The Union Inverell — Restaurant in Inverell

Sat down to a dirty table with a glass stuck on it so hard that I could lift the table slightly off the floor... and the floor had food, soggy napkins, and something oily on it. No apology when I asked for it to be cleaned.

We weren't offered any table water (we had to ask), and although the waitress had come to take our order when I asked about cleaning the floor, she didn't come back to ask for our order again for several minutes.

Despite only one other table being occupied (and already eating their meals) when we ordered, our food took about 25 minutes to come out. The garlic bread came out last (about five minutes after mains) and was probably the most bland I've ever tasted, but the other meals were quite nice.

Every meal was given to the wrong person (just dumped on the table) because we were never asked whose was whose - a minor thing, but representative of the overall subpar service. Though they did provide extra sauce for chips without question or charge, and the staff were in the lower realm of friendly.

Lastly, the overall presentation and cleanliness of the facilities left a bit to be desired. The mens' bathroom had no paper towels, the light switches and doors were absolutely filthy, and everything just looked a bit run down. Even the walls in the dining area had missing paint in various places.

The background music was appropriate and classy, so that was one other positive.

Overall, the price was fair for the quality of the meals, but the service and facilities were somewhat below...

The food and wine were pretty good but significantly different to what was described in the menu.

My partner ordered “wild caught salmon with pepperonatta, broccolini with capers and antibois sauce” and what came out was salmon with steamed carrots and green beans and a side of béchamel. I also ordered chicken with rosti and seasonal greens and I got the same carrots and beans and some steamed potatoes. No rosti apparent.

I mentioned to the waitress that the dishes weren’t as advertised and she said they always look like this, and what menu had I read? I said the one you gave us. There was no follow up on our concern. When we mentioned it again at check out it was clear that we weren’t the first to make this complaint but that management is doing nothing.

Also our drinks got forgotten and we had to ask twice which I usually wouldn’t care about but added to the (less than great) customer service experience.

Be careful what you order… Overall the food was well cooked, the kitchen is doing a good job, but the menu is misleading, and ultimately isn’t delivering the value advertised. Carrots and beans shouldn’t be the same price as broccolini and peppers.

Overall it’s not bad, but it doesn’t represent good value or good service. The staff are nice enough but management is letting the team down by not simply updating the menu. And honestly, the prices. Don’t present yourself as gourmet when you are serving pretty...

Hmmm - sorry Union, I'm not at all a negative person but our experience this evening was less than average and not what we were expecting, having been given a recommendation to dine with you by our hotelier. Marguerita - 4/10 - I watched the bar guy shake it & wifeys expectations were high - no oomph to it & it was clear looking & glass not full - no egg white. Queried the bar guy but he didn't get it. Draft beer was good. Scallops starter - 3/10 - could have been cardboard..

Our main course Rump & Scotch fillets both looked the same - they tasted great but the accompanying pepper and red wine sauces weren't at all good - supermarket maybe?

Finally the 2 glasses of red! You have a weird wine list - it lists Shiraz, Cab Sav or Durif, but which brand? We asked the bar guy for "top shelf" - and were shown Angoves bottles with gold stars but what was served to us? I left half my glass of Durif on the table as didn't go much on its vinegar taste. Went to pay & the bar guy said he would take it off the bill but he lied, and we paid $7 for that vinegar. $140 for a lousy...