Robert Burns had been recommended to me by someone who said it had the best paella. Having tried the seafood paella by simply Spanish, I couldn't think it could get any better. I jumped onto the website and was enthralled by the variety of paella on the menu. Rabbit, squid ink, seafood. ... Plus happy hour from 5-7pm I was sold. I quickly made a booking for a Friday evening for two. I arrived there around 6.30 and was offered seating straightaway by the host. There is outdoor seating as well and with it being a beautiful warm day in march, we decided to sit outside. We were told to wait five minutes at the bar while we waited for tables to be cleared. We ordered pisco sours for 10 bucks each and were quickly then ushered to our seats. The outdoor tables are slightly bigger than the indoor ones and there is a slight canopy like covering. It's quite beautiful. Our pisco sours were delicious. We ordered the seafood paella which is 25 per person and two people must get it. Which I think is very pricey. But oh well. We also got the tuna salad. The tuna salad was just some canned tuna with spinach leaves. One quartered tomato, one egg and some cucumber. Nothing special. The seafood paella arrived in a large paella pan with four prawns, some calamari, two mussels, two clams and that was it. Quite disappointing in terms of amount of seafood. The rice was quite chewy, stuck to the base of the pan and tasted quite burnt and dry. Very disappointing. Very overpriced for what we got. Service is great. Venue is great. Drinks are great. Perhaps better for drinks and small bites I think. read more

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This is a cool spot that features a full bar, kitchen, spacious seating both indoor and out. My friend and I sat outside to soak up the warm evening and I was impressed with the cute decor and lighting. Definitely a good date spot! There are happy hour specials on Friday, Pisco sours for $10 were super tasty, beer and wine for $5 and even espresso martinis for $10. We were excited with the Spanish menu, agreeing to share a large tuna and egg green salad and seafood paella. The salad was filling and delicious. A light dressing and fresh ingredients. The paella was over cooked. Rice was too firm and stuck to the pan. Seafood was good and we finished the serving between both of us. Staff were friendly and efficient. I would definitely be back for a drink and some bar food, however they need to work on their signature dish if they want their restaurant as full as the bar. read more

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From the outside the Robert Burns looks like a dirty old man pub (put the emphasise on different parts of those four words for great amusement!). However venture inside and you'll find a chilled out front bar, and a bistro out back which is where I dined last week with a few family members. It feels a little incongruous sitting in what looks and feels like a pub bistro with tartan floor coverings while demolishing bottles of easy-to-drink Spanish wines and plates of sweet jamon, cod croquettes, house made morcilla and slices of excellent quality bread drowning in olive oil. I soon forgot how odd it felt and instead focussed on the quality food and the great conversation that was being had around our table. The service was a little sketchy - a little more assuredness and attention from the floor staff would have been nice - but fortunately the food was so bloody good that I didn't mind (much) that I had to top up our wine glasses or flag them down for bread to dip in the juices left in the pan of our garlic prawns. Those garlic prawns... amazing! The best thing we ate was the Paella. We ordered enough for two as we had wanted to try a number of other dishes, but the four of us easily could have eaten more. Not because it wasn't generous (it really was enough considering the food we had prior) but we're all greedy and we wanted more of that rice interspersed with juicy rabbit and chicken . Next time I'll be ordering the squid ink paella with seafood... and the jamon... and the prawns... oh and probably the morcilla. Damnit, I think I'm destined to always overeat in this faux dirty old man pub! read more

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I love the concept of a pub (or any business for that matter) being named after a poet or writer. The Robert Burns Hotel's nomenclature, you can only assume, is derived from 'The Ploughman Poet', Scotland's Son Robbie Burns. As Burns wrote the new year's eve classic 'Auld Lang Syne', this excites me. It's not as exciting once inside, unfortunately, but it does hold on to this kind of old timey charm and at least isn't run but a pack of insolent wankers that are more concerned with their asymmetrical hair-styles and private conversations than the needs of their patrons. No, The Robert Burns is a pretty friendly kind of place on the verge of Fitzroy sliding into Collingwood. They've taken on this Spanish theme, which I never quite got, and do a tapas menu complete with sangria and watery Spanish beers. They miss the mark in authenticity somewhat, but I give 'em full marks for trying. read more

