Reviews The Defiant Duck

Walked in on Saturday night without a reservation for drinks, manager was welcoming and found us a table. We ordered drinks through the ingenious table top ‘me&u’ system. Drinks were superb and came out in 5 minutes or less!! Will definitely be back!

Jett Rink called "Texas has spoken!" after the lanky American he viewed on the big screen at the Defiant Duck kicked another goal for Collingwood down South in the Australian rules preliminary football final that night, while Cindy-Lou surrounded by burly footballers from another code - all at the ready to catch her if needs be - was jumping up and down on a high bench in the middle of the crowded open air room calling "USA, USA!" as the crowd did at the MCG down in Melbourne.  "Old Crow for my friends along the bar thanks cowboy, compliments of the Lone Star State," Jett declared, "and chilli dogs to follow with cans of Corrs, if you please, Sir." The smiling hipster barman who considered any civil person who tipped properly to be a gentleman, happily removed another bottle of Old Crow from Jett's supply specially flown in (Jett preferred the Reserve) and small whiskey glasses were put along the bar accompanied by cold cans of Corrs beer, while the kitchen rustled up the chilli dogs that the Defiant Duck was famous for. Cindy-Lou dressed in a tight and long black dress with a black and white Collingwood Magpies scarf, was bare-footed on the bench and turned and smiled at Jett who was in his usual relaxed Friday evening attire of traditional Lee Riders, boots and a Wrangler shirt with a guitar and CCR embroidered above the left pocket, in appreciation of being a fortunate son. He winked at Cindy-Lou. Over in a quieter corner at a table was Big Daddy in his white linen suit, his Colonel Sanders beard just trimmed, sipping champagne and eating smoked salmon and chicken sandwiches with Tennessee Williams and Edna Ferber. Opened in ice buckets between them at the side of the table were a bottle of Dom Perignon and a bottle of Moet and Chandon and they were making comparisons and concluding again and again that the Dom was worth the extra money- if a gentleman ever discussed money, they added. Meanwhile the crowd erupted again as they say when the seven foot American on screen in the vertical Magpies stripes kicked another goal, and Cindy-Lou removed her scarf and twirled it above her raven haired head. The Collingwood underdogs were going to win the day. Jett felt at home in Brisbane; he liked a wide open town where City Hall understood cranes and concrete, and while he didn't like the yellow stripes painted by the gutters all over the City to stop people from parking, well maybe he could get the contract to supply the yellow paint; and besides, he could afford the parking fines to park anywhere, because, as Jett said to Cindy-Lou each day: "Only troggs park underground." While Big Daddy resided in Ascot, Jett and slender 20-something Cindy-Lou had a big Queenslander house called "Bilfranki" in Herston so Cindy-Lou could play golf at the course overlooking Brisbane's CBD - he loved to watch her tee off - and he could walk his hound by the creek; he liked a place that wasn't "piss-elegant" as he called it, and thought Herston by the City did just fine. He was also slightly amused that "Herston" got its name from two good old boys who took parts of their surnames to name their farmhouse in the 1860s. Yep, Jett thought Herston did him and Cindy-Lou just fine. The crowd of 300 in the Defiant Duck erupted again, and Jett, with a mouth-full of chilli dog still managed to smile as Cindy-Lou yelled out: "USA! USA!" "The Defiant Duck," thought Jett, "I wonder what it means?" He took another sip of his Old Crow just as the siren went down south and there was a giant roar in the room of hipsters and rugby players. Cindy-Lou rushed over and hugged him, and then declared she could eat a hundred of "them mouth watering chilli dogs." "Barman! Another 100 chilli dogs, if you please!"
"Stop that, Stuffed Badger! One for a start!" "Forget the other 99 barman, and start the young lady with one- that's with hot chilli, of course." Cindy-Lou looked at Jett's hat on the bar: "Is that the Stetson LBJ threw to you from his whirly bird, Jett?" "Why, it most surely is!" "Well, even as a daughter of Louisiana, I'd appreciate it if you would be very careful with something from a fine President, and a Texan to be sure." "Quite right, Cindy-Lou. Quite right." "You're looking very fine, tonight, Jett." "Um just a mere flea bitten hound beside you, Cindy-Lou."

This is the first 'North American' style lounge that I have been to in Brisbane that lives up to the claim.

Defiant Duck has a fun atmosphere with loud music, a few TVs, a pool table, and plenty of flexible/communal seating. 

