Bullrush Bistro Smokehouse — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Overview Bullrush Bistro (B.B.) is an exciting new addition to an otherwise boring and predictable Toowong dining scene, occupying the space where the former Barolos Italian Restaurant once was, on Sherwood Rd, a short walk from Toowong Village Shopping Centre. It specialises in hearty meat dishes, making it a paradise for meat eaters.

Food The serving sizes are generous, so two main meals between two people will suffice, and you can skip the entree. We ordered the beef brisket, which comes with chips, sauce, a bread roll and coleslaw ($36) and the beef rib burger ($26) with sauce and coleslaw. Both meals were sensational, featuring melt-in-your-mouth tender meat, perfectly cooked, and accompanied by crispy chips and fresh, creamy slaw. The beef burger had a tangy tzatziki sauce which was the cherry on top, but the homemade sauce on the brisket was also a winner. We both loved our meals.

Service Service was impeccable. There were a bunch of pretty young ladies in attendance and a friendly young gent, who I assume was the maitre d. Everyone was super nice to us, and our evening ran smoothly. Orders were promptly taken and drinks and food came out quickly. This place hums like a well oiled machine and that contributed to us having such an enjoyable time for our first visit to B.B.

Ambience While B.B.'s decor is slightly dated with its wall panels and retro lighting, the space is large, airy and comfortable. Both indoor and outdoor covered seating options are available. We chose the outdoor terrace, which provided a relaxed and cool atmosphere on a warm spring night. The restaurant had enough patrons to create a pleasant ambience, and the acoustics allowed for easy conversation. The overall vibe is casual and laid-back, perfect for a romantic dinner for two.

Cost We came armed with a discount deal from EatClub, which took 28% off our bill (not the 30% advertised, but then EatClub will always overestimate the discount, due to the hidden fees and chgs). The original bill for three drinks and two meals came to 99, but we ended up paying 71 after our discount, which wasn’t bad value for money as Australia races over the hyperinflation cliff, thanks to two and a half years of Labor Govt profligacy, waste and uncontrolled spending.

Toilets There are clean and well-stocked toilets available at the back, accessed via a narrow corridor. However, better signage within the restaurant would be helpful, as guests currently need to ask staff for directions.

Parking As we live nearby we walked, but generally one can park further up Sherwood Rd, or there’s three hrs free parking available at the shopping centre. There are also plenty of public transport options, with Toowong train station conveniently located inside the shopping centre.

Summary Our Thursday night experience at Bullrush Bistro was thoroughly enjoyable. The excellent food, friendly service, and relaxed ambience combined to create a perfect evening. The outdoor terrace seating was ideal for a warm Brisbane spring night. Add to that, clean toilets and convenient parking options, and you have all the ingredients for a great night out. B.B. in Toowong deserves success, and we look forward to returning with friends.

Memo Check out the EatClub for current discounts although it’s always 1 or 2% less...

Very disappointing experience.

We placed our order and waited over 30 minutes before being told that a couple of items were sold out. This should have been communicated much earlier.

Unfortunately, the food didn’t make up for the delay. The brisket was dry and poorly seasoned, the chicken was overcooked, and the ribs were extremely dry—some pieces were so chewy they were inedible. Chips and onion rings arrived cold and soft.

After being told the chicken wings were sold out, we asked to switch to a full chicken. We didn’t say anything about the price difference but expected to pay it. A few minutes later, we were also told the pulled pork was sold out and needed to be replaced. When we asked what alternatives were available, we were told nothing else besides what we had already ordered was available. We pointed out that all this should’ve been mentioned earlier, and the staff responded that they had already given us a full chicken ($30) in place of the wings ($14) without charging extra—framing it like they were doing us a favour. That made things more uncomfortable, especially since we didn’t ask for a discount and simply expected transparency.

To top it off, they didn’t even serve us a full chicken—only a half.

Poor food, poor service, and poor management. We won’t be returning and wouldn’t recommend...

Im gonna be honest here and we all have different expectations and standards when we go out for dinner Atmosphere: It's very standard, but doesn't feel like a smokehouse at all with the decor. Service: Didn't really exist? They sit you down, let you look at the menu for 10 seconds before they wanna take ur order. They serve the food and then they wait for you to pay and leave? Not checking if we like the food, if we want more beverages. Nothing.. Food: Now let's be real. If a Texan walks in here he wouldn't call this a smokehouse. Fries to me is getting a little old and there's so much more that can go with this. The plating is messy, it's cold mixed with hot and my partner's plate looked like he just came from a buffet. Sides goes on different plates to begin with. The meat is average, nothing exciting. But my partner's brisket was for sure dubble cooked as it was dry and no moist to it at all. Ribs I had was fine but it was very basic. Not a lot of flavour and i wish there were more mixture of sauces (hot sauce and blue cheese/ailo) for example. It got to sweet in the end. But they really need to cut down on the portions. They are MASSIVE! Fun with a new restaurant, but unfortunately we weren't impressed to make a 2nd visit. The beer was the best thing, very fresh to break from...