cinco bistro

love2dine. have been to cinco many times as we are one of the lucky ones who live just around the corner and have always loved thefoodand service. it can get a little noisy some nights but i guess that all adds to the dining experience. the great thing about this restaurant is that it is 'consistent' with its quality offoodand service, unlike many restaurants who charge more but cannot compete.

stunningfood& presentation. a great saturday night, went with another couple to their favorite restaurant. we learned it was a hat restaurant so i was keen to try it out!
we had spanish dish as starter with tangy dipping sauce....yumm
then steak for main that was crusted with pepper...ahh it was beautiful, moist and just melted in my mouth. the steak fries were a hit with the table. dessert we nibbled on small tiny dessert pieces that were lovely and presented well with cheese platter of variety of cheeses. the place has a friendly vibe with great service on all points.

i read in the goodfoodguide that cinco bistro was awarded a hat this year so i have been wanting to check it out for awhile. i was pleasantly surprised to find this little gem so far out from the city too. thefoodwas not too bad and the service was ok. a little expensive though. the venue itself is quite plain, nothing fancy. it was definitely not what i was expecting when compared to other hatted restaurants in brisbane but still worth a try if you've never been.

i don’t usually write breakfast reviews in brisbane as i seem to find lunch and dinner at restaurants way more interesting than the breakfasts that are served at many venues across town. however, i want to tell you about the breakfast menu that cinco bistro serves on saturday and sunday. for many years cinco has become well known for its elegant bistrofoodbut over the last year it began serving breakfast that i believe is worthy of equal acknowledgement and acclaim as their dinner service. mum and i agree that it is hard to beat the breakfast variety at cinco. the great thing about cinco’s breakfast menu is that you eat from around the world travelling to mexico, india, south and north america and asia. and each time you come back, you find yourself ordering something new and exciting due to a menu that is ever changing. we first visited just after they started and i had an amazing chicken chilaquiles with a perfect fried egg on top while mum had baked eggs with chorizo, potato, piquillo peppers, mahon cheese and almonds. both dishes were outstanding and we couldn’t wait to come back for more! as cinco is just around the corner from where i live we returned very soon. this time i tried the chimichanga, which is savoury mince wrapped in a tortilla, which is then deep-fried. on top rested a perfectly cooked poached egg with hollandaise sauce. a crispy kale leaf crowned the dish and a dollop of guacamole and chopped up tomato lay to the side of the plate. after trying this dish i declared it my all-time favourite breakfast! mum ordered an indian lentil curry with chutney and roti, which was perfect for the cold morning weather. on another occasion i tried the new delhi egg curry – a recipe that the owner-chef peter stubbs had recently brought back from india. it was served with some crispy roti bread perfect for mopping up the perfectly balanced sauce. mum tried the duck omelette with a drizzle of hoisin sauce and enjoyed the classic combination. as i loved the chimi

i booked a table online on the prior tuesday with a question in the comments field regardingfoodselection from both menus. the booking was confirmed to me electronically a couple of days later. however two hours before we were due to dine on the saturday we were called and told we couldn’t sit inside the restaurant...i understand the policy but why not tell me before the day, the question was posted 5 days earlier.
we arrived and the outside setting wasn’t the best (i wasn’t aware of the dual carriageway and the lack of alfresco heating) so we all decided to eat from the a la carte menu and sought assistance to transfer inside. we were then advised that our original table had been allocated to someone else and we wouldn’t be ‘permitted’ to sit inside. an interesting choice of phrase by the waiter.
we decided we had no real options so sat down outside where our linen napkins were swapped for paper napkins and then back to linen. we proceeded to order from both menus and the entrees were delivered promptly and were good. the mains of quail and a pasta dish were then delivered. a little while later the two pizzas were delivered and we asked where the sides were for the quail. after a further delay the chips then came out and a short time after that the green beans were delivered. unfortunately the quail had been eaten by the time the sides arrived! this was raised with the waitress who advised she would relay this issue. we completed our meal and asked for the bill. at this point the manager came out to apologise for the earlier issue with the table. he did however suggest that we should ring when booking to clarify. i suggested the the electronic booking gives me every opportunity to add comments and that my question had been answered several days after you confirmed my booking electronically. why have an online booking system if the recommendation is to always ring? we also mentioned the late delivery of the sides in this discussion and we were told we should have raised it directly with him. why? we made the waitress aware and she advised she would relay the message...obviously there was a breakdown in communication!
frustrated with the night we paid our bill in full and left cold and disappointed with our experience.
i have raised the issue by email twice to peter who chooses not to respond.

we visited cinco bistro on the 29th of february for a dinner for four. street parking was plentiful albeit tight in the side street. the restaurant itself was easy to find with a warm inviting interior.

