Customs House Restaurant

DON’T GO unless you’re a middle aged white person. Had a reservation for high tea today for my birthday. Spent 10 minutes sitting there until someone finally came by with water. Eventually when the food was brought out by the waiter Piotr, he but it down and walked away without explaining what any of the stuff was. We only figured out what some of the things were after listening to the waiter tell the ladies sitting next to us what they were being served. We were ²⁄₃ of the way done with our food by the time our waiter came by to ask what kind of tea we wanted. When he did bring it out, it was lukewarm. Nobody came by to refill our water glasses, ask if we would like anything else to drink or even ask how we were doing. 1 of the waiters even went to the table just to the right of us asked if they were ok, walked RINGHT IN FRONT of us (not saying 1 word) directly to the table to the left of us and asked if they needed anything and then onto the table behind us. I’m not a person who wants or needs someone to come by every 10 minutes, but just once would have been nice. The food was ok. Nothing special but not bad either.

This is one of my favorite places in Brisbane to bring visitors. The setting is stunning and even if there isn’t any food on offer (it’s only a resturant SOME of the time) there is usually a tour you can take and the staff is very knowledgeable of the history of not only Customs House but all of the local area.

Good Food Month in Brisbane is still in full swing so decided to visit Customs House as part of the «Let’s do lunch» event. Customs House is one of Brisbane’s heritage icons owned and operated by the University of Queensland, located on the river in the CBD.
The restaurant is a spectacular venue with seating inside beautiful heritage surroundings or outside the terrace overlooking the river and Story Bridge. For $ 38pp «Let’s do lunch» offers entrée, main, & a choice between a glass of Yalumba Eden Valley Viogner or Coopers 62 Pilsner.
Entrée is an exquisite pork croquette, cinnamon apple sauce & fried kale. So flavoursome, with great crunchy textures & the sweet sauce was a nice finish. What a start!
Main dish is a roasted barramundi with smoked white bean purée, crispy artichoke, wilted spinach, & black olive tapenade. Another standout, well balanced dish. Perfectly cooked barra, crunchy textures of the artichoke being balanced by the soft spinach. The tapenade gave a salty flavour and the purée provides a smooth finish. Amazing!
Though i prefer Rieslings, the glass of viognier was a nice match to our meal. Slightly fruity & smooth, a little like a chardonnay. Service was top notch throughout, & overall, a very enjoyable, great value, outstanding lunch. As dessert was not part of the $ 38 deal, we paid $ 17 and decided to share a Customs House classic crème brûlée with biscotti. It was one of the biggest crème brulees i’ve ever had so i’m glad we shared one. Absolutely perfect, and a brilliant way to finish lunch.
Doing a «Let’s do lunch» during a weekday has its benefits. No crowds, the Restaurant is practically all yours, and therefore all eyes, and ears of staff are on you. One feels like a VIP.
Afterwards take in some amazing views, stroll along the boardwalk by the river, & fall in love with Brisbane

I’m not sure why this place only has one review. The setting is beautiful, right off the Brisbane river boardwalk with a nice patch of shaded lawn and a gorgeous building to boot. I first discovered this place with my work colleagues for an afternoon high tea. The sandwiches, deserts and beverages were delicious and the service quite literally had us feeling like royalty. The second time around, my husband and I celebrated our anniversary brunch here. We were literally showered with a delightful amuse bouche and post brunch desert, of course, gratis. I ordered an eggs benedict type meal but, could not get past the aroma of the poached egg. I think it was just a simple mistake of adding too much vinegar to the poaching liquid. Other than that, this restaurant is A-​OK and I would eat here again when I’m in the mood for a relaxing setting.

Ok food. Terrible service and attitude. Had to ask 3x to stop smoking nearbye outside by other guests, despite my wife being very obviously pregnant. Definitely do not recommend.

Should you find yourself in search of a meal in Brisbane, check out Customs House. Better yet, skip dinner and head there for dessert. Namely this dessert: Soft centred Valrhona chocolate fondant, salted peanut butter ice cream, vanilla bean Anglaise. It is easily one of the top 5 desserts I’ve ever had in life and I never let any day pass without dessert.
The lamb chop was delicious, as was the pork belly. Do yourself a favor and stay away from the gnocchi.