The Alliance Hotel

The Alliance hotel sat empty and unloved for three years before Nick Gregorski and Meagan Miller moved in. Thankfully, the couple was brave enough to take a punt on one of Brisbane’s most iconic pubs – a grand 130-year-old edifice that sits high on the corner of Spring Hill’s Boundary and Leichhardt Streets.

The bet paid off. Gregorski and Miller are using the revival as an opportunity to help spearhead a new wave of gastropubs in and around town. To that end, The Alliance is these days very much food first. Chef Graham Waddell’s menu, available most nights until 8.30pm (9pm on Fridays and Saturdays), is tilted towards refined but uncomplicated dishes: roasted Barossa chicken breast, Wagyu beef burgers and veal cutlet, matched to a terrific range of mostly local craft beers, and both Australian and international wines.

Gregorski grew up in a publican family, his mother running the Queens Arms Hotel in New Farm in the 1990s. He sees The Alliance as a return to when smaller pubs took food seriously.

The fit-out is hardly half-hearted, either. Re-painted in startling black and white, inside, the pub is a retreat away from the Spring Hill elements – punishing heat in summer, rolling westerlies in winter. There is immaculate wood and brick work, low ceilings and quirky detailing, giving everything a cosy, world-away feel. Come for just a beer in the front bar if you must, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself sticking around for a meal.