Gerard’s Bistro

I’ve been to Gerard’s a few times over the years, and it’s never managed to disappoint. The atmosphere is great, and the food is always top notch. The menu is perfectly designed for sharing with groups big and small, which I find great as you’re never going to miss out on any of the wide selection of dishes.
On this visit we opted for a few share plates: the bekaa wings, which were flavoursome but quite spicy, a selection of oysters, which were fresh and tasty, and a raw white fish with a name that I’m unable to remember, let alone pronounce, which did a great job of offsetting the spice from the wings and was a nice light touch.
For mains we ordered, as I always do, the wagyu brisket with seasonal accompaniments. This is a great dish for sharing and a perfect way to round of a meal. The flatbread is light but sturdy and the pickled vegetables are a great companion. The wine list was extensive and they have some great local wines.
My only gripe was that, on this visit, the service was a little lacklustre and the waiters quickly whisked away our empty glasses without enquiring if we wanted more. Could have just been an off night though, as usually there are no issues.

Dinner here is always exquisite. Generally, we choose the slow-​cooked brisket (two servings) as a centerpiece for planning each meal here, but the waitstaff typically recommends 2.5 servings of mains per person. So, assuming you’re with at least one more person, the brisket may only be half of your dinner. Starters are quite small and usually aren’t filling so much as interesting. If you want the brisket, consider mentioning it in your reservation; they often run out.
Unilocal seems to only list the price as $$, but really enjoying starters, mains, and cocktails can easily bring it into $$$$ territory.

We just had a really bad experience there… Half of the tables were empty but supposed to be booked, so we were asked to come back one hour later. Which we did… Same situation… Lots of empty tables and the only option we were offered is to sit at the bar with no dining menu. The staff seemed quite arrogant and did not care at all about us just leaving in the end. This is not the way you treat customers…
Will not come back.

Atmosphere and staff completely lovely! We asked for waiters recommendations and after a few brief taste preference questions, we were delivered a delicious meal!
Perfect for a couple, but not suitable for a large group.
Definitely will go again and would recommend to a friend.
MUST TRY the cauliflower!

Gerard’s is one of my favourite places to dine in Brisbane. I’ve been many times including a few visits for breakfast.
Breakfast here has some really different offerings compared to your typical bacon and egg joints. My favourite dish is the Baghdad Eggs and while I’ve tried a few different breakfast dishes (mostly taking a share from other people at my table heeh) I can’t resist going back to this dish again and again. I hope they never take it off the menu!
For dinner the menu is seasonally updated so I’ve been lucky enough to try many delicious things there. If there’s ever a wagyu dish we will almost always order it and it has never disappointed us. Other memorable dishes that we seem to order all the time are the bekka wings, their rice dish (which changes slightly with the season it seems), the ras el hanout cauliflower and any pork belly/​pork dish. YUM!
And don’t forget now they even have Gerard’s Bar out the back for pre or post dinner drinks and nibbles.

Absolutely astounding food and drink. The service is always impeccable and I feel so welcomed every time I am there. They are exploring new and exciting food creations that I am always willing to try and always impressed with!

An interesting menu that breaks away from the traditional format. Quite a few dishes with complementing dishes placed above and below the mains.
The idea is really based around everybody sharing and ultimately we just left it up to the helpful wait staff to recommend a good mix of dishes for us.
The quality of the food is just fantastic Beautiful and tasty food that is fresh, cooked perfectly and delights the taste buds. Some of the meat dishes are superb with excellent cuts of meat used. The service is just as good as the food.
What an excellent place this is and definitely now on my short list of favourites. I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this place to anyone who appreciates good food, good service and a friendly atmosphere. Bravo.

So went here with the rents for dinner. Really cool atmosphere had seats outside in the lane. We had ordered about 6 dishes the wings were good the lamb was alright the cauliflower was awesome the octopus was good but weird at the same time and I forgot the other. The star of the night was the bone marrow. It was my first time eating it but it was absolutely amazing.
For decent sharing plate sizes it’s an alright price still bit exxy but worth a try

