An evening deep in dark Daylesford on a frosty winters night, my partner and I on a lovely weekend…read moreaway elected Rubens as our first feasting feat. Though, firstly we were told they were unable to seat us without a reservation on night like this. So away we went and returned when our time came. The interior is sparsely decorated, a pizza oven feature in the main dining area, a beautiful touch, if it functions, I do not know. Clean, contemporary, functional wooden furniture that cleverly compliment the exposed ceiling beams which are common in these parts. The restaurant was bustling and all seemingly enjoying. The serving staff are polite and professional, attentive however there were a few repeated questions, implying there was a lack of communication and/or organisation with front of house, however given how busy Rubens was this night, staff being over attentive is hardly a complaint. We ordered a Margherita, mostly because we couldn't decide on anything else. The ingredients were so fresh and the base was perfect! However, there was a shocking lack of depth to the flavour. Strange especially as one would assume the Napoli sauce base and the basil pesto on this pizza should be house made? All I could taste was sourness. There was a sad excuse for a garnish of grated beets and sparsely scattered roquette- refer to my photo. For $15, in Daylesford, I was disappointed frankly. Now, for one of the two issues that has lead me to to the two stars. I'll admit I made an adjustment to a menu item which is usually a no no however, the concept wasn't that dissimilar to what was already on there. I asked the for Napoli Marinara with Gnocchi instead of the listed spaghetti- why? Because I wanted Gnocchi. Boy, do I regret this order! I expected floury, potato pillows with fresh seafood and rich Napoli sauce. What I got was, sour mash potato marinara soup. Considering the beautiful meals I saw on other tables, I am unsure how my meal turned out this way. I sent it back. They didn't charge me for it. I would have expected an a word from the manager but didn't hear a peep. I was brought a spaghetti with Napoli sauce in place of my meal ($22) is strange to admit I was surprised we were charged for this, considering it is a basic dish chosen to correct an error? You may be surprised to learn, that the sauce was sour. This is the second reason I have come to the two stars, an Italian inspired/style restaurant that can not master red sauce is an embarrassment. To develop complexity and to balance flavour in a basic red sauce, is admittedly something that requires technique and practice, but possibly one of the most important things a chef/cook must learn. The Mango Island cocktail that is quite popular from all accounts, is very decent, strong and sweet, worth a taste if you happen upon Rubens. If..

We had a pleasant evening meal here at Ruben's…read more The starter sharing plate was delicious, as were the donuts for dessert. The pizza left me disappointed though. The base is not made in house and a bit frozen pizza-ish if I'm honest. Not what you want from an Italian restaurant. The toppings were fresh though. The pasta had by our friends was very nice from all accounts. Staff were very nice and very helpful.

Stayed in Kyneton for a few nights and went here. Service was good, nice and friendly staff. Food…read morewas average but the vibe of the place was really good. Kids menu is good. Kids can even make their own bread. Wine is locally sourced. The Pizza and Wine Club was suitable for the whole family.

I'm a regular at this place, both sit in and home delivery. Great pizza, great risotto and the…read morehouse special pasta is excellent. You can order online if you want a home delivery and the staff are always on time and polite. It can get very busy in the restaurant so keep that in mind as it can be quite noisy. Lots of lovely food but I can't comment on the wine as I don't drink it. There is a pretty cool hand gun embedded into the counter top too if you want to see something a little different. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Lovely gourmet pizza restaurant with great appetizers and wonderful specials, and a good wine list…read more Had the best night out and great birthday party with friends. Great option for a meal, particularly nice for this area.

Price is ridiculously expensive. All fried things have suspicious smell and taste, including fried…read morechicken wings, chicken burgers. And guess what? A 24-dollar ham platter is just a small plate of uncooked hams! Also there are flies everywhere. Definitely bad restaurant.

Food was overpriced, tasted awful, and made me physically ill. Service was ok, nothing notable,…read moreambience was fine I guess.

The skinny flat white didn't take long and it tasted all right. It can stand toe-to-toe with what…read moreMelbourne has to offer. Service was quick and we had a couple of choices for our table, so the one next to the fireplace got our vote! #lovefireplaces The menu offers a variety of items for the hungry and the foodies. The seafood chowder was not as creamy as I was hoping for but the taste was fresh and did not disappoint! There could've been another piece of bread but the low carb dieter in me was thankful there wasn't. :)) The home-made lasagne had a generous serving and my pasta-lover wife enjoyed it. And the best dish for us was the Thai-style calamari was perfectly cooked, tender, and flavourful. The salad had a good balance of vegetation and shallots and dressing. The aioli that came with it sealed the deal. We would come back again!

