Albion Hotel

Well, here is an pretty cool inner-city Brisbane Hotel (though my knowledge of Brisbane is quite poor). It reminded me of those trendy inner-city Melbourne pubs with their large beer gardens and nice restaurants, as well as standard pub fare. They basically have everything that you would expect from a suburban pub pokies room and sports bar, however they tend to be kept a decent distance apart so that the patrons do not need to mix. I generally stay away from the pokies room, so I was only interested in the restaurant area and the beer gardens. Mind you, most of the Queensland pubs these days have converted their beer gardens into restaurants due to the strict non-smoking laws. What really impressed me about this pub was the huge assortment of alcohol behind the bar. It was one of those places where you could indulge yourself on almost anything.

The poor old Albion Hotel really has it's ups and downs. We've had lunch at Cucina the outdoor dining area, on many Sunday afternoons and our experiences have varied enormously. One visit, it will be faultless, the next it will be dismal, for no reason that's particularly obvious. The staff are either incredibly good or really bad, and perhaps they shouldn't let untrained or poorly trained wait and bar staff loose on the public. The atmosphere is always great, and love the chandeliers and water features which kind of make it worth a visit. Just keep your fingers crossed that you get the staff on a good day! The menu is always mouth watering though, and you honestly cannot fault the food in terms of variety, presentation, or taste. Beautiful. Congrats to the chefs, who probably keep the place ticking over.

This pub has the most miserable and ignorant staff I have seen in the customer service industry. I was standing at the bar with money in hand, waiting patiently to be served, three staff members continued their conversation and completely ignored me. It wasn't until another staff member came out from somewhere and served me, warm beer at that. (The beer on tap is warm but not as warm as the stubbies in the fridge.) All the service staff seem to have an attitude that the customer is bothering them and could we please go away. Poor service, overpriced drinks, outrageously priced food...I don't mind paying for good service but the Albion Hotel doesn't have it.

I've enjoyed my experiences at the Albion pub. They are always keen for a chat and will put anything on the TV you ask for. The beer is good and there's always decent specials on. Meals are superb, among the best I've had in Brisbane.

Great place to unwind, good food, great staff. A nice clean pub.