Having been awarded the 2014 Restaurant of the year in July during the Brisbane Times Good Food Month, we were curious to see what the fuss was about. Gerard’s Bistro is located in the James St precinct, nestled amongst the stylish glamour of the area.
Headed by Ben Williamson, Gerard’s Bistro is an offering of Middle Eastern inspired tapas style dishes. First impressions always count & Gerard’s Bistro offers modern décor with dark lines, & timber finishes. Elegantly simple & aesthetically pleasing without trying too hard. The staff are outstanding from the moment you make your presence known; friendly, attentive & personable. As you read through the menu, its clear there’s some very innovative & exciting dishes to be had & the only thing left to do is surrender your taste buds to be taken on an adventure.
We ordered:
Mackerel & piel de sapo melon tartare, orange blossom, chive & puffed skin ($ 18).
Smoked marrowbone, salted cod & potato mousseline, burnt bread, sour herbs ($ 22).
Bekaa wings, kishk yoghurt & rose ($ 16).
Wow! Each plate is amazing & such an interesting combination of flavours & textures. You will just have to try it yourself & savour each bite.
Its an indulgence on the wallet but if you’re wanting quality, & a food experience for the memories, then Gerard’s Bistro is deserving of all the accolades.
Open Mon 18:00 — 23:00, Tue — Fri 12:00 — 23:00, Sat — Sun 8:00 — 23:00.
P. S. Since I can’t seem to upload videos yet, check out one of the coolest things we’ve seen for wiping away the mess from the Bekaa wings. (There’s no other way to eat this than with hands!). On our instablog:

Just spent a lazy Sunday lunch with my mother and sister at Gerard’s bistro and still have the flavours swirling through my body. Orgasmic
We ordered 5 dishes from the menu for the 3 of us, as was recommended to us by our wonderful waiter. Five was ample remembering this was a lunch.
Started with the Mackerel which was fresh and light, followed by the Duck breast, caramelised pumpkin which could not have been better. If you don’t like duck, don’t care — just order it. You will be converted. Fried Cauliflower was like nothing I had ever tasted — perfect. Iranian jeweled rice with pomegranate, smoked almond and pistachio — say no more and Coal-​grilled broccolini, kale.
Lastly we were tempted to share a Pistachio, halva, and rooftop honey plate. Memorable. More then Memorable … divinely memorable.
It is not the cheapest lunch I have had but it is up there with the best.

I dare say, Gerard’s Bistro served up the most memorable midday meal I’ve had so far this year!
Sometimes you read a menu full of things you’ve never seen or heard of before and it’s a drag and other times it’s the beginning of an exciting taste adventure. I am happy to report my lunch at Gerard’s Bistro was firmly the latter.
In need of greens after days of excess, we ordered the coal-​grilled broccolini and kale with shallot oil and lemon. The house-​cured basturma was an exciting taste adventure as I’d never had anything like this sort of air-​dried cured beef. The Bekaa wings with kishk yoghurt and rose petals were a definite crowd pleaser with their vibrant flavor. It’s highly possible that I had more than my fair share of the fried cauliflower with tahini, ras el hanout, smoked almonds and pomegranate. (Apologies to my table mates, I just couldn’t help myself!)
We sat outside for lunch which I really liked. There’s no direct sun but the fresh air definitely enhanced the meal for me.
I loved every dish we tried here from the Iranian style wild rice to the slow-​roasted full-​blood wagyu brisket. Were I to recommend one restaurant in Brisbane, Gerard’s Bistro would definitely be it!

This place is stunning. Seriously, if you want an interesting meal that is as much of a treat to your eyes as you mouth — get yourself here now.
Dining as a large group, we were seated outside in the vine-​covered walkway. It’s undercover, but still full of light from the Brisbane sun. Though obviously not warm enough for the locals as they turned the gas heater on for us despite it being about 21 degrees that day! Inside, the walls are lined with bottles of wine that were a tempting sight, but being a working lunch we stuck to water and just concentrated on the food.
The food. So beautifully presented with thoughtful flavour combinations and just the right portion size to try as many things on the menu as our stomachs would allow.
Everything was an absolute delight — but highlights include dishes like the house-​made basturma served on a warm log, the oh-​so-​flavoursome bekka wings with rose petals, fried cauliflower with pomegranate and the brisket. The wagyu brisket was served with flatbread and condiments to wrap up — having a table covered in vegie dishes let us experiment with a few combinations.
We were definitely spent after this feast, but the lovely chef Ben spoilt us with one more treat at the end — the rose, barberry and pistachio nougat. Worth sneaking home if you can’t fit it in straight away.
I would love to come back here on another sunny afternoon or balmy evening and graze my way through their menu while trying out the wine list. Next time Brisbane, next time.

