Knowhere Brisbane — Restaurant in Brisbane City

So, first things first the good things: coffee, and service at the cafe is amazing, I’ve been coming here for coffee in the morning for over 6 months now and has always been the same service no matter what, the sandwiches could use some creative improvement as they are a bit boring but reasonably priced for what you get. Now on to the not so good things: the overall layout of the restaurant and design seems sloppy and tacky there is gold spray painted bricks and flamingo heads around the dining area and low resolution flower decor on the walls which looks quite cheap and not well planned out, toilets are clean but have the same flower design which still doesn’t look good. Onto the food and service, I dined on a relatively busy Wednesday night by myself (I made a booking a day in advance) and I was sat in a booth with much too dim lighting where I had to pull out my phone light to read the menu, the waitress who seated me seemed rushed stressed and I felt like I had no time to ask her any questions as she was running around and trying to do a lot of things even though there was other staff looking after things and it wasn’t that busy. Menu design was quite cluttered and messy with words upside down and was a little confusing. I proceeded to wait 15 mins for table service from the one frantic lady (I believe her name was star) to only be greeted by “darling” and then quickly rushed through my questions about the menu and pressured to order food quickly. I ended up ordering pork bao buns as an entree which were nice and light and came out within 5 minutes and for mains I ordered the coffee rub duck breast which had an awesome aroma to it and tasted quite exquisite with the bitterness of coffee and sour from the apple cider compressed apples but then a sweetness from the pea purée, was a very balanced dish and was very happy. I got a brûlée for dessert and it was nice nothing special but it was done right so can’t complain. Overall the food here is quite good in my opinion but the dining room is quite tacky and some of the staff (only dealt with star, so not sure about the rest) might need some better training on how to handle the pressure of hospitality. Cafe coffee will always be number 1 and sandwiches need...

Knowhere Brisbane—or as I now fondly refer to it, The Gastronomic Nexus of the Multiverse—delivered a dining experience so singularly euphoric, I briefly considered renouncing all worldly possessions to become a full-time barstool philosopher on Edward Street.

Let us first address the culinary sorcery: the gnocchi, those pillowy morsels of carbohydrate joy, were so exquisitely tender I suspect they were handcrafted by cherubs and simmered in the tears of Italian grandmothers whispering pasta secrets into the sauce. And the tomahawk steak—a prehistoric slab of delicious brutality—was less a cut of meat and more an edible Excalibur, charred to perfection and served with all the reverence due a weapon of that magnitude. I felt simultaneously nourished and ready to lead a cavalry charge.

But oh, the entertainment. At some point during our meal, the staff—whose primary skills seem to include fine dining service and interpretive choreography—launched into an impromptu dance performance that defied both logic and the meteorological reality of a Brisbane cold snap. Their nimble footwork and undeterred enthusiasm in the face of sub-tropical frostbite moved me deeply. I clapped so hard I nearly dislocated something.

And just when I thought the evening had peaked, the street outside erupted in the unexpected yet entirely welcome spectacle of drone racing. Yes, actual drones—zipping, flipping, and zinging up and down Edward Street with all the aerodynamic elegance of caffeinated hummingbirds on a sugar binge. Was it legal? Possibly not. Was it exhilarating? Unquestionably. I now associate the scent of seared steak with the high-pitched whine of unmanned aerial chaos, and I regret nothing.

Knowhere is a place where culinary excellence, surreal performance art, and light aviation intersect in a harmony so unexpected it can only be described as urban myth made manifest. I shall return—ideally wearing a helmet and carrying a...

Served a completly off steak. Raised the issue with manager, who claimed the rotten smell and taste was normal and offered a 'discount' off the steak that we couldnt eat and was not for human consumption. What an inuslt! After 35 years of eating steak and growing up on cattle farm, i was shocked to hear them defend rotten meat. Walked out to go elsewhere.

Update from Owners Response:

Thank you for responding to my review. However, I find it disappointing that you’ve chosen to justify the situation by referring to my past reviews and claiming this is somehow 'proportionate feedback'. It feels irrelevant and dismissive to point out that I’ve written 5 negative reviews out of 27. This isn’t about a "proportionate response"—it’s about addressing a genuine issue on the night.

The core issue remains: serving a steak that, in my opinion, was unfit for consumption, and same was said by my partner, then offering a discount for something I could not eat is insulting to any customer. While I understand dry aging imparts a specific flavour, this was far beyond that. Additionally, your explanation about prior sales of the same dish does not change my experience or justify serving something I found inedible.

What was most disappointing, though, was the lack of resolution. Instead of constructively addressing my concern, the response on the night felt dismissive, and your follow-up here doubles down on that tone.

I appreciate the offer of a voucher, but this was never about compensation—it was about basic respect for a customer's experience and the expectation of accountability when something goes wrong. I sincerely hope this feedback helps improve how such situations are handled...