. Maddie is the warmest nicest waitress. Give her a raise. Also, get the fried chicken. Salads are whatever. read more

The beef short rib with bao was really good. You're given four buns to make up but I found there wasn't enough salad to go with it. My darling had the Thai beef salad. She almost never gets a salad but enjoyed this one thoroughly. I also ordered an old fashioned. I must look the kinda guy that can't handle his whisky cos I was asked if I've even had one before. A little rude but hey whatever. read more

Fantastic place to come with a hungry group of friends. The $30 'me so hungry' menu is great value. You get 5 dishes chosen by the chef plus sides. Cocktail list is good too. Can never go past their great Singapore sling. Menu favourites include caramelized pork bites, pan fried pork dumplings, beef rendang curry & penang kuay teo (a seriously tasty flat rice noodle dish). read more

Rice Queen - Penang Kuay Teo - Bars Near Me - Fitzroy, VIC

I dropped in for a drink after visiting a few other places on Brunswick St. I tried their Dark Negroni which I wasn't a big fan of -- I'd much rather a traditional negroni. It was a little too sweet for my taste and lacked some of the flavour provided by the Campari of a traditional negroni. Despite ordering a drink that didn't quite meet my expectations, I thought the venue itself was appealing. It's a large space decorated with an Asian feel. For example, there's lanterns hanging from the ceiling, there are several fans on display, there's plenty of red, and much more. read more

I have been many times and now I feel you should experience this. Very well priced, great beer on tap, wide selection on the menu. I always go during peak times and have got a seat. Tofu lettuce cups are a must. Great job guys. read more

Despite the fact that this is the only place I have ever returned a dish - I am going to go ahead and say the food is pretty good. OK so there was one glaringly horrible dish on the menu in my view but everything else I ate from Rice Queen was absolutely delicious. So what was it that made me return a dish? Well I had ordered a fresh seafood hotpot - which came out in all it's sizzling goodness, with prawns, fish and mussels looking fresh and lustrous. I took a bite and something wasn't right. I informed the waitress that the seafood tasted off so she took my dish away. She returned a few minutes later to inform me that I was wrong about this - their fish had come in fresh from market that day. I said I begged to differ and she said that the reason I thought my food was disgusting was because the sauce was made out of Sardines! Honestly who puts Sardines in with fresh seafood. But rest assured this was just the chef trying to do something new and getting it wrong (at least in my view - I absolutely hate sardines). The paw paw and chicken salad was absolutely delicious as were the spring rolls I tried. So if you are looking for some fresh Asian Fusion food with a modern twist then check this place out. The dining space is quite cool. Just make sure you enquire whether the chef has decided to slip a few cheeky sardines into your dish before you order. read more

The decor in this place is a visual feast and service is standard. I have been three times now and each time left feeling a little more disappointed. The menu sounds great, but the food is just so so. Not bad by any means, but not fantastic either. It all needed a little something more.... The atmosphere is great and it is a good place to go to with a large booking, but...well just not amazing food. read more

Coeliac and Gluten Intolerance friendly. The first thing that grabbed me about Rice Queen was the decor - red and teal brick walls, red lanterns hung from the ceiling, Asian paraphernalia and cherry blossoms galore - a Tretchikoff would have been right at home here. Our group of 5 was seated at a relatively small table, a good thing as the music was loud and the place was packed so we could still hear each other. It took a while to have our orders taken but our waitress was great and very accommodating with my myriad of questions about the gluten free options/preparation. I had the Korean Fried Chicken and the caramelised pork bites (both "small" dishes) and loved both. They were relatively simple but flavoursome and quite moreish. I also had some of the fried rice, which isn't marked as GF on the menu, but is in fact 100% GF. All delicious, great for groups and for sharing. I would definitely eat here again! read more

Rice Queen - Bars Near Me - Fitzroy, VIC

Upbeat trendy vibe, good people watching, solid dishes & drinks, would be an excellent spot for a date or a "girls' night - woowoo!!!", but the music is REALLY loud (loses a star for that). read more