Hey Shah of Oman, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.
Actually I don’t, but I did get an insight into how middle eastern royalty live after eating at Gerard’s Bistro. This was my last meal in Brisbane and boy howdy did Ben and the team deliver. (Never met a bad Ben. We’re all great guys. This one’s particularly good.)
And just. I mean. The sheer creativity on display. And the flavours. Oh god you guys, the flavours. Smoky bastourma with pickled chili served like butterflies on a log. An actual log! Smoked potatoes with sumac, mackerel and melon with crispy salted fish scales that look like scorpions. Unbelievable tender brisket on a bed of rock salt with a cheek of lemon, eaten with a feta and herb salad. Even the napkins — tiny white dehydrated discs that expand when you drop them in water.
I’d consider the flight back up just for this place. I’d sit and gorge and they’d have to roll me out of there with an ice shovel to make me leave.

My first trip to gerard’s bistro was an eye opening experience. I had the braised lamb shoulder and the smoked whole egg plant in kirshk yogurt. Both were amazing. Flavours spot on and the portion is just right for my liking. The waiter (forgot his name) was very friendly and recommended me both dishes. I left with high hopes on their breakfast menu.
Then last week, i brought my family members (5 of us including me) to Gerard’s Bistro again and this time to try the breakfast. But we were not very impressed with the service. Something jusy went wrong that even though the restaurant was not full house, the waitresses were busy running here and there and whats worse, we waited for almost 45 mins for the food to arrive. I even have to ask the wait staff a couple of times why the food is taking so long. Very frustrating.
I ordered the FAME suckling pig for nreakfast but with the sub par service, i actually did not enjoy the food at all.
Food is excellent, but service could be improved. I might not return soon.

Trying for breakie been to dinner and lunch quite a few times and always been very happy with flavours and service. Style is casual dining with technique ie freezing, dried, thi k freeze dried eggs with smoked grapes etc, looked and thought at times hmmmm but always seems to work so be adventuous. Seem to always have vege dishes so posdible goid option if meat is in the banned list.
Menu hard to pick but do it, because u will change your mind as u see other peoples as they look fantastic.
Flavours were great had the suckling pig with kale eggs and pimiento delicious. They did however miss 2 orders ??? From 7 so thats odd.

Oh wow, what a terrific breakfast I had here with two friends, recently. The food is Middle Eastern, with a slight twist, ensuring your plate looks colourful and exotic, with no expense spared for your tastebuds. We went for brunch, each ordering a different, eggy dish. Each dish contained an astounding four eggs, an abundance of flavour and oh, I don’t know, maybe some feed good endorphins or something as the secret ingredient? It was divine. I also had a coffee and a juice and they both hit the spot. I would return in an heartbeat. All that food, drinks, great décor and decent (if a little slow) service, for only $ 75. We couldn’t even finish all our dishes, they were that big. Didn’t need to eat again until the late afternoon. Extraordinary value for a poor girl from Perth.
Highly recommended, but don’t be in an hurry. Food like that deserves to be savoured.

I’ve visited Gerard’s on 4 occasions now, each time I felt like it was better than ever! The first time I visited was when they were quite fresh, and I think there were still a few creases to be ironed out. I found our waiter to be a little bit too familiar with us, and he really rubbed me up the wrong way when I had to send my main (spatchcock) back to the kitchen to be cooked some more as it was raw on the bone. It was a busy night and I totally forgave them for this, hating to be «that guy» that sends things back… but the waiter argued with me about whether it was cooked enough or not? NOT COOL DUDE. Eventually he took it back to the kitchen and it was cooked to perfection. Apart from this small issue, the rest of the night was perfect, from the cocktails to the dessert. Loved it.
My second visit was practically flawless. A quick couple of share plates before a movie.
I visited again as part of the Unilocal progressive dinner event on James St. I absolutely adored the goat tagine, and the broccolini and kale was fantastic. I regret being a little too eager with this side, I accidentally flung a stalk to broccolini to the ground in my haste to get more on my plate. Woe.
And last weekend I snuck in a breakfast visit, as a prelude to the UYE breakfast club visit this weekend (which I sadly didn’t make as I have the flu of doom). I tried the granola, and snuck some of my friend’s fruit toast which is served with ricotta and bee one third rooftop honey. I rate this toast! Heavy with fruit and nuts, so yum. My granola was out of this world. Dried dates and loads of hazelnuts and pistachios took this dish to the next level. The only problem was that I wasn’t given a spoon? I had to flag down our waitress to bring me one, so I stole my friend’s toast while I waited.
The coffee was pretty awesome, I’m not sure who’s beans they use but the barista definitely knows what they’re doing. I also had a virgin mary and it was fab. If it wasn’t dastardly early in the morning I’d have been tempted to de-​virgin this with some vodka. Our waitress that morning told us she was on a trial, and she was very attentive despite how busy it was, she didn’t crowd us or rush us, and she was lovely and cheerful without being OTT. I hope she got the job!
I will definitely visit Gerard’s again, for any meal of the day. It’s very affordable, has really interesting menu options, and some fantastic staff. I think it is definitely going to become a bit of an old faithful for me, indeed.

