We had a great function with magnificent food and great service from all the staff highly recommend
Perfect place for breakfast, lunch and coffee. I recommend this place.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
After a somewhat lacklustre experience at Downstairs we were invited back by the manager who truly made amends and wowed us with their new menu. I had the smashed avocado with Persian feta and added poached eggs and a hash brown which was absolutely delicious. I also enjoyed a seriously yummy chai latte so good I swiftly ordered a second. The food definitely impressed so I hope the consistency of service stays strong for future visits.
Update
I ventured to Downstairs again with my team and was quite disappointed. It was chosen for the proximity to our workplace but given how long it took we possibly could have been to another suburb and back quicker. We were told there was only one chef on but considering we had made a reservation for 8 people and only 6 showed up and we were practically the only table I’m not sure why that would be such an issue.
We have experienced this problem with slowness in the past and it’s commented on in my earlier review. This time however there was a real misunderstanding with my colleague’s dish whereby he ordered chocolate orange pancakes and was given a chocolate terrine with orange sorbet. The guy serving us had assumed he wanted that dish from the dessert menu when he heard choc orange despite us not even being given a dessert menu and it clearly being 9am.
He claimed there wasn’t such pancakes on the breakfast menu but when he referred to it soon realised there was. The dish then took an eon to arrive post this misunderstanding and while it was given complimentary I almost feel as they though they should have offered us the dessert that they have already made considering how long we had to wait (both times). It’s a shame as the menu is quite good and it’s so convenient but I doubt we will be back
Original review
I've been here a couple of times for dinner as it is a short walk from my office and a good post work option to catch up with friends who also work nearby. The layout is very welcoming with couches surrounding a burning fire for a more relaxed dinner or an outdoor terrace if you prefer some drinks in the sun. We sat in the bistro and enjoyed the $10 cocktails during happy hour. They usually have a daily special going which was taco night on our latest visit $22 with a beer or wine.
I opted for a steak instead which was perfectly accompanied by a creamy bernaise and crispy shoestring fries. We also shared a garlic pizza as a starter which was delicious. The only downside is the service is a tad slow which is generally fine when you are a normal person engaging in conversation with your friends but I am always hungry and impatient for the food to arrive, the salmon I've had on another occasion but it was too well done for my liking
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Love love the engaging service here. They're super friendly and down for a laugh - and a cheeky little banter
Ordered:
Char-grilled corn (v) (gf): Burnt butter, parmesan, chipotle mayo ($6.00)
Smoked Pork Ribs (gf): One kilo of smoked pork ribs, BBQ glaze, slaw, lime ($63.50)
Lamb Tzatziki Pizza: Napoli, mozzarella, slow roasted lamb, hierloom tomato, red onion, tzatziki ($19.50)
Baked Gnocchi: Potato gnocchi, tomato, asparagus tips, parmesan and black truffle ($40.50)
Review:
Loved loved loved the corn. You can never go wrong with the classic combination of grilled corn with parmesan, and the delicious sweetness and hit of chipotle mayo.
Lamb Tzatziki was also a good call - an excellent choice of something new and away from the traditional setting of pizzas. You can't go wrong with the second classic combo off tzatziki and slow roasted lamb.
Baked Gnocchi also great!! Delicious, spongy gnocchiwith crunchy asparagus always make for a fun meal.
The low light would probably be the smoked pork ribs. Although delicious in its own right, and smoothly falls off the bone - the sweetness becomes a little too much. Even with the slaw which could afford to be more interesting (maybe with nuts?).
Atmosphere is open, chairs a little uncomfortable and can be a little squished. However, they happily suggested to move us once they realised we ordered a LOT of food between the four to a more suitably larger table.
Such a cosy place!! I love hidden gem type places and this feels like one of them! Look at that fireplace! I wanna sit there and have a coffee!! The mocha coffee i had here was so delicious! So chocolatey 😋 And the pizza my friend had was a really nice level of spicey :)
Nice little cafe unexpected at the bottom of a building, serves selection of pasta and pizza and we tried the tomato risotto which was delightful. Their coffees were surprisingly good! Little gem in southbank i would say
Good pub food, very nice decoration and good location, walking distance to city or a short tram ride. The mains do not come with big sides so if you are hungry order sides repeatedly. We waited a bit long for the food but maybe because they want to serve all 6 of us at the same time.
Downstairs is a hidden little gem, in a random location (it didn’t look like any other restaurants were around). I liked the modern and warm interior with the dim lighting. Steak was on special for the night with a glass of wine which we all ordered for dinner. All 4 of us had our steak cooked differently and were all happy with the way it was cooked. One steak was cooked rare and it was mentioned it was cold when brought out (maybe because the rare steak was waiting while the well done steak was cooekd). Apart from that we found the food delicious, friendly customer service (we asked for a photo and they turned on the lights) and a really nice atmosphere. I liked the outdoor seating so next time I come if it is a nice night it will be lovely to sit outside. I think if you are in the area it is worth coming here for food.
I had the prawn linguine was very nice, unfortunately it's not always on the menu.
But the other day I ordered a mushroom pizza with truffle oil, it was very dry just like those frozen products from supermarket, very disappointed about it. Next time should try the sandwiches there.
Had a quick dinner at Downstairs last Saturday night with Mr B. We booked in advance, for a 6:30pm seating, which seemed to be a good idea as the restaurant filled up before we left.
We were brought the Happy Hour menu, which included a range of snacks, pizzas and drinks at $10 each. We thought it was pretty decent value! We started with a hummus and flatbread entree, a standard favourite of mine! This was followed by a pizza each, mushroom for me; lamb for Mr B, accompanied by two mocktails! The food brought out was nice, but nothing fancy. The pizza's suffered from a slight overload of tomato paste for my liking, otherwise they were pretty good.
Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience. Decor, staff and ambience all pretty good too. Not a bad place for a good value, good quality, pub style meal in a slightly more upmarket dining space.
This is my and my partner's new favourite date night spot. The atmosphere here is lovely, very cozy, intimate, and romantic. The decor is mostly rustic with a hint of modernity, the staff are super friendly and accommodating, and the food is superb, not to mention quite reasonably priced. My partner and I split an entree, we both had generous mains, split a dessert, and each had an alcoholic drink. The whole night cost us less than $75 dollars (not including the tip we left them for their excellent service).
I would highly recommend the lemon curd + blood orange sorbet dessert. Reasonably priced, the ingredients were obviously high quality, and the flavours were so perfect together. Could very well be the best dessert I've ever had.
If you're a fan of sourdough bread, I would also suggest trying the soup of the day entree, which comes with some fantastic sourdough. Delicious.
Can't wait to come back.
Wonderful lively spot with excellent service! Dishes were varied and all good, nice wine as well. Pumpkin risotto as a can't-miss, as well as the Lasagna!
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