Absolutely horrible experience, if I were you I would avoid this place at all costs. It's over…read moreexpensive, very low quality food and completely arrogant waiters and ground staff. My recommendation for those who are reading this keep going to anabay or salamander Bay and hit up the taverns there. They have amazing food. Brilliant service and a stunning atmosphere. Now for the full details. We came in on bikes being a beautiful day. Thought we'd stop in for lunch and a beer. We parked the bikes in the shade. There were no signs saying do not park here or staff parking only, it was open slather. So we walked up and found a table in the shade, it was already 32° C and will feeling the heat and very keen for a beer. After sitting down, ordering a beer, settling in and ordering our food. We were then told by one of the staff members who bought my dish out (I'll get to that shortly) That we had to move because the table was already booked. If there was something clearly saying that the table was reserved we wouldn't have sat there in the first place. However, it wasn't clear so we had no idea. This waitress, french-speaking lady, then took my food away and told us we had to relocate to another table. Finally, after finding another table in the shade, we all sat down and my so-called crispy pork belly was served in front of me. Now this dish is $23 and it had a handful of pork belly and a very little amount of what they thought was pineapple salad I think. The pork belly was like chewing gum. It was flavorless, far from crispy and a big challenge to eat. My mate who was with me was Kane on the prawns and salad. This dish was $28 and it came with three prawns including the heads which were already cut off and three pieces of green rocket I think. Locally you can pick up half a kilo of tiger prawns for about $20. My mate went and said something about the meal because he was completely disgusted at the price and the value in which we were sort of compensated for. I'm leaving. We've come down to our $30,000 bikes to find them being watered and covered in bore water from a sprinkler that wasn't there when we arrived. This was the straw that broke the camel's back, the staff were notified and some very large overweight middle-aged individual in a high-vis vest came down and whinged to us saying that we shouldn't have parked there. I asked him to show me where the signage says "no parking" But there wasn't one because someone had taken it down well before we had arrived. So I explained to this individual that it was not our problem and this looked like parking for customers. Now I'm a local, I live 15 minutes from this place and the four occasions I've been here over the last 12 months. I've not had any luck with the service or the food quality. If it was my choice we would have moved to Salamander Bay or Anna Bay where there are two amazing taverns with much better food quality and outstanding service. The staff here just did not care about their service or the issues with saturating our $30,000 motorbikes in bore water. Don't come here, it's over expensive and the food quality is well below average. You won't leave here with a smile on your face, I was totally disgusted and I can assure you I will never return. I'm hoping you've read this review in full and seriously reconsider where you are going for lunch, this place had so much potential back in the day, but it is completely failing right now, it's failing the locality and the reputation of this amazing area that we live in.

We spotted Murray's Brewery along the road on the way to Port Stephens. On the way back, we decided…read moremake a pit stop for some food and drinks. There's also a winery on the premises, Port Stephens Winery. We dropped in on an early Saturday evening (around 6:00pm). The layout is quite nice with a beautiful view of the vineyards in the background and plenty of outdoor seating. The menu is quite massive with beer snacks, sides to share, lighter meals & salads, burgers, pizzas, BBQ, cheese platters and sweet treats. There also was a small gelato case inside. There's the usual merchandise with other random touristy nicknacks for sale. - Beer tasting paddle ($23.00 AUD for 6) - this is pretty pricey but you do get 6 samples that are 200ml each. The unfortunate thing is that they don't let you choose what you want. Never been to a brewery before where you didn't have the option. Lame! There's about 10 flavours on tap. The best one we tried in our sampler was the east coast lager and dark knight porter style. Rest were pretty unmemorable. - Crispy pork belly bites ($15.00 AUD) - came with red wined braised cabbage and macerated apple. You get 6 pieces of pork belly. The apple sauce was a nice combination and the cabbage was tasty. Pretty great for sharing. - Sweet potato wedges ($12.00 AUD) - came with a side of sour cream and sweet chili sauce. The wedges were quite chunky but needed to be way more crispy. Decent stopover. Food was better than expected but wasn't too impressed with their beer offerings.

Parramatta keeps growing upwards & outwards at an amazing rate but while there is plenty of great…read morerestaurants, cafes & enough bars that you'll never go thirsty it has been missing small bars that you expect in urban metropolis areas and now after much talk the wait is finally over. Uncle Kurt's is a tiny one room cocktail dive bar in a back alley under a multistorey carpark just across from the old Parramatta Mall not far from the old Roxy. They've gone with a New York theme with heavily graffitied walls, hip hop beats & deli style sandwiches, meats & jaffles. The cocktail list is split into 3 sections of classics, modern & creamy all coming in a shade under $20 a pop created by genuine experienced mixologists. If cocktails aren't your go they also have a mixture of craft beers, a variety of wine & of course straight up spirits. Staff are all friendly, knowledgeable & happy to help.

I have always walked past this place since it first opened and tonight I finally went in after…read morework. Oh my I loved it. Tried out a cocktail called the "first date" very worth it. The people the music the food and the drinks are awesome! Must try this place if you wanna have a good cocktail and a small bit to eat. Had the Reuben sandwich and gosh I could have another one it was that good. They are open late but it was a saturday night till midnight and kitchen closed at like 11:30pm but I dont know about the other nights are like. Anyway totally worth it.

