The Raven Hotel — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Overview The Raven is a super cool and chilled pub conveniently located on the corner of Montague Road and Raven Streets in the West End, opposite the Montague Markets.

Food and Drink We started with an Aperol Spritz and a schooner of XXXX lager. For our shared entrée, we ordered the spiced lamb kofta ($17), which consisted of four chunky, spicy lamb kebabs cooked to perfection and served with a creamy tzatziki sauce. The dish was filling and nicely presented on a smart grey plate. For our mains, I opted for the Stone and Wood battered fish and chips ($25). The fish was succulent and tender, and accompanied by a crispy salad with a delicious dressing and a generous portion of crunchy chips. I loved the neat, clever mini-tower presentation with a slice of lemon perched on the top. My wife's first choice, the cauliflower salad, was not available, but the Caesar salad with calamari ($25) was a suitable replacement. It was loaded with chewy calamari, croutons, lettuce, egg and anchovies, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and dressed in a tangy Caesar dressing. All the ingredients were fresh and tasty. We both enjoyed our meals and would have loved to end with our favourite sticky date pudding, but unfortunately, it was not available.

Ambience The Raven has a light and breezy interior with distressed white walls, wooden furniture, and a wooden counter with an artistic glass and bottle display. The strong lighting adds to the overall casual, laid back and relaxed ambience. On the Sunday night that we dined, there was only a smattering of other diners, just enough to give it a bit of an atmosphere, but quiet enough to be able to easily converse. We sat on bar stools which were comfy and the solid round table was big enough to fit all the drinks and the dishes. However, I did find it a tad chilly, which is a common issue in Brisbane restaurants and pubs during winter. Maybe they should consider putting in heaters. There's even an open-air courtyard at the back, where I did notice a few hardy souls, braving the icy July weather.

Service Our waitress for the night was Patty. She was friendly, polite and efficient. When we arrived she made us feel welcome. I decided not to use the app this time, and did my ordering at the bar, paying with cash, my preferred method of payment. After ordering, the drinks and food came out quickly and in the correct order. To compensate us for the unavailability of the cauliflower salad, Patty offered us each a free drink, which I thought was a nice touch and showed that she clearly values her customers. Throughout the evening, Patty was attentive and patient. Thanks Patty.

Cost Prices are modest and affordable, especially with the 5% discount that we get for being members of the Monty’s Rewards Program. Two drinks, the Aperol spritz and schooner of XXX cost us $20. Our food order, which comprised a starter and two mains came to 67, which considering the high quality of the food and the generous quantity of the servings was excellent value for money. There aren’t too many places these days where for $87 one can enjoy a fine meal with drinks for two people in such a pleasant ambience.

Toilets It’s a bit of a schlep to get to the toilets. You’ll need to exit the bistro and walk up two flights of stairs, but once you find them, you’ll be rewarded with modern, clean and well maintained toilets. There are ample male and female cubicles, so there's no waiting around for one to become available.

Parking We easily found a spot in Raven Street, outside the venue.

Summary We had a fab evening at the Raven and everything ran smoothly. The food was first class and served in generous portions, the ambience was relaxed and comfortable and the service was fast, attentive and friendly. Add to that ample clean toilets and easy parking right outside and you have all the ingredients for a fun night out with...

A quality hidden gem of a pub. Like a lot of pubs these days, the Raven Hotel caters to both locals and visitors.

Located in a hidden part of Westend that most visitors would not ordinarily pass through. While surely locals would be enjoying it weekly, our group decided to venture and try this venue. The venue is opposite to a small shopping complex and is situated in a white building, which was built in 1901 and renovated in 2011 (fun architectural fact). The decor is an upmarket pub style with rustic wall finishes creating the vibe that you're in good company and not out of place.

Their prices are just borderline affordable, catering to those with an expensive taste and those on a slight budget with a few small share plates (note: if you get a few small share plates, they can add up too).

While there is no table service, you can order using the app or go to the bar to order, and they bring out the food and drinks. Service was friendly from everyone we encountered, and as you could see, the kitchen, their kitchen team appeared cool, calm, and collected, which is nice to see.

The food came out fairly fast for our large table ordering seperately. The venue was fairly busy for a Friday night with a few tables to spare.

A few on our table tried the Barramundi with salad, which was very well marinated, and the barramundi was nicely cooked with a crispy skin and not dry. The char-grilled broccolini was seasoned well, and battered zucchini chips were an amazing alternative to heavy chips.

All in all, it is a great venue for a quiet (or not so quiet) night out, any day of the week (for lunch or dinner).

On behalf of the 13pax (including this reviewer 😉), thank you for being accommodating and friendly. From what we heard, everyone enjoyed their meals. To all your team, keep up...

The Raven's Cellar has fast become my favourite venue in Brisbane to hold events. The speakeasy vibes of the Cellar - with it's atmospheric lighting, heritage sandstone walls and private bar - is unmatched and sets the tone for an impressive and unique night as soon as my guests walk in. Importantly though, the tailored service from the event staff (Freddie and team) are second to none!

Through holding 3 events at The Raven (and planning more this year), the experience of planning the function hand-in-hand with The Raven staff is always so easy and I feel I am in very safe hands. Freddie from The Raven has always been on hand to assist with every aspect of event planning, always giving some of the most prompt and thoughtful service I've experienced in years of holding events.

Freddie always goes above and beyond, using what is their obvious event expertise and creative flair to enhance my events in ways I would never think to do - be that decorations, room layout, food and beverage options. They obviously love what they do and that care for the customer shines through.

This has resulted in all my events at The Raven being sold out shows, with patrons raving about their experience in the venue.

I cannot recommend not only the staff and the venue enough - if you are looking for one of the most unique and well run event spaces in the city, The Raven is a place you...