Alfred & Constance

We came here with a group and ordered drinks and had a meal. The steak was not was i expecting and salty. The lamb was chewy and hard to eat.

This place is always good for a dance. Especially if you’re an «oldy» like me. They play everything I remember from high school from the early naughties. Drinks are a little on the expensive side in my opinion but you can get a ‘dragon bowl’ if you’re really keen — split the cost with a few others and you’ll be right! Definitely a fav in Brissie for me.

Wow! Love this place :) Great food and the upstairs bar is always good for a dance and a tasty cocktail! The venue has a awesome vibe and the staff are so friendly. Oh and did I mention the cocktails… haha I do highly recommend for a good meal and drink.

Vibe vibe vibe! Can’t get enough of A&C, from the whole spit roasted pig on display, the interconnectivity and friendly vibe of the three courtyard tables, the homely pub feel and the — let’s face it, amazing dance floor. Alfred and Constance is truest amazing and just far enough away from the main strip that it feels almost not like the valley. Quality venue for catch up, social, curers, cheeky Friday bevvy’s or a big night. HIGHLY recommend!

Home of the Douche Lord Manager! Here is the order of a cluster f. Sat us at a table. We ordered drinks. We ordered food. Then they asked to move us to comer in the middle of nowhere. The customer sucks in the eyes of the poser hipster manager. Would not step foot in here again. The hostess was very nice and tried to make up for the manager who had zero customer skills.

To start off, I have never eaten at Alfred and Constance, so this is purely a review of A&C as a cocktail bar/​«club». It’s eclectic to say the least, with three different levels, all with their own unique vibe. The top level is the most club like with a tiki bar and DJ /​dance floor on weekends. The second level has lots of tables and a major bar (though it does not serve the tropical drinks like from the tiki bar. This is the most spacious area and has an interior and exterior. It is also where one can find some of the pastries offered by A&C. The lowest level is the most bar like, with small tables and a full bar, acting like a nightclub bar. It’s dark and long and narrow, so this is where people start their night or go to deal without lines at the bar. They may send you down an alley to this entrance, but it’s easy to master all the different floors, it just may get tight when other people are walking up and down. The tiki bar upstairs is where I spent most of my time. It is impossible to walk through here on a weekend night. The dance floor is impassible and the bar is constantly getting pushed into by the «dance floor». This is where I got my piña colada which came inside a pineapple. For $ 25, it’s an expensive drink but it does come inside a pineapple, which is why you bought it right? For a piña colada, it was pleasantly strong and I was feeling the one drink. They also have large scorpion bowls to share which sound delicious.
Overall, this eclectic bar is a fun place to stop in while in the Valley and is a must see bar while in Brisbane! It’s one of my many friends’ favorites in the Valley and you can tell why when you go!

Great place. good food and great atmosphere for after work drinks or a Saturday in the sun on the deck.

It looks so funky and cool from the outside but on a hot day with no aircon and really slow service it’s quite a painful experience. The menu is vast but nothing we ate was memorable or astounding. It was all a little too oily, bland or dry. The waitress was nice but perhaps slightly under the pump with the number of tables to serve for just her. But the darn heat. Makes for an eating experience with excess oil not so pleasurable…

Dear Alfred and Constance,
Thank you for making Brisbane cool again!
Nestled away from the hustle and bustle of Brunswick Street Alfred and Constance is a new breed of bar. Set up like a vintage styled house, hot spots for enjoying one of their tiki themed cocktails include: one of the many decks on the old Queenslanders or on one of the many plush chairs crowding the lounge room. The DJ is set up behind a faux grande piano and plays all your favourite hits from S-​Club 7 to Top Loader’s one hit wonder «Dancing in The Moonlight». And while some may complain that the music is too loud– guys, it’s a night club.
In order to enjoy a night to remember, I would suggest walking up the front stairs and picking up your complementary lei. I’d then walk up to the bar, pick up a tiki bowl and making my way to a seat, blow out the flaming cherry on top and sharing it with my 3 – 4 friends. While the tiki bowl may be expensive, enjoying the theatre of watching the skilled bar tenders and enjoying in a shared experience with friends makes it both economical, and worth it. I’d then head downstairs the the Fever Club, the latest edition to the Alfred and Constance family. The flashing lights on the roof are a lot of fun and the old-​school cocktails are something unique that you don’t see everyday.
All in all, Alfred and Constance has something for every fun loving individual. I am yet to try dining in, but if it’s anything like the bars, I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun.

