The Gem Bar and Dining — Restaurant in Melbourne

Sigh... Read quite a few reviews that this place is great, the meats are good and everything. What a let down and a disappointment of a Sunday lunch. Booked this place with 18 people for a birthday lunch, the place asked for preorder meal as they need to prepare any of the smoked meats (totally understand about that, it does take quite a long time to smoked brisket etc).. so 12 out of 18 of us pre-ordered the set menu. That photo you saw in this review, we got 2 trays of it, plus 3 racks of ribs (we paid extra for them, well there is another issue there), along with Mac & Cheese, and Carolina Slaw. So let's me tell you the problem with the food. The brisket is dry and doesn't have much meat tastes inside. The pork belly is okay, think the chicken is the best of the lot. Ribs.. there are not enough to share and that's from 2.5 rack up to 3. It is not falling off the bone soft and quite stingy too. Guess the bit that really set me off with one star, they charged us extra 120 bux for that half a rack increased. Already paying 45 bux a head for the meal. The slaw later I found out, it was not mixed properly. The one I had, it has the celery, green apple and cabbage. But the bowl at the other end of the table, only cabbage. I don't know why people say this place is good. Service is horrible. There were only 2 staffs on for the Sunday and there are other customers there. Just no services... Oh have I mentioned this place charge 22 bux for a pint of Little Creatures ale? Seriously they know how to charge you but boy the meal and drinks are all disappointed. I don't know why anyone would come here while there are many better...

I went here with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday. The group included vegetarians and vegans as well as omnivores:) The deluxe platters for the omnivores and vegetarians were ordered in advance and confirmed by email as there many items which require very long cooking times. Vegans order on arrival. The decor is quirky and interesting. The food when it arrived was good and enjoyable. Now this was the nub ... the meat platters arrived quickly but the vegetarian platter took an hour to arrive .. well after all the omnivores and vegans had finished their meals! It took 3 enquiries and finally a call up of the manager to get the vegetarian platter delivered!!! It was claimed there was a confusion with the orders as the group included vegetarians and vegans. Surely if you have an order, confirmed in advance, by email (insisted on by Gem Bar) , better could be done than this. Otherwise service was fine and friendly.

So the bottom line is, if your groups full order does not arrive quickly complain...

I stumbled upon this pub one evening after experiencing some serious cravings following a long day of wandering around Melbourne's CBD. I gotta say, the burgers here were nothing short of exceptional, and they easily rank among the best I've had in quite some time! Not only were they incredibly delicious, but they also captured the quintessential essence of an American diner experience (the tofu burger especially was probably the best veg alternative burger I've ever had).

The cost of the burgers when compared to other options in the area was great value for money.

As a bonus, there was live music playing, which, and while not to my personal taste, undeniably added to the lively ambiance of the pub. The staff were friendly, making the entire dining experience even more enjoyable.

No doubt, I will be returning to savour more items from their menu in the future. Kudos to the team for delivering such an outstanding dining experience. You've earned yourself a...