bar alto

too cool for school. 4 of us dined pre-show on a saturday night. our starters were good and the mains were all tasty too. i did feel the portion size of my pasta main was less than generous.

while not overwhelmed by the food (which was good but not dazzling), we were definitely underwhelmed by our "too cool for school" waiter who had a permanent *sigh* about him. my side was basically thrown on the table and he was always in a massive hurry to rush off eg. clear empty drinks glasses but not ask if another is required. the restaurant is really not trendy enough to warrant said behaviour, not that it would ever be acceptable.

the mains took a while to come out and we finished just in time to see the show. i don't like feeling rushed when we'd allocated enough time.

i may dine there again based on food quality and convenience but won't be in a hurry to do so.

i really enjoyed bar alto and i think their regional lunch is a great way to sample authentic flavours of the mediterranean without having to leave the country.

fantastic evening. we had a wonderful dinner there on wednesday night, thank you guys. even though we had our kids with us there were no funny looks or such, just professional service.
the chips for the boys arrived quickly and without any fuss. the entrée mushrooms were admittedly a bit small but my seafood risotto was bigger than expected from an entrée size.
the pork jowl & cheeks as well as the duck ravioli were really big portions and absolutely amazing flavours as well as presentations.
i believe the prices are fair and definitely worth the quality of the food and service, this is what you pay in a restaurant that is not self-service, unless you are used to go faster pasta.

high expectations!!. but unfortunately this was one of the worse meals i have ever had the "pleasure" of paying for. it was a very happy vibrant resturant but let down with too hip waiters throwing the food in front of you, and rushing away. even collecting my plate without asking if i had finished. (i left half on my plate)or if i had enjoyed my meal. clearly not.

the food tasted like a microwaved chicken breast, swimming in balsamic sryup and soggy gnocchi.
my dining partners meal was the vegetable crepe, also tasted like cardboard and microwaved. nothing tasted fresh or even hot. i notice a lot of good reviews.... did we come on the worst day of the year??

we would be too scared to try this restuarant again.

pre-show dinner. booked here well in advance because i know it books out quickly when the shows are on and then got spooked by some of the reviews here and was too late to change my mind, but i'm glad i didn't. went last saturday night and had a great experience - the service was efficient without being rushed, the staff were friendly and the food was good. i admit there's better italian out there and although the duck ravioli is under-whelming the guanciale was very "more-ish" and my 3 guests all had the crespelle and raved about it. bar alto provided the perfect start to a great night out at the powerhouse. recommended

go!. it was a real pleasure to discover the plates, entree and main! pleasure for my eyes as well as for my taste. i truly recommand it!

a great dinner at bar alto. high quality food and well balanced dishes, only glitch the dessert... i would go again anyway.

fave rave. another great meal at bar alto. superb service, great food, great spot - love it love it love it!!


-----06 feb, 2012-----

another fabulous lunch at bar alto. fantastic food and great service in a great spot. the chocolate budino is divine.

my favourite restaurant in brisbane. yes, it's pricy but the food is always good and so is the service. and who doesn't love a river view?

good service poor food, five bite size pieces i thought they brought me an entree! ordered a salad which was a bowl of lettuce! no tomatoes etc. very expensive.

fantastic. bar alto provided a fantastic christmas lunch for twenty.

the venue was fantastic with great views across the brisbane river accompanied by a gentle breeze to our outdoor table,

ordering 'a l'carte' from the extensive menu catered to eveyones taste and consensus of the group was that all the dishes ordere were of top quality. favourites for the day where the pork belly, salmon and duck. the zuchini fritters are exceptional as a side dish.

ben and his staff provided excellent service without delay throughout the day without being intrusive. thanks guys.

great venue, great food, great service - what more can you ask for!

all the ingredients for a successful day.


-----12 dec, 2011-----

fantastic lunch. bar alto provided a fantastic christmas lunch for twenty.

the venue was fantastic with great views across the brisbane river accompanied by a gentle breeze to our outdoor table,

ordering 'a l'carte' from the extensive menu catered to eveyones taste and consensus of the group was that all the dishes ordere were of top quality. favourites for the day where the pork belly, salmon and duck. the zuchini fritters are exceptional as a side dish.

ben and his staff provided excellent service without delay throughout the day without being intrusive. thanks guys

great venue, great food, great service - what more can you ask for!

all the ingredients for a successful day.

the food is well cooked, the service is middling and the views over the brisbane river are great but i can't imagine i'll be spending my restaurant dollars at bar alto again, any time soon unless they start serving those fritters on the bar menu.

snobby waitstaff. lovely food, however didn't appreciate the attitude from the wait staff.

definitely got the vibe they thought we were' lucky to be dining there', instead of feeling like a valued guest.

worst service ever. last friday we went to celebrate a friend in bar alto and to be honest we received the worst service ever. we were attended by a young waitress that gave us the worst experience in a restaurant. since we arrived, she was pressuring us to order (when some people of the table were not in the restaurant yet) we had to call them and ask them to order on the phone. when my boyfriend and i placed our order, we asked for an entree and the waitress said that no one in the table had entrees so we should have only mains, and also my boyfriend wanted sides and the waitress said that there were some sides ordered for all the table, so we didn´t order sides. my boyfriend was being pressured by her to choose something from the menu, because he was not sure what to have, and she kept pressuring until she (the waitress) decided that what was best for him was the beef.
when the food came some dishes were mistaken and, of course, there were no such thing as sides for the table. so we had to order sides that came after we finished our mains. then again, we were pressured to decide if we wanted dessert or not.
in the end one of the girls from the table went to the register to pay her bill by card and the waitress asked her for her pin number. my friend told her that she was not going to give it to her, that she could do it herself and the waitress gave her the efpos machine accompained by an unfriendly face (who asks for someone´s pin number?)
after we paid we were "asked" to leave the table and to go to the bar where the staff were already having their "staff drinks" . when we left no one said "goodbye" or thanked us for coming. the food was good i must say, but it was totally not worth it. definetly not coming back.

overall my feeling of bar alto is quite mixed. the cost of the main is quite high (considering it was only a plate of pasta) and service far from ideal.