Brook Hotel — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Overview The Brook is a super cool, large and airy pub bistro, conveniently located opposite the Brookside Shopping Centre in Mitchelton. It’s part of the A.L.H. Hotel Group, which always guarantees an excellent dining experience.

Food Four of us dined on a Sunday evening in November. We ordered schooners of our fave Byron Bay lager and a few glasses of prosecco. For our meals, it was a calamari starter to share, two hoki fish and chips, a margherita pizza and a mushroom stroganoff, which was an interesting dish with a chunky mushroom, garlic cream, zucchini and steamed rice. The calamari was an ideal way to start the meal with soft, tender calamari, served with creamy mayonnaise, lettuce and chips. My hoki was succulent and tasty, and came with fresh salad and crispy chips. But the pizza was the stand-out dish. It was prepared with love, care and attention to detail, topped with cheese and lashings of ripe tomatoes. It was so generous that we had leftovers for the next day.

Service All the staff were super nice to us, and they made us feel welcome the moment that we arrived. As we had made a booking, the pretty maître d directed us to our table on the front terrace. One can order using the app, or in person at the front bar. We decided to order at the bar, and an efficient young lady took our order and poured our drinks. It took about 15 minutes for the food to arrive. Wait staff are neatly turned out in smart brown and white uniforms. They’re professional and business-like, but at the same time, friendly, polite and patient. Being served by such lovely young people just made our whole evening enjoyable.

Ambience We loved the relaxed, casual and laid back ambience. There are tons of seating choices, inside or outside, but wherever you choose to sit you will be comfy. Being family friendly, there is a kids play area at the back, but if you’re after a more chilled evening, it’s best to avoid sitting too close to that. We opted for an outdoor high table at the front and it was delightful sitting out there on a warm, balmy Bris spring evening. The place was busy with lots of family groups enjoying a fun night out before Christmas, so that gave it a lively and energetic vibe.

Cost Despite the hyperinflation crisis that is gripping this country, A.L.H. Group hotels always offer affordable dining options. That’s quite rare these days as prices in the restaurant industry are skyrocketing every week. The seniors' menu deals are excellent value for money. For a calamari starter (seniors option), a mushroom stroganoff, a fish and chip dish and two drinks, we paid a very reasonable 86 and earned rewards points too.

Toilets There are ample clean, modern and well stocked toilets in the main dining area. They are clearly signposted, making them easy to find.

Parking Parking is a breeze. The hotel has its own car park with masses of free parking. There’s also the shopping centre car park, just a short walk away which also offers free and unlimited parking.

Summary Everything ran smoothly for our evening at The Brook, from easy booking to excellent food served in generous portions, outstanding service and a relaxed, homely and laid back atmosphere. Add to that, modest prices, ample clean toilets and plenty of free parking and you have all the ingredients for a great night out with family or friends. This was our first visit to the Brook, but it definitely will not be our last.

Memo The Brook is a member of the new Pub+ rewards program which recently replaced the old “Monty’s” Rewards program. This new program is a big improvement on the old one. It has a bright and user-friendly app, and one can earn points on all your spending and quickly translate them into savings on food and drink. If you’re still thirsty after your night at the Brook, there is a well stocked Dan Murphy's liquor store just...

Sadly, we won't be back.

The Good: The rooms/venue are lovely, the kids room is a bonus for parents (not much to do in there though?) and the tables by the creek are really nice. The tree outside the front is absolutely stunning. And you can't even see the pokies from the dining room which is a bonus when you're just trying to go out for a nice dinner to a pub.

The Bad: We arrived just after 5 pm and to an empty dining room. The front hostess made a big deal of us not having made a booking and told us to find 124 towards the back - we were not escorted to the table. We got there to find a reserved sign. My husband went to investigate, and we were told a different table number outside. Again, we had to find our own way.

The food is expensive - 2 meals, a kids meal and a soft drink cost $67. And unfortunately the food is not good; my husband isn't picky at all and he said the burgers at McDonald's were better than what he had. I had the pie. The mash was absolutely awful, the peas were cold and while the pie was hot, it's nothing special. My local bakery does better.

I ended up approaching the staff and letting them know all of our food was cold and, frankly, not good. They asked if they could remake the meals - I told them not to bother with the kids' meal, but a new burger would be good. The first was somehow burnt but cold?

Another burger, onion rings, and side of fries were brought out. The waitress literally said, "I was told to pass on our apologises". No one came to see how our meals were after, a manager didn't approach us - it felt like everyone was avoiding us - we had to grab someone to ask for the kids dessert to come out. And it still wasn't that hot?

I get it, there are always going to be teething issues when a new restaurant opens, but the service, food and value for money leave something to be desired. I've worked as a manager of a busy popular steakhouse in the past so perhaps my standards are too high but when we left more than half our food on the plate, something is wrong. And if we had a complaining customer, you can be sure I'd make sure the replacement meal was perfect before leaving the pass. I'd also go to their table personally and discuss the issues and apologise.

It was a disappointing night for our last minute decision to go out for our wedding...

The old Brook Hotel, as I knew it has now been re-established as the upmarket hotel with quality accommodation included 👌

The new accommodation at the Brook Hotel opens up in September.

Ideally located at 167 Osbourne Rd,Mitchelton QLD 4053, it also has the newly built Dan Murphy's right next door.

Some of the old landscapes of the old Brook Hotel are still onsite, such as the Big Fig tree located on the outside area of this establishment, where you relax with a cool beverage & also enjoy a quality pizza 🍕 😀

No costs have been spared with more than adequate space for seating both inside & outside being an important part of the business.

If you wish to partake in placing a bet or watching live sporting events, this hotel provides excellent facilities with plenty of television monitoring.

There is an excellent gaming area separate from the main restaurant & bar area's that has its own bar area.

The kitchen area has extensively been upgraded, along with the bar area's 🍸 👌 😋

The Brook Hotel has an excellent menu selection that caters to everyone's tastes,including people with dietary needs 😀

Wheelchair access throughout this establishment is excellent as everything is on the one level.

There are more than enough facilities available for children to play both indoors in an area close to the main restaurant.

The outside area at the rear of the premises has facilities for chess games to play or basketball 🏀 to be practised.

Outdoor heating is well taken care of, ensuring that when a little chilly, you can still enjoy your time at the Brook Hotel.

Adequate parking is available for everyone, including people with a disability.

The one thing to consider is ensuring that make a reservation in advance, particularly during the busy periods of the week/weekends.

It is an exciting place that caters to the local community & anyone visiting this magnificent area...