Doncaster Greek Tavern — Restaurant in Melbourne

I rang up said I wanted to book for a table at 7pm, so weird waited for few seconds didn't respond to me, then she said rudely: give me a time!! I said again 7pm still she kept silience. Obviously she didn't want me to come at 7pm so I told her 6:30pm, then she hanged up the phone without saying a word. I arrived there 6:25pm, she used offensive tone asked me under what name, threw us onto the worse table at the main entrance right next to the door. She then came, I asked for the specials on board that staff replied me extremely rude manner and angry grumpy face: no don't have any!! Didn't even want to answer me when I asked some dishes on specials. We tried to order some dishes then suddenly she said that's not enough, stood next to me forcing me to order another main course, how ridiculous! I said "is there a problem? Or is there any minimum charge? She heard me trying to complain her but she still pretending she's right, walked away without saying a word but an angry face, that's how excellent customer service they have. At 7pm suddenly there was a big crowd booked and came in and suddenly the restaurant was full, so now we realized why she didn't allow me to book 7pm but still want to rush and want us to rush and finish our meal how selfish!! She brought out the first main course not actually putting on the table for me but hand over a wooden block next to my table and asked me as a customer to move out the items on the table, I think she did that deliberately, second dish was even more crazy saw a guy chef cooking at kitchen came with the dish but again asking me to put on my table!!! If you're under staff, you still would not ask a chef to do a waitress job!! Then another chef wearing his apron came and gave me third dish again just hand passed me the food. The bread we had is hard as rock, octopus costed us $19 size was like baby food, sure not generous at all, lamb tasted bitter as too much black charcoal left on surface and the side veggie the roasted carrot was only served with a piece of skin is like someone has eaten the rest!!, sausages costed us closed to $30 only few really thin slices was just totally unacceptable. This whole place used to be good during my last visit before covid 19 and service was alright, and I believe has been sold to a group of very impolite staff. At the end when we pay for bill at counter, that same lady staff bumped into my wife and didn't apologise and we were very upset, as we've complained this matter to the other staff but seems being ignored!!. This place really need a huge improvement as there is zero percent of customer service, well not even zero, because I'm a foodie I've gone to numerous restaurants and I want to say: seriously this is the rudest one I've ever encountered in my life!! Sure will never come back even if it's free of...

Ok. So this isn’t easy as I’ve never had an experience like this and I don’t like to leave negative reviews, but, how can a situation improve if there is no constructive criticism? I was so terribly disappointed with the whole dine in experience especially as it was New Year’s Eve. Our 7pm booking couldn’t be found but they did seat us eventually. It was so busy and so terribly chaotic that I was reminded of the total mayhem at the busiest time in a McDonald’s! A restaurant shouldn’t be manic like this. When I ordered my fish I was told there was no fish. No whiting and no snapper. He didn’t like my questioning this and so I ordered the scallops. My husband ordered the meatballs. Our entree of the octopus was tender and the best of the whole night. But my scallops were shriveled and the size of a small prune. A couple were even smaller. Little curled up and shrivelled excuses for scallops . The meatballs were over cooked and dry. The Greek salad very watery. You could tell the stress in the preparation of the food. So sad and so disappointing. Yes they were busy. Yes it was New Year’s Eve, but, there is busy and there is total chaos. Staff were falling over one another. I think they may have added too many tables and over extended themselves . From the pictures currently on their website, believe me, it did not look like that! Cutlery was dropped by a waiter who was taking empty plates to the kitchen and left at our feet near our table. Another waiter was behind him totally oblivious to the fork on the floor. Plates of food were “dropped” on our table. No gentleness or any kind mannerisms at all at any time. There was no time for any of them to see how we were going or check on our food and if we were happy or any semblance of “customer service” that I do expect to find in the restaurant business. There was no attention to detail, at all. So disheartening and all I wanted to do was leave. Which we did in well under an hour. I have been to this restaurant quite awhile back and remember it to be a good experience. I don’t know what’s happened but we won’t be going back. And the menu for a Greek restaurant is lacking in my honest opinion. Especially when initially told they didn’t have the fish and only, they said, had a few portions for ordering there and also as the fish had already been ordered on line? What?! I was confused but at 7pm on a special occasion evening I do expect that they are well stocked, well staffed and have what is necessary to make the paying customer enjoy their special evening. Otherwise why be in this chosen field? There was also some gathering happening in some room behind us. Lots of people. All filing past, constantly. Maybe all that fish was for them? Who knows. But a night I won’t easily forget. And all for the...

Dont really write reviews but this angered me so much. Had made a booking there for this long weekend. As there were quite a few of us, we had ordered the banquet for four people and a meat platter for two plus two servings of chips. We received our entrees which were dips, saganaki and octopus. The octopus was barely enough for 4 people as were the dips! The separate meat platter (for two people) came out along with the "banquet" seafood platter and a salad. Our meat platter did NOT have any chicken gyros at all and the lamb was drenched in oil!  The biftekia (meat bslls were almost raw on tge inside! A while had gone past and they collected our plates. Then about 20min went past and we had to remind them that we were still awaiting on plates and the "banquet" meat platter and chips. The meat platter which was supposed to be for 4 people consisted of the exact same amount of meat that was on the meat platter for 2!!!! This was really frustrating as 4 people would have to share 2 cutlets, 2 biftekia (meat balls), skewers and a handful of lamb gyros (chicken gyros was NO WHERE to be seen on this platter either). The baklava that was included in the banquet price was dry as and almost tasted like the prepacked baklava that you get at duty free when travelling. It was just repulsive. Everyone was so angered by this "deception" (if you could call it that) that they just didnt want to eat! We took some of the gyros home for our dog and now decided not to give it to him (see pic of the gyros - napkin beneath the meat is drenched in lardy fatty oil). It angers me to think that we paid for a banquet for 4 adults and received the same quantity of food that 2 people would have received!!! They obviously had forgotten about our order thus the late arrival of the remainder of food.  They tried to make up for it with a piece of complimentary cake. How was the whole table suppose to share ONE piece of cake??? This is the first and the last $360 that would be spent at this tavern! Never again!!!! Would have put half a star review if i could. So disappointing. As a side note, the young greek waitress was...