What isn’t there to love love love about Alfred and Constance? It’s like an old Queenslander house with different levels, different alcoves and a tiki bar up top to enjoy your night/​afternoon at.
The waitstaff are super attentive, friendly and the wait for food and drink is never long. With some mouth watering items on the menu like succulent pig, calamari. and a dessert menu with Banofee Pie… what’s there not to dive into.
The desserts on the menu are all $ 14.90 and are a decent size, delicious as well. The music and atmosphere here is pretty funky/​groovy/​hipstery… it’s just a cool place to hang out at.

Alfred & Constance is a weird place to review, because it’s kind of like 5 businesses rather than 1. Comprising of two Queenslander houses, this sprawling venue offers a café, a bar, a restaurant, a tiki bar and a basement bar. I didn’t experience *all* of these and there’s a good chance given how much they offer that you’ll find an aspect that’s awesome. I didn’t get to try the Tiki Bar or the Bomb-​Shelter style cocktail bar for instance, but I did come here 3 times in a couple of days as I was staying next door.
The stuff I liked:
— Eclectic fit out — each room different the next, which makes it a fun place to explore.
— Convenience to Limes Hotel and free drink with them as a guest
— That awesome neon ‘EAT’ sign above them carving a whole pig at the Vanguard section
The stuff I didn’t like:
— The music was obnoxiously loud — not a great place to chat to friends
— Wine list wasn’t very good
— Staff were a bit awkward
— Breakfast. They burnt my croissant, there wasn’t many breadless options (it costs $ 3 for gluten free), they didn’t serve us as a group and they use Vitoria coffee.
I would recommend this place to people that really love a loud vibe (I do get that some bars are like this and that I’m just old and cranky). The openess also makes it a good place to enjoy a drink in the gorgeous Queensland weather. I wasn’t put off coming back to give the tiki bar or basement cocktail bar a whirl, but overall it wasn’t really my scene.

Since Alfred & Constance opened, I’ve traipsed past it with alarming regularity on the way to and from my dentist, just around the corner. I often take a look at the menu and a peek into what’s happening but usually have a mouthful of anesthetic or a dentist bill in my hand so the timing’s never been right to visit. When I finally visited, I journeyed there safe in the knowledge that my dentist doesn’t do late night trading.
Much has been said about the eclectic décor so I was surprised just how good it looked. I was expecting that it may be twee, full of fake vintage and forced quirkiness but in fact, the ephemera is genuinely interesting and quite unique so it’s an engaging space to dine in. As it says on the website: ‘Plenty to do & see at A&C’. It was a balmy evening so we sat on the deck between the two converted workers cottages that comprise A&C.
This is casual, pub style dining and the menu follows the usual mids and mains as well as share plates and sides. There was also a specials menu, showcasing seasonal produce. There’s a heavy focus on meat but enough to suit other tastes and diets. We chose a couple of salads, the fish and chicken specials and with a suckling pig on display in all its glory in the open kitchen it seems churlish not to select it at least one pork dish.
As good as the mains are, the desserts are a knockout. There was the standard ‘pub style’ desserts with options such as Sticky Date Pudding and Chocolate Fondant — both to be commended by the way, but what makes the desserts a knock out is the enormous range of cakes available as a ripple effect of A&C owning the newly opened Chester St Bakery. So many great choices and baked fresh daily. I spent a long time umming and ahhing over those cakes but in the end I went for the Lemon Polenta Cake with Lemon Curd. The Peanut Butter Cheesecake was also something to write home about with a delicious nutty, caramel topping. If that wasn’t enough, there was also a yoghurt soft serve selection with virtually unlimited sauces and mix in options.
There seems to have been a few complaints on the internet about A&C. Complaints about basic food and service. That’s not what I experienced on the evening I visited. Whilst it’s essentially a pub, there has been a lot of attention paid to the menu. A real effort has been made to source local meat, fruit and vegetables, bread and cakes are baked fresh daily, the specials menu showcases seasonal produce and there’s plenty of fresh flavours to keep you interested Apart from the suckling pig by weight, most dishes come in around $ 15 — $ 25 but there’s some cheaper snacks too. And if your not interested in a meal, just visit for coffee and dessert or head straight upstairs to the Tiki Bar. As an added bonus, for those who are eating at A&C, they can park in Valley Metro (old Valley Centre Plaza) and have their parking validated by the restaurant. I have to say A&C is right up my alley.