for entree we ordered the grilled quail and scallop risotto to share. the quail was tender with the breast deboned and the scallops were seared perfectly. for mains we ordered the darling downs eye fillet and pappardelle pasta with beef cheek ragu. i asked for the steak to be rare and rare i received. the steak was paired perfectly with the red wine jus and silverbeet and beetroot. the beef cheek ragu was soft and flavoursome, with a decent balance of meat and pasta.

overall thefoodwas delicious and prepared well however there are a few areas which we feel has let this place down, considering cinco bistro is demanding fine dining prices.

according to the website corkage is a steep $8.50 per person. however, we were keen to have our favourite wine for our celebratory dinner so we decided it was fine to cop the corkage. however, corkage was actually $9.50 per person when we got to the restaurant. if cinco bistro wants us to buy their wine, that's fine, just don't have byo.

in addition, we were left to dine on large pieces of paper used to protect the table cloth. i mean is this fine dining or yum cha? if we're paying $9.50 per person in corkage, we'd like to eat off the table cloth.

cinco is an upmarket bistro located in the inner city brisbane suburb of camp hill.
the restaurant has gained a reputation as a ‘foodies’ paradise receiving praise from the hospitality industry and the general public.
chef peter draws inspiration from his world travels, authentic tastes are presented in the most stylish fashion.
a life long passion forfoodand travel, all bought together with love and care, sums up the amazing tastes at cinco. 🍷🍷
our ecuadorian waiter was excellent and very patient 👌
(the darling downs eye fillet, beetroot, silverbeet, lardons, fondant potato, red wine jus was the clear winner,,,,🍖)
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have driven past this place many times over the years but never eaten there so decided to give it a try. arancini with prosciutto were tasty but could have had a little more flavour. duck confit with celeriac purée was cooked perfectly and really tasty with poached pear. the pork belly was delicious and cooked well. for desert we had the apple tart wth caramel sauce which was soooo tasty. sangria cocktail was also really good. overall really goodfoodonly negative is that it’s on the expensive side. would go back but probably not frequently due to the price.

it's our go to for occasions
always greatfood
fantastic service
menus changes are regular and can not fault it
always find room for a dessert

arranged the new year eve dinner at this one hatted restauarant. since it is the only one-hatted at this side of the town, my expectation was set slightly high. it was a busy night and there were only three wait-staffs running the show. we were told by the manger that some of the staffs rang up to take sick leave in the afternoon.... however, they did manage to offer fine service and it was much appreciated. well,foodwas another story. first of all, we were let down because they stop serving any quail as the entree so we ordered the charcyuterie board to share, which was average. the wagyu rump was slightly overcooked on some portion but the portobello mushroom deserved thumb up. hero should be the lamb rack which was done perfectly. side dish of the roasted cumin pumpkin was delicious. the serious let down should be the desserts of apple tart and greek custard. we did not have the feeling of enjoying the dessert. one comment is that they should be careful on chosing tea leaves since the lemongrass & ginger was bland. as an one-hatted restaurant, cinco sounds weaker than the others in town, say deer duck bistro (milton), public (cbd) or thomas reserve (spring hill). these restaurants did showcase why they are one-hatted with fine dining standard meals and nice drink menu. i think the chefs should pay attention to the dish plating technique and overall cinco needs time to be more mature.....

delicious! very attentive service; our water was never sitting low. thefoodwas delicious and presentation was beautiful. however, i was seated next to the steps and every time someone accessed the steps, i could feel compression in the floorboards. no major dramas but it became a slight distraction during dinner.

we dine at cinco every few months.  thefoodis fantastic.  each dish is carefully thought through, and the flavour combinations always just work.  definitely recommend for those occasions where you want to avoid the city restaurants and enjoy a local experience.

premier dining in the suburbs! top qualityfoodin a setting that from the outside you'd normally drive by without a glance. a little expensive which is why i didn't rate a 5.0 but you get what you pay for, no question. parking's a bit tricky so get there early is my advice. 

beautiful decor and the night we went it was quite popular.

wow wow, bestfoodin a while, and i eat out a lot, exceptional food, service and experience 11/10
so impressed, will return many times

rude, rude, rude!!. didn't get to taste thefoodbecause of the poor treatment at the door. we just moved into the area, and were excited to try out this restaurant for our date night, after reading the good reviews. the restaurant was empty except for one table. the front of house (again the asian guy, mentioned in other bad reviews below about service) was on the phone for about 10 minutes without acknowledging us, whilst we waited, standing, at the front door. he then motioned to a table, without moving from his spot, and rudely barked at us to "sit down", like we were dogs. can't remember the last time i encountered such rude, disrespectful treatment anywhere. what a shame. we live within walking distance and would have been happy to give them regular business if we hadn't been treated like sub-humans from the get-go. we were neatly dressed in professional attire. we waited patiently. i have no idea what prompted such a rude start. went down the road to restaurant rapide and were treated like royalty and had a lovely evening. highly suggest others vote with their feet!! we are spoiled with good quality dining in this area. i would suggest that the management consider that "first impressions count" and their customers have other options. nofoodis good enough to be treated like that!