The Rusty Nail — Restaurant in Ipswich City

Im not sure what exactly happened on the night we decided to try out this new venue. We were quite excited as we had read good things but OH MYYYY!!!!! I can only say that it went from bad to worse. We went to the venue on a Friday afternoon, knowing that it would be busy but to wait 20 minutes for the drinks that were ordered by QR code when everybody at the bar was being served as they walked in was disconcerting. We decided to give them the benefit of the doubt as the manager told us a wine bar with professional staff had just opened downstairs if we wanted to give it a try. Being of the wine-buff variety, we headed into a very tastefully decorated downstairs area and were greeted by no actual service, as the bar had not opened on time. We waited for 10 minutes while they set up and they apologised for the short wine list (understandable maybe). I wanted a Chardonnay and there being only one available, I asked if it was wooded or unwooded to be greeted by a blank stare of complete non-comprehansion. (Wine bar with professional staff people ?????). I tried it anyway and it was of very low quality. Thought we would still give them grace and my partner tried a red. Just as bad. I changed to the pinot noir, only just drinkable and to be honest people - we like wine, but we are really not that fussy if it is palatable. It really was a shame. We thought we might order a cheese platter to offset what was quickly becoming a bit of an unenjoyable everning. It cost over $20 for the platter and consisted of two packets of sakata bikkies and a 3 cm peice of brie - (that's it for the whole platter!!!!). At that point we gave up. Its a real shame that they did not ask someone who knows about wine varietals to assist in stocking the bar. Wine drinkers will pay for a lovely glass of wine (as evidenced at Dovetails.... those who know ; ). But the platter - what tha?????? I hope they up their game in this department as wine lovers will not frequent a wine bar to drink beer and cocktails....

Have been here twice now, with a friend a few months ago and then again with my husband last night. The staff are very friendly and I love the relaxed atmosphere created by the soft warm lighting and cosy wooden decor. The cocktails are well priced and delicious! My husband and I even got to sample the dessert cocktail for next week which was a lovely unexpected treat (and so good)! The food is overall very nice as well, certainly tasty, well portioned, and fresh (really I would give it a 4.5 if I could) - I would say there's a few things I would tweak, like the cheese platter which I had with my friend a few months ago having a variety of crackers or higher quality crackers with it (though they may have changed this since). I have had the patatas bravas on both visits, and while it is yummy I would say it's a little more akin to a nice warm potato salad rather than the Spanish dish, which typically has more spice to it, however they might be more light handed on the spice given the local context. If spice is a concern it could be good to serve it with a spicy sauce on the side rather than coating the potatoes in it :) I've also tried the fish cakes, chorizo, bao buns and saganaki which were...

I booked for St Patrick's Day, for my partner and 2 friends to try this new bar in our area.....to say we were surprised by what we found is an understatement. The service from the moment we arrived was just perfect. We weren't interrupted by staff, were greeted by professional and happy staff and the food arrived in a timely manner. We have very high standards when it comes to good food and beverages, have eaten at some of the best restaurants and bars in Brisbane, SEQ, the Scenic Rim, all over Australia and throughout the world. We did not expect such a high quality of food and beverages from a little place in Ipswich. The food was amazing!!!! Irish surf and turf, a special for the night was absolutely supurb!! We cannot wait to come back and try some more of the tapas on offer. The atmosphere was very cool and moody...the tasting room downstairs a very cool addition, a space we were talking about organising an event for just to use. Even walking to the bathroom was an experience, it was like a hidden city behind the back door....amazing old brickwork and architecture. So very exciting that Ipswich has a place like this. Keep up the great work. Would give u guys 6 stars...