Good service , excellent choice of drinks. Ordered a number of small plates to share and mains. Te…read moreshare plates were amazing. Highlight was the salt and pepper calamari. Expected the mains to be just as good if not better but was unfortunately let down. Steak were over cooked. The sirloin (award winning) was good but have had better steak for a lot less. The Spanish risotto and was also average. Lacked flavour. Would return for drinks and small plates to share but not mains.

This is another one of those pubs that happen to have a really nice looking building. In fact these…read morebuildings seem to add some sort of charm to the place above and beyond what I would normally expect. However, while the place was rather quiet and relaxing, and the staff reasonably friendly as well, I did find that there wasn't a huge range of tap beers available. Still, as a pub it was rather nice.

Held a small function here last week. Had a great time. We were well looked after and everyone…read moreloved the variety and quality of food platters on offer. We went the gourmet and the asian platter. Great range of drinks on tap as well. The new owners appear to have put a lot of work into the place as its improved immensely from when I was here previously (2009). Would rate at 4.5 stars but that's not an option so they get the full 5! It's a charming old fashioned style pub hotel!

This is another one of those really cool bars, though it does happen to be hidden out of the way so…read moreit was rather quiet. Then again I did come here on a Monday so I guess that was expected. However, as a bar, it was actually pretty good. The staff were awesome, and not surprisingly there were some quite nice beers on tap as well. This place was pretty awesome.

One of my favorite bars/restaurant on James street. Such a versatile venue. It's great for after…read morework munchies with coworkers. Or for dinner before going out. However most people come here for the great drinks to party the night away with good friends. Venue tends to be on the hipster fancy side so wear smart casual clothing. The servers are friendly. The bartender put on a small show making the strawberry bubbles and had a cheeky smile. Was good fun. Food is great and well priced. I come here on days I don't want to drink too just to have dinner. Their daily special burgers tend to be the best value. I ordered the haloumi burger and was not disappointed. Burger is 20$ with fries included. Also had mini Mac and cheese balls to share. Can't really go wrong with Mac and cheese balls. Also had the blackened chicken salad which was packed full of flavor. Too bad it was small and not as filling as burgers but that can't be helped it's a salad. The drinks are standouts. Usually try something new each time. Strawberry bubbles is a good choice for something sweet and fancy.

I've been sitting on writing this review for a few days. Trying to find the right words to…read moreadequately describe what a intimate and quality experience we had dining at Gerard's Bar,the little sister to Gerard's Bistro, last Thursday evening. For the uninitiated, this is a charcuterie and cocktail bar. There are no large plates piled high with food. You won't go hungry and if you do it's most likely down to not ordering enough or correctly. Harsh but fair. If you're still reading and still interested, what you will find is a menu carefully crafted with a variety of salumi, a handful of cheeses (no decision overload), a selection of small plates (don't question it and just order the Sobrassada with grilled Bee One Third Honeycomb) and a drink menu to whet any appetite. The seating is bar style so prepare to perch yourself upon a Tolix stool and as you do, take a moment to notice the Moroccan tiles beneath your feet. And then admire the concrete bar tops. The wow-factor is in the interior and restaurant fit-out as much as it is the menu. Nothing has been overlooked including the jars of made-in-house pickles. For my dining partner and I we left with a bill rounding out to approximately $55 each. If you've dined at Gerard's Bistro, you know head chef Ben Williamson is about quality food for affordable prices and doesn't believe in charging over and above what is necessary. This ethos has carried across the James Street laneway. That $55 each gave us a drink each and more salumi than we care to admit (it comes in 50g servings but even this is deceivingly large), 2 small plates, a cheese and a dessert. Our dessert, inched so close to overtaking the love I have for the Sobrassada. The chef said to us he'd recommend the frozen yoghurt mousse over any of the other desserts (I'm still planning to try the Sarsparilla granita on my next visit) for its palette cleansing properties. We agreed and before us was a liquid nitrogen science experiment. Given it was a reasonably quiet evening, he took showmanship to the next level and made the dessert right at our section of the back bar table. The texture of the frozen yoghurt mousse is one I still haven't found the words to describe. Suffice to say: just order it and prepare to enjoy. In fact, go to Gerard's Bar with no expectations. Switch off, talk to the bar tenders and the chefs, watch them cutting the Mahi Mahi in front of you, blow torch grill the patties for the cheeseburgers, talk to your dining partner or group of friends, savour each mouthful and walk out satisfied and recharged.

If I lived in Brisbane, this would be my local. Seriously, I would be here ALL. THE. TIME. I would…read moreask if I could salary sacrifice Gerard's Bar as a weekly expense. Why do I love thee? Let me count the ways... I have to start with the charcuterie. Oh my god. I mean, anyone can do 'wine and charcuterie' on a menu, but this is another level. The dishes served here are incredible - every morsel tastier than the next. Things like the spicy spreadable salami, the truffle salami, great cheese selection - the duck liver parfait with PX (YES!) ...just out of this world. We had the mackerel tartare too, which I can't even begin to describe, but it tastes just as good as the theatrics of having pork blowtorched over it in front of you. The wine by the glass list is excellent, good craft beers, and they also have a full cocktail bar. To top it off, the head chef is one of the nicest and most passionate guys around. Food nerds will walk away very satisfied having dined here. I found it to be great value given the exceptional food on offer too. Ok, so I forgot to count...but I think you get the gist of why this place is amazing. I'm ready to go back now.

