THE BEER GARDEN IN TOOWOOMBA
SUN WHEN YOU WANT IT, A ROOF WHEN YOU DON'T
Toowoomba sits high enough to have opinions about the weather. A beautiful winter afternoon can turn into a cold night in about twenty minutes, and a summer storm will roll through just as the first round lands. A beer garden up here needs a plan for all of it.
Heating and a roof that moves
Ours is downstairs with its own private entry off Ruthven Street, and it has heating for the cold months and a retractable roof for the rest. Open when it's glorious, closed when it isn't, and warm either way. That's the whole point, and it's why it gets used all year rather than for six weeks in spring.
Good for a couple, good for a crowd
Wander in for a quick one after work and there's room at a table without a booking. Bring a group and it takes 40 to 80 people for a function, which suits a birthday, an engagement or a work knock off that grew legs. Book ahead for the bigger ones and we'll set it up for you.
What to drink
There are 20 beers on tap, a wine list that leans towards single vineyard makers rather than the usual suspects, and cocktails poured all day. If you're after something without alcohol, the mocktail list runs from a coco colada to a pink grapefruit mojito.
What to eat
The full menu comes out to the beer garden, so it's pizzas, wings, arancini and calamari in the afternoon, then the proper dinner menu from 5:30pm. The snack menu runs 2pm to 6pm Wednesday to Sunday, which is the sweet spot for a long afternoon.
Carnival season
Spring in Toowoomba means the Carnival of Flowers, and the beer garden fills up fast on those weekends. Book a table if you're planning around the parade or the gardens, because walking in at midday in September is optimistic.