This place is a maze in the best kind of way. Friends told me they were downstairs. I end up walking in to a basement, across the bar floor and up a set of steps on to the street. Turn around and there’s the deck with my friends perched there at a table with another deck above brimming with people, a side room all dark and pounding music and a lounge off to the side. Guess they weren’t as downstairs as they thought they were.
Oh, Vanguard Beer Garden, you sure are pretty. This section is a place for a group to grab a bite and maybe a fruity pimms jug. I tried a Bramble and it’s definitely not the best drink I’ve ever had but it wasn’t shy on the gin or the lemon so it wasn’t all bad. I ate the duck breast with kale and pear salad. When this arrived I was a little taken aback by how small it was given that I was paying a whopping 32 gold ones for it but it ended up being the perfect serving size. It was presented nicely and the duck was cooked perfectly. Rare and tender and just the way I like it. The kale and pear salad was pretty darn good. My only complaint would be that they didn’t cut all the ribs out of the kale so it was a little unpleasant to eat at some stages but I’m nitpicking there. Two of my table companions had the ribs (which I’ve never eaten but I think A&C may have convinced me to give them a go) and by all reports they were a bloody good time. Another of my table buddies got the pulled pork burger (so damn jealous) and apparently this is the Vanguard bread and butter so I wasn’t surprised it was super damn tasty. Tried a Nutella cheesecake for dessert and for a twist on an old fave don’t expect a biscuit base here. You won’t find it. Instead it is served in a sundae glass with a little cream and chocolate shavings which was a bit of a lighter on the tummy alternative that I enjoyed.
Staff are alright, a bit sparse but still attentive when within view. My only other complaint is the music is incredibly loud. Far too loud for a dining area. If there was some kind of doctorate in lip reading one could obtain, I would have that in my hot little hands because in the two hours I was there I became an expert. It’s the only way you can communicate in an environment that loud. Alternatively, learn morse code and tap your conversation out on the table top. Again, a small critique but it really did impact the night and lost them that fifth star I so badly wanted to give.

Alfred & Constance is like an ADHD-eater’s dream. Sharing plates of meat and fish amongst nautical menu theming and hunting-​lodge-​chic décor? Yes. Late-​night dessert café complete with boozy smoothy stations? Mm-​hmm. Oh! Something Tiki!
And apparently I just described myself, because I love it there.
I’d bet that this sprawling Queenslander has something for everyone, and from what I’ve sampled, so far so good. The spelt and josper grilled pepper salad with spinach and raisins was especially tasty. It’s worth a trip down the rabbit hole whether you’re there for dinner or just a rooftop tiki cocktail.

«So cool I’m so hot right now»
Ever since Alfred and Constance (A&C) was still in its construction phase, I had put down my name to be at the expected opening in July 2012. Alas, as with any projects, delays were had, life went on, and I went on holidays. But my interest was always there. I had a special connection to the site itself, in that a close friend of mine, use to live in one of the houses. Many a fun night was had at the Limes Hotel Rooftop Bar and Cinema next door, then crashing back to the house. A&C is owned by Damien, (same owner of Limes, who probably won’t remember giving my mate & I free shots on the odd occasion), and he again delivers an impressive establishment in A&C. An establishment which seems to cater for everyone’s tastes. Since their opening late 2012, I have been to A&C several times for lunch, after work drinks, and general late night mischief, so its fair to say its a favourite. It still makes me smile to know that the ladies toilets at the Vanguard beer garden use to be my mate’s bedroom!
What I like about A&C is how there seems to be lots of distinct spaces, interesting corners, quirky décor, and a «so cool i’m so hot right now» kind of vibe. As well as several options for the two most important things in life; eating and drinking.
For some reason, the odd bits and pieces, like bike seats stuck on walls (with a definite «deer» motif happening), the retro speakers, the collectible plates and photos on the wall, the skeleton in the corner of the private dining area, and the old lamps hanging by the bar, all seem to work. It made me think about what I might be able to find at the junk-​yard that I can convert to a «funky» look and «feel» at home. And that’s the crux of A&C. Despite it being a hybrid Restaurant, Bar, place-​to-​hang, drink-​dance, whatever takes your fancy, it feels like a friends house where everyone is enjoying each other’s company. Entertaining and a familiar homely feeling.
Whether its the Café, the Vanguard Beer Garden, the White Lightning tiki bar, the function room with the beautiful grand piano, or all the hot looking people about, there’s plenty to see and do at A&C. Best of all, you don’t have to feel bored being in the one spot all the time, as you can simply move onto a different space, or just next door over to Limes.
Food choices are great, especially for a quick lunch at the Café. Pork belly, couscous or salads? Its there. Specials are written on the blackboard next to the bain-​marie. My favourite is the Roast Pork Roll, a counter meal from the beer garden. For $ 11.90, the serving is hugely generous, and will fill you up. Drinks are plentiful too, at A&C and friday nights after work are always fun. Just make sure you leave work earlier and grab yourself a big table for that group of yours as the place does get busy by about 5:30pm. Then order some jugs of Sangria, to get your night started! For beer lovers who prefer their beverage by the jugs, A&C unfortunately does not do this. You will have to settle for jugs of Cocktails and beer by the bottle.
With this kind of track record, I am looking forward to Damien’s next project which is about to open, again, just next door to A&C. A late night pizzeria and pasta bar, Alfredo’s. Seems like a perfect match for A&C.

