Review: Eat Street Markets, Brisbane

Last Saturday Slicker and I took a trip to the Eat Street Markets. We took the kids (Miss Bumpkin ~ 3yo, Master Bumpkin ~ 1 and Master Slicker ~ 2.5) with us as well as Granny Chappy. Eat Street Markets operate Friday and Saturday nights 4.00-10.00pm at Hamilton Wharf which is off Macarthur Avenue, Hamilton. We arrived about 4.30pm and easily found a park, they have free parking right next door however there are limited spaces, there is also free parking on the street however it's very busy.

Entry is $2 per adult, children under 12 are free. There were a couple of ATMs on site and the line was always LOOOOONG, all the eateries are cash (a couple have eftpos) so I'd suggest you have plenty of cash or enjoy the long line for the ATM. They had a free tea cup ride for children which our kids LOVED and didn't really want to get off. Get in early before the crowds hit so your kids can have a few goes before the line gets too long.

Now onto the food, we all tried the potato slinkys on a stick ($5 each) which are all over Facebook and Instagram, they were delicious and the kids enjoyed them. We all had something different for dinner, I guess the best way to experience Eat Street Markets is for everyone to buy a plate and share so you can try a bit of everything. The food is around $7-$20, hot chips were $7, my main meal was $12 (seafood paella) and drinks were from $2.50 +. The Markets are run out of shipping containers and marquees, there are tables are chairs in the main dining area as well as scattered around the place.  Slicker tried a donut filled with ice cream with a Nutella syringe, WOWEE what a sugar rush, she loved it! The kids and I had a gelati ice cream which was also delicious. After dinner we sat and watched a live band for a little while, it would have been nicer to be at the front so the kids could see but we were late moving from the main dining area so missed a front row seat.

Both Slicker and I indulged in one of the 1 litre iced teas, delish ($7 or $5 refill), definitely a must try! By around 6.00pm it was very busy and hard to push the pram around as well as wrangle two crazy kids so I would definitely suggest getting there early. It is outdoors besides a couple of shade sails so you might have trouble staying dry if the heavens open up. Obviously being outdoors it's not air conditioned but it's generally cool enough by 4.00pm to be comfortable outside.

The food was yummy but to be honest I just felt like it was a big food court and it was hard to contain two toddlers in an open environment with so much to look, see and touch and soo many people to navigate through and around! If you're looking for a relaxing eating experience this is definitely not it but if you like wondering (sometimes through crowds) and looking at different things then this is your cup of (iced) tea!

Happy to tick Eat Street Markets off the bucket list and experience the hype of it all.

#Bumpkin