The Charming Squire

Dropped in here after an exhibition at the convention hall next door. We visited on a Saturday night and the place was packed, we had to sit in the smoking area as that’s the only table we could find. The restaurant section was busy so if you ant to try out the food book ahead. We observed the pizzas being delivered to tables in the bar section and they looked pretty good. The beer is brewed on site and I love how they explain it on the boards as the break it down like a good wine. I had 4 wives Pilsner and it was crisp, cold and good. Recommend it. If you don’t deserve a table be prepared to stand until one becomes available and this place was a hive of activity so it may be a long wait. Or sit in the smoking area and die from the fumes around you lol like I did. (Yep I’m one of those a non smoker lol)

Brisbane, Australia
The Charming Squire
The food, atmosphere and service were all great ! I went at 4pm so it was in between lunch and dinner and I had the main dining area to myself. This is a bar and restaurant, it was huge and took up nearly a block. It offers sparkling and still water, cloth napkins and free wifi. The food here is excellent. The atmosphere in the bar had an electric, up beat, lively, fun, trendy vibe to it. The service was on point. I’d definitely eat here again!

Not so great. I saw two tables that came in after us get their food first. When I went inside the service staff cut me off before I even started speaking. They said that I would have another 5 minute wait. They explained that all the orders had gone in at once. Thr two tables that got their food first even finished and left before we had finished our meals. Seeing as they were aware of the issue I found that their lack of sympathy and no offer of remedy was disappointing. On the plus side the food was nice.

Good venue for Sunday afternoon drinks. It’s open and airy and had a good crowd. There’s every possible James Squire brew on tap imaginable and a decent selection of bar snacks. There’s enough ambience to enjoy yourself, but not so much that you can’t hear one another. Upstairs is really lovely (and has much much cleaner nicer bathrooms). Only detraction was the $ 15 minimum eftpos spend at the bar — given most drinks are $ 9 or under and any bar snacks are too.

Unfortunately my experience at the Charming Squire was not that great. The food is pretty good, the prices are fine, and the beer is great, so I’ll give them that. But two major problems affected my evening:
— they allow smoking on the patio. This would not be as much of a problem except that the entire side of the restaurant and bar have sliding doors, which are usually open. We were sitting at the end, indoors, where the patio doors were closed, but it didn’t matter because it still felt like we were sitting in an ashtray. Come one guys, it’s the 21^st century.
— service was pretty poor. We were a group of 20 people and had a very suitable table but were asked to move because another, bigger group had arrived (after us). Instead we had to spread out over a bunch of scattered tables and benches which was way less convenient. The kitchen forgot some of our orders and several of my friends had to wait a long time for their food and drinks.
In general, there is no table service on the «bar» side, which is kind of awkward. You have to go up to the counter, order there, and then hope the wait staff can find you later. I’m not exactly complaining about this, I’m sure this model works well for people who are mainly ordering drinks. But if you’re planning to sit on the bar side rather than the restaurant side you should be aware of this.

Pretty new spot on Brisbane beer map. I love craft beer so I had to check it out. The beer is nice, but was expecting something better from a home-​brewed place. The big disappointmet is their craft Cider, tried it few times here and didn’t like it — too watery and not enough bubbles. The place is really loud and crowded on the weekends, so prepare yourself for some shouting when necessary ;) Staff could be more welcoming — wouldn’t hurt. Though still a nice place to grab a refreshing beer on a hot day.

Awesome things about The Charming Squire: the awesome location, funky décor, relaxed vibe, extensive range of beer (some brewed on premises!) and bartenders with ridiculously good memories. As a gin lover I was also super impressed that the Botanist was in their selection of gin.
Less awesome things about The Charming Squire: the food was average at best. Dry burgers and overcooked steak. :(
I seriously love the vibe of The Charming Squire and would jump at the chance to go back for some drinks; it’s the perfect place for a sunny Saturday afternoon. But I would probably grab a bite elsewhere.

Great beers and good modern Australian menu. The ribs were very good. The Fish and chips were a bit greasy. No split bills.

We’ve been here twice for dinner and a couple of times for drinks and liked it a lot. On our second visit (dinner) a couple of things went wrong, steaks were served cold and the fillet, which was slightly overcooked already, got heat up again by the kitchen and sent back to our table. When we mentioned this to the staff (Tilly) she was very helpful and apologetic and brought us drinks on the house and took the fillet of the bill.
Sides are amazing, so were the short ribs and porterhouse steak on our first visit — and the beers and ciders are even better.
Overall a nice place, good atmosphere and we will definitely come back again!

Meh!
What they do well:
The food was pretty tasty — lamb skewers, beef croquettes, fries and corn.
The place looks good — a really nice big space with a great layout.
Attentive service.
Nope:
While waiting to be seated I saw the kitchen kinda frisbee a bowl of chips on to the serving counter, a few spilled out, they just picked them up and put them back in the bowl.
Only one napkin, the table had not been properly set after the patrons before us.
When I pick up the skewers I burnt my fingers. Nope, the skewers aren’t naturally black, they’ve been on fire and there was still a burning red ember in the first one I picked up. When I remarked to the waitress that they should advise customers these may be hot I got a shoulder shrug in response.
We got 4 corn cobs. 4 for 2 people? And they were cold.
Im pretty sure I won’t be returning again…

I went in around 1:30PM. There were very few patrons there, but even less staff at the front of the house. I waited for a while in front of the kitchen where they could see me hoping they would alert front of house. When no response, I walked to the bar area and grabbed a table. There was someone there, but not to be bothered with acknowledging me or brining me a menu. After a period of time I sought a server out for a menu. She was nice and helpful.
I ordered the Lamb Burger at MR temperature. It arrived quickly (too quickly for quality prep) as well done and COLD in the middle. It was tough on the outside meaning it was likely microwaved.
It is unfortunate! The ambiance is nice and the view into the kitchen is inviting. Sadly I think the kitchen was too busy prepping for dinner service to be bothered by my Lamb Burger.
I felt bad for the server. She was very nice and greatly apologetic. I walked quite a ways out of my way while quite hungry to come to this place. I left with a glass of wine (complimentary) as my lunch.

