bar alto

yum. made a last minute booking on saturday night, turned up to prompt service - food was delicious and generous, dare i say the pasta is better than bucci!
everything on the night was delicious and would love to go back and try more dishes off the menu!

i'm told that it is owned by the same people who own ortiga (yum), but because it operates out of the brisbane city council owned powerhouse arts centre, the council restrict them in terms of pricing which is why you can get mains under $30. maybe so starving actors can engage in some fine dining without breaking the bank? i've eaten at bar alto twice now, and both times the food and service has been pretty good. and certainly excellent for the price. but here are two tips for you: if you sit inside, you will come out smelling like a fish and chip shop as there isn't a lot of ventilation and the deep fryer gets a real work out here if you order off the a la carte menu, you will have food envy of those who order off the pasta menu what

a friend suggested a lunch here on a beautiful sunny brisbane day.  bar alto is at the powerhouse in new farm, so i parked my car and ventured in to the water-side restaurant at the back of the entrance level.  we were settled outside on the outdoor balcony area to enjoy the beautiful day.  the italian menu is simple but includes most of the favourites.  we enjoyed a delicious burrata (fresh italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream) with prosciutto, honey and figs (excellent) and mains of "mussels in chilli, garlic, white wine, tomato with ciabata" and "gnocchi with local spanner crab, chilli, fennel".  the meals were excellent and i'd recommend coming here if you love to sit by the river and enjoy lovely italian fine dining.

great venue. gorgeous view o'looking river from 1st level. great fun for parties you can sit at long dry bars and take in tha atmosphere whilst sipping fabbo cocktails and tapas

the powerhouse museum is an amazing venue. the staff at bar alto are great too. no begrudgingly taking orders they're full of energy and enthusiasm. the pizza with prawn and salami paste is delicious, they have a good beer selection and make great coffee too

besides the morning after, it was another temptation after i read the article from the urban list that the mussels at bar alto is an a-must dish in brisbane.
we have not been around the area before and i was shocked about the development here although i lived in new farm years ago.
located inside the powerhouse, the ambience is cosy with nice river view. there are around eight chefs working in the kitchen, two bar-tenders and around five front-line staff. service is hospitable. our table was at the end of the indoor dining area so it was peaceful and comfortable to enjoy our good journey.
after perused of the menu, we decided to go for the charcuterie board of all the varieties of cured meats that it is serving for entree. we also ordered the prawns and squids strozzapreti and one kg of the signature mussels.
before any meals in the table, the set up of bowls and plates on the tables was spectacular. they nearly occupied the whole table surface.
first came the charcuterie board, which was composed of air dry wagyu, salami, pork loin and prosciutto. we had the salami and prosciutto before but never had the the wagyu and pork loins. they were both interesting. after that, the pasta and the mussels came at the same time. wow! look at those mussels sitting in the big bowl l. they looked great. however, they were slightly overdone and not the best that we had in our past dining experience. having said that the pasta gained marks back. it was al dente. tomato based sauce came with strong sea water taste. it is very tasteful.
overall, dining experience is decent.
rating:4.5/5

with relatives in tow, we headed to bar alto for dinner. oddly, there aren’t many brisbane restaurants on the river, so this was a no-brainer for out-of-town guests. i started with the prosciutto di parma, which came with a couple of different types of bread. this was delicious, melt in your mouth stuff; fabulous bread and luscious meat. i ate every bit of it, and even the bread which i don’t often do when eating out. hubby had the ciabatta to start, and ate every slice himself. he is a huge carb fan, and he loved this chewy, flavoursome bread. the rellies are always watching their weight, so went straight to a main meal. cuz and i both chose the spanner crab gnocchi, while hubby and the auntie went for the crespelle with ricotta, pumpkin and burnt sage butter. i am not a pasta fan in general, but this gnocchi was really wonderful. the gnocchi was light and pillowy, the sauce tasted of fresh, delicious crab, and the broth/sauce was so tasty and not overpowering, leaving the taste of crab floating delicately on your tongue. we both loved this dish! hubby and auntie were fans of their crespelle, a vegetarian option, full of flavour, coming in a light broth. we all shared the dessert of white chocolate granita, raspberry sorbet and chocolate ice cream. the granita was like eating chocolate-flavoured snow; i felt like a kid again. (yes i am from a colder climate originally.) this dessert was so pretty, and so sweetly delicious; we were all fans. cuz and i drank prosecco, while it was soft drink for the driver and the aunt. we had wonderful service, with a brilliant and friendly waitress. the view was lovely, looking out to the river and the new pontoon full of jet skis which took off into the night with their lights glowing on the water. a really delicious dinner, enjoyed by all of us.

