This restaurant is not fancy decor but if you want a great German meal then check it out…read more Prices are reasonable for the serving sizes. Can't go past the schnitzel and you must try the apple strudel desert with cinnamon ice cream. It's a winner.

new owner who don't understand authentic Austrian food. no…read moreflavour not cooked or presented well. I'd prefer to stay at home and eat cornflakes.

The Buddha Belly, set in leafy Terry Hills, confounds me every time. Descriptions of its physical…read moresetting - lots of beautiful wooden Thai furniture, greenery all around, a pond filled with giant fish - fills me with pseudo-hippy pleasure. The descriptions of the food on the menu speak to me personally - Barbequed Duck with Stir-Fried Asian Greens, Thai Coconut Curry, Lime Milkshakes - as the stuff dreams are made of. The staff is purely young, good lookin' fellas. I want to love it; on an intellectual level, I do love it. But every time I go, the reality serves to disappoint. The settings are as ethereal and beautiful as they sound; just off frantic Mona Vale Road, the Buddha Belly does a remarkable job at maintaining tranquility no matter the traffic. But the food - always, always, always I am disappointed. The flavours are average; as my companion put it "It's nice. But you could eat just as well at Terrey Hills Tavern." The amount of pleasure that I derive from my slow-cooked Pork Belly is disproportionate to it's $30 price tag. My companion feels the same about her similarly-priced duck. Although beautifully presented, I am not impressed by the unnecessary use of a deep dish with a knife and fork - eating out is meant be enjoyable, not a task. The settings are beautiful; the service high-quality - if only the food was as good as everything else. Maybe a better choice for a coffee?

Buddha Belly is back - After a lengthy close down period (fire) and rebuild I finally ventured back…read more Smaller than the previous configuration, the food is still the dominant influence of why you could come Open for breakfast lunch and dinner this is worth a trip to I took on the Nasi Goreng - full of flavour and you could also most be fooled into thinking you were in an Indonesia - well done

Exceptional service, vintage decor, spacious and delicious food. We went for Mother's Day and…read moretables were reserved everywhere. We tried our luck and went there without a reservation. The guy that greeted us and the staff were all amazing! They found us a free table and managed to make an extra table for a family coming in behind us. Will be back.

My relationship with the Happy Wombat began when I stayed at the Quest for a work trip in…read moreNewcastle. I began with the "Daddy Wombat" - a 400g grass fed rib eye. The steak was tender and the polenta chips and beans matched perfectly. After leaving dinner, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Quest Hotel provides a chargeback service with the Wombat, and breakfast would be served in this pub. I woke up the next morning without the highest expectations. Steak was a safe bet at a pub, but gormet breakfast at a pub is more unusual than seeing a real wombat in the streets of Newcastle. Breakfast at this "pub" was fantastic. In the morning you're greeted by friendly staff, fantastic coffee and a good breakfast selection. My only annoyance was that breakfast is not served until 7:30AM, which is late for an early-morning person. After leaving the Quest, I have not left The Wombat. I'm in the 8th week of my "short" visit to Newcastle, and I buy a coffee from the Wombat daily. I tend to have dinner at least once a week, and my office has had 2 small functions in this restaurant since the first day of my visit. I leave Newcastle this week, and it only seemed fitting that I had my going away dinner at The Wombat.

Expectation is only ever going to land you in trouble. We'd been meaning to try The Hop Factory…read moreduring our last two visits to Newcastle and on the hottest day in November for the past five years, we figured it was as good a time as any. But oh expectation. Having crushed on Hop's typography and branding for so long the actual experience left me firmly sitting on the fence. If craft beer floats your boat you'll probably find a few drops to indulge with here. The selection was quite great for a beginner. The menu is US-influenced diner food with a dash of Aussie casual aires and graces. Our lunch time special cheese burgers on a brioche bun were a tidy $12 ($3 extra for the one gluten free burger). This is a burger easily held and consumed in one hand. No spillage. Let's call it the compact cheeseburger. It was all a little pedestrian for my liking and could have been something special with the addition of pickles. Maybe I've got to stop holding all burgers against the cheeseburger at Gerard's Bar in Brisbane. In any case, should you be wanting a place to eat suitable for all budgets, for all the family from your meat-and-three-veg loving Uncle Reg to somewhere for a lads night out then take a gander at Hops Factory on Darby St.

Amazing Thai beef salad and rump steak, but prob not the key reason to visit. With 16 taps that…read morerotate, it's a beer lover's awesomeness. Good priced drinks and enough selection for anyone (even if you're not a beer lover) this is a cool venue to just chill in. No pretension, great service... would love to come again!!

It looks as if the further out from the city you go the better the pub accomodation becomes. Well,…read moreI can only describe it based upon this one particular pub, but I have to say that I was really impressed. The rooms were comfortable, and I got a really good nights sleep. Okay, checkin was a bit annoying, but that was because I ended up here pretty early, and they don't do check-in until the afternoon. Still, the pub was pretty nice, the service excellent, and the rooms really comfortable.

The best cheesy sweet chilli bread, my steak was great and cooked perfectly, staff are very…read morefriendly, have been back again already. Dining area was very good with the green roof (jasmines etc)

This summer what'll you have?A tumeric latte, iced coffee, cold pressed juice? Decked out in…read morerecycled wood with style, lounge in the funky courtyard amongst the garden with your four legged friends & explore the delicious & nourishing plant based menu.Let the awesome team at P&P prepare for you the cauliflower & hazelnut salad, fresh & nutty and the mushroom pesto extravaganza dish which was delectable.But make sure you have room for dessert, the pancakes with berries & Chai/coconut whipped cream were fluffy perfection and we even snuck in a sneaky caramel slice too!

I've been here a few times now. The staff are always so friendly and efficient. The food has that…read morehome made look and taste that I love. Vegan and vegetarian options are a welcome change to other cafes. Coffee is really smooth. Would highly recommend it.

Delicious. Fantastic. Superb…read more Maybe a little overpriced, but good LORD the FOOD! It's just so GOOD! The Cubano was the best Cuban sandwich I've had outside of Florida. Take it from someone who lived in Tampa & ate Cuban sandwiches at LEAST once a week -- this place does them proper justice. The jalapeños are an inauthentic but totally welcome addition. The cheese is melted just right, the sandwich is pressed beautifully, & the mustard - it's just right; not too much or too little. My partner's chimmichurri steak was to die for. The thick slab of meat that any lesser cook would have undercooked or burnt was a PERFECT medium. & the relish... Delectable. I was torn between wanting to trade because it was that good, & not wanting to let him near my blissfully delicious sandwich. Well worth the price. Next time I find myself in Newcastle I know where I'm getting lunch.

The menu is a little arty, but the food is quite good. I love the coffee here and the service is…read morereally friendly. Sit by the window on a nice day and watch life walk by. I've spent hours here before reading the news and relishing life.

Oh my, huge servings! Believe the staff when they say a meal is for sharing. Pricing is good for…read morewhat you get. Karage chicken is definitely worth a try.

Great variety of drinks (a bit pricey) and some really interesting small plates (a bit salty). We…read morehad buffalo wings and they weren't quite right. A little soft and undercooked. A bit of a shame really. I hope to go back and give it another shot though because I like the concept and the cocktail list is always changing.