Rochester Castle Hotel — Restaurant in Melbourne

Made a dinner booking here for the first night out of lockdown, we were excited to see our mates and go out for a meal. shortly after we all arrived we were told they had run out of FOOD (and all tap beers)! Thought this was a joke, no food, not even chips. Not sure how a pub runs out of food, but ok. We were pretty understanding about it, tried to make the most of the situation and said no worries can we just order Ubereats and we'll just buy drinks here? They said no at first! because they were trying to come up with a smaller menu? Half an hour later we're still waiting to hear about the food situation, they come and tell us actually we can order Ubereats because there's still no food. They didn't offer us anything, not even a round of drinks, until we asked for a round of shots which the first guy declined saying why should we get a round on the house just because we made a dinner reservation expecting food and they dont have food? lol. When our allocated time was up they told us we still had to give up our table for the next booking even though we hadn't been able to order anything. This wasn't even the main issue. It was the attitude of the (male) staff, I get it wasn't your fault but the general attitude was defensive not even apologetic (considering it was the first night out of lockdown, and dinner bookings needed to be made days in advance to get a table anywhere else, not like we could just leave and eat somewhere else). A tip from someone who's worked in hospo for many years. Let your customers order food elsewhere if you cant provide food. Apologize for the mess up and offer a round of drinks. Simple, we would have walked away having had a nice evening. The two stars are honestly just for the service we received from Katie? who's first shift it was and handled what was obviously a stressful night with a positive attitude and did her best to look...

2023 update: So I came back to the Rochester again a year or so later. Since that time I have had some very average yet - oddly - very expensive steak & chip pub meals. This remains - easily - the best. Not just in terms of that fantastic green sauce, but their side salad (which includes radicchio, ffs. A favorite of mine that I NEVER see included side salads) and a huge serve of chips.

13/10 heart eyes 😍 …….

I see there are some reviews here complaining about the size of the meal. Not sure what happened in those instances, but mine was so large I had trouble keeping it on the plate. I came in without a booking (on a Friday night) because I was hungry and looking for somewhere to sit down and eat. The staff were accommodating and super friendly (unfortunately, I was very hungry so I wasn't really that chatty. But appreciate how fast and professional the service was). The menu isn't huge so I wasn't sure what to expect. I wound up ordering the steak - and it was fantastic. Particularly the Rochy's green butter, which had flavors I've never had with a steak before but complimented TF out of it. Would definitely come back. (If only to try to work out what they're putting in...

Fabulous local pub that gets its regulars because of good food, atmosphere and service. Highly recommend the 'Shut up and Feed Me' option on the menu - it's surprising and very tasty. They will cater to any dietary needs if required. I was drinking tap beer and my friend house wine. Both very good. Has a great pub atmosphere. There are bands and live music which is good and keeps the place hopping. Seating outside is nice as well on warmer nights. Parking is available on the side streets. The toilets are clean and everything is wheelchair friendly. Car parking around Fitzroy and Collingwood can come with challenges so please check you have enough time to find one. Most importantly, the staff are just lovely. Helpful, smiling, chatty, enthusiastic. This is also what makes the experience that much better than other establishments. Well done everyone. I look forward to coming again and again...