Welcome Stranger Hotel — Restaurant in Melbourne

As a man of refined intellect and an unwavering commitment to logic, I am no stranger to human incompetence. However, my recent visit to Welcome Stranger Hotel (an egregiously misleading name, as the welcome was anything but warm) was an exercise in patience, endurance, and the tragic realization that customer service, as an art form, is evidently lost on some establishments.

Upon arrival, I was immediately subjected to an ID check. Now, let’s be clear—I do not object to establishments enforcing rules. Laws exist for a reason, and I understand the necessity of verifying age. What I take umbrage with is the palpable suspicion with which I was met, despite stating that I met the age requirement. It was as if I had walked into a high-security government facility instead of a simple bar. I cooperated, of course, as engaging in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent would be a futile endeavor.

Having successfully navigated this bureaucratic minefield, I ordered what should have been a simple dish—a chicken parmigiana. I paid, expecting a smooth transaction, and for a brief, blissful moment, I believed I had sidestepped any further incompetence. Alas, I was mistaken.

Craving a cookie, I approached the counter and made my request. What followed was a display of indifference so potent it could have been weaponized. Rather than responding with a simple “Just a moment” or “I’ll be with you shortly,” I was met with an unnecessarily terse “OK, wait back.” Wait back? An unusual phrase, one that defies both grammatical convention and common decency. Mind you, there was no bustling queue, no frenzied rush—just an employee seemingly irritated by my mere presence.

But the pièce de résistance of this debacle was yet to come. Along with my chicken parma, I requested aioli sauce—a reasonable request, one that any functioning establishment should be able to accommodate. Initially, my request was met with a reassuring “Yes.” However, seconds later, another employee interjected with the baffling question: “Since when do we buy aioli?”

Ah, the rare and wondrous public contradiction. Had I unknowingly entered an absurdist comedy skit? Before I could even process the sheer incompetence of that statement, another employee sheepishly admitted, “Sorry, I lied. Not aioli, we have chipotle.”

Let us analyze this for a moment. “Sorry, I lied” is not a phrase one expects—or wants—to hear from a service worker. It raises a rather concerning question: if they lie about sauce, what else do they lie about? Furthermore, the delivery was alarmingly casual, as if deception were an acceptable part of their daily operations.

In summation, my experience at Welcome Stranger Hotel was a masterclass in subpar service, delivered with a level of indifference that bordered on impressive. If you enjoy being treated like an inconvenience, if you delight in being lied to about condiment availability, or if you have a peculiar interest in deciphering cryptic phrases like “Wait back,” then by all means, pay them a visit. However, if you value professionalism, competence, and basic respect, I advise you to take your business elsewhere.

Two stars—and that is me being generous and chicken...

Unfortunately I've had the worst experience with this venue. I won 2 weekends ago now and was issued a cheque that admittedly I mistakenly lost while still at the venue. This they clearly saw on camera. To re issue this cheque here I am on Tuesday 2 weeks from the day I had lost it and they keep giving me the run around. Between my friends and I we had spent well over 20k that night at the venue. They didn't have issues with that but now to issue my winnings they have made me wait for such a long time. I have been told by the venue manager Johan that the latest my cheque was to be issued was Tuesday which is today between 11am and 1pm. I go into the venue and the manger Wayne says he is waiting for "Head Office" Tanya to get back to him to re write the cheque. I was told Tanya was on leave for a few days on Friday. This is not acceptable. They clearly do not value their customers nor have any regard for them or their time. I hope this is resolved within the hour before having to take it further and...

I don't love it, but I don't hate it either.

Half of the entire establishment is made up of pokie machines. (which contribute to the atomisation of society, the decline of social capital, and the loss of billions of dollars)

It is quite sad that pubs have to rely on these to stay in business, but enough about this can of worms and onto the things you need to know about.

The service is mixed, sometimes you get pleasant service, other times the service is quite cagey and terse.(this can easily be interpreted by the layperson as being rude) probably because of the clientele that frequent the place.

surely this would wear down even the hardiest of barmen/barmaids, i don't blame them.

The food in terms of taste was average, not good, not bad. Portion wise it was satisfactory, if you are someone who likes big portions in lieu of taste, this is the place for you...

It is located withing walking distance to parliament house, the treasury building, chinatown, and the...