After missing the Unilocal dinner held at A&C at the beginning of the year, I’ve been wanting to come here for a meal and a few drinks. As Lani of Unilocal says, this is the point where we stop comparing Brisbane to Melbourne or Sydney, because this is the place is hoppin’! On a Saturday night, the White Lightning Tiki Bar is so crowded, I was barely in the mood to stick around, but the ambience really is quite like an outdoor garden terrace, much like Madame Brussels in Melbourne, but less froufrou and more casual.
I’ve yet to try their food, but their drinks were decent, but on the pricier side! I had the Lava Flow (18), which is a blended mixed drink with rums, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, etc. Sounds a bit like a piña colada doesn’t it? Probably why I ordered it. The drink was nicely garnished, but taste-​wise, it was just average for a blended drink. The Kava Bowl drink was alright, and even less alcoholic than the Lava Flow, but is a fun drink with the center of the bowl lit on fire. The ambience is lively, with leis for everybody on the weekends! I’ll definitely be back for some food and more pictures during the day…

Last time I was in Brisbane this was just a construction site. I was so looking forward to coming back and exploring what was to be a multi-​venued space housed in an old Queenslander.
I finally came back and go o experience four of these spaces within 24 hour period. First, lunch in the café which was a really relaxed affair. The vibe was chilled, I loved my gigantic fresh salad and then the seasonal fruit salad I had for dessert which was a showcase of amazing fruit and flavour.
Later than night I returned for dinner in the restaurant. The wine list was utterly disappointing, with uninspired options all seemingly from just one or two distributors. Ho Hum.
My dining companion and I ordered two dishes to share — the squid which was boring. Oily and under seasoned, the accompanying sauce the only saving grace but not enough to ensure we ate the entire dish. The pork, however, was incredible. Slow cooked and served with crackling, apple sauce and a giant portion of roasted veggies, this is a great dish to share and you can up the size of your portion depending on how many of you are eating and the size of your stomachs.
The service in the restaurant was a little sketchy — small things like not knowing the cheese on offer and then upon finding out simply saying «brie, cheddar, blue» instills no confidence in this cheese lover. Let’s hope it’s merely an indication of a young and developing staff, rather than a sub-​standard cheese offering. Either way, I wasn’t about to spend my cash on what could potentially turn out to be average cheese.
A post dinner drink upstairs in the tiki bar was… sadly disappointing. Tiki bars are one of my favourites, the more flamboyant and over top the better if you ask me. On a latish Thursday night it was utterly dead and strangely the bar tender pushed us to have some drink that was «left over from a function», which turned out to be sweet and unexciting. Sure, it was an $ 8 drink (what else can you ask for!) but my drinking companion and I are serious booze afficanodos and would have been willing to pay for something more inspired. Not taking the time to find out about the preferences of customers on an utterly dead night seemed like lazy bar tending to me. A missed opportunity for the bar to show off what I hope are some great bar skills. We drank the drinks on the empty balcony and then left.
What saved the experience of Alfred and Constance for me? Well, I’d heard about the downstairs bar and of course you can take the Melbourne girl out of Melbourne but you can’t take the Melbourne out of the girl. It just wouldn’t be a night out if I didn’t venture to some secret bar, right? So we went downstairs and… well, «this is more like it!» I thought. A super cool bar that had a great crowd and vibe.
The backbar is small but solid — the prices written in chalk and the cocktail menu suggesting that there’s some decent cocktail brains in here. I thought I’d challenge the staff a little and ask for a drink (a 20^th Century) that wasn’t on the menu. The bearded bartender didn’t bat an eyelid and just asked me which gin I preferred. Hooray! Turns out these guys also make their own bitters and had I not had an incredibly long day, I would have spent a few hours here exploring the collection and requesting some interesting concoctions.
So how to rate Albert and Constance? It’s a tricky one. With some pretty major let downs, and also some wins I think it’s safe to say that overall it’s good, but choose your time and location carefully while they’re still trying to find their feet.

