Alchemy Restaurant and Bar Brisbane — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Terrible experience, I will not be back and will actively advise anyone who will listen not to go here. Especially for any special events such as celebrations or birthday dinners in December.

My partner and I booked 4 months in advance to have my actual birthday dinner on the 17th at Alchemy based on their rave reviews. Unfortunately the whole night was horrendous, and when we provided the requested feedback, the key issues were blatantly ignored and blame was shifted to us for even booking for dinner this time of year as apparently "any restaurant in Brisbane would not have looked any different from Alchemy". An odd comment considering I am pretty sure my birthday is an annual occurrence, and we have never experienced absolute chaos like this before at any other restaurant of this pricepoint we have been to for my birthday dinner. Trust me, we won't make that mistake again.

Firstly, they did not abide by the literal vaccination mandate that came in to effect THAT DAY, and are not checking proof of vaccination at all upon entry or thereafter. I would strongly suggest not going here if you are in any way immunocompromised, especially considering the recent spike in case numbers.

The beef cheek was incredibly dry, as if you dipped a handful of sand in sauce, and could only be eaten when paired with the accompanying mash potato. The cheesecake was below expectation for a $20 dessert (part of a 2 course meal at $70 per person).

They were three separate Christmas parties full of screaming drunks surrounding the 4 single tables that remained for all other guests. The atmosphere was so loud that I could not hear the servers at all (we had four seperate ones throughout the 2 hour booking) let alone hold an actual conversation with my partner. But who wants to hold a conversation with a loved one on your birthday, right?

To be fair, all that interested me from the drinks menu was the single apple cider they serve, and when I ordered it, was told that they were out of cider. At 8pm.. on a Friday night.

It's also not surprising that they don't provide their drinks menu on their website. Pretty sure watermelon juice, lime and a shot of gin does not a $20 cocktail make.

Overpriced, terrible atmosphere, obviously stressed staff, below par food standard and absolutely no ability to handle criticism even when they request feedback. Best of luck to any future customers, wish we had gone literally anywhere else that night.

P.s. edit* After reading through other reviews here, it's very interesting that the response isn't "Thankyou for your feedback" or anything constructive. It is excuse after excuse...

This place is like visiting a lawyer’s office, overpriced, disrespectful, and full of excessive arrogance. Plus plenty of bad attitude by staff which you normally associate with Sydney restaurants. Upon arrival, I couldn’t find the entry amongst the myriad of identical glass panels and had to search around trying different doors until I found one that opened. I was dining with an old acquaintance and we just wanted to chat for a while, but while the waiter was unravelling our napkins, he said would you like to order your mains. I hadn’t even read the menu. Then over the next ten minutes, different waiters badgered us no less than four times for our meals order. This has nothing to do with being attentive or good service, it’s so they can get you processed and out as soon as possible, so they can control their costs. Most of the front line staff couldn't speak good English and I had to repeat myself many times and then got the shrugging of shoulders if there was something wrong with me. Plus all staff showed signs of being very disgruntled employees. The food is OK but very lean servings forcing you to order side dishes, that’s if you like a normal size meal. However, the mash potato is a disgrace and reminded me of that Deb instant mash potato and it tasted about the same, just awful. As well, I wanted a lactose free coffee but no, they don't have lactose free milk. The wine selection would have to be the worst I have seen in the entire country, yet the photos on the web show wine racks with hundreds of bottles. The one thing I actually complained about, the waiter showed no interest and when I said I'll think twice before coming back, he said he didn't really care. Sort of sums up the place. Being the most expensive restaurant around the CBD it certainly doesn’t deliver quality food, service or atmosphere commensurate with its Michelin restaurant prices. If you have few drinks and get drunk well it will be fine and you'll...

A Heartbreaking Decline

I decided to give Alchemy one final chance to redeem itself. Over a year ago, I had an abysmal experience at this restaurant and reached out directly to offer my feedback, only to receive a lackluster response promising that my experience was a one-off incident.

This weekend, I ventured back with hope, only to be met with yet another wave of disappointment.

Let me start by saying that the food at Alchemy has never let me down. The chefs are true magicians, consistently delivering culinary excellence with every visit.

However, the service has been nothing short of a nightmare. I speak of experiences from a year ago and this weekend, from half-hearted welcomes and plates being dropped carelessly on the table, to staff members chatting loudly in another language across the restaurant, the experience was deeply unsettling. I even had to get up and find our opened bottle of wine to pour it myself, ask for water multiple times, and endure wines that never arrived, leading to cancellations. The final straw was witnessing service staff who seemed to have forgotten how to smile.

Writing this review breaks my heart, as Alchemy holds a special place in my heart. My partner and I, along with friends and family, have celebrated many cherished occasions here.

Yet, it seems that in the year I stayed away, Alchemy has made no improvements. Given this lack of progress and the unresponsive communication with the restaurant, I reluctantly write this review in the hope that, somehow, a change might come in the...