The Bentleigh Social — Restaurant in Melbourne

Went to this place for the first time last night. Loved the ambiance, decor, and vibe. The service was initially frustrating, as they want you to do the QR code thing from your table like we had to do during the pandemic, and that wouldn't work for some reason. So I went to the bar to ask if they could take our order in person and they did, which was good. However, the margaritas were bitter and awful, to the point that we didn't even mind that they were small. Next came the food: we ordered the brisket (good) and the porterhouse steak (inedible, so heavily was it marbled with tendon). When I told the waiter I could not manage to eat the steak despite trying for a good 30 minutes to find a bite I could successfully chew through, he did not offer to bring me something else, nor did he take it off the bill. The Shiraz I ordered was lovely, though (Sisters Run). Unfortunately the New Zealand Pinot Noir that my friend ordered was bitter and unpleasant, which was a surprise, as I've never before found a bad Pinot Noir from NZ. Anyway our experience was mixed. If only most of the food and drinks had been good, I'd happily go back for more. But on the whole, they need to raise their standards a lot before I'd go back for anything other than that...

We've been before and had a nice experience. However went there last weekend with the family when they just opened at about 3:30 and were disappointed. The staff were standing around chatting. We asked if they were open and serving and the chef seemed like he had to think about whether he felt like cooking for us yet or whether he was ready to start work. It was weird. We sat down and waited for some time for the staff member to bring a menu. He was friendly but just decided to do other set up chores than look after us. Menus felt sticky and dirty. Some of the tables were dirty so we had to look for a clean one. Not a good sign when we're the first customers. The food was noticeably worse than my previous visits. The fries were hard as rocks. They seemed stale and were unpalatable. Everything else was ok-ish. I really hoped to have this as our regular local haunt but after spending $100 + on a mediocre meal and average service, dirty tables, etc,...

Was really hoping this place was going to be decent as it's local to us. Been twice recently for dinner and I must say I haven't had food this bad for some time. Firstly, the menu is really poor. The food quality just as poor. I ordered a Wagyu Beef Burger and i'm sure the patty was pre made from Coles supermarket. The bun was soggy and the chips that came with the meal (if you can call them chips) we the dregs, small off cuts. Yes, maybe it ok to go here to meet up with people for a drink I would would strongly recommend to order your dinner elsewhere as you will be disappointed. As for the service, this also pretty average. But i would put up with average service if the food was decent. Advice to management, revise your menu, add some decent choices, not just junk food. I can get this from Maccas. Take some pride in what you serve to your customers. Not everyone goes to a pub to...