The Montague Hotel — Restaurant in Melbourne

My experience at the Montague Hotel early on a Friday night was not pleasant at all. Upon entering the venue at around 7pm when asking the barman what beers were available on the draught, I was told quite abruptly, "go around to the other side of the bar [front] and have a look." After working in a busy office all week I really didn't feel like having to negotiate around the bar and push my way through the local punters to be able to identify the five or so beers that were available. What's more, it meant that I would be separated from my date that I had brought with me, plus the barman was standing right in front of the taps and could have easily informed me of the available beers, as one would reasonably have expected in any place of reasonable hospitality. Albeit, he was too lazy and disinterested. When I finally got round to having my first beer for the week after tussling around the bar and back again to be with my date, the beer was sour. I drank but one fifth of it and became disinterested myself. At this point I decided I would just buy a pot of Coopers Pale Ale to be polite whilst my date finished her Shiraz, which was also very average apparently - we knew that we weren't going to remain there. When I went to pay using card for the $6.50 pot, I was told "ten dollar minimum mate!" This was quite frustrating as I had just spent about $12 on a pint that was not drinkable. I scrummaged my $6.50 together and attempted to put the ridiculous scenario behind me. However, following on from this was the constant reminder that we were 'in the way' of bar staff delivering meals along the obstructive side of the bar. This interrupted our being able to enjoy a beer as hard as we tried. Lastly, when I joined my date (at a table) to finally have a few sips, the tables were positioned in such a way that we were faced with staring at punters' buttocks' while the staff persisted with pushing through to deliver meals. If we were to order some meals, we would have been staring quite closely at punters' bottoms at the bar, whilst consuming our meals and being more or less in the way. Not very pleasant at all. (Sort that bit out at least.) The Montague used to be a good little pub having great service with bar benches and seating at the 'correct height' for a beer and a meal. Ergo, improvement can be made in the following ways:

1. More hospitable bar staff.
2. Palatable beverages
3. Table and seating arrangement that is easily accessible and at the right height

Sorry Montague, that was a...

I would't recommend this pub. The only reason we chose it anyway is because its local and near our church and we have a lot of elderly people who are not as mobile as they used to be. After making a booking with one of the manager's staff (a lovely lady), the manager calls up and cancels the booking the next day throwing her staff under a bus. You just need to refer to the nasty replies to negative feedback below ranging from "you ate all of your food" why complain to "It's a shame we can't review customers" haha.

1. Supervisor??: Oh sorry i've cancelled your booking for 10 to 15 people the best is I can do for 4 people.
2. Customer: Oh? how did that happen, this is why I made a booking!
3. Supervisor??: Reason is my staff doesn't understand the process and double booked you. (Staff knew when we walked in which tables were booked for next week and which tables weren't)
4. Customer: Really? But it was on a computer and you were there at the time your colleague made the booking.
5. Supervisor??: I didn't know someone had already booked at the time you made your booking, and she overwrote the previous booking
6. Customer: Oh? Then how do you know who the initial booking was done under? And how do you know it was overwritten?

We booked on Sunday 12:15 (almost empty at this time) for next Sunday at 12:00 and today is only Monday. They only required us to call back 1 day early to confirm.

7. More cover-ups more nonsense. I just hung up

I would think twice about eating/drinking/booking or working at this place if supervisor treats not only customer but also staff...

As soon as I walked in, I got the impression that this is a true local’s pub, with plenty of families gathered outside and kids running around. Inside, the area around the bar was busy, so I was relieved to be shown to a spacious and serene lounge room, which was much quieter.

I ordered the steak, but unfortunately, it was quite dry, overcooked, and lacked flavor. It really needed the garlic sauce to bring it to life. On the plus side, the chips were fantastic—my chip connoisseur friend gave them an excellent rating, and the salad was nice and fresh. My friend ordered the peas and mash and was happy with her meal, so there’s definitely some good options on the menu.

The service was very hands-off, with guests left to circulate around the specials boards. The pub has a casual, local vibe, but the lounge area feels more elegant, which creates a nice balance. All in all, a solid experience, though the steak let it down a bit. Still, I’d recommend it and would...