Review Dutch Courage Officers' Mess - Brisbane

We had a great experience on Saturday. We had the Admirals 5 course lunch @ $57pp. They are shared dishes and not too big so you leave full but not uncomfortable. The service was good. The cocktails delicious. The food was excellent. Every dish was balanced and had excellent flavour! I'd definitely go back to try more of their food and cocktails!!

Great place to start the night off. Amazing cocktails, a great selection of top shelf and the food 🤤. Not only do they offer 100 gins they also have an impressive selection of whiskeys, tequilas and vodkas. Decor is so neat, so many little interesting touches, warm lighting and intimate private nooks. Thanks Dutch Courage

Really cool gin bar & great experience. We were looked after by Rhiannon (think that's right?), who was really friendly. Slight delay getting started as she was having a battle with her printer but she accommodated by upgrading us to the premium tasting package which was a lovely surprise! Cheese platter was amazing, especially the candied walnuts! Yummy!! Great range of Gins...think I found some of my new favourites. Great way to spend a Sunday afternoon chilling

A cool gin bar with a great atmosphere and amazing cocktails. The bartenders and staff were friendly and attentive, the staff offered to find a table and reserve it for us while we wait for our cocktails at the bar, which for us was nice. We sat upstairs and it was a pretty cool area. We'd come back anyday!

Thanks to Matt, Amelia and staff who made our mother / daughter reunion very special. The five course degustation dinner was divine as were the margaritas and lychee cocktails. Will definitely be back to enjoy the young urban romantic vibe again very soon.

An enjoyable two floor, well presented gin bar and restaurant, though you can get other spirits, beer and wine. An enormous choice in gin, local and overseas varieties. Similarly for tonic water so many to choose from. There are even a dessert gin like the Pavlova gin, which I really enjoyed straight over ice. Food is share plates with a strong Mediterranean and middle eastern theme. The Lamb cigars, flank steak, houmous and Taramasalata are all great to share. Definitely will be back.

Went here as a result of a gift from our daughter for gin tasting. Was lots of fun. A flight of 4 guns each and a cheeseboard were included in the package.

Visited here a couple of months ago and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The menu was great with a decent variety and the food was delicious. The bar has a large range of Gins, cocktails and other beverages and the setting is casual dining in a relaxed atmosphere. Really enjoyed the evening and will be back again. A must visit if you’re a Gin lover in Brisbane.

Dined here for a Sunday dinner with the family. Large selection of drinks and good food options. I enjoyed the crispy pork and lamb shoulder which we share plate style. Friendly service and efficient.

Came here on Saturday evening and the place was crowded. It was hard to get a seat and I ended up sitting right at the corner closest to the toilet. However, the service was relatively quick despite the crowdedness.<br/><br/>Dutch Courage's interior was dominated in dark brown and wooden furniture, with unique paintings on the walls. I ordered Aviation and another cocktail recommended by the barista, which I cannot remember the name. Aviation was nice and refreshing, while the other cocktail was fruity, sweet, and pretty-looking. It was decorated with edible flowers and has orange juice shaped as ice blocks, hence the contrasting colour. The orange juice will also make the drink sweeter as you drink it slower.<br/><br/>Overall, a good experience. I would love to come back here when it is less crowded to better enjoy my drink.

Tasty middle eastern food and a nice vibe. Well worth a visit. We have been 5 times and no disappointments. The desserts are limited in number but marvellous. We will be back!

