This pub really isn't all that particularly great, which is a shame because it is actually the…read morefirst pub that I visited in Brisbane's west end. Okay, it is rather large, but it appears to have come about due to apartments being put up everywhere, so basically it takes the place on the ground floor. However, I still found this place rather bland and am unlikely to visit it again.

The Melbourne Hotel is one of those places which tries to be all things to many and pulls it off…read morepretty well. Just off the main drag of West End's Boundary St, it has more of a corporate, white (& sometimes blue) collared vibe than the more bohemian bars on the main strip. Physically it's a massive space with pool tables, cavernous booth seating and a stack of flat screen TVs for watching the game on (someone once told me the place is a tax write-off for WOW Sight & Sound, but in West End people son't always let the truth get in the way of a good story...). In addition to being a solid pub where you can get a cold beer or cocktail if you're feeling refined, they also boast a respectable modern Australian menu. The emphasis on quality food is evidenced by the quote emblazoned on their signage (and I'm paraphrasing) "One of life's true pleasures is that we sit down to eat three times a day". Not being one to be able to resist a call to action rationalised by a quotation, I recently went on a Tuesday with a couple of friends to take advantage of their $15 steak special. It was quite busy but the service was impressive, with a waitress showing us to a table promptly and being generally quite helpful. She recommended the 'Confit garlic & buffalo mozzarella bread' for starters, citing its popularity. I enjoyed the 'confit garlic' part of it (they used whole cloves which become deliciously mushy with slow-roasting) but overall thought it could have benefited from a sauce of some kind, perhaps a pizza sugo. My chosen steak was a hefty 300g rib fillet -- definitely good value for the $15 -- and I was happy with their approximation of 'rare', with there being a noticible core of pink flesh in the centre of the cut. The presentation was very good too, with a balsamic reduction drizzled in orbit around the centrepiece. My only gripe with that though is that it interfered with the taste of my chosen 'pepper jus' sauce, causing a discordant clash of flavours. But it was a minor issue; overall, I left satisfied and happy with paying about half the price as you would for such a serious steak at most fine dining establishments.

Pros The staff are…read morequite friendly and approachable. The location is conveniently accessible with ample parking spaces available to the customers. The food, bar and gambling areas are well maintained and of an acceptable quality. The food is rather nice, with great prices and good flavour to go along with it. Cons The quality of the rest rooms is quite disappointing with minimal maintenance and funding provided. The tables, while wiped over by the staff, remain sticky and not pleasant to touch. There is an incredibly long wait to get food, with an approximate hour wait for this meal in question. Despite the good tasting food, when ordering a medium steak (as recommended on the menu), upon receiving the steak it was beyond well done which was disappointing.

Great pub meals are very good prices. We came here as it was close to our accommodation.. Happy we…read moredid, the bistro was clean and tidy. The beer was cold and the staff where excellent. The kids room is small but the will the kids still had fun. Would come back if down that way again

Food is mediocre and service was totally lacking. It amazes me how a beautiful location can have…read moresuch mediocre results. This place has a great layout but it's managed as two different areas. The bar area does not have any service and you have to walk up and the restaurant lacks ambience. The lighting is very bright which makes the food less appealing. Price versus quality is definitely in short demand.

Amongst Kenmore residents, the Kenmore Tavern, or just 'The Tavern' as it is often referred to, has…read morea reputation of being just a dingy suburban pub filled with bogans and the like. Those claims are not completely false but this place deserves a little bit more credit. I came here for a birthday party and found the place great for the that sort of gathering. Ok, so onto the evening of my friend's birthday party; the room was spacious, there was wait staff at hand, plenty of finger food, and we got out own bar. For a party of 200 or so people (lots of family friends), this was perfect. I did not find the place to be very clean and the wait staff to be presentable. I guess people just like to bitch about suburban pubs because staying in your suburb is just not "cool". And even though I would never call this place "cool", there is not reason why you should not consider this place for your next birthday or function.

Great little pub and restaurant on the city fringe. Easy to get to and ample parking around back…read more Have had work lunches here over the last month and the quality and service is consistently excellent. They have a great lunch menu - daily $12 lunch specials from Monday to Thursday, and the other a la carte options are just as great. Full wine list, and great beers and ciders on tap. Food is always great here. Staff are really friendly and helpful, and provide great service. Love the fact that they let you split bills - always good when you have a large work group at lunch.

