Hardimans Hotel — Restaurant in Melbourne

HH was recommended to us a lot so today we went there for a quick bite - arrived around 6:20pm and ordered by 6:25pm. Courtyard was pretty empty (and were told they weren't very busy when we called earlier for booking). We were told food will be out in 10-15 min and drink in 5 or so. Half an hour later- no food or drink. When I asked a waiter about the status of our order - he only gave me an update for the food. Had to ask again for the status of the drinks - the waiter then accused me of not ordering any drinks! We told them the 2 cocktails we ordered - he then went to 'check' and came back 10 min later with them. Clearly they forgot our order but then tried to shift the blame on us. Inattentive customer service and average quality food. We had our dog with us who became anxious when he saw another dog (tried to lunge forward and my partner grabbed on to him) this resulted in the table toppling and my almost full cocktail spilled/fell on the floor. Another waiter very quickly came and cleaned it all (thank you) but didn't offer to replace my drink which I was surprised about. If I had dropped it intentionally, then sure it's my fault and shouldn't be replaced. But it was an accident where an anxious dog knocked it over. In my experience, whenever someone spilled/dropped almost untouched food/drink, they were always offered a replacement if truly accidental. This was the 1st time I've seen it not even be acknowledged or even ask if I would like to order another drink. Very disappointing night overall - one I was looking forward to as it had been a while we went out for dinner. Positively- the outdoor courtyard is beautiful and very cozy with 2 fireplaces, very spacious and adequately heated; front house staff (that greeted us)...

Came here recently with my son and it was jam packed. I'm an extroverted person, but there is something about extremely loud and packed pubs that make me feel ill. Obviously the fact that they are so busy is a testament to how good of a job they do at pubbing. Obviously some people, most people it seems, like this vibe, but it's not for me.

I asked my son if we could find another place to eat but he was hungry and not about to pass up the opportunity of a quick meal.

I asked the guy behind the counter for the quietest place to eat and we were directed upstairs. It was a different world, couldn't have been happier. Service was also excellent and aside from a delayed desert they couldn't be faulted.

I'm not going to go into details regarding the food; it's pub food and as far as pub food goes it was quite nice and maybe cost $130 for both of us for three courses and a drink each.

One exception to the food was the apple pie desert. It's rare that deserts disappoint and it's not uncommon to find exceptional deserts.

There apple pie was beyond exceptional, I immediately started plotting ways to get more. "Would they do take away orders of just the apple pie?" I was quizzed by my internal monologue "How strange would it be to come back and only order two serves of apple pie?" and then beginning to border on deranged "if I speak to the head waiter man tonight and arrange a system where I send them money by payid and then have an uber collect the goods I could eat several serves delivered to me at home, where I could then, by myself, in a dark room, consume the delicacies and hide my shame."

At which point I snapped out of it.

TL;DR

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Beautiful venue with lovely artwork and a charming atmosphere. I celebrated my birthday here with my mum and sister – the vegetarian pizzas and entrées were fresh, delicious, and beautifully presented. Unfortunately, the service felt unfriendly and inattentive, which took away from an otherwise excellent experience.

The building itself is stylish, comfortable, and well-kept, making it a pleasant place to spend time. The vegetarian menu options were commendable, with every dish full of flavour and clearly made with care.

The only downside was the service. When our meals arrived, they were placed on the table without much warmth. My sister’s request for cutlery felt like an inconvenience to staff, and later when I asked for containers for leftovers, they were left downstairs instead of being brought to our table.

Overall, the food and venue make Hardimans Hotel worth recommending. If the service improved to match the quality of the food and atmosphere, it would easily be a...