Happy to see a massive improvement with the pretzels. Last time they were quite dark and extremely…read morechewy. This time they were much lighter; in colour and texture. Easy to pull apart and the delicious flavour I love and expect from a warm pretzel. I took advantage of the $12 Wednesday schnitzel deal; ordering the Southern consisting of perfectly fried chicken, a light coleslaw, well seasoned crispy chips and 2 sauces. I wasn't expecting a big meal due to the specials price tag but it was more than generous. I came close but couldn't finish. My husband was underwhelmed with his burger and it did look sad compared to the schnitzel. More like a kids cheeseburger than a main menu item. He ordered a beer which had to be swapped for another as the keg needed changing, but the waitress was apologetic and he was happy to pick something else. It was easy to leave once we were finished as it had already been settled using the code on the table to order and pay. Coming in school holidays as a couple with no kids may not be advised. My husband was hit a few times by a rogue ping pong ball and the arcade games are noisy. Great for keeping the kids entertained. A little hypocritical of me though as I indulged in a few rounds of shooting hoops.

A nice addition to the Charlestown outside eating area. I…read morethink the Wednesday all u can eat meat will be a hit ;)

I can't think of a better way to forgot the 2019 election than to stuff myself silly with beer,…read morepretzels and sausage! My partner and I chanced dinner without a reservation (with our backup burger plan already established), and I thought we'd be turned away but luckily it was just the two of us. This meant being confined to the window seats and ordering at the bar rather than table service but that's a small price to pay. People sitting on the other side were tastefully blocked by a partition of greenery which still allowed a degree of privacy. The place was abuzz with conversation, laughter and music so it was loud but not annoyingly so. After a good peruse over the menu; featuring schnitzels, pork knuckle and sausages to name a few, we settled on the Haus made pretzel, Texan schnitzel for my partner and the Bavarian tasting platter for me. We both LOVE warm pretzels with butter and these certainly did not disappoint. I could eat them all day! The schnitzel was a large portion my partner ultimately couldn't finish. The platter consisting of pork belly, sausages and schnitzel is a great introduction to the menu but also tested my stomach capacity. Washing it down with 500mls of Lowenbrau didn't help but it felt necessary for an authentic experience. Menu is on the expensive side but for an occasional splurge I don't think it will hurt. I certainly intend on returning and with a second one opening closer to home it has been made that much more tempting.

We checked out the restaurants on either side of the street and this place won as it was the only…read moreplace with the door shut as it is about 40 outside. The aircon worked and the lemon lime and bitters was prepared in a wierd way but was still good. BUT, on the ground floor there are only three low tables but plenty of bar tables. I am not athletic enough for a bar chair so it too a couple of goes before I mounted it. Plenty of TVs show the racing if you have a bet. Only sport was the replay of the NRL. There are no visible machines so I think you could bring in kids but I wouldn't as the locals who inhabit the bar are loud and the vocab leaves a lot to be desired.

I've only been here for lunch but I've done that enough times that I really should add a review…read more The Crown was totally refurbished recently having changed names from the old One World Sports Bar. Its a basic bar with a big pokies area at the back, nightclub upstairs, and dining area at the front with bi fold windows opening out onto Church Street. The lunch special is really what draws me in veery time. For $12 you can get a range of meals with a beer - that's pretty good value even among all the Church St restaurants competing for the lunch crowds attention. I usually grab the steak and blue cheese sauce with salad and chips. Its a decent size meal and the blue cheese sauce is amazing. Just a hint though - order your steak a bit more cooked what what you would usually order. I like rare to medium so I order medium. They tend to under cook them a bit. The only downside is that you can't swap the beer for another drink and a glass of coke is about $4 so you may as well enjoy the beer! But that aside its a great lunch spot and for $12 for a meal and a beer you can't go wrong!

There's a lot of style over substance in the restaurant. It's an American Ranch style smoke house…read more Like most restaurants that start up in the central coast its minimalistic in design and menu. The atmosphere has a sense of tension, the feeling you get when you want a restaurant to surprise you with good food, drinks and price, unfortunately SOW doesn't do any of them very well. The menu in the US can be found at most road side truck stops, nothing new here only that it's slightly misplaced in Umina. Not that it shouldn't be there it's just that because of the prices of the food and drink I can't seem to believe they'll have a loyal customer base. Well not all year round. I'm surprised given the location and the cost of rents in the area they couldn't be more generous with either the servings or the prices. In fact the restaurant is far more suited to Surry Hills, and charges the same prices. There's only one healthy option on the menu an ode to vegetarians, but without any enthusiasm and priced as the most expensive, it would seem they were trying to avoid the subject. Being so close to the coast and a fishing wharf I'm surprised there is no fish on the menu smoked or not. The drinks menu is interesting and leans towards the craft beers and cocktails. The wine list is appalling and unnecessarily slim. A glass of average wine at $11.00 it's cheaper to drink in Surry Hills. Overall it's a bar that wants to be a restaurant that wants to be a bar but probably can't because of licensing. I'd definitely go back for a drink and bar snack if they reviewed their pricing. In fact it's close to being the go to place, if they could get it right and find their appropriate audience for the location. The service was good, attentive and appropriate.