It's definitely a lounge, so I wouldn't stray too far from beer, but they have decent cocktails and pitchers, too. The food is flawlessly executed, arriving at the table almost immediately and having much higher quality/flavour than typical lounge/pub food. I highly recommend the BBQ wings and chips with aioli, as they show the right attention to detail for what is usually a standard/boring order.

My only beef is that they don't have fried pickles on the menu...

Great place if your looking for some drinks and eats. The food selection is pretty good, the truffle mac and cheese is worth a try. The wings are pretty standard, on the smallish side. Service is ok and love the live acoustice sessions they have there on the weekends. Really makes it a cool vibe.

The Defiant Duck is a great option for a feed in the inner regions of Brisbane.  There is a great offering of beers on tap, both local and international, and the staff are attentive and welcoming.

On Tuesday's they have an awesome burger deal. $15.00 will get you a Burger, Fries and Soft Drink...you can also upgrade that to a beer for $20.00...definitely money well spent.

The Defiant Duck has a casual, yet sophisticated, dining atmosphere with a great selection of American inspired fare to choose from.  For the muso's out there, a real draw card is that fact that you can choose the play list that everyone listens to whilst you dine.

I have attached a few photos of the food that was consumed on my visit, all of it was wonderful, would recommend to friends and family.

Defiant Duck, Newstead, Brisbane,Qld.
Terrific little joint which will be loved by locals. Big choice of beers on tap and lots of USA style fast foods. Really fast and efficient service. So take your time before ordering.
Nothing to complain about - reasonable price for quality burgers,hotdogs and wonderful sides.
Worth the visit. However not to be defient,but no duck on the menu??
#facxual_events 

I have been here for dinner (Saturday night) and a work lunch, food is delicious! Food comes out quick, I recommend the Rueben Sandwich and onion rings.

Great atmosphere and amazing cocktails! Staff are friendly and easy access location. Free pool, great service. Would go back again and tell my friends.

Great for drinks only or a casual dinning with reasonable prices. Great outdoor setting and relaxing atmosphere. If you are after fine dining this is not it, so better look somewhere else :)

Place was so fast at bringing the food out and great conversations with the staff. Food was amazing too. Everyone was super happy with their meals!!

I really enjoyed my meal at The Defiant Duck. We ordered the reuben sandwich, cheese burger and sweet potato fries. The Reuben was good, the burger was a little on the small side but the fries were amazing!! I cant wait to go back and try the crab cakes and mac and cheese croquettes,

We visited the Defiant Duck on Friday evening and can honestly say that the best thing about this venue is the bar team. Alice behind the bar remembered our entire party's names and drinks for the entire evening and although the bar was extremely busy, she always seemed to find time to create a custom cocktail or discuss the nuts and bolts of literally any beverage on offer. Her knowledge is scarily thorough and I don't think I've ever encountered anyone in Brisbane with her level of skill, personality and spirits knowledge. The entire bar team appeared friendly, passionate and absurdly patient and we never felt like they were actually selling their spirits, more just choosing what we'd enjoy the most! The food was tasty and affordable, our favourites were the cheeseburger and corn dogs, although I'd steer clear of the mac n cheese croquettes!

We had a "pre-dinner" here - enjoyed charcoal wings with hot sauce & Roquefort dressing for $1 each (happy hour deal from 3-7pm) and a beef burger with an extra patty. The restaurant prides itself in the "Josper" charcoal-powdered oven & grill which produces food with an amazing smokey flavour. This was the best part of the wings, but given that I'm not a fan of hot sauce or the blue cheese dressing, there wasn't a whole lot of flavour that I enjoyed. Should have asked for BBQ sauce!In terms of the burger, the patty had a nice flavour, but I wasn't a fan of its texture. The bun was also too sweet for my liking, and the cheese tasted more salty than actually cheesy. Nevertheless, overall it still would beat a fair amount of other burger places in Brisbane. Service was on point as was the chilled ambience. I would definitely return to try other things on the menu!

Owned by the same group that runs Gerard's Bistro, Gerard's Bar and Hatch and Co is The Defiant Duck. Situated at The Gasworks in Newstead (though on the other side of the Gasometer from the shops). Tt's a fairly large venue with both indoor and outdoor seating. The A is upside down!!. The outdoor seating came in handy because we went there on a stinking hot Brisbane Saturday. The wind blew right through where we were sitting, it was wind tunnel perfect.