The Charming Squire Restaurant
It’s also a working James Squire brewery where you can get acquainted with the brewing process as you explore the James Squire craft beer range, all the while enjoying delicious dishes designed to complement the flavours of the beers. Visit our website to see what’s on tap.
Please be aware that our restaurant a la carte area will be closed on Monday & Tuesdays. During this time all bookings are not essential however, will be honoured in our bar area, featuring our brewhouse menu along with a selection of specials throughout these days. We thank you for your patronage and look forward to welcoming you all to The Charming Squire.
Experiences
Time Saving Pre Theatre Dining
A$56.00 per personMultiple dates available
Heading to the Theatre? Save yourself some time and book in for our pre theatre grazing menu (min 2 people) To start Mushroom & truffle arancini balls, porcini puree, parmesan, basil oil Moreton bay prawns, Mango, cucumber, radish Main Wood fired organic lamb, Labneh, harissa, tabouleh, grilled pita bread Dessert (add $13pp) Banoffee pie, Banana, couer a la crème, honeycomb, caramel
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Contactless payment available
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Mushroom & Truffle Arancini Balls
Porcini puree, parmesan, basil oil
5 reviews
Steak Frites
4 reviews
Chunky Chips, Aioli
1 reviews
Friendly staff.
Food was delicious.
Fun and pleasant atmosphere.
Our food was a little slow coming out, but when it came it was excellent. Service was also excellent. It’s not the place for a quiet intimate dinner as it’s very noisy, but would be a good place for a group.
Thank you for your feedback Rose, we're glad you enjoyed your evening!
We booked for the restaurant but moved to the bar. I had the beer battered fish for dinner. For a bar that comes under a beer banner, it was pretty ordinary. I was expecting it to be crisp and light but it was very thick and doughy. The salad with it was not bad but it wasn't great either. My friend ordered a pizza which was pretty good. Both servings were generous. The drink selection is plentiful and it's a great atmosphere with live music. If you're just out for drinks and socialising, it's a good place to start. Staff are great making sure the tables are kept cleared and clean and all the staff (both floor and bar) we encountered were attentive and friendly. All in all, I would recommend going here for a social occasion but not dinner.
Thank you for the recommendation, we hope to see you for a drink again soon!
The food was pretty good but the staff were great especially Tristan.
Thank you for your review Amara, we look forward to seeing you again.
great food. good pre theatre venue. service good.
Good location as several of our group caught the train. Service was good and the food and beer was excellent. Would return and will recommend to my friends and family. 😎
Restaurant is closed on Monday & Tuesday despite having time slots available & being able to book it on Open Table.
Thank you for your review Robbo, we will pass your feedback onto the team.
The staff member didn't put our order in and all our friends had finished their meals before ours had arrived even though we originally all ordered at the same time. When we suggested completely drinks while we waited but the staff member was non committal so we didn't order any. Then when it came time to pay the bill the staff member said there was one complementary drink (there were two of us inconvenienced) which they then took off another person in our party's bill not ours! Don't think we will be back.
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a detailed review. We're sorry for the confusing experience you had in our restaurant. We will relay this feedback to our team and hope to see you again in future.
Took the staff ten minutes to seat us as they had somehow lost the table, the food took a ridiculous amount of time to get out and then was cold when it arrived. The manager did offer a refund immediately which was a good start but won't be going back again
Hi Joua, Our apologies that your experience did not meet expectations. We have relayed this feedback to our team and hope to see you again in future.
Excellent service and ambiance. Most of us had the Eye Fillet costing $52.00, expecting the typical thick cut approximately 7cm diameter. We received steak that ere absolutely delicious, however approximation 1cm thick, and resembling a scotch fillet. A wider selection on the restaurant menu is needed. Other than that, lovely.
Brilliant service, wonderful arancini balls but the mains were disappointing.
We made a booking for 12 people on a Saturday night for my birthday. The service started out great, we had a very polite and enthusiastic waiter named Tristan. He was more than happy to take drink orders and help us select our food. 45 minutes after we ordered our food we were told that the main I ordered was sold out (They only had a very small selection of mains to begin with) so I had to last minute order something else and our whole table waited an hour and a half for our food - of course ordering drinks in the meantime. When the food arrived my husband sent his back to be remade because it was inedible and everyone was disappointed with their food As it was basic and very small portions (especially for the price!). It really says something about a restaurant when their sides of hot chips are the best tasting item on the table.. When it came to settle our table bill (over $600 at the table, plus we had all been to the bar numerous times spending additional money) we mentioned to Tristan that the wait time and food were unsatisfactory to which he advised us “it’s Saturday night, it’s expected”. So if it’s Saturday night you can expect long waits, terrible over priced food and terrible service. Won’t ever be back and do not recommend! Ruined my birthday
Beef rib special was very tasty. Lamb was a touch dry though
Thank you for your feedback, we're glad to hear you enjoyed the beef rib!
