Forest Lake Tavern — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Extremely Poor Management and Lack of Staff at Forest Lake Tavern and poor Maintenance!, and no Entertainment! What a waste for the community

It is truly disappointing to witness the decline of Forest Lake Tavern over the past 10 years. The lack of improvement is evident, and it is even more disheartening to see that other pubs in the area, such as the ones in Inala, are managed much better. continue to remain open.

I recently visited Forest Lake Tavern and I must say, the experience was extremely disappointing. The tavern seems to be poorly managed, with a severe lack of staff and several issues that need urgent attention.

Firstly, the pokie machines were in a terrible state. Many of them were damaged and out of order, which was quite frustrating due to the small area they have for pokies and for those who wanted to try their luck. Since the pokie area area is the only area there is a person due to the the tavern been so dead you would think it’ll be maintained and made larger it’s soo small and forest lake area can attract large grounds!! Which this business is missing out on! It is essential for a venue to maintain its machines properly to ensure a pleasant experience for customers.

In addition, the lack of staff was evident throughout my visit. The bar area was often closed due to the unavailability of staff, which meant there was no place for people to socialize or enjoy a drink. This is highly unacceptable, especially considering that Forest Lake Tavern was once a popular spot for hundreds of people, particularly on Friday nights, you couldn’t move in the tavern they had the best night life what happened in the last decade to see this soo badly!! Everyone I know will go to Richlands tavern or Durack anywhere but forest lake there’s nothing ever on!

The restaurant also left much to be desired. The menu had very limited options, and the quality of the food was below average. It is disheartening to see a place with so much...

Well, where to start as I dont normally write bad reviews but Fathers Day here was bad… we had an issue straight up when ordering and we got told will double check and left standing at counter for 10 plus when girl come back with a very poor attitude. We actually talked about leaving and going else where but the oldest father in group said already here so lets just order so we did at that stage we got told around 20 for food we said ok. Well super 1 entree come out and it was wrong then a few minutes later a kids meal and it was burnt 35 minutes later we asked where were other entrees and told what ordered a few minutes later a staff member comes to table and says one of them not on menus so we didnt order it. We had to prove to her was on the menu and was paid for, by this time 45 min. She comes back and says sorry what else can we get you ? Reply nothing money back now its 50 min still no entree and a few more meals start coming out ask for manager she comes to table and we say, your the duty manager and you didnt tell us early her reply was you didnt ask and she proceeded to give us all kinds of excuses and blaming being busy. By this time its well over hour and still no missing entree and couple other meals come and manager is still full attitude and then says what can I do, daughter says a round of drinks manger says fine and walks off. She doesnt ask about drinks but garlic bread turns up we say dont wont it we want we ordered and paid for, been an hour and 15 now. Daughter goes and gets drinks herself when comes back we finally get food and when it comes out its almost feels like its thrown at as not put on the table but thrown. We spent all most $500 between 6 adults and 3 kids for lunch waited almost 90 minutes for food got plenty of attitude, told we didnt order something that was payed for. Will never come here again or ever...

The food was surprisingly good. However, portions were too small. I am a small 56kg woman and the spare ribs were not sufficient. Furthermore the salad was dripping in a sour vinaigrette... Too much salad dressing spoiled what could have been a nice salad. The mussels were yummy, but served only with 2 little slices of garlic bread - not enough as a main course for a fit yet slim man. Extra bread had to be ordered at an additional cost. I find the wine by the glass and the cocktails almost on par with some city club prices, so not cheap. Handy location if you live close by, but can end up pricey if you're hungry and want a decent drop with your food.

Update Mar22: portions still much the same. But prices, especially wine, have risen a lot. I know this is happening everywhere though, due to external factors beyond our control. Music far too loud and mostly catering to a younger crowd, even though it was surprisingly empty for a Friday night. Bar service slow with only 1 bartender I do understand that hospitality has taken a bearing. Truly I do. Sadly, for the prices we paid we could get tastier food at a restaurant near the city. However, we wanted somewhere within walking distance to home, so in terms of convenience it's still one of our go-to places. It's still reasonable, food ok,etc. A place for a meal then go home; not a place to linger after dinner unless you're watching sport or want to gamble.

Update Sep-23: Disappointed again. Service was really good this time. Portions small. I paid close on $40 for FOUR spare ribs, chips and salsa. $40!!!!! WT .... Honestly, this is not a place I...