The Balfour Kitchen & Bar

Balfour Kitchen & Bar has a beautiful setting — dining on the verandah has a lovely feel, even if the view across to the rundown apartment building slightly takes the shine off it. Thankfully, the weather was perfect for sitting outside, and the wooden detailing and design of the building really add to the atmosphere. The menu is quite limited but interesting on paper. Unfortunately, the dishes didn’t quite match the expectations set by the price — flavours were underwhelming and portions small. Not terrible, just not memorable for the cost. Service was polite, but underdone. Staff lacked the confidence and training you’d expect at this price point, which made the experience feel a bit patchy. This place has a lot of potential — the bones are there, but the finer details need some attention. I have no problem paying top dollar, but the delivery needs to meet the mark if you’re going to charge for a premium experience.

Had a wonderful high tea for my Birthday today. The service was excellent, food was delicious and they kindly catered to different dietaries at our table. I’d recommend booking an inside table on a hot/humid day and allowing extra time for parking. We were late because we had to park a few streets away at lunch time on a Saturday. Thank you to your wonderful staff!

Absolutely loved this restaurant! I visited Brisbane for a few days from the US, and I felt at home at this lovely cafe! The staff were open to my accommodations, which made for a very intimate experience on my trip. I can’t wait to come back!

A beatiful, cozy, intimate spot with tasty food—but honestly, it didn’t feel like a 5-star experience. Great vibe, just a bit overpriced for what you get. Worth trying if you want atmosphere.

We had such a lovely experience at this restaurant! From the service to the small details on the plate, everything was well thought out. I had a slightly spicy vegetarian dish the flavors were balanced, the texture was great, and the bread served with it was soft and delicious. The only thing that came a bit off was the poached egg, which was overcooked I usually prefer it soft, with a runny yolk. My friend had a pork dish and also really enjoyed it. The flavors were well done, and the bread on her plate was also super soft and paired beautifully with the meal. To drink, I had a chai that was absolutely wonderful made with real herbs, rich and aromatic. And my friend’s cappuccino was sensational: strong, bold coffee with perfectly creamy foam. Definitely a place worth visiting flavor, care, and comfort in every bite. ✨

We’ve been in this restaurant many times now! We feel always very homey, regardless of how busy they are, the staff always make significant efforts to take care of us as walk-ins. It has very relaxing atmosphere for us with absolutely delicious cuisine and nice wines. The staff members are net caring and attentive. This restaurant has been one of our usual choices and we enjoy it every time. The last time, Friday Night, we loved the heavenly delicious beef cheek with a beautiful matching red. Thank you team. Keep up the great work!

Been here a few times. If you get the right table (probably outside) the vibe is excellent. Food has always been good with a twist on Asian probably a good way to describe it. Small bar upstairs for pre dinner drink and it has a small view and it's a good place to start. Would recommend for sure. Service generally pretty good as well.

Exceptional fine dining with high-quality service to match. We tried quite a few dishes, and they all looked and tasted fantastic. Definitely a standout restaurant in Brisbane it’s the perfect way to start the evening!

Lovely place for a brunch catch. Great location tucked away in the edge of the valley. Gluten free options on the menu and a nice vibe.

Stopped by for brunch during my trip to Australia. This hotel is amazing. Off the beaten path, quiet and classy. Greenery surrounding the white table cloth tables that are set in an open dining room with a nice breeze. I ordered a flat white and a crab omelette on toast. It was to die for. Eggs cooked to perfection and as usual, the flat white was great, per Australian standards. After brunch, I went up to the cozy little roof top to relax with a glass of wine. Love this place!

There is very little not to love about this hotel. Boutique in every imaginable way, it's one of my favourites anywhere in the world. The rooms may be small, but what they lack in size they make up for in design and style... and frankly, if you're travelling to see your room, why are you travelling? The service is perfection - personal, thoughtful and knowledgeable. Sure, it isn't located smack in the middle of the CBD, but given it's walking distance to James St, just off Brunswick street and an abundance of galleries, stores, cafes, restaurants, bars and even a cinema, this is the perfect location for a weekend getaway. If you're clever, time your stay to coincide with one of their art exhibitions, where art is displayed on walls all around the hotel. What you MUST do however, is have breakfast on the balcony. Heaven.