The food was not great. Entree was lamb kebabs but came out like lamb kofta. We ordered rump steak and wood fired lamb as mains. Steak was very gristly and not worth the $52 price tag. Lamb meal was nice but meat was luke warm. Dessert was banoffee pie which was also nice but a lot of cream and very little banana. Our drinks were taken off the bill as compensation for the gristly steak so that was appreciated. Our waiter was lovely, very pleasant and helpful.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a detailed review Greg, we appreciate your feedback. We hope to see you again in future.
Our waiter was excellent with service, very friendly but not a pain in the backside.
Food was really good.
The only downside was not much choice on the menu for mains and desserts.
Thank you for the great rating, stay tuned as we have a new and more comprehensive menu on the way soon!
Very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food. Although the menu is small, the flavours and freshness were exquisite. The bar area is noisy but the restaurant area quiet and relaxing. Great service and ensured we were served in time to enjoy our meal and head off to the ballet.
Will come again and will recommend.
Well done guys.
Hi Donna, Thank you for the wonderful review, we'll see you again soon!
Food was great
A little disappointed we could only have a small selection of the bar food menu as we had teenagers but in saying that the selection available was delicious
Cheers Richard, we're glad you could find something for the family. Stay tuned for our new menu coming soon.
The food was excellent, our only small criticism was the chips, I expected handmade not the frozen bought in bulk version. That said I would recommend this place as everything else was great
Thanks for the recommendation Sam, we're glad you enjoyed your stay with us.
My friend and I went here for a light dinner before attending the ballet at Qpac. We were extremely well looked after and the staff made sure everything ran smoothly and quickly so that we could have dinner and drinks within the hour before heading to our show. Atmosphere, food and service were great.
Thank you for the fantastic feedback Micah, we're delighted you enjoyed your evening.
Large restaurant mostly empty very small menu. Food was ok
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review Terry, we hope to see you again.
We ate late on a Thursday night and the restaurant was empty, service was friendly, prompt and professional. They do a good steak, however the wine list is very limited.
We're glad to hear you experienced great service during your visit. We do have a rather large selection of wines available, is there something in particular you would like to see featured?
Subpar experience. I think the Resturant was understaffed. It took 5-10 minutes to be seated/before anyone acknowledged we were waiting.
The menu was overpriced for what it was.
Once seated, the waiter (Tristan I believe) was excellent and very welcoming.
Hi FoodLover, we sincerely apologize for the experience you had, but thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will use this as a learning experience on how we can improve.
There was Chilli in all the salads. We have children and a mother that is allergic to chilli, so none of them could eat their meal. No mention of it on the menu yet it was even in the pork sliders. I had asked for no chips but extra salad with my steak and instead of salad I got a pile of slaw that had so much chilli in it it was orange in colour. Very disappointing for the price.
Hi, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. Unfortunately the only dietary request we received was for the gluten free steak option, if informed of said chilli allergy we would be more than happy to prepare both of these dishes without harissa. We are disappointed that your experience did not meet expectations, we will pass on your feedback to our team to ensure we provide a better service in future.
Really disappointed the restaurant on Saturday night. Prior to COVID we were regular customers as we attend QPAC frequently and always left happy with the menu, food & service. We made our usual booking at 5.45pm. Within 5 minutes we attempted to order an entree to share and two mains. We were warned there would not be enough time to have an entree because the gap between entree and mains would be too long. We ordered mains only (lamb & medium rare steak) and a side of chips. The meals took 45 minutes to be arrive. The meals were all lukewarm at best. We didn’t want to send them back due to time constraints. The waiter (who was great and very apologetic) did take back the chips but we never got them back. We did get a main and the chips removed from the bill, however would have much preferred a decent meal. Given the price point of the menu and the fact that they are now offering so few menu choices, we expected high standard of food and service. Very disappointing.
Hi Julia, Thanks for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We pride ourselves on the quality of our food and customer service, so this feedback is extremely important to us. We are disappointed that your experience with us did not meet expectations this time around. We will pass on your feedback to our team to ensure this doesn’t happen again, and we hope to see you soon. Sincerely, The Charming Squire
We enjoyed the venue. Proximity to QPAC excellent. Service was excellent but one guest did not enjoy his meal. Too spicy for an old bloke! I feel there could be a little more diversity in the menu for us oldies. This is my fourth visit to The Charming Squire and I will certainly be returning. Thank you for a great spot for a light lunch after the orchestral treat.
Hi Wendy, We're thrilled you enjoyed the service during your visit, thank you for your wonderful recommendation. We look forward to seeing you all again soon!
my swordfish came out bloody in the middle, but I accepted it as the way it was cooked , but my wife's smoked chicken came out cold . She could only eat 4 bites and had to leave it. I tasted it and it was overflavoured with smoke and it wasn't warm.
The food is usually very good at Charming Squire , but not this time
Disappointing change to the menu in the Charming Squire restaurant. 5 main meals to choose from, steak, lamb, chicken, fish or cauliflower.
I’ve dined several times over the last couple of years, it’s a good location prior to a show at QPAC and the menu had plenty to choose from. I will not be returning with the current limited options at fine dining prices in a pub atmosphere.