Robert Burns Hotel - Pubs Near Me - Collingwood, VIC

I don't realise how much I loved paella until I went to Robert Burns, and I think it might be the best one I've ever tasted. I'm a vegan and was told the best paella was a mixture of seared vegetables and fresh seafood but the staff at Robert Burns assured me their veggie paella was awesome. We started with some olive tapenade and pastry hors d'oeuvres which were beyond delicious and washed it down with freshly made margaritas which I ALWAYS enjoy ;) Then the pièce de résistance; a huge sharing frypan of paella which was Incredibly fresh, tasty, and beat of all, home style sharing. Awesome. Pricy but worth it. I've been back since and it never disappoints. read more

Don't let the name of this bar fool you because it is not Scottish, it is actually Spanish. That actually really surprised me when I discovered this because I always though that it was just another of your trendy inner-city pubs. Mind you, it is a bit more classier than your normal pub, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is a bad place. I actally quite like it, namely because of the really friendly and helpful staff. Well, most of them because there was one time that I came in and it took the bartender ages to actually get around to serving me (and it wasn't as if I was dressed badly, because if I was I would have probably been shown the door). Despite that, it is still a cool place to have a couple of drinks, or even satisfy your craving for Spanish food. read more

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Tempranillo with Paella... Are there any more L words for me to drop? The Robert Burns Hotel is such a great find, I first heard about this place when I was looking for someone which showed La Liga Football games. These guys are truly Spanish in everyway, from Spanish Wines to Spanish Beers to Spanish Food and even to Spanish Football. My most recent visit was for dinner with the family and we were spoilt to two types of Paella (Pa-ey-a): Squid Ink, and Chicken & Rabbit. Yum Yum! Was so good, and went so well with the Tempranillo. We also had a meat platter which was ok, but no were near as good as the paella. If you love your spanish food, Robert Burns Hotel is a must! read more

This may be one of my shortest reviews yet. But I have just 7 words for Robert Burns Hotel. Squid Ink Paella. Go there. Eat it! read more

The Robbie Burns Hotel has been doing Spanish food for years and it has always been massively popular. Lately it has been refurbished a bit, and the menu has been updated as well - less options but a greater emphasis on quality. For lunch a few appetisers will do you nicely, and for dinner you can't go past one of the paella options. They also have some very enticing grilled dishes on the menu including rabbit. The outdoor seating area is cosy and stylish. Must eat option - Iberico Ham. Similar to prosciutto but with a softer texture and different, slightly sweeter flavour. read more

The experience was good but with no real wow factor. Best thing might have been the slice of life number 86 tram to get there. What a great trip. The hotel setting doesn't do much for me. It's 70/80s but without retro lift. The croquettes were great but the seafood paella average at best. The wine list we were presented with but clipped but sufficient for purpose. Best thing here was our server. From the Sunshine Coast but with an accent that we couldn't pick. I liked the night but there are better options around. read more

Robert Burns Hotel - Pubs Near Me - Collingwood, VIC

This is the rebirthed Robbie Burns..... The place has had a subtle refit and a total change of pace. Start at the bar... Super beer selection on tap,crafty but not over the top. I had a pint of the 'Sample' gold ale....made just around the corner apparently, and had to have another. The menu is now closer to Italy and has share plates as well as 'don't even think about touching mine' plates. I had the Butlers steak and added fries. Reasonably priced. I'm and ex chef and this is a cut of steak that requires knowledge and finesse. It was cooked and rested perfectly. Done this way it is tender and double the flavour of your favourite cut. The fries came with an added surprise of Truffle Aioli...delicious. With a salad it would be more than adequate for two. Service was professional and efficient. Can't fault it. Two big thumbs up! read more

A Spanish restaurant (and an awesome one at that) in a pub called the Robert Burns Hotel? Whaaaaaa? Believe me, it's true. And it's so so so good. I've been here numerous times and it's been absolutely delicious every time. The selection of Spanish cured meats is always a winner to start with (it's definitely big enough to share). The croquettes and garlic and chilli prawns are also tasty too. But save room - and lots of it - because it's all about the paella here people. The Valencia with rabbit. The seafood. And the squid ink. The squid ink paella is my favourite. Although now I feel bad saying that; like I just announced I had a favourite child. I love them all equally, just the squid ink more equally than others. Service is friendly if a little too casual sometimes. Most of the staff are Spanish so if you close your eyes you can imagine you are on holiday in Spain. Almost..... read more