Balfour Kitchen is an idyllic setting only metres from Brunswick St with excellent service that leaves you with no misunderstanding that you are in a hotel and not a cafe. We both had big breakfast which lives up to it's name, with delicious and perfect temperature coffee to complement. The poached egg was cooked perfectly and the pork chipolatas were tasty. Unfortunately the bacon was not cooked to my liking (crisp) but overall the food was yummy and well presented. This is a lovely and relaxing breakfast venue in the heart of New Farm cafe-district. The food is good and the service is friendly and professional - and not a tattoo or facial piercing in sight!

Monday night is BYO night. So I was in a pretty good mood with my Chandon and Pinot in hand when I arrived. The setting is not what I thought. Don't get me wrong, the verandah is beaut. But inside is tacks-ville country cafe. Not to mention the wonky tables. The restaurant was packed for a Monday night. I should've known if the BYO-Monday got me in, it got just about everyone else in too. Ol' Raymond the tanned blue-eyed Irishman did his best as he was one of two waiters. My scallops were beautifully cooked. My guests sirloin looked wonderfully medium-rare. But all-in-all the food was non-spectacular. My prawn salad was pretty woeful. I dunno, if you pay $30 for a salad as a main, perhaps you expect the prawns to be de-veined? My poor salad leaves were wilted and I failed to find a piece of mango (which is a shame given they are about $1.50 each at Woolies). There were many other minor flaws which I'll leave out. My negative Nancy is all full throttle. I really want to give this two stars. But I hear breakfast is amazing. I'll come back for that, and if it's just as bad, we're getting knocked down.

Finally made it to the Balfour this morning for breakfast and what a treat! Tucked away in a little side street in New Farm, this hotel is open to anyone for breakfast. The big breakfast was great and we were particularly impressed by sausages and the pork belly! Oh and the poached eggs were perfectly poached. The service wasn't great this morning but the food definitely made up for it.

One of the best breakfasts in Brisbane. Always generous servings, inventive menu options and the food quality is fabulous. A little peaceful haven sitting on the verandah on a sunny day.

One of the best stays we have EVER had anywhere! Thoughtfully designed, warmly welcoming, carefully managed, and deliciously nourishing. The breakfast was also one of best ever! Our room had everything we expected and just enough more than we needed to make us feel luxuriously cared for. We will be back!

This place is everything!!!!!!! For one it is insanely beautiful. We were immediately seated on the front deck which is perfectly set up. You get the sunlight and the breeze while still being screened from the street by the lovely trees. Our coffee order was taken promptly and the coffee delivered just as fast. I order mine insanely hot and the barista not wanting to burn the milk and compromise the taste of the coffee to heat it up to my expectations HEATED UP MY GLASS!!!!! I think I am in love with him. We ordered our meals which took a bit to arrive but I actually enjoyed the wait. You get to soak in the amazing atmosphere and listen to their amazing music. Think Angus & Julia Stone and Beach House. I was loving this. But when our meals arrived I was blown away. They were beautiful to look at and even more lovely to eat. I had the roasted mushrooms on sourdough with feta, dukkah and beetroot relish. I devoured every mouthful. Perfect portion size. Tried some of my friends haloumi dish and it has made the tippy top of my 'to eat' list. The eggs were so perfectly poached it was almost a damn shame to eat them. Our waiter, who is also the general manager and possibly the nicest man alive, forgot our smoothie orders. We weren't even annoyed about it, we simply told them not to worry about it. The GM then came out with our bill and said 'I think honesty is the best policy. I forgot your smoothie order and to apologise I have taken 25% off of your bill'. Completely unnecessary but he did it anyway. That, my friends, is how you do customer service. He also treated us to a tour before we left. Let me tell you, that rooftop bar will be getting a visit. What a place. I adore it. They've gained a repeat customer today.

We came to Balfour's Kitchen at this hotel for High Tea to celebrate an 80th birthday. The 9th person couldn't go at the last minute however we were told we still had to pay the $55 for this person because the food had already been prepared. Considering the freshness of some of the morsels on offer we wondered how long ago this food had been prepared! The mini brioche bun was dry with minimal crab filling, the miniscule pork and fennel sausage roll was a bite size of tastelessness and when it came to the sweet plate things did not improve. Slices of some sort of cake so extremely dry one wondered how long ago it had been cut and plated, the same for the tiny piece of brownie. Top marks for the caramel tart and you can't go wrong with a chocolate coated strawberry, also the coffee was very good. We asked for a bag/container for the birthday girl to take home the few edible leftovers but were told this was not possible. All in all a very disappointing experience for what should have been a celebration. We left with the feeling of being totally ripped off!!