such a lovely place to dine with a beautiful view. the lady was very friendly and attentive. food was beautifully presented, especially the steak! i’ve always been a fan of a good steak but sometimes, the presentation is just a little dull, but the steak here was beautiful! it was delicious too, and the truffle really complements it. the strozzepreti was absolutely amazing. i could eat it everyday! the flavours blend beautifully together. the mussels were cooked to perfection and the toasted sourdough that we were given were not enough - i wanted to lick the entire pot clean!

would definitely come here for more. not sure if i’d be willing to try the other dishes because the strozzepreti has stolen my heart!

i had forgotten how good the food here is. we had ravioli with bugs, grilled octopus and tempura zucchini flowers - yum! i can't remember the other starter- think it had figs and prosciutto. anyway, it was gobbled up very quickly, so there is no photo! we were in a bit of a rush to see a show and the service was friendly and efficient. next time we will take it much more slowly. thanks bar alto.

you know a meal's good when you salivate reflecting back on it. the location sets the scene immediately and everything else puzzles together. theyve put effort into making sure the wines from the bar works with the food on the menu.

we came here after a show with no booking. not only were we able to get a great table inside, the food was delicious. we stayed with bread. i then had the crab gnocchi which was served with a delicious broth and unlike anything else i’ve had. i washed it all down with a craft beer. fantastic night.

pre-powerhouse performance tipple. on this buzzing night, staff were competently keeping pace. while our drinks were standard, the riverbend views were a treat. communal tables added to the busy yet relaxed vibe. time didn’t allow a feed but the pizzas & bar snacks around us were well received with a nearby hipster announcing his love for artichoke on pizza. you go dude.

convenience led us here & one day it may do so again. meanwhile ciao for now.

have been here a couple of times in the last 7 years. it’s not cheap but the food is good. their pasta dishes are the highlight. i smelt someone eating the platter of meat for two and it made my mouth water! great location for drinks on a sunny arvo too.

i like the venue and the bar is ok, very disappointed by the food. had the pizza, expected a real italian one got one that most deep frozen ones are miles better: came with rubber mozzarella, some sort of dried tomato paste and 3 !!!leaves of basil. ridiculous!

i give one star only for the view. the food is just a joke.

1.we ordered main course size rivoli and surprisingly only seven rivoli in the large plate. we double checked the chef, he confirmed it should have at least eleven rivoli ($34 for 11 rivoli is still...). we mentioned this to the waitress while paying the bill, she did not even consider change the price to entry size.

2. the lamb rump should not be cooked in this way. it's really raw and dry, i could barely cut it into two pieces with my knife. i thought nobody can fail cooking lamb in australia. well, they proved that they can make it.

3. as a bar in australia, they don't even have schooner (425 ml) or pint (478~563 ml) glass; instead, they have an odd 350 ml glass charging 7 dollars for a tap beer. what else i can say?

4. i got diarrhea after the beer and food in about 2 hours, my colleague too! might be the raw lamb or something else. the diarrhea was gone till the third day.

5. the attitude of one waitress was really really bad...can you at least smile? i know it is a italian bar and you speak italian, but when you speak italian, especially the ingredient/name of the food, can you be less arrogant?

6. gordon ramsay deserves a good visit here to upgrade the kitchen.

i hope my suggestions can really help to improve this restaurant. after all, the view is fantastic, just don't waste it.