Hotel Darwin — Restaurant in Darwin City

We took ourselves down to the H.D. on a quiet Tues night. It was an easy walk from where we were staying at the Mantra Pandanas on Knuckey Street.

The security guard at the door was friendly and polite, so that was a good start and as soon as I walked in, I got a pos feeling about this place. It’s large, airy and spacious with a casual, relaxed and laid back vibe. It wasn’t loud or rowdy. Sadly I just missed Happy Hour, which runs from 4-6pm daily, so got hit $8 for a schooner of my fav Great Northern brew.

We ordered our food at the Sports Bar counter, the same place where we got our drinks. Our order taker was efficient and friendly, and it all got sorted in minutes. We took a nice table in the main bistro area indoors. It’s such a cool place, with its original wooden floors and beams and the large wooden counter at the far end. It just reeks of history and nostalgia.

Food came out pretty quickly. I ordered the curry of the day ($22) which was a chicken vindaloo, with rice and a single papadum perched in the middle of the dish. It was fresh and tasty, with a fragrant and aromatic flavour. My wife was not as lucky. She ordered the mixed vegetarian medley ($20), with haloumi. It was a tiny dish, just a simple assortment of vegetables with a sprinkling of dark vinegar sauce. It was way too small for the hefty price tag. My wife complained to the server, but nothing could be done, she said. That was the dish, and it was too bad if it was small. So that kinda spoiled things a bit for us.

My advice is that it’s probably best to stick to the daily specials, and you’ll notice that there’s pretty much one every day of the week.

We ended up paying a hefty $54 for a single schooner, a cold drink, curry of the day and the very small mixed vegetable ensemble. Welcome to life in a so-called “low inflation” environment! Are you kidding me?

At the far corner near the toilets is an interesting display of historical photographs of the hotel and Darwin life in the 40 and 50s. It’s definitely worth spending a few minutes to...

Attended on Thursday for a work Luncheon. Have been before and food has always been great. My beer was expensive but comparable to other venues in the city, $9.50 for a Cooper's Mid. The bartender was friendly and welcoming. I always make a point of trying the burgers in any city I am visiting, as well as in my home town, today it was time to try The Hotel Darwin's. When my order arrived to the table, the reaction was definitely not "Wow, can't wait to hook into that!". Bland looking burger, chips, white plate, no sauce, no garnish. Did not taste bad, did not taste good. Filled the gap and that was it. A packet patty cooked as well as it could be cooked. The chef could not make this taste any better than it did. It was indeed what it was. I finished my meal and every last chip on the plate, they were nice and definitely couldn't be faulted. Deep fried to perfection. Now, if I am walking out of a bar without feeling like I need to be back again for their signature burger then that is a missed market. With other venues in Darwin city and the foreshore areas capitalising on the idea of a killer homemade style burger, The Hotel Darwin are really doing themselves an injustice in this instance and need to...

I checked out Hotel Darwin on Sunday for lunch. My first impression was somewhat hesitant as its situated on the corner, not much of street appeal. However, I was taken back once inside. Beautiful clean dark timber floor, appealing timber bar, plenty of tables & chairs. It was clean and fresh unlike some pubs I have been in the past was untidy and had sticky dirty floor. Sirloin steak I had was cooked perfectly, accompanied with chips & salad for $19. It was delicious. Service by bar staff & wait staff were attenuative & friendly. I was very impressed with this establishment. Well done. I couldn't help myself but to check out the rib special for $19 on Monday night. It was the best rib meal i had for long time. It was full of meat & bones just slid off from the meat, so full. Delicious. Complement to the chef...