The Boundary Hotel
West End
The Boundary Hotel, West End’s iconic landmark pub circa 1864, is a fascinating multi-layered labyrinth of ambient nooks and crannies, including rooftop and laneway bars, a pizzeria and function rooms.
Having fed and watered locals since 1864, The Boundary Hotel can lay claim to being the oldest in the area, if not the whole of Brisbane and much of its quirky history has been preserved throughout.
At street level on the corner, the main public bar still attracts a motley group of longtime local patrons and which feature a steel girder that has the original 1920’s ironmonger’s (Sargeants) inscription on it.
Also on this level, there are dining rooms, one of which has a neon-lit outline of the FJ Holden owned by famous West End resident Rock’n’Roll George. Here, you’ll also find a pizzeria with giant pizza oven and the laneway which was once the driveway to the upper level bottle shop, where an original XXXX sign that for decades cars drove past can still be seen on the old red brick wall.
Upstairs at the rear (reached via the laneway stairs) is a stunning ‘backyard bar’, strung with lights and surrounded by street-art-covered walls and its extension, a cosy courtyard bar which faces off on the other side of the bar. Look out for the enclosed booth which was once the cook’s residence.
Above the backyard bar, which has a retractable roof, is the covered rooftop terrace bar, from which there are views of the city skyline and West End rooftops.
In all of these areas are bars where you can order drinks and food, including the delicious wood-fired house pizzas or top-notch bar snacks to share such as The Boundary chicken wings, grilled king prawns with burnt butter and curry mayonnaise, pork belly or falafel tacos, salt and pepper calamari or pumpkin and cheese arancini.
For something more substantial, there’s burgers (wagyu beef or mushroom), rolls (chicken or po’boys) and Mains such as beef ragout, battered fish, rotisserie chicken, or gnocchi and a range of steaks served with chips and slaw.
On the lighter side, there’s salads including crunchy Asian slaw, green or roast pumpkin and chorizo. For Dessert, there’s chocolate brownie, passionfruit Eton Mess, or, from the pizzeria downstairs, tiramisu, panna cotta and dessert pizza.
Drinks-wise, as well as a great range of craft and standard beers, an eclectic wine selection and champagne list that includes top-shelf offerings like Dom Perignon Vintage. There’s also cocktails on tap (Pimms and Espresso martini) or made to order - think Watermelon Crush, Rhubarb Gimlet, Bundiki Tiki and Remy Sidecar.
Not just a great spot for a convivial drink and bite to eat, the Boundary Hotel has a whole upper inside floor dedicated to flexible function spaces, with a private bar and one section including a jukebox.
Nice to know - Kids are catered for at The Boundary Hotel, too, with a child’s menu that includes pasta, roast chicken and fries or pasta and ice-cream sundae.