This place is awesome! Awesome enough that we have put it on our «worth driving to from Ipswich» list.
Funky décor, funky and relaxed atmosphere, this place reminded me a lot of Trunk in Melbourne (which I also loved). We had dinner in the Vanguard Beer Garden — Bangers and Mash and a pork roll, and a banana split. The food was good, it was well priced, and well sized.
Service was one of the best we’ve received anywhere, at no point did we feel crowded in, and at no point did we feel left out either. Whenever we needed service, just look in the direction of the waitress, and the next thing we knew, she was right there ready to help.
If I had anything to complain about at all, there was a bit of cigarette smoke that occasionally blew in from the smoking deck upstairs, but this is a very minor complaint. If only the smoking deck was further away from the eating area!

I was lucky enough to be invited along to a trial night of Alfred and Constance before the opening weekend and boy oh boy did this venue live up to the hype! It felt like I was walking into a friends house who was an amazing interior designer that just had KICK-​ASS stuff everywhere. It has a long list of awesome… DJ booth inside a huge lemon grand piano, TICK, vintage medicine cabinets behind the bar, TICK, a dedicated tiki bar, TICK, whole pig on the menu, TICK, even the beer taps were old microphones and I think I saw a golf club and a recorder! There. is. so. much. to. love. I needed the help of several delightful cocktails named Pisco Disco and Ginga Ninja to absorb it all. BTW this is what I would call my cocktails, if I had to name cocktails…
The venue made up of several smaller areas across multiple levels, it has an inside/​outside feel and with so many nooks and crannies appealing to multiple demographics and functions scenarios, I see it having great longevity in Brisbane. The laid-​back but artfully detailed décor is edgy, fascinating and playful all housed within two beautiful heritage listed Queenslanders. It really felt like my perfect dream home… ok, maybe one where I don’t sleep because there are no bedrooms, but you know what I mean.
The food was delicious and I adored the simple and accessible, well thought out flavour combinations. My share plate favourites were the chorizo scotch eggs, fresh natural oysters and the lamb cutlets with a herb anchovy mayo. This is a place for people that LOVE a good quality whole roasted pig… which is me. Cooked simply the pork main was deliciously tender peppered with thin smatterings of crunchy crackling, served with a ridiculously amazing concentrated gravy or jus. Oh lordy, I was in pork heaven. It was paired perfectly with a simple fresh leafy salad and comforting roasted rosemary potatoes. The desserts were also exquisite, particularly the Eton mess!
Bravo to Damien and his entire team — I’m planning my next few weekends here already. I’M IN LOVE.

Walking into Alfred & Constance today, opening day, I see a nervous owner Damien Griffiths hovering around the café area. He’s making sure there’s enough seats for everyone, talking to customers and buzzing about. We briefly chat and despite a venue full of punters in the café area, in the Vanguard Beer Garden and even a few lads enjoying a drink up on the tiki bar deck — he’s still nervous.
Walking into Alfred & Constance it is almost too good to be true to think that this bold combination of venues (café, dessert bar, tiki bar, beer garden and more) exists in our backyard. This, kids, is the point in which we stop comparing Brisbane to Melbourne or to Sydney and accept that we’ve got something going on that’s a style all our own.
A visit to A&C is like being Alice falling down the rabbit hole and landing in Wonderland. Except this Wonderland is designed by Alexander Lotersztain and has some of our best food and drink talents behind it.
I’ll admit I was a little like a bamboozled rabbit in head lights as I walked in, not sure where to look first. Do I have lunch at the café or in the beer garden? Oooh look black subway tiles. Oh shiny things. If you love interiors, then prepare for your jaw to drop to the ground here. It’s almost as exciting as the food.
I opted for a quick and casual lunch from the café and the organic roast chicken with a mix of two salads (pinenut, bean and asparagus with fetta, and a beetroot salad) was just the nutrient-​rich pick me up I needed.
The beauty of A&C lies in, as Michelle L put it: the nooks and crannies. There are so many different spots in this one venue to explore that I dare say you’ll be back time and time again before you can say you’ve collected them all.
So, A&C, tomorrow I’m coming for the Vanguard Beer Garden. I hear pulled pork is your thing…