Went here for a late dinner and drinks. There is a downstairs section, which includes the bar, and an upstairs dining section.<br/><br/>We had the Lamb Cigars, Braised Artichokes, House Chips and Lamb Shoulder. <br/>The Cigars were nice - crispy pastries filled with spiced lamb mince. The Artichokes were well-cooked and the flavours were nicely balanced with eggplant puree. The Chips were also crispy and filling. The Lamb Shoulder was a little bit dry and tough, however good punchy flavours.<br/><br/>For dessert, we tried the Pannacotta - delicate texture with interesting and punchy compliments, including the fig-and-date strip and chocolate oil.<br/><br/>One small note is that the sides, share plates and grill came out rather quickly after each other, therefore the Lamb Shoulder was also unfortunately a tad cold when we finished the first dishes and finally got to it.<br/><br/>My partner and I took advantage of the extensive gin selection available, which was impressive. Gin drinks came in 30ml and 45ml, and came with tonic as a default. Therefore, ask for neat or 'on-the-rock', if you prefer. There were also cocktails, and a limited selection of other spirits and wines available.<br/><br/>Service was friendly and efficient. Casual ambience. Reasonable prices.<br/><br/>Overall, an excellent late-night find for good food and an extensive gin selection.

Over crowded bar and a good 15 minutes wait for drinks. We pre booked a quiet table but we're seated in the bar with all the drinkers some of which were standing 100mm to 150mm from us. Horrible seating idea and there were better spots available. Staff were nice but obviously the management is a little off the game. No apology from management. We left without eating but luckily there are heaps of places around that quite happily took our 500. <br/><br/>Edited from 1.5 to 3 due to management reply. Still don't know what the food is like but impressed management was onto this.

Finally got to check out dutch courage last night and i was. It disappointed!! The bartender made a delicious old-fashioned and a very nice whiskey sour. But i think the most surprising and great thing about this place was the food! Had the share menu and it was phenomenal (not just saying that becuase i was tipsy). All the dishes were tasty, fresh and filling! Cant wait to go back with a big group!!

Agreed with Meatball's review and thanks for the DIMMI 50% food bill promotion. This bistro is on the top of my list of recommendation. Service is professional and sincere. Vibe is cosy, particularly the high ceiling makes me very comfortable. I love the huge range of Gin that they stock, looks spectacular. We are very happy with the shared plates that we ordered. Duck was crispy and well balanced with orange wedges, Lamb shoulder was very tendered that melted in the mouth. Salmon perfectly cooked with med-rare and the grilled pork neck dish is definitely the a-must order dish. Overall dining experience was decent. Thanks to whoever served us last night, you guys did a good job.

Tried out the Dutch Courage Officers Mess for an after work catch up with a mate on his suggestion. I was pleasantly surprised, and had the share plates and wine. The food was brought out in a timely manner although we were doing an earlier eat at 6pm and there were only two couples in the open upper level eatery, so I guess that was to be expected. The food was nice and a good amount for the price even though the full price menu was a little on the high side for the goat and salmon share plates we thought (we had the advantage of a FirstTable half price food deal), but the quality was good and well presented and definitely not bland. The wine selection was ok, although limited in reds, and the choice made was fine but I think more choice could be a good thing. The pricing of wine seemed reasonable, but if you're after a wine bar to try some great wines, this is not the place I'd go, and I understand it's known as a gin bar so that seems to make sense with the lack of focus on wine. The rest of the drinks list has a few interesting additions and there was a reasonable choice of a variety of beverages from cocktails to beer and white wines, but I still think they could do with a handful more notable reds on the list to top it off. The atmosphere was nice with some lively after-work chatter amongst the patrons in the bar area downstairs, although I think the name really doesn't make much sense, as apart from a very few military related hangings it looks nothing like an officers mess. Still, it was a good experience all round and friendly service with nice food. I'd likely go again.

I went with a friend to Dutch Courage on a Sunday evening. Impeccable and charming service. The food was amazing. Definitely one the valleys best spots. Cool music and very gorgeous surrounds. Highly recommend 👍🏻

Absolutely love this place. The food is incredibly flavoursome. I have been in for dinner a couple of times now and have enjoyed every dish, in particular the lamb shoulder tagine, spice crusted salmon and the goat shank. Everything is so tasty and will have you wanting to lick the plate! Really nice cocktails at reasonable prices too.

