The Caxton Hotel — Restaurant in Brisbane City

My wife and I dined here on a quiet Thursday night in June. The place was fairly empty, which suited us fine, as it made the ambience quiet, laid back and relaxing and we also received excellent attention from the wait staff. Parking was a breeze too, and we managed to get a spot right opposite the hotel, where restrictions end at 7.00pm. We had taken the precaution of booking ahead but it wasn’t necessary, with ample free tables and we were able to choose where we wanted to sit. It was a cold, wintry night and this is a slightly chilly venue with a mainly white colour scheme, high ceilings and tiled floors, which isn’t ideal for winter. But they do have a few heavy duty, industrial strength heaters strategically placed throughout the venue, so of course we chose a table that was close to one.

The place has been tastefully decked out with stylish modern furniture in black and white, and being a large space, it’s open, airy and comfortable with plenty of room between the tables. With a gentle breeze blowing through it, this would be a pleasure on a hot Qld summer night.

Our server was Brianne. Like all the wait staff, she was neatly turned out in a black and white uniform, to match the overall colour scheme of the place. She was a friendly young lady: Helpful, polite and efficient, and she made sure that the evening ran smoothly for us from beginning to end. Orders were quickly taken, and drinks entrees and mains came out at steady clip, in the correct order and with minimum waiting time between courses. That’s just the way we like it!

We started with a couple of glasses of our fav Juliet Moscato sparkling white wine ($9 for a small glass, a hefty $15 for the 250ml glass). That went down well and whetted our appetites. For an entree, we ordered the salt and pepper calamari with sweet chilli dressing ($17). The calamari was nice and chewy, perfect with a slice of lemon, chilli sauce and a sprinkling of tomato and celery salad with salsa. The serving size was small for the price, and we finished it off in no time. For our mains, we both ordered the 350 g porterhouse steaks at $30 each. They came with beer battered chips and a choice of one sauce and one side dish. We both chose mushroom sauce and coleslaw as our side. Steaks were well cooked the way we like them to be, and perfectly complemented by the crispy chips and smooth, creamy coleslaw. Fab meals, beautifully prepared and nicely presented to the table on smart white crockery. We both enjoyed our steaks.

With only a smattering of other guests, the acoustics were perfect and we had no trouble conversing. The wicker chairs were comfy, and the tables large enough to fit all the drinks and meals. Toilets are clean, well provisioned and easy to find.

Our bill two came to $78, after a $30 “Dining Out in Brisbane” discount. I guess without the discount, we would have paid a rather steep $108 for three glasses of wine, one entree and two steaks. This just goes to show the extent to which our little Aussie peso has been devalued thanks to govt profligacy and reckless spending.

But overall, we had a very pleasant evening here and it all went swimmingly. The food is excellent, service is fast and efficient and the ambience is pleasant and relaxed in an airy and comfortable space. I’m sure we’ll be back to the Caxton...

Stopped in for a quick lunch with a friend. The staff were helpful once we had outlined our wants. We ate in the Street Cafe side rather than the restaurant and certainly inside as the road rumble of cars and trucks is rather to hot, noisy and over done with car fumes for our liking.

The lunch menu was typical of most Brisbane pubs ... Yes same old same old ...schnitzel , steak sandwich , fish, etc. We ordered the Beer battered flathead and a Thai Beef Salad and decided to share them both. The meals arrived in good time. They use a buzzer system then you collect your meal and commitments from the bar.... this takes a few trips back and forth... but that's ok at cafe prices ..No pepper grinders but we were politely offered one from the restaurant downstairs. This was brought to the table and we were well attended. It wasn't busy. Our meals were large and very well presented. We were impressed. Large maroon paper napkins added to our comfort! Well done Caxton! The five pieces of fish were a bit over done with beer batter but crisp and fresh. Served with a Greek salad that was a very pleasant change and balance! More ticks is approval. The shoe string chips were cold but nicely presented in a mini fry basket. Lemon and tartare included. The Thai Beef Salad was delicious! Not over done with a strong dressing and the beef was charcoal grilled to perfection and tender. My dining partner said they would come back just to eat it again. It wasn't bulked up with noodles and featured some nice cashews and cherry tomatoes. At about $16-18 a meal definitely worth a visit! .... and they have coasters on the tables!!!! More ticks of approval Caxton! Who wants the condensation from a drink down their clothes or arm ! Wish I could say the same for other pubs - where one has to beg them - hey it's a semi tropical climate in Bris Vegas . I hadn't been back to the Caxton for a while. I won't leave it so long for...

We had the most shocking experience, with the worst service from a server that I’ve ever had in the whole of Australia on a Sunday afternoon.. She is an embarrassment for our up and coming, cosmopolitan city of Brisbane. This woman, in the range of 6 ft tall with straight light brown hair, had this look in her eyes when we were ordering which clearly said “I can’t wait for you to finish ordering so I don’t have to look at your face”. You know the type? All was fine with that attitude until food was ready to be served, I came in to get another drink and she slams our plates on the bar counter saying our meals are ready. I asked and said “don’t we get table service here?”, to which she replied “no because you didn’t take your flag.”. I replied that she hadn’t told us to take a flag, to which she was very rudely dismissive. Also, we were the only people sitting outside at the time which makes her argument ridiculous. So I commented to my partner how rude she was (we were there to celebrate my birthday for a pub steak), and there I had to deal with this utterly unacceptable behavior. Thank goodness, some other waitress showed up later who smiled and acknowledged us as human and I thanked her on the way out. The rude waitress didn’t even get the message and made snide side glances while she enjoyed her pub lunch at the counter. This horrible person needs a talking to and a job out of customer service, shameful in a central spot of our great city. Her coworkers know who she is, one noticed the commotion and looked unsettlled. Im sorry but she has things to learn about treatment of customers.

Thankfully, our steaks and drinks were good so other than that, I still...