The Port Office Hotel Review

Review By Sarah Lunney

The Port Office Hotel is a thriving mix of four of Brisbane’s best bars. Each bar has something different to offer, and the Port Office really does cater for all tastes, ages and styles. “Porto” is my first port of call each weekend, as the starting point for a big night. The Port Office has a chic, slick design, and the neutral colour scheme, like its many bars, caters to all types.

The Port Office is often home to rugby players after a big Saturday game, cliques of excitable girls on a “girls night out” and business men letting loose after-hours. Port Office’s vast range of patrons is no accident. The unique bars offer different attractions. On the ground level, the Fix Wine Bar and Marble Bar offer a sophisticated atmosphere for an after-work casual drink, or even an excellent meal at the restaurant. Be wary, on game nights the ground level doesn’t hold back, with several wide screen televisions on the lower level alone, Porto is very game-friendly. And exactly which games am I referring to? Any and every. From tennis to cricket to rugby union, the ground level is home to many a heated sporting match on a regular basis.

Upstairs, the Liber Lounge has a very different feel. While the lower level is home to mostly twenty, thirty and forty-somethings, the Liber Lounge caters to a younger demographic. Fresh with newly legal 18 year olds, upstairs offers an ever-dynamic dancefloor. Resident DJ’s keep the music pumping all night long, and there is never a dull moment at the Liber Lounge. Dotted with modern couches, there is plenty of room to rest your dancing shoes. The whole decor of the Port Office is very on-trend, sophisticated and stylish. Even the ladies bathroom offers a circular aqua blue couch, where many girls tend to take time out and gossip about the night’s escapades.

However, probably Port Office’s greatest attraction is the upstairs balcony. Never a week goes by without the Porto balcony being absolutely packed. The balcony encircles nearly the whole top level, and is always extremely crowded by about 11pm. Get in before 11 to secure your place on the rare black couches! If you are brave enough to face the balcony at peak times with a drink in your hand, be wary! Many a drink I have lost due to an elbow here or a body-slam there. Nevertheless, the upstairs balcony is definitely where its at for the younger crowd.

The dress code is smart-casual, basic drinks are relatively cheap, and there is no cover charge so a night out at the Port Office won’t break the budget.

The Port Office is a sophisticated, relaxed environment, ideal for drinks with friends and a great starting point for a big night out on the town!



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A Second Review of Port Office

Review by Julia Bartrim

On Thursday and Friday evenings, the Port Office, on the corner of Margaret and Edward Street soaks up its fair share of the city’s office-workers. The atmosphere is relaxed with a mix of people of varying ages clustered around small tables and spilling out onto the balconies. Twenty20 cricket plays in the background and the hotel staff serve up jugs of beer or luscious pink cocktails. Free tapas are on offer for groups of 4 or more on Friday afternoons (you will need to register via the P/O website)

But when the office workers knock off, the Port Office cranks up the music and sheds its relaxed atmosphere to cater to a large crowd of (overwhelmingly) students. The drinks are cheap, a vodka and orange is $7.50, from 7 to 9pm, $8 buckets of beer are offered and $4 cocktails from 10pm to 1am.

The Port Office building façade is heritage listed and from the outside it looks like a typical old-school Queensland pub with its wrap-around verandas and sloping roof. But the pub has a long history of refurbishments and renovations, and the interior has a thoroughly modern feel apart from the wooden floors. The downstairs level (the Marble Bar) a large, open space dominated by the central bar, looks to me like what you would expect to find in any modern pub.

Upstairs, with a smaller bar and dance floor and access to the hotel’s veranda is the Liber Lounge. The Liber Lounge has a couple of cosy rooms and alcoves off the main bar area. The interior decorating is more lavish than downstairs, with chequer-board wallpapers, gilt framed mirrors, armchairs and a huge dance floor.

The veranda overlooking the Margaret and Edward Street intersection is decked out with comfy lounge chairs. On a balmy spring evening, it is an ideal place to relax (you need to get there early to grab a seat!).

Accompanying the Port Office is the Fix Wine Bar and Fix Restaurant, spacious and sprawling across two rooms, the Wine Bar is decorated in an overwhelmingly brown colour scheme and lit by muted lamp lighting. Unfortunately beyond my (very limited) price-range to sample, The Fix Restaurant, I have been told, does very good food. The menu boasts as showcase[ing] a diverse range of steak dishes, with over eight different cuts.

What’s great about this venue, is that you can eat pretty much anywhere. Although the Fix Restaurant is the classiest option, cheaper pub food is available within both the Liber Lounge and Marble Bar.

One gripe: the railing on the main stairwell between the ground level and the Liber Lounge has a break in it midflight so you need to watch your step.

There is an ATM on site plus pokies and being in the CBD there’s a range of food options available beyond the Port Office including a 24-hour Pie Face just down Edward Street.There’s no cover charge at the Port Office, so if you’re looking for a relaxed night out, without breaking the bank the P/O is definitely worth a visit!



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