Lady Meatball and I experienced a thoroughly enjoyable evening at Dutch Courage Officers' Mess.<br/><br/>As a gin bar, Dutch Courage is exceptional. We greatly enjoyed the expertly crafted cocktails, including the Summer Collins, Out of Africa and a Manhattan. The bartender, Carlos, mixes a great drink and is quite personable and engaging.<br/><br/>The owner, Matt, can be found working on the floor, taking orders, delivering food and clearing plates. His commitment to Dutch Courage's success is refreshing. He noted that their initial focus was on being a great bar, but more recently they have been focusing on developing a strong food menu. He recommended the 18-hour Ras El Hanout Beef Ribs ($19), which I happily ordered along with the Zucchini and Chickpea Fritters ($16).<br/><br/>The ribs were boneless, the meat was tender and the fat was beautifully rendered - they were delicious and went perfectly with the house made flatbread and citrus yoghurt. This rated a 4.<br/><br/>The Zucchini and Chickpea Fritters were delicious and went well with the yoghurt, eggplant caviar and tomato relish. I'm not usually a big fan of zucchini, but I devoured these. This too rated a 4.<br/><br/>Dutch Courage is a place I can see myself losing many an afternoon and evening...I look forward to this!

Another one I have mixed feelings about. I miss ordered with the cocktail so that was my fault, but the pumpkin and sweet potato salad was lacking in flavor and it was pumpkin and normal potato. The meat plates were good value though and if I had been with someone else I would have ordered the goat (I usually only order goat curry so was worried the flavor unmasked would be too strong). My understanding is that they are a gin place and the gin cocktails (unless shared) were extremely limited

Wow... went here for dinner last night with my husband. The food was fantastic, we tried their crispy duck, octopus, salmon and 18 hr beef ribs. Each plate was a beautiful and unique balance of flavours. And the gin, well what an experience. I think it was called ophir (but might be wrong) the cardamon infused in the gin a surprising delight. The food here is up with the best we haved tried in both Brisbane and Melbourne. And the gin... well I have always liked a g&t but didn't realise that gin really had so much more to offer! The staff were friendly and super knowledgeable about gin. 10 out of 10.

Stopped in one night before a show at the tiv. Nice cocktails and the chick behind the bar had good chat and good music taste. Next time we'll try the food as well :)

This is one of my favourite places in the valley. Recently held a hen's party here and Matt the manager was an absolute delight to work with. The food was fantastic and both the guy and girl who worked the floor and bar at the beginning of the night were some of the best staff I've ever seen in any bar. I would definitely recommend this place for a bite to eat, drink or hold a function.

Lovely, classy place for drinks and dinner. Went with girlfriends before an event in the valley. It has a very laid back vibe - I felt like I could have stayed for hours. The service was great - the waiter was very attentive and knew the menu well. I ordered a French martini and then we ordered...

Our evening at Dutch Courage Officer's Mess was the most fun I've had out in a long, long time. The atmosphere was great, service was impeccable and the gin bar specialty rings true. I can only speak from my single weeknight experience but it was pretty much my idea of a perfect bar. I imagine the weekend situation to be rather different but I'm sure there are those who prefer a bustling scene.

Last weekend was a little rainy and chilly and I was desperately craving a warm glass of mulled wine. I rang Dutch Courage and asked if they had it on the menu. I was informed that it's only something they do throughout winter BUT advised they would make some up especially for me. To my surprise all staff knew of the request and it was ready and waiting as soon as I arrived. Absolutely made my night, thank you! On top of that, customer service was impeccable from each and every staff member I had the pleasure of meeting :) Thanks again x

Ordered the chicken tenderloins and thick cut chips which cost me about $28, so it was quite pricy. The chicken was certainly cooked to perfection, moist and crispy and flavoursome, especially with the punchy aioli sauce. The beef kebab stocks were nothing special and slightly dry, lacking in flavour and the portion was too small for the piece! Overall it was an okay experience, nice drinks though and cool service

Excellent personal service for our party of eight. We had dinner and spent time having a few drinks. I'll be back !

