Marmont — Restaurant in Melbourne

I’ve been to this restaurant before and had a lovely experience, so I was excited to return with a big group. Unfortunately, this visit was completely disappointing.

Right from the start, things were disorganised. One waiter said à la carte was fine for a big group, then later another said only the set menu was allowed. We were fine with the set menu, but it was already clear the staff didn’t have a consistent understanding of their own policies.

We ordered two beers and were given three. Then I ordered two lamb dishes outside the set menu, confirmed it multiple times, but three arrived. When I questioned it, I was told that’s what I ordered.

I also asked how many beef plates were included in the set menu. The waiter clearly told me four. I asked if two could be cancelled, and he said they were already cooking but would be served to another table. Later, when he brought out the food, he told me there were actually five beef dishes in the set menu, not four which was completely inconsistent with what he said earlier.

When the bill came, we were charged for three lamb and five beef dishes. I raised this with the manager calmly, but she was incredibly rude. She constantly interrupted me, wouldn’t let me finish a sentence, and kept repeating what the set menu included instead of addressing the issue. She didn’t acknowledge at any point that there may have been a mistake from their side. Instead, she insisted the five beef dishes were “distributed across three plates” and basically told me it was our fault for ordering too much and expecting things to be cancelled. That was not the situation at all.

We’re a group that loves food, and we ordered extra entrees because we genuinely wanted to try more — and we finished everything. The issue isn’t about refusing to pay for food we ate. It’s that we were told items were cancelled, then were still charged for them. When I brought that up, the manager gave me no space to explain and treated me as if I was trying to argue or get out of paying, which was honestly insulting.

It felt like unless I personally wrote down everything we ordered, the restaurant could just bring out extra items and say that’s what we asked for. The waiter who originally served us never came out to clarify anything, and the manager’s attitude made the whole experience feel confrontational and unpleasant.

The food is still good, that’s why we came back. But I’ve never been treated so poorly by restaurant staff, especially management. This experience completely ruined the night, and I won’t...

Arrived tonight Saturday 15th of February 2025 for my birthday dinner with a party of 7, my eight guest couldn’t find the place and gave up. It doesn’t seem that difficult to find when you know where it is because you’ve walked past and noticed it or live close by but for anyone new to the area it’s understandably difficult. Ubers drop you in front of Prada at crown towers and then you have to navigate your way out to the riverwalk promenade. Arriving you are greeted with a server who says still or sparkling. Still usually represents fresh clean filtered tap water, but Marmon charges $12 for a bottle of Acqua Panna an imported water, when there’s literally nothing wrong with our own clean Melbourne water.. Looking around there are clearly a lot of staff working to serve you but unfortunately not always good on delivery. I waited 20 minutes before I could order a drink and my friends even longer. While my friends took a long time to arrive due to not being able to find the place we eventually were all together and ready to order. The menus have the most minute writing. If you have vision issues bring a magnifying glass. The menu seems to be an afterthought. Nothing for vegans except too salty fries and a ceaser salad without egg, anchovies and bacon. Other options are modified. The server didn’t recommend the feed me menu and instead advised choosing our own dishes. My table ordered individual dishes of scallop tostado, crab pretzel, fish, mussels, fried chicken, pork, prawn and kale. Food arrived at different times rather than all together. Friends did not eat meals due to being untasty. While other friends are their meals due to being starving but later said they were still hungry. I won’t be rushing back for neither food or drinks. They knew it was a birthday celebration but offered no candle lit desert. Zero personal experience. Don’t believe the hype on the food and drinks. There are more vibrant places to celebrate birthdays in Melbourne with more attentive and genuine service and beautiful food including whole meal vegan options. My rating...

The decor didn't quite evoke a Californian vibe, that we were promised in the write up. The mural and lighting captured a hint of that laid-back feel, but the staff uniforms reminded me more of karate keikogi, which was a bit unusual.

Service initially left much to be desired. The manager missed the opportunity to ask if we wanted water. Even though the restaurant wasn't busy, the waitstaff forgot to inquire if we wanted anything to drink and didn't check if we were ready to order when we received our drinks. No one asked if we had any allergies. However, once Simone noticed our frustration, his attentiveness significantly improved our experience, taking the rating from zero to 4.0 stars within minutes.

The Cabernet Merlot blend was dangerously smooth—so much so that a second glass was inevitable.

Fish Selection:The tangy caper sauce was perfect for the kingfish and tuna. However, the softer flesh fish, which I suspect was barramundi, was a less-than-ideal choice.

Mudcrab Pretzel: Delicious but disappointingly small. It would be better spread on toasted bread.

Buttermilk Chicken: Initially, I doubted the dish, comparing it to KFC with a capsicum and spinach sauce. However, the first bite was a revelation—definitely the best dish of the night.

Wagyu Tail Flap: While the presentation was impressive, the sauce tasted like store-bought sriracha. We ordered it medium-rare, and it arrived perfectly seared and red inside, but was slightly tough.

Corn Bread: Surprisingly delicious and my second favorite of the night.

Overall, it was a great dining experience although very pricey. The waitstaff, however, should be more attentive, particularly with refilling water and wine glasses, and they should avoid clearing the table while patrons are still eating. Also ask at the table whether anyone has...