Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse

This was my second time to Kingsleys. The first time I had an eye fillet, and it wasn’t bad, but seemed smaller than 200g stated in the menu. The crab cakes were average.
Last night was my second time to try out his steakhouse. I dropped +$ 40 on a piece of rare rib eye steak, which should have been a 2+ marble rating, and one of my favorites at home. It came out to the table as ¹⁄₃ a chunk of marinated fat, and ²⁄₃ a piece of medium cooked leather. The sides were okay, and my partner enjoyed the +$ 50 angus fillet.
Conclusion: two average-​to-​poor overpriced dinners. Go somewhere else.

We were walk ups here on a cold Friday night and were seated outside. The waiter kindly seated us in between most of the gas heaters so our group of four were all warm. We were served promptly and our entire group was absolutely delighted with the choices. The sirloin was cooked to perfection and the sides were great. Deserts were amazing. Would happily visit here again

We went here for a birthday dinner. Why not splash out? We got the confit chicken and scallops as an entrée. $ 22 got us a tiny ugly plate of tiny chicken and tiny scallops that weren’t very fresh or well cooked. Would not recommend.
The mains! We got steak because well… duh. But it hurts when you pay a good amount of money for a steak to be told you get the meat and a plate to eat off only. Sauce is extra, vegetables are extra, potato products are extra. It feels a bit like they want to get every last possible cent out of you. Anyway, another $ 20 later and we had some beans and parsnip chips. The parsnip was chalky but the beans were nice. The steak was cooked well but it looks a bit sad when you get a giant white plate with this sad lonely piece of grilled meat in the middle. Cha Cha Char isn’t even one block away and present their steaks in a much more interesting way (judging from reading their menu on my way home).and I would probably advise that you go there instead.

I was bitterly disappointed with Kingsleys and have vowed never too return, and I haven’t.
Let me say my experience was many years ago when the restaurant first opened. We were there celebrating a significant promotion. The first thing we did was order a bottle of Dom Perignon, which sets the scene for the money we were going to spend. We followed with many a nice wine after that.
What offended me so much was the reaction to our complaint about the way the steak was cooked… overdone. My guests and I are not complainers, however a significantly overdone steak is unacceptable when you’re paying top dollar. Just about everywhere else I have been, the steak has been whipped away, followed by apologies. But no, the maitre d’ decided to argue with us. Perhaps it was that someone said they’re not done like that at Cha Cha Char, which really got his back up.
I was really looking forward to this place opening, but so disappointed.
Never again.

Direkt am Wasser mit tollem Blick auf die andere Seite der Stadt. Abends toller Blick auf die beleuchtete Stadt.
Das Personal ist normal freundlich, die Preise umso mehr gesalzen. Man zahlt hier Namen und Ort mit. Das Essen ist sehr gut und daher zahlt man es dann auch gerne.
Ob ein tolles Steak, ein Burger mit bestem Rindfleisch oder ein Salat, für jeden (der auch etwas mehr zu zahlen bereit ist) ist was dabei.
Man sollte hier auf alle Fälle vorher reservieren, denn wir hatten einfach nur Glück.

Let me paint the picture. My parents had been staying with us for awhile and on their last night in Brisbane before the long trek back to Ireland, we wanted to treat them to a fantastic meal with great views. Being good country folk they love their meat and veg, and being irish of course they love spuds! Me on the other hand I love seafood, Asian dishes and very little red meat. In fact I was vegetarian for a number of years. But I had been to Kingsleys before and I knew the quality of food. It is the only place that I will happily order a steak medium and enjoy every mouthful. So i booked in advance and requested a table with river views if possible.
When we arrived we were taken to our outdoor table with an amazing view of the Storey Bridge. The table was under a lovely heater which suited mum perfectly, and the rest of us weren’t overwhelmed with heat so it was perfect. We were offered different water types and given the wine list to browse whilst getting settled with our menus. The wait staff were very friendly and happy to explain anything on the menus. They had a reasonable selection of wines at varying prices.
Then it was time to pick the food. I’m the sort of person who will go to a steak restaurant and order the chicken! But i ordered the New York Striploin medium and LOVED it. However picking the entrees was more challenging. There were just too many fantastic options. We had crab cakes, salt and pepper squid, scallops and a scotch egg. All were delicious and beautifully presented. I was too hungry to take a picture. Clean plates went back to the kitchen and my parents couldn’t stop talking about how delicious it was.
Then out came our main courses. We all had a steak, all different cuts and each person was happy with the quality. Mum and I had the green peppercorn sauce which was perfect. Dad had a mushroom brandy sauce which i thought he was about to lick off his plate. My husband had the bearnaise sauce which he also thought was delicious. At kingsleys after you have selected your steak then you pick your individual sides. We decided to each order something different and then share. We had garlic mash, onion rings, carrots and green beans. These all really compliment the steak. There were clean plates all around which i think tells a lot about a restaurant. Mum kept saying that her steak and sauce was so good that she would have happily eaten just those, but then tried they sides and thought WOW, just when I thought it couldn’t get any better.
There were 2 desserts ordered, neither of which I had but the others seemed to love them. My only complaint was that they took a very long time to arrive at the table. However the others report that it was well worth the wait.
The staff at Kingleys were very friendly, professional and helpful. They appeared to enjoy their work which helps add to the atmosphere of the place. Speaking of atmosphere it was fantastic, everyone there that night was having a great time. The view is just breathtaking and the tables are positioned so that the majority of people can see the river views.
Why have I given it only 4 stars and not 5? Parking can be difficult through the week but many of the undercover private car parks offer evening discounts after 5.30pm, e. g $ 13 for the night. Also the bathroom facilities in the restaurant aren’t great. There are signs up advising how to flush the toilets to avoid blockage which I found odd, However when I went back later in the evening all of the ladies toilets were blocked to almost overflowing. The males in our group reported that the gents were exactly the same. The fact they have signs up advising how to flush a toilet makes me think this problem has existed for awhile and I believe it should have been addressed. No one wants soggy shoes after walking into a bathroom. I did report it to the manager that night so hopefully the problem will be fixed.