We walked in Saturday around 9:30 to drink beers and a breakfast croissant. You order through the…read moreQR Code. Beers and food arrived fast. The sour and hazy beer we got were very light tasting. Not to our liking. Croissant was good though.

I didn't realise that this brewery had two locations, one in Milton opposite the stadium, and one…read morehere in the Valley. Well, this is the one for the valley, but like the other one, you can pretty much expect the same quality beer (considering that they are the same brewery), and the same great atmosphere. Okay, this one feels much more like it is located in a warehouse, but I guess that what gives this place a bit of character. Once again, a great place for some great beers.

Port Office makes me think of one thing: $7 cocktails. On any given Saturday night you can swan on…read morein to Port Office and, if you're a lady, request a cocktail and receive it for only $7. My favourite has always been a Japanese Slipper, mostly because it's a little bit fun but also because it's a little bit fun watching the bartenders make it. The price of the cocktails does encourage heavy drinking, so I recommend you go slow and don't get too excited like I did during my first $7 cocktail experience. Port Office is a really popular after-work-drinks kind of place, but it really comes alive during the wee hours of a Friday or Saturday night. Downstairs, you can sit around a high-set table and engage in some banter, or you can go upstairs where the action is a bit more, well, active. Upstairs is home to the dance floor and some pretty cushy lounges where you can flop down after engaging in some d-floor grinding. Or not, whatever tickles your fancy. Upstairs is also home to the smokers' area, where you can go outside and socialise and drink along a full wraparound balcony. Port Office has a dark ambience to it that I really quite like, even though it isn't a regular weekend stop of mine. Like I said though, if $7 cocktails are on offer, I'm pretty much there.

Okay, I'm not a local, and have only been to Brisbane a grand total of four times, but if there is…read moreone pub that I know and that is the Port Office (actually I know about other pubs as well, but this is one of the pubs that I have landed up here for a work function). Basically one of the law firms that my company uses regularly books out the upper floor and invites all of their clients along for drinks, and twice I have been fortunate enough to have been invited along to one of these functions. I even asked a friend of mine about the place and he had a few stories to tell me. On my recent visit, I stopped by to find that nothing has changed. I guess it has more to do with the fond memories than the pub itself, but still, its a pretty cool place to have a drink.

The friendly staff and beautiful view created a great atmosphere for my girlfriend and I along with…read moremouth watering food I was impressed. A young woman greeted us at the service desk and presented us with seats outside, we looked out at the bay admiring the lights of the hornibrook bridge and further along to kipparing and woody point. The staff member behind the counter was able to describe what food we had queries about. The food was a little more expensive than what I would of liked to pay but the food made up for it in the end. All and all I had enjoyable night with my partner and I will be back to visit soon.

We decided that a great way to spend the end of the first day of 2014 was sharing some fish and…read morechips by the seaside close to home. We settled on either Sandgate or Shorncliffe but as we passed the local fish and chip shops we were put off by the 10 deep queues. We noticed the Full Moon Hotel, which is neslted along the beach road, high on a cliff overlooking the water and bushland. We were lucky enough to snag a table with a view, although the table wasn't clean it seemed a better prospect than being sandwiched amongst the other diners without a view. The tables are set very close together to the point where I can tell you the business of all the diners who sat near us. The menu is a little expensive for what I would consider to be bistro style food. We settled on the beer battered Fish and Chips for twenty-one bucks a plate. It was well presented and tasted fresh but it didn't stand out from any other fish and chip plate I have had in the past. The customer service was friendly but in a superficial kind of way, I didn't feel like my experience was really all that important to them. It was nice to be able to walk off the stodgy fish and chips along the boardwalk afterwards. Good option if all the fish and chip shops are closed or too busy.

The open air concept here is nice. I like the way the space is arranged. I'm still trying to get…read moreused to the ordering at the bar thing which is not something I'm used to as an American. I got the Ruby Rose cocktail which was indeed quite yummy. I usually lean toward gin cocktails here. I got the pulled lamb sliders and was underwhelmed. The lamb itself was pretty dry. The roasted red pepper beneath it was good, but I think I would have gone a different direction. The sauce on the sandwich helped with moisture, but I do not recall what that sauce was. It was likely an aioli of some sort. This place is in a nice area (Teneriffe) and the surrounding area is well landscaped and seems like it can really get busy on a weekend.

After being underwhelmed by this bar's predecessor we were very keen to check out our new local as…read moresoon as it opened. Immediately I was enamoured by the very "on trend" décor. Lots of blonde timber mixed with thick concrete, waxy green leaves adorning the living wall behind the bar, copper detailing everywhere you look and pendant lights giving the place a light and airy feel. There is lots of seating but they have cleverly established several zones inside. This is what will (I predict) make The Dalgety Public House a great option for both day and night visits. I was impressed with the "gastro pub" food on offer, and was even more impressed that the gluten free options were clearly identified. Couple that with friendly staff, short queues for orders and cushions on the seats and I am SOLD! I am looking forward to coming back to sample the menu.