The Shire Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Dubbo

After reading previous reviews we were nervous that perhaps our nostalgia for Hoggies had been blurred by the golden lens of childhood and that maybe, reality would meet us with a harsh slap to remind us that the world of adults is one of constant disappointment.

We were pleased to discover that just this once, our high hopes were confirmed as we were met with the warmth and smiles of the wonderful staff at Dubbo Hogs Breath Cafe.

We were seated promptly and waited on by a lovely woman who checked repeatedly if we were ready and not once did we have to wave anyone down or wait for service.

We had a mix up with our chips order not realise our burgers would already come with chips and our waiter rushed to the kitchen to catch the chef and let them know of our change it decision to have onion rings which I might add were crisp, fresh and wonderful! The ranch dressing was also delicious however it was unfortunate that you had to pay extra for the sauces when most places would include them at no additional cost.

Our burgers were delivered quickly and with an fairly good serving of curly fries which were delightfully reminiscent of cute little hog tails, although the presentation of them looked a little sparse on the large plate but were sufficient, hot and crispy.

The vegan burger reminded one of fish and chip shop fare - starchy potato based pattie with a smattering of sweet chilli sauce - but we were grateful to find a cruelty free option in a country town and commend Hoggies for their efforts.

Personally although I do support an ethical lifestyle lack self control and so I went with the BBQ brisket burger which looked good and had a good coleslaw crunch, a nice simple authentic style burger although the quality of the meat was lacking slightly and I would’ve liked a richer BBQ sauce, it felt slightly lacking in punch.

The decor provided great entertainment with some fun rock relics from the grunge era gone by as well as some great hog related ephemera!

All in all a pretty pleasant dining experience after our long trip from Bendigo, we would only say that the score would be higher if the items weren’t quite overpriced for what we received.

PS we, like other diners in the reviews were asked to head out the side door, however it felt quite cool as if we were Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco in Goodfellas being whisked past the kitchen like VIPs. Quite the...

Very bland. Used to go there when Hogs Breath. Good meals but expensive for what they were.

With Hogs franchisees going belly up losing thier homes Forster etc Forster gone, Canberra gone, Castle Hill gone, Parramatta gone, Darling Harbour gone, Bondi gone, Wagga Wagga gone and the list goes on, the only people at Hogs Breath getting rich were Don Algie. $75k for shop fit out before you turn a dollar if you're lucky. Not surprising this place has had the good sense to bail out of the Hogs franchise and turn it into 100% profit. Meals and deserts were uninspiring. Female host very rigid and stiff lipped. Not friendly/sociable or on for a chat. Mentioning Hogs was like mentioning the war. Don't mention Hogs. 🙄🤣

Sirloin gristly and chewy. It was OK and price was almost reasonable. Waffle and banana desert very uninspiring. Go for a nice banana split or develop the waffle idea. Laid out on a huge plate in a boring sparsely laid out manner making the plate look empty and uninspiring and uappetising fashion. Banana cut into slices. Omg. Design something that blows...

Came in after a 13 hour drive to get a feed and to say we were disappointed is an understatement. My chicken burger was smaller than a $3 chicken n mayo from HJs. My dads fish and chips as well as my partners pizza were definitely just frozen ones you can get at woolies. Would not recommend!

Editing this review since I can't reply to the owners comment. Your comment alone shows that you know you offered badly made cheap food. The fish was soggy with oil and disgusting. It was genuinely frozen fish that had a bath in oil after it was cooked. And yes, I assumed the pizza was frozen pizza it was the worst one any of us had ever eaten. I'm sure you could tell how bad both the dishes were just by looking at the photos. Not once were we asked if the food was good after we received it, so I'm not sure when we were meant to bring it up with staff? Maybe expectations for food in Dubbo aren't high, but I wouldn't eat from your place if I was paid to. Also, I removed tomato from my burger so maybe if that's what separates you from a cheap fast food burger maybe you should rethink...