Awesome. Have been to DC a few time - eating and drinking. The food is good value - good serving of salt and pepper calamari, and the camel tenderloins were amazing. The cocktails are innovative, and there are some amazing gins on the menu. Good atmosphere, good music. Big fan.

Waiting. Waited at the bar for a beer over 10 minutes on a Thursday night while the bar blokes was having a chat.<br/>Turned around and walked out.<br/>One if the worst service I have ever received.

Gin and Camel! Best Friends!. I've only been here once but I will be going back and bringing friends. Firstly go here and expect to spend money to get the most out of the experience. My girlfriend and I tried maybe 8 different gins, 2 cocktails and 4 different small plates and it was all worth it. Staff were rad and relaxed and i felt at home even though i walked into this rather slick bar on a Saturday night with a backpack full of picnic gear. The food was badarse and the Camel tenderloin was out of control good. The buttery-gamey-sexiness of the Camel went perfectly with the spicy warmth of the gin i had picked for that round.

Yes yes it's all about the Gin....and the DJ & Sax....and the cheese plate. So it's 3 visit's in, time to review. Context: 1st visit grown up hens night, 2nd visit date night , 3rd visit snobby gin freak up from Sydney. A grown up bar in Brisbane! Thank you. Make the DC as you wish & the staff will guide your way. Yes it takes time to make a martini, as you would expect the same attention that you would for your own choice....as long as the passion & care is there is all I care about. And if you happen to need any food whilst you are there the cheese plate is enormous

Ok... but lets do something about the staff. Obviously the owner is trying something different and trying to be funky. But the staff are an issue.... Ordered and payed for drinks then waited 20min for drinks to come. When asking where our drinks were bar staff didn't offer an answer but did inform us that it was illegal to have a sealed bottle of water in the bar. Payed $12 for scotch on the rocks where bar staff poured scotch in glass then dumped ice in glass.... really?

Awesome bar, chic design and the bar tender was very knowlagable with all the gins/drink in house. Will<br/>Return for sure. Great to see a few more speciality bars like this coming up in Brisbane.

Go for the gin not the food. Although nothing terribly wrong with the food, it was quite pricey for small servings, and nothing really stood out. The actual bar is very impressive though with a great atmosphere and, obviously, large selection of gin.

United in our love for gin, on a recent friday night we headed out to shake our martini’s and celebrate the weekend at what will no doubt become our new favourite hangout - Dutch Courage Officer’s Mess . Serving up 85 types of gins, Dutch Courage is Brisbane’s first cocktail, gin and tapas bar and it’s definitely something special. With architectural design by Marc & Co (props to one of our close girlfriends who worked on the account), Dutch Courage pulls inspiration from the British military outposts – but there’s nothing stuffy or regimented about it. The atmosphere is chilled out and friendly, and the drinks go down very, very easily.

Disclaimer: We attended the Dutch Courage Officers’ Mess launch as invited guests (free of charge) of Dutch Courage and Ford Digital Agency . My comments are a reflection of my experience, which may have been non-standard, but remain completely honest and my own. What I find particularly poetic about Alfred Street’s latest addition, gin bar Dutch Courage Officers’ Mess is that owner Matthew Hilan was a former Air Combat Officer in the RAAF. He is well familiar with the history of the classic gin and tonic and its moniker ‘Dutch Courage’ – also known as ‘liquid courage’. It sprang from the legend Dutch soldiers drank gin to warm and calm the body before battle. Dutch Courage  has drawn inspiration from the British Empire in the 19th century. Hailing from one such British colony, I loved that there were little exotic references scattered around the place – spy the wooden crocodile! Unfortunately I didn’t get to taste any of the cocktails (crazy launch party!), but on the food front, I th