This fare is interesting mix of takeaway food ( though you can eat in) that's your regular corner…read moreshop stuff. Some of it is ok and some if great! An ideal place if you want the kind of stuff you can make yourself at home. Check out the curried sausages they are great! Chicken is good too. Not a bad place and is not trying to compete with the gourmet stuff - just simple fare and if you pick well, tasty too.

Good Galley! Galley…read moreDiner is a no fuss casual dining experience with great burgers, loaded fries and all the food goodness you secretly crave. You wouldn't expect to find this gem in Daylesford, so it's a pleasant unexpected treat! American inspired furnishings that gets the diner feel right, with an amusing Wall of Fire of hot sauce to warm the cockles of your heart. We had the Galley Burger with a beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and house sauce. The loaded fries with Mexican inspired toppings and the Nutella thick shake malt! The Galley Burger was fantastic, fresh ingredients and the patty cooked perfectly. It doesn't make you fall asleep and was a joy to eat. My only criticism, is the house sauce. For some strange reason they barely put enough of it, it's so good and yet, it's like it's not there. It reminds me of the Big Mac sauce if you're looking for a comparison. We remedied this madness with tomato and mustard sauce on the table which made the burger complete (so I recommend making your own concoction using the Wall of Fire too). The loaded fries on the other hand was jam-packed with sour cream, salsa, avocado and cucumber. For $5, this was a steal. A truckload of well cooked, tasty chips that worked so well with the trims. The Nutella thick shake was exactly what the heart desired. Tasty, big, not too sweet and was a complete joy to experience. The wait staff were fast and friendly, couldn't fault the service. There's so many more items on the menu I want to try, from the BBQ pork ribs, to the fried chicken and the calamari rings, but that would be for another time in Daylesford. Some of the pricing can be on the expensive side however. Galley Diner is fantastic, gets the basics right without being pretentious and offers delicious, comfy food the tastebuds crave.

So glad we happened upon this spot. All food cooked fresh…read moreon the premises . Great selection of burgers,fried chicken and corn was great and the caesar salad. Vegetarian goddess burger was amazing . Loved the selection of Moonshine cocktails in mason jars. The 3 of us enjoyed it all.

Fish and Chips - mmmmm. So alas I don't live in Australia and the Fish and Chips in California…read morepubs are woeful. This place is great - fresh and cooked to perfection indeed. Menu is the standard fare, and I had to admit I was wondering where that extra potato cake came from until I read the other review here. To be honest though, steer away from anything in the warming pans, they get a little greasy. But a fresh piece of flake and chips - what a treat! My son and I came here for a quick bite on Tuesday and he was ready to go back by Saturday!

Everyone has their run of the mill, go to fish and chip shop and Blue Sea is mine. It ain't nothin'…read moreflash but it's a good little family run takeaway joint and it's there for you when you need it (unless you're hungry after 9pm). Everything is yellow and cooked to perfection but my favourite thing about this place is that they always, ALWAYS, give you an extra scallop (potato cake for you born and bred Victorians). It seems like such a small thing to get excited about but the fact is they don't have to do it. It's nice to get a little extra (no matter how small that extra is).

Excellent steak with a wonderful special list, nice wine list…read more Speciality cocktail are very popular

I'm going out on a limb here but this place is serving the best burgers in the Macedon Ranges…read more Hands down, delicious decadent burgers that are worth the travel from Melbourne. Having lived in the area for ten years and returned to Melbourne I was almost crying tears of joy at a reasonably well priced and funky venue that has erupted onto Piper St. It's not the usual sandalwood hippy funky seen blossoming then shrivelling into it's own death that we usually see on Piper St. Nor is it the upper class "pub grub" that has taken over this side of town. It's down to earth, honest soul soothing food at a reasonable price. You don't need to be earning the big $$$ to enjoy a meal here. There's burgers and tacos, plus the usual sides. I opted for the smaller Minor Toms burger with fries. $12.50 and I couldn't finish the fries. The whole room was raving about the burgers. The space here is tiny and well utilised. The decor is tex-mex meets country Victorian mountain ranges paintings. With a few inspired day of the dead characters. And it works. It really works. I'll be stopping by here again sometime soon. Real soon.