Campground Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

I absolutely LOVE wood-fired pizza. This is a great concept but poorly executed.

I had visited on Saturday 11th, which was the week of their opening, and was not able to be seated as they said they were fully booked out which is completely fair. So I immediately made a booking for the following next Saturday 18th, 6:30pm for a party of 2. Approximately 1 hour before my booking, I get a confirmation message saying my booking is at 7pm which was then followed by a direct text message from one of their team members that my booking had to be moved to an even later time of 7:15pm because their booking system did not leave enough times in between seatings. I responded to confirm that my original booking time was 6:30pm and I expect to be seated at 6:45pm the absolute latest as the new time was much later than my booked time + I made the booking 1 week prior since I was not able to be seated that week as well. They were instantly able to provide my 6:30pm seating back but at the pizza bar bench section (which was tiny) although there were empty tables throughout my entire time there. I understand those tables would have been reserved already but if they were empty the entire time then we could’ve been seated there especially if it’s just 2 people. We arrived and was guided to our seats but the chairs weren’t even ready yet (it was stored with baby high chairs) so I assume it was a bench that they don’t usually seat people and they had quickly just put us there because I wanted my original 6:30pm booking.

Moving forward, staff on both occasions were very friendly. Food came out surprisingly very fast; within 15 minutes. However, the food itself - a disappointment. Very stingy on the toppings. I usually love eating the crust and never leave it behind but for this I had to because the entire thing felt like just eating bread itself. It lacked flavour and was incredibly mediocre. But the main reason we were put off is that there was a lot of smeared specks of charcoal throughout the whole base underneath the pizzas. Every bite was bitter and burnt tasting. We thought we were the only ones experiencing this but another reviewer had also mentioned this. The arancini balls were large and crispy but also lacked character as it was just a plain, fried, cheesy rice ball with no other flavours or seasonings.

Having the ice cream stall and camping games is incredibly wholesome. But situated right at the front of the entrance where people have to line up and constantly go in and out is a bit of a nuisance. Especially packed full of kids that are constantly running around everywhere and everyone is just blocking the path.

I would say I’m disappointed as I had higher expectations since they have been in business for a decade with their food truck. With prices matching many big named Italian restaurants that produce impeccable quality wood-fired pizzas, this was no where close to being equivalent. I was really hoping this would be a local gem for wood-fired pizza as there’s not many around here but there’s definitely a lot of room for...

Okay here we go, I'm going to break my review into different areas.

Atmosphere: Arriving to camper grounds I was immediately struck by the juxtaposition between the area the restaurant Cafe is located and the design of the Cafe itself. Its located smack bang in the middle of industrial type businesses. So honestly the surrounding buildings are not appealing and may put some folks off. But the cage itself is very well designed and very aesthetically pleasing. In some ways the contrast with its surrounding area makes the cafe appear more visually appealing. Across the cage is some green area, but it didn't seem obvious to me driving by. Inside the grounds of the Cafe is quite nice, from front to back, dining table to bathroom. I took some photos to illustrate. Overall it's a solid 5/5 in this regard.

Service: service people were definitely pleasant, attentive, responsive, and appeared to work hard and fast. Also solid 5/5.

Food: we had a private function with 8 adults and a couple of kids. We ordered the camp feast set menu. Everyone was happy with the quality and quantity of the food. I did have one issue with the food, which was pricing. But I'll cover that next. Food is solid 5/5

Pricing: overall I did feel the place is more expensive than equivalent cafes. Although I cannot fault the food, I simply think the type of food, complexity, and quantity did not justify the price tag. By this, I only mean by a small but noticeabe enough margin. For example, the set menu was $55, but I felt maybe $50 seemed more where'd I expect it. The coffee were $5, whereas equivalent cafes can have them for $4.50, which may not sound like much, but is %10 more dearer. There was a 10% weekend surcharge which I found somewhat unusual. Public holidays is common for surcharge, Sunday as well, but a Saturday? I certainly thought that my be a stretch. Finally the straw that breaks the camel back for me which made me feel compelled to lower my score by a whole point is the price of the orange juice. So the orange juice was $4.50+weekend surcharge, but the quantity is a standard cup. Not a tall glass, but a standard 250ml cup it seemed with ice. I simply could not accept the price for the quantity, Nd really hope the venue considers serving tall glasses of orange juice as they do with the soft drink and lemonade, which I though was a bit more fair in price but still exoensive as well. Because my boys only like orange, I felt I had no other option but to access the price, but I disregard strongly in principle. Pricing score is a 3/5, and definitely a cafe for those splashing out or more financially privileged.

Location: as described earlier, location is not fantastic. Solid 2/5 as I personally disliked the limited street parking and surrounding industrial businesses.

Overall a solid 4/5. With slightly cheaper prices and fairer quantity for some menu items, I can see this place being perfect and I could have been a rear myself. But as is, it is a "sometimes" or "occasional" visit for...

Walked in on a Friday dinner here with friends for a good feed and drinks and it certainly did not disappoint! First thing that made us feel good about the area is the warmth and accommodating vibe of the staff, welcoming you with a nice smile and even though we arrived without any booking, they were able to offer us a seat.

Despite the crowds on a Friday night, it was amazing to have the food that we ordered served in less than 20 mins! Goes to show how efficient the people are in the kitchen. Started with the happytisers, which I find amusing and witty as it sounded true to its name! Definitely cannot miss the variety of handmade fresh arancini (bronte, spinaci