We had been wanting to go to Kingsleys for sometime, and we certainly weren’t disappointed when we finally got there on Friday night! If you want a decent steak in Brisbane then this is the place for you. It’s not somewhere you would go every night of the week given the price range, but as the old saying goes ‘you get what you pay for’. We started with half a dozen Kilpatrick oysters, and the spicy prawns for entrée, perfect amount for two people. We both ordered steaks at medium rare, which were cooked to perfection. For sides we ordered the beans with macadamia, and the mashed potato — these are brought out on their own dishes which is a great idea as this can be shared. Might I add they make the best mashed potato I have ever had, so smooth and fluffy and the best compliment to the steak.
The customer service at the restaurant was also excellent. The only downfall was that we rang the restaurant to inform them we were running 10−15mins late, and the female who answered was a bit ‘huffy’ with us and seemed less than impressed. We only did this as a matter of courtesy, so that was the only issue we had. In terms of service at the restaurant we had the one waitress for the evening and she was more than helpful with suggestions and very friendly. Will recommend friends and family to go to Kingsleys.

Visiting from Sydney it reminded me of the places on Circular Quay that have got complacent because the view draws people in regardless of the quality. It was a nice vista. The food was ⁴⁄₅ for the price but the service was terrible. If you’re going to charge 5 star prices you can’t just serve food, you have to deliver an experience. Not recommended.

Kingsley is set in an awesome location looking out across the river to Kangaroo Point, so we decided to try it out. The menu looks delightful and the host was very chipper in greeting us and seeing us to our table. Complimentary bread was served as we ordered drinks, an appy and main courses each (there were 3 of us).
The appetizer came out quickly an was very tasty (popcorn chicken) served with a fantastic corn sauce. We finished this and were excited for our mains. However, this is where the service collapsed.
For the next 15 minutes we were eagerly waiting for our steaks. Our waiter came by our table often to top up our water. But the following 30 minutes, we were completely neglected by out server and host. Even though we had ordered drinks with the first round, a busser took our glasses and we were not asked if we’d like another. Our server did not check in with us at all during out wait to see if we were alright or update us on our food. I should also mention there were only 6 tables seated at the entire restaurant (2 of which were solo dinners).
After waiting and being probably overly polite for 45 minutes, enjoying the company at least, I had to go up to the host table were the host and our server were enjoying a little chit chat to ask about our meals. Our server said they were on their way. 15 minutes later (about the time it takes to cook a steak) our meals arrived. The pork chop was cooked lovely, but the steaks (after an hour of waiting) were undercooked. My friend asked for medium, it was definitely med rare and I asked for med rare and it was quite rare.
What started off as a great meal ended up leaving a very sour feeling as we left. Maybe it was our fault for expecting quality service on a Sunday night, but this was pretty ridiculous. As I’m sure this is quite a restaurant, our experience there last night have made us consider other restaurants on the river for future meals.

I was lucky enough to experience this restaurant with my work colleagues during a very posh celebratory luncheon. We all had high expectations, especially myself consider the magnitude of good reviews this establishment received. That being said, I expect a steakhouse to cook their steaks perfectly. And although the steaks here were cooked decently, they simply fell short of perfect. In fact, nearly half of the table agreed that their steaks were consistently overcooked.
Beef aside, everything else was amazing. The appetizers, sides, deserts, and wine list were delicious, generally incorporating classic flavors into new twists. The seafood was, I dare say, much more exciting that the steaks, and tasted incredibly fresh. The service was outstanding, and executed with quite a bit of patience that is often needed for larger groups.

It’s always better when someone else is paying. And I was lucky enough to be sponsored a $ 50 grass fed eye fillet with optional sides, such as greens. As that’s just what you get. Just eye fillet with sauce. But the steak was cooked to MR perfection. The service was great; the view of Storey Bridge, sensational. Served with a bottle of Coonawarra Cab Saub — maaaarvellous.

This is by far brisbanes best steakhouse. The view is as wonderful as the food. With new dishes appearing on the menu quite frequently there is always a reason to come back!

For the beauty of the setting and the hype of expecting a world class steak, I was left slightly underlwhelmed. Not bad but certainly didn’t meet full expectations.

Sweet corn sauce. Moreton Bay Bug Pie with 2 (yes, read that, two) tails. Duck Sausage Roll. Braised Beef Bun. Introduce yourself one lunch, or when a quick and simple dinner is called for, to Kingleys bar menu — the work of chef Stewart Anderson. The meals, all under $ 15, are simple, familiar and utterly delicious. We dined as a group during a Friday lunch and service was prompt. With views over the river, it was a great setting with quality food.

For value, position, class and quality Kingsleys is hard to go past. The lunch «bar menu» is incredible -$ 10 earns you an «It’s a bug» Pie — two bug tails, delicately cooked in soubise under pastry. Or $ 7.90 sees you land the beef bun, a pulled meat affair. Kingsleys has the slow braise absolutely nailed. Decent wine at a fair price in quality glassware. Views of the river from Petrie Bight to the Gardens. I could go on, but you get the idea: do yourself a favour!

Kingsley Steak and Crabhouse is an absolutely outstanding restaurant — top knotch service, tastey meals and spectacular views. I, to be honest, can’t say a bad word about it.

great steak, chicken, shrimps, crab, bugs, squid, radicchio salad… Lovely view. Call to reserve a table outdoors;)