It great to see this sort of place bringing southern diner US diner food to the southern central…read morecoast! We came for brunch on a Sunday and started with blueberry pancakes and coffee. The pancakes were sweet and well balanced with mascarpone! The coffee was smooth and the service friendly. We followed sweets with a brisket Rueben burger, poutine tater tots and a pumpkin salad for balance. Being a brisket lover I have high standards and this brisket measure up nicely; succulent, tasty and juicy. The salad was tasty but a few more options in the salad department would be nice(fennel citrus???). We devoured the poutine taters in no time, dripping in tasty house gravy and mozzarella. The hero of the meal was the brisket in my book, washed down nicely with a golden ale. If you enjoy southern US diner food, then you won't be disappointed with sounds on west, the jukebox tunes add to the charm! And they stock Henry's gin from distillery botanica in Erina. Great stuff.

I've found out that pubs in Australia seem to be a step up from the pubs I go to in the US. The…read moreCommercial Hotel in Morpeth did not disappoint! Friendly atmosphere, live music, good beer and food made for a fun afternoon. Good selection of tasty beers brewed onsite! You can get a paddle of beer (four large tasters) for $15. These were not the small tasters I've had in the states. Live music the entire time we were there. Seemed there were a bunch of locals sitting around the table playing different instruments. I don't think they ever took a break. Food was great and reasonably priced. I had a T-bone with a tasty pepper gravy, along with salad and chips. It was very tasty. We were thing about getting dessert but the kitchen was closed by the time we were done. (They close for a little while between lunch and dinner) It was busy the entire time we were there. Fun atmosphere and good drinks and food makes the Commercial Hotel a great place to stop.

Hotel in the heart of Morpeth! Open til 6am wow! probably not the best thing the night before a…read morefriends wedding I got a charcuterie plate with prosciutto, salami, fetta, Olives, bread and beetroots. Hubby got a steak, chips and veges. My friend got a beautifully prepared rocket, walnut and prawn salad. Nice meals all round. Prices are reasonable. Good area upstairs to sit, that is warm and quaint. A range of starters and mains and desserts too. Check it out in when in morpe

Ate dinner here three nights in a row and the food was always a great standard and super fast…read more Staff are terrific too. Recommend

"Tuck in mate" is what it says in the beer garden, so we sure as hell tucked in !! We tucked into…read morethe salmon, we most certainly tucked into the schnitty, a little bruschetta and a lotta salad made for such a great afternoon thowing back a few. The country club is part of the Shoal Bay Resort and although its nothing great to look at from the outside, walk through those wrought iron gates and your mind will soon change.. Its all about the beer garden and the upstairs function area (I think it's a function area - there was a wedding at the time so we weren't able to check it out). I'd imagine the view up there would be magic !! A visit to Shoal Bay wouldn't be complete without at least one drink in this beer garden. I only wish this place was a little more "open" to the ocean but despite feeling the need to protect its customers from the breeze and the sand, it's a great spot to sit back, talk about owning a place like this along some part of the NSW coast (as you do) and enjoy a few with your besties.

Food was good Environment at night just a little scary…read more Overall it was a nice experience

The Settler's Tavern, located in West Gosford is in a business and urban area, visited by plenty of…read morelocals keen for a good pub feed and enjoying a catch up with mates. It's a big pub with a large indoor dining area and bistro, outdoor beer garden and TAB facilities. It's recently seen renovations with leather couches, hip stylish cushions and some cool art. Soon to be We enjoyed lunch in the bistro and found the menu to have a good range of entrees, burgers, pizza, salad and sides. The Szechuan Pepper Squid the ideal stater, the squid nice and tender, with a light and slightly crisp batter, the dish nicely seasoned with Szechuan Chilli and coriander, this also comes with aioli and a lemon wedge which add even more flavour. They also have lunch and dinner specials highlighted on the board. We were impressed with the lunch special, a steamed barramundi parcel, flavoured with lemon and chili and it was cooked perfectly. It was served with green beans and crispy chat potatoes. We also loved their house crumbed buttermilk chicken schnitzel and you can select a few different toppings. We opted for the Parmigana, the schnitty affectionately known as a Parmi, everyone's favourite. The Settlers version was a solid portion of succulent juicy fried chicken, topped with a tasty Napoli style tomato sauce which was covered with some quality melted mozzarella cheese. This was a quality pub feed indeed. This, and all schnitzels come served with your choice of chips & salad or seasonal veg & garlic mashed potato. As a side we shared a salad - the Warm Pumpkin, Fetta & toasted Walnut Salad - complete with baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, dukkha, tossed in garlic vinaigrette. This is a gluten free and vegan dish but you can add chicken or squid to it. The flavours on this were lovely and it was presented well too.

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)