I walked in with the idea I was going to st Jude's for the first time. The staff seemed like they were flat out and said they were booked out but still managed to find us a table. Had entrees of lamb skewers and spring rolls and they were both to die for and reasonable priced. And mains of beef and ribs. Which were amazing as well. Didn't like the salads too much, but that is probably because of my hate for coriander. All in all it was amazing though and I'll be going back tonight read more

Thunder Road on tap! Crappy plastic decos and plates. Fun place tho' and lots of sharing plates. Cheap and cheerful - can't go wrong with salt and fat - deep fried food. Same formula as many places these days - Rice Paper Scissors, Kong etc. Go in a group and enjoy the atmosphere but don't expect Michelin star food. read more

Awesome venue with some excellent beer and whisky options. Didn't have time to stay for food but the ambience was great and wouldn't hesitate to come back. read more

Rice Queen on Brunswick street serves up great Vietnamese food. Great service, fun environment (can be noisy but that didn't bother us), excellent fresh tasty food - we had a delicious fresh duck salad, soft she'll crab on vermicelli noodles, a fish salad, build your own pork lettuce tacos and a very good lamb curry. Alcohol was ok, not great but the food and service make up for it. Overall, exceptional value - a few at our table had a 5 course feed me style menu for only $30 per head. We're going back soon. read more

Faux Asan cuisine at best. They've spent entirely too much energy on creating a very funky ambience with live DJ, fantastic wall art and interior but ultimately it is a restaurant and the food is definitely below par. Wont go there agian. read more

I've been to Rice Queen for lunch it's great. At night however, not so good. The DJ plays music just loud enough that you have to raise your voice over a small table to hold a conversation. The wait staff have a too cool for school attitude and forget the reason they are employed is to wait on tables. We saw a couple of punters get up and leave with menus still open on their table, which isn't a good sign. After an interminable period of watching the group of cool kids chatting and ignoring us we understood why, not even a jug of water on the table or can I help you. So rather than waste more time we left. The maitre'd was good however, very helpful and she did a great job making us feel welcome. I'd go back for lunch, dinner is a bad trip. read more

Poor value for money. No dessert with feed me for $50! And TERRIBLE and UNWELCOMING service! We were rushed out the door it was disgusting - especially after spending $450. DISAPPOINTED. There was no love here. read more

What an amazing restaurant. We were looking for something Asian walking down Brunswick and I saw this place from across the street. It looks super fun. And it was. A great feel when you walk through the door and greater by the very friendly staff. And the food.... Wow!!!! The flavours are just incredible. We shared a few of the starters including the prawn toast - that was beautiful. A must place to visit in Fitzroy!!! read more

Great salads ... We had all, and enjoyed them all ... we had patio table and loved the fresh air g/f free friendly

As a fan of St Jude's, the restaurant that used to be at this location, maybe I'm not going to give a fair review...or maybe I will. One of my friends claims this is the best Asian in Melbourne; I think he needs to get out more. That's not a slight against Rice Queen, really, as much as it is a criticism of my friend's limited scope for comparison. Put simple, this is a fun little Asian fusion joint that serves up tasty dishes and cocktails. My friends and I shared a selection of dishes - in particular I recommend the eggplant and the eel salad (that was a surprise hit) - all of which were tasty...actually, no, the spring rolls were nothing to write home about but then spring rolls rarely are. The cocktails are nice and strong, mainly classics with an Asian twist (Kaffiroska, anyone?), but a little too sugary for my taste. I found my own in the Gina's Grapefruit, in which the tartness counteracted the sweetness nicely. The vibe is as hipster as you would expect on Brunswick Street, but not prohibitively so. As far as this sort of cuisine goes, Rice Queen probably wouldn't be my first choice but I certainly wouldn't say no if someone else suggested it as a dinner option. read more