After a second visit to Gerard’s Bistro, I continue am amazed by their dishes and the knowledgeable staff.
Among a party of 4, we shared:
Organic house bread with smoked butter and spice
Coal-​roasted local quail, smoked beetroot, wilted leaves, chili & hazelnut
Duck breast, carrots, peach, burnt honey, cardamom yoghurt, salad burnet
Whole smoked eggplant, fermented yoghurt, blackened onions and mint
Coal-​grilled broccolini, kale, shallot oil and lemon
Spiced cauliflower, grapes and smoked almonds
Saltbush lamb «tagine», carrot, pickled dates, candied orange and green olive
Slow-​roasted full blood wagyu brisket for two with seasonal accompaniments
Dessert:
Caramelized (chocolate dusted) hazelnuts, rose lokum, honeycomb
Ginger cake and sorbet, yoghurt mousse and mint
Spiced date cream, almond crumble, honeycomb and vanilla
Yes, all the dishes are on the small size, but I felt it was perfect for sampling. I like to think of them as Mediterranean tapas. I also like they use local produce, such as honeycomb and honey from the James St bees (can’t get anymore local than that!).
The staff know their wines and dishes and does a fabulous job of explaining all the elements.
I also love the décor — ties in well with the overall concept.
The sinks in the bath closets are pretty nifty.

Like Corrie Z, I’m not sure of the poor ratings. I had dinner here last night and everything was exceptional — from the food to the service. It was my colleagues first time in Brisbane and although it was hard to decide where we’d go for dinner, Gerard’s seemed like the perfect spot to show just what I mean when I say to people, «Brisbane is growing up!»
Led by chef Ben Williamson, the menu is middle eastern in flavours and offers meals designed to be shared. It still blows my mind just how affordable it is to dine here. For us to have 4 plates, a sparkling water and a glass each of Cava was $ 89. For the quality of food being prepared I wouldn’t be surprised to pay $ 100+ and still feel like I got great value.
It is important to note, the serving sizes aren’t typical Australian extra large and unnecessary serving sizes. They’re ample to savour the dish and to have you feeling satisfied. The wait team know the dishes, how they accompany each other and their recommendations are flawless.
We ordered the Spanner crab & textured watermelon salad, chilli & lime (sublime!), the lamb loin which was set off by the last minute addition of lamb belly (okay, I’m not a fan at all of pork belly — I just don’t get it — but lamb belly? Sign me up!), Spiced cauliflower, currants and smoked almonds and my personal favourite Coal-​grilled broccolini, kale, shallot oil and lemon. Each worked to offer something entirely different in terms of texture and flavour but I don’t feel that at any point any of them clashed.
I’m heading along to try their new weekend breakfast in a few days and honestly, it might just tip me over the edge to a five star review.

I have twice eaten at Gerard’s Bistro and do not understand the poor rating it recieves here on Unilocal,hopefully it improves as this place deserves many stars!
Gerard’s menu has a Middle Eastern/​Moroccan/​North African type of vibe, which to me is incredibly exciting, there is no restaurant doing what they do in Brisbane.
The space is very funky in design, heavy wooden seating, brick walls, leather… the cocktail menu is amazing (I had a «Delightful Turk» the first time I ate here, rose water and watermelon, yum), as it should be with owners that also have Laruche and Lychee Lounge, two of the best cocktail bars around.
The food here is meant to be shared, but the share plates are definitely on the small size, which obviously puts some people off. A couple of standout dishes we have sampled were Seared scallops with sujuq (a spiced minced type of sausage), and a Goat tagine on our last visit.
Desserts are also fabulous; Spiced date cream, pistachio and halva biscuit, honeycomb and vanilla was so creamy and sweet I wanted another… and how does Bitter and sweet chocolate mousse, biscuit and ganache with milk icecream and salted oat sound? Dreamy!