Mixed bag for service, but fantastic wine list and delicious food! Service can be really slow, and depending on where you're seated, you may get forgotten by the waiters. Aside from that, there is an extensive Spanish wine list, and the guys at the bar sure know their stuff! Ask them about it, and they can make great recommendations. Wish they had mulled wine as well though. The food is delicious! The lamb and steaks are cooked perfectly. Their sausage plate is very very generous (3 large sausages including a whole black pudding - which is more doughy and not as rich as most). The paella (seafood with squid ink) was interesting and delicious. The cured meats are also a treat (though pricey). Haven't had a chance to try their desserts. Would recommend booking, and leaving plenty of time for the meal. Worth the deliciousness! read more

Went to this place for the first time since it reopened. Absolutely top class. Service with a smile and the food is amazing. Hope it keeps up its high standards read more

Was here for a birthday dinner and we were a group of 8.. there was so many things that wrong on the night. Taking our orders was a major hassle and then once the orders were taken the food took about 1.5 hours to be served. We chose the seafood paella and it was dry and rice still undercooked. The sides were great would definitely recommend the potatoes and the goats cheese green beans, but the bad service combined with the quality of the paella I certainly won't be in a hurry to go back there. read more

Lunch yesterday was a fiasco. Nobody available to seat us at 1pm, even though very few patrons. After attempting to get somebody's attention for five minutes, a waitress deigned to seat us. Menus and wine list was whipped away asap, limiting our choices. My food was uninspired, unlike my last visit. Good that I had a glass of Sparkling wine to wash it down, although there was a misunderstanding and we ended up with sparkling water as well. Waitress had no customer service skills; not planning a return visit! read more

It's a little hard to reconcile the name of this Pub with its food speciality - Spanish; however, if you push yourself past that mental barrier it's worth poking your nose in for a meal. Complimentary bread with olive oil is provided once your seated - nice touch. I selected the Rockling Gratinado Con Txangurro - Rockling (more commonly known as Pink Ling) fillet with crabmeat meat and a sweet corn creme (see photo). It was rich and delicious, Rockling is a firm fleshed fish with no bones with a sweetish taste. Didn't quite satisfy my hunger so I should gave ordered a nice salad side to go with - my bad. Unfortunately I came across a few crab shell fragments which detracted a little from my overall enjoyment. Nevertheless, from what I tasted and saw I'm confident these guys have their s... together in the kitchen ( which is in plain view). The RB was on track for 4 from me but their wait service let them down a little - I'm helped myself to a table and it was quite a few minutes before someone acknowledged me and 3 waiters served me at different times - just a little too haphazard and unplanned is all I'm saying - but certainly friendly enough folk. read more

Robert Burns Hotel - Rockling Gratinado Con Txangurro - Rockling (Ling) fillet with crabmeat & a sweet corn creme - Pubs Near Me - Collingwood, VIC

Felt like Spanish today....... and what a choice it was at the Robbie Burns!! Perfect paella accompanied by some tasty sides. The strawberryMohitos are to die for and don't get me talking about the entrees!! The staff are like mummies fussing over their kids. OMG! Enough said! read more

Was there for a 40th birthday party. We sat in a lovely little nook on the side of the bar next to fireplace and wine cellar. Such a wonderful atmosphere and friendly and attentive staff! You must try squid ink paella and baby calamari - will blow your mind!!! Delicious and affordable Spanish wine list. Already planning my return :) read more

Great Spanish food, really enjoyed Sunday lunch here. Croquettes and the octopus as well as the lamb ribs were so tasty and perfect to share. Shared 2 types of paella - seafood as well as chicken and rabbit one, both tasted amazing - although the seafood one was a little on the salty side. Tried the salmon special of the day but unfortunately it was over cooked. Staff were very friendly and helpful and overall an enjoyable experience. read more

Nice atmosphere on the back patio w/ great happy hour deals. Yummy drinks and snacks! Friendly staff and good service.