The Albion Hotel is one of those commercial kind of bars that older people go to. It's got the…read morerestaurant with pub food, the DOSA area and the all-important gambling zone. For a place for younger people to come and have a drink at its probably not the most encapsulating place to go. As for food that's another story. From the outside, The Albion Hotel looks pretty impressive and the dining menu at night sees a lot of people coming to its kitchen for a quality meal. Because I'm here at lunch I'm deciding on a their burger that comes with thick cut chips and a special beef patty with secret spices. When it comes out, I need to recheck the menu and confirm that the kitchen has forgotten the bacon in my burger. I send it back and its returned in a couple of minutes with extra chips. The burger isn't too bad but there is something about the special spices that make it something I most likely will be ordering again.

A local pub that has lots of space. It's not dark and dirty like many pubs. Just avoid it on a game…read morenight as this place gets packed out to the entrance! There are $10 lunch options every day as well as dinner specials every night! The food is average but not terrible. On my most recent visit, I dropped in for a $10 lunch - I went for fish and chips which also comes with salad. A decent portion size and the battered fish wasn't terrible. I've had far worst from actual fish and chip places. Steaks/grills on the dinner menu are around the $30 mark but if you come on a night for a special I think the food would be pretty good value. I.e. Sunday Steaks - $10 off regular prices. The drink selection is average - I spied one craft beer on tap on my recent visit too (see review below). Then again you wouldn't come to a pub specifically for craft beer.

I guess I made a bit of a mistake when I decided to step in here half-an-hour before a football…read morematch started at the Gabba. It seemed as if the entire stadium was crammed inside this one hotel. In fact you had to weave your way (or should I say push because it was that crowded) through the throng just to get to the bar, though I did manage to order a beer. Even the pokies room was chock full of people due to the bar almost bursting at the seams. In fact we ended up stepping outside with our beer to see a number of other people out there in the designated smoking area (and I am not sure if we were supposed to take our beers out there, but the staff didn't seem to mind). However, what is interesting is that this is the only time the pub is crowded. At every other time, at least according to the staff, this place is practically empty.

We had a great experience here. We came on a quiet night. The bartender was very friendly. We met…read moresome nice people who gave us terrific food recommendations. The Australian beef pie was fantastic. A must try. There are several different spaces depending on your mood.

This is one of those pubs that I have been wanting to visit ever since I discovered it while…read moreexploring Brisbane. Okay, it is a bit out of the way, but it is certainly a rather large pub with a pretty large beer garden. The problem that I found with it though was that their beer selection was rather limited, which was a shame because I actually expected more from a pub like this. Then again, half of it was closed, so maybe there are better beers in the other bars, but I would have also expected that to be the case in the beer garden.

Food was amazing fresh and hot, service was fast and helpful went for a Saturday lunch the ambiance…read morewas nice and peaceful

Good food great price good stuff BUT the bar takes only cash, no jugs and untalented bar staff…read more The entrees are not expensive and tasty, a meal in themselves. The room is comfortable and quiet. Food is good quality and well presented. The steak was over done but tasty and the salad okay.. Wait staff friendly and helpful . Clean and well designed. Why the three , well, just not as helpful with the cash only thing and the bar making my life harder by telling me to go to the public bar to buy a cocktail or a jug. A bistro should be capable of serving specialist drinks and larger quantities so this sucks . They need to think smart and serve as required. The bar person seemed startled to serve a beer and lost with a diet coke. They need to wake up to themselves .

I'm not really sure why I tend to walk a long way out of my way simply to visit a pub, but I do,…read moreand this is one of those pubs that I ended up visiting. Unfortunately my long hike wasn't rewarded with anything all that fantastic. It was basically your standard everyday pub with pokies machines, a sports bar, and a bistro - two if you include the beer garden. However it was here that the staff explained the really tough smoking laws in relation to pubs and clubs, and in fact if people complain about the smoke they have to put more work into separating the eating areas from the smoking areas. The staff were pretty decent, but they did have a decent selection of craft beers on tap (as well as the old favourites - or at least the old favourites for those who don't like craft beer).

Decent Pub. I only happened upon the Shafston by chance, or rather by proximity. I wanted beer,…read morethey were there. Of an afternoon I was killing some time with a cold XXXX Gold, and before too long the front bar regulars had engaged me in colourful, enthusiastic conversation. This is just one of the cool features that make this pub one of the many great classic Australian pubs. The interior is pretty standard, bars, beer garden. Decent happy hours and good deals on meals keep everyone happy, as do the friendly staff. The Shafston really is a worthwhile pub.