Hmmmmmm… have not been won over by this new beer pad. There are some great intimate craft beer breweries in Brisbane but cannot say this is one of them. I thought it would have been far more authentic in its design but I felt I had wondered into a mega bar chain.
The venue is ginormous and on a Friday evening was absolutely packed with not a spare seat in the lower bar and the upper bar was equally as crowded. Looking into the restaurant that was also packed out.
Good on the owners, they have selected a great venue in south bank and managed to pull in unbelievable crowds. I was expecting a little more of a «real» industrial look and feel, rather than looking at vats of beer through windows which did feel a little Disney wonderland than functional kit.
There was a live band playing which really added to the atmosphere.
There was a lot of beer on tap and despite the crowds there were not 10 deep queues for the bar which was a welcome relief. Another Northern Hemisphere visitor plus was the fact this bar gives you full size pints and not the dodgy shaved off Australian version. Therefore based on pint availability I would certainly pop back for some chilled amber nectar in a full size pint glass.
Check this place out but don’t be surprised if this is not the intimate venue you imagined.

A bit of a mixed review from me. 4 stars for food, 3 for overall experience/​mechanics of the place.
We went there for father’s day, my husband loves beer so a perfect place for it. He was in heaven with the great selection of beers. We dined in the «fine dining area» and the staff was very accommodating with my food allergies. The overall décor is nice but the biggest issue i had was with the 3 leg chairs. They are made with beautiful teak wood but really bad to sit in, i almost feel over twice while holding my 6 month old. I am sure there will be plenty of those who have a few more drinks that I did that will fall over.
The food was good but the timing was a bit off, but i am sure that is due to just opening and how busy it was for Father’s Day. Another major issue was the waitstaff brought us our food and warned us about how hot the plates were and then proceeded to put them in reaching distance of my son and then walked away. We did mention this to the manager when he came around to see how thing were.
The Short Ribs were very good!!! I highly recommend then. The Flank Steak needed a better marinade because it was just a bit tough and not really tasty. The Duck Fat Potatoes and Baby Cabbage (Brussel Sprouts) were good but could have been a bit crunchier.
Another issue I did have was with the toilets. I am hoping there are more upstairs as two womens/​disabled toilets is not enough for the size of the place.
I will be back but maybe just to the bar area.

The Charming Squire featuring all things James Squire has just opened at Southbank and wow, what a statement! It takes up the majority of the space on street level underneath the new section of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Fit out is very on-​trend with lots of beautiful timber and copper. Numerous bars over 2 levels with indoor and outdoor options. A more «fine dining» restaurant at one end. What appears to be a private function space with dedicated bar. Well done to those involved in creating this great new venue.
We experienced friendly and helpful staff, and tried a beer tasting paddle (4×100ml for $ 12) as well as some small meals ordered from the bar. We tried the current seasonal brew which was delicious and malty amongst other commercially available James Squire labels. I had the pulled pork sliders (so tasty and good value) and hubby had the lamb burger which came with a side of seasoned chips.
Will definitely be back. This place will get busy fast!

The Charming Squire is mega craft beer/​cider venue that has just opened beneath the Brisbane Convention & Exhibtion Centre.
A partner venture with James Squire, The Charming Squire is swanky! The venue includes a huge craft beer bar area complete with onsite brewing, a restaurant, function areas with dedicated bars & balconies and during the day a coffee shop.
This new kid on the block is the newest member of the Mantle Group family to which all the Pig & Whistles, Jimmy’s, East & Milanos and yet more venue belong.
The impressive entry area is a huge space from which you gaze up to the brewing vats.
We dropped in for a pre-​show show bite and even though the place was packed we were served quickly by cheerful staff and our food still came out in a reasonable amount of time.
While we waited we took in the interesting design features like graffiti and playing card wallpaper along with the copper, amber and dark mahogony tones then whole place is decked out in.
It was Saturday night so yes pretty damn busy but noise level was reasonable and we could still talk. Prices are a bit up there but quality of food & bev was too. We got the vege pizza from the pub menu and it wad delish!
Have yet to try the restuarant side so will update review in future.
So far this venue is a promising new addition to the Southbank culinary precinct that I’m keen to go back and try again.

I have been to a few James Squire pubs in Australia it is so good to have one in Brisbane. The full range of beers are available including an Apple and Pear Cider. They also have a couple of Wines on Tap too as well as a few bottled beers.
It was opening night and everything was nice and new they layout is great and gives it a nice modern feel. I was catching up with a mate for beer only so I didn’t get to sample the menu, but it looks amazing. A gimmick is that you can see the kitchen from outside on grey st to see what is going on.
Can’t wait to have a big group function there this will defiantly become my regular.