The explanation of the reduced menu was that the restaurant was trying to be fancier than the pub menu to separate the two areas.
The waiter was very friendly and attentive.
Hi Caroline, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We are sorry that the experience did not meet your expectations. Stay tuned, as we will have some exciting changes to our restaurant coming up that you will love. We look forward to seeing you again.
The service was slow and the food took ages to be served however I think they needed more staff. There wasn’t much to choose from on the restaurant menu. I had the swordfish and was disappointed. I’ve had much better swordfish elsewhere. Two other people at the table one had chicken and one had lamb. They did enjoy their meals.
Hi, thanks for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We are disappointed that your experience with us did not meet expectations. We’d like the opportunity to rectify the situation. Could you please contact us directly on bookings@thecharmingsquire.cm.au to discuss this further?
Very nice decor, but does get quite noisy and our table was too small for 5 people - it was a banquette table with an odd triangle shape and the chairs did not fit around the table properly. Food was fair. Menu was a little limited. Need a lighter fish option as the swordfish is very heavy for people who would usually choose fish. Waiter was lovely, but perhaps not trained, e.g. used his own hand to clear food from plates whilst in front of customers.
Hi, thanks for your feedback. Our apologies that your dining experience did not meet your expectations. We will pass on your feedback to the team to make improvements in future.
We were seated quickly as we had a booking, once seated we were put into a corner booth designed for 5 people, segregated from everyone else in the restaurant when there was more appropriate seating for parties of 3.
When served we had asked several times for additional water for the table, alas we are still waiting for said water.
The meal took sometime and we followed up with the waiter as to when the meals were coming out.
The meal themselves were nice but the pork belly ordered did not live up to the description from the menu, and for the price being charged felt a bit sub-par. The chips sadly were quite stodgy to eat.
Overall we will potentially come back and give it another shot, the bar menu has far greater selection and value for money.
Thanks
Hi Amy, Thanks for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We appreciate these details and will use this to further improve our restaurant offer in future. We hope to see you again soon!
Our experience was tainted somewhat by having an inexperienced waitress who wasn't familiar with the drink and food options. The floor manager on the night also did not seem to be entirely up to date with the beers on tap, and he got into a bit of a heated argument with one member of our group. The air conditioning was also running quite strongly in the restaurant, which made it a bit cold. Having said all of this, we enjoyed the food and drinks (even if the food was slightly overpriced and pizzas were not available to order in the restaurant).
Hi Jonathan, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We are sorry that your experience did not meet your standards, though we appreciate that you enjoyed the food and drinks! Thank you for your feedback and we hope to see you again.
Service was outstanding, well above normal Brisbane levels. Food was some of the best I've eaten.
Cheers Paul! We're glad you enjoyed your experience with us. Looking forward to having you in again soon.
Service was outstanding very well looked after. Food was great although price was very expensive for the portion size.
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback, we're glad you appreciated the service. Hopefully we exceed your expectations next time you choose to dine with us.
We went on Saturday night and it was busy. However, we ordered a number of share plates plus dessert. The dessert came out first with the share plates coming out about half an hour after. Also ordered a cocktail and it was served in plain glass rather than cocktail. Our waiter was great but he also knew that it was pretty poor and kept apologising for everything.
Hi, We're sorry that your experience did not meet expectations for the evening. We would like to discuss this with your further if you could please contact us directly at bookings@thecharmingsquire.cm.au
Food was great but selection very reduced.
When asked about allergic ingredients we were given a menu that showed if the meal had those ingredients. Very well handled.
Service as good as always
Thank you for the review, we're glad that we could accommodate! Look forward to seeing you again.
The wait staff were pleasant enough. The food was awful. It was meant to be flank and I got cold meat basically and the sauce was too strong and rancid. Quite a long wait then they brought the wrong side dish so we had to wait to get it. Very expensive for what it was. I wont be going back.
Hi Jan, We pride ourselves on the quality of our food and customer service. This is disappointing that your experience with us did not meet expectations. We’d like the opportunity to rectify the situation. Could you please contact us directly at bookings@thecharmingsquire.cm.au to discuss this further?
Perfect for a preshow brunch. Efficient and professional service, great food and drinks.
The pizzas are awesome with plenty of toppings and crunchy crust.
Cheers Katy, we're glad to hear you had a great time!
great place for a catchup with friends and family over some lovely food and drinks.
Thanks Laurie, we appreciate the recommendation and look forward to seeing you again soon!
I was disappointed with the menu choice. I chose this as the web menu had a gfo, but that was not on the menu. My husband needed gfo but it was accommodated which was good. My chicken burger was over cooked and dry, however the kids loved their beef burgers. It’s a shame as I was looking forward to this and it was my husband’s birthday.
Beer great as always, burger was a bit cold in the middle, and fries were a bit soggy. That said, every other time I have been there the food was amazing.
FAQs
The Charming Squire Restaurant is rated 4 stars by 881 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.