Lamaro's Hotel — Restaurant in Melbourne

The service was great and the server was attentive. We were allocated seats around the corner from the bar and it was a good spot for families with young children.

Food however, was a disappointment. My family ordered a variety of dishes and each of them had something we couldn’t look pass:

1. Spatchcock was raw around the bones. The explanation to us was that the meat was sous vide so it is cooked, but we were 100% certain that the meat around the bone was completely raw so maybe it was not sous vide long enough that it cooked through. We had therefore asked for the meat to be re-cooked (we would have declined but it was interesting that no one asked if we wanted the dish to be remade). The lemon was charred (black) and vegetables or sorts was also burnt beyond recognition. We weren’t sure what sides we were eating to be completely honest.

2. I had ordered the risotto and it was unfortunately too salty and undercooked. I understand that risotto can be slightly undercooked but we are talking about crunchy grains of risotto.

3. The octopus was slightly under seasoned and overcooked. There was a strong taste of char on the octopus.

The steaks that we had ordered though was cooked to perfection.

Finally, there was no water from the tap in the ladies! My poor mother in law was given the option of using hand sanitiser after using the toilet and I insisted on bringing her into the gents (when empty) to let her wash her hands.

The price tag of the mains were $40 and more so there is an expectation that quality came with this price tag. Unfortunately it was...

Not your average Melbourne's pub ...

Impressively restored old pub ... from the minute you walked in ... you can feel the warmth and grace in modernly restoring this old pub ... dominant white marble bar, dark timber ... yes, don't worry, Gents, there are plenty of faltscreen TVs with sports on ... even on a Thursday night ... no rowdy crowd, just a pleasant ambience and good vibes.

The menu complements this modernly restored gastro-pub ... not your typical pub menu ... I'm not a salad person (sorry Mami), but I did enjoy that Red & Yellow beetroot salad, with presentation to match👌 more importantly, their famed schnitzel ... not to my liking, but generously served $44.00 ... 4/5 ... my perfectly cooked medium-rare 300 gms scotch was good $56.00, and the most impressive was their pepper sauce ... that was divine! Thank you Chef ...

Drink wise ... a book FULL of alcoholic drinks ... I started with the O'Leary's Riesling ... and if I didn't have to drive, I could surely enjoy a few more of that Voyager Estate Cab Sauvignon ... went down well with my scotch fillet ...

Just don't wear Fred Perry dark blue shirt when dining here 😊 ... you could be mistakenly taken as one of the wait-team ... they look smart, vibrant, attentive, and very pleasant, kudos to the team.

Thank you and I'm sure...

Lamaro's has been one of our favourite go to places for special occasions for many years and it has always been a pleasant experience but our visit in July is the one we will remember for all the wrong reasons. We had just sat down for lunch in the dining room with friends when my wife noticed something moving on the floor--it was a mouse and it ran over her feet and also the feet of our female friend. It really left them both quite distressed. I alerted the waitress as it was still under our table. She literally got down on her hands and knees and attempted to catch it--it ran away going under several tables as she chased it around the dining room, interrupting other diners in the process. To her credit she eventually caught it but then took it outside and released it--really! No apology was offered by anyone associated with Lamaro’s. Our dining experience was also disappointing--my lamb shoulder was very fatty ($48) and the veal schnitzels ($48) weren't up to their usual high standard--the food overall was marginally better than pub quality but served at fine dining restaurant prices. The wine list--whilst extensive is also pricey. There are many great dining options available around Melbourne (without a mouse joining you for lunch!) so we will be seeking another venue for our next...