Union Hotel — Restaurant in Melbourne

I was a little disappointed. I was really looking forward to seeing my mum for lunch. I was told that the pub had been given a new look and feel and that the food was great. I arrived ahead of my mum and asked to start a tab. That's where my encounter with the barmaid made me realize that I had probably come to the wrong place. Usually buying a jug would be cheaper than buying a pint at a time, but there, NO. When I queried why, I was told that she had worked all over Melbourne and it is the same everywhere, which is rubbish. I have had $3 cheaper and even $5 during Happy Hour. So strike 1. Once I had poured myself a beer and had a few mouthfuls, I asked for the menu. She gave me a very weird look, lifted her right arm while still looking at me strangely and pointed at the end of the bar. All of a sudden she leaned over a little and said that they are over there and walked off to serve another customer. Strike 2. My mum arrives and we go to a booth to sit down and look at the menu. The inflated prices jumped out at us right away. We didn't have a lot of time so we decided to take a chance. There was a waiter bringing food out to other patrons. When we tried to get his attention he directed me to the bar. To save time, I went up and asked why he wouldn't take our order. I was told that they don't do table service. I asked "if you bring food out then why not take an order into the chef?" I was answered very directly and a little abruptly by saying "this is a pub not a 5 star resaurant." Stike 3. To say the least, I was not happy about her response. I went back to the table and said to my mum that we should leave. She said that we will see it through. I went back to order. Our order came out in a timely manner and was well presented. It was really good. Both meals were delicious. The only problem was that there were no condiments, salt and pepper or a steak knife for my steak on the table. We got the impression that the person we thought was the waiter was more likely a kitchen hand. So, I had to go and ask for them. Despite the food being delicious, our overall experience was terrible. We tried it, but won't go back. I gave 2 stars for the chef's great job. End...

You will notice that most reviews praise the Union Hotel for being an old school pub and they are completely correct.

That does however imply that they are pretty good at getting you a drink and that is about it.

Staff is definitely on the ruder side of the spectrum. When asked if we could order food 30 minutes prior to the kitchen opening we were laughed at and asked what difference would it make. Not surprising they can't manage advanced orders since they still pass a piece of paper handwritten to the kitchen. So if that is the old school vibe you are looking for then this pub is the right place for you.

Additionally when ordering a chicken parma the staff misunderstood it as a chicken burger and when they brought out the wrong order they said they didn't have parmas that day anyways. What a coincidence!

The food is alright and I am sure if you are just looking to grab a couple of drinks with mates Union Hotel does just fine. Just don't expect anything else. Look for somewhere else to have a proper...

I like the Union. They don’t try to be something else other than a good honest local.

Not trendy or pretentious. Just a good pub that serves a decent Parma and has a rootsy vibe about it.

It’s not cheap and but is a great place to take your mum for a feed and she won’t think it’s dirty, if you know what I mean.

We’ve had a few birthdays out in the beer garden with grand parents and teenagers which has been lovely. We even managed to talk to one another.

Staff sometimes seemed rushed because they are very busy. And fair enough. But they’re not rude, just busy. Such a fine line really.

I hope the union stays around for a while because I like going there. It’s a good honest local in the heart of Brunny.

They have some great local acts here too. And it’s always free. You get bread with your meal too, which is great if you have kids who want to fill up before the main arrives. Maybe ban kids from the bread option? (PS... this is...