Element Bar — Restaurant in New South Wales

We booked online for 3 people and noted in the comments area that the third person was a baby and also requested a high chair. When we arrived, it seemed a shock to the staff that we had a baby and made it seem like a huge inconvenience as they were expecting 3 people and had placed us at a high table. We then asked for a highchair which again, seemed like a lot of effort and we were made to feel like it was our fault even though it was clearly noted on our booking. The highchair was filthy. The wet wipe I used to clean it came away grey. We sat for awhile waiting for menus, and when we asked we were told it was online. Fine, but we should have been told earlier. I expressed this but was told that the host forgot due to getting the highchair. Sorry, what? We understand some establishments have online menus however we'd been to 4 restaurants over the past 2 days and all had physical menus so you can understand when we weren't informed we were confused. My husband then ordered a beer that was on tap as stated on the first page of their drinks menu, only to be informed it's not on tap. I ordered a lemon, lime and bitters and was asked, alcoholic or non alcoholic. I have never been asked this in my life! How confusing! You can sell this drink to children for goodness sake. It seems if you say non alcoholic you get a more expensive bottled version instead of bar made. The food was nice, the mac and cheese bombs were delicious but all in all we wouldn't go back. To be made to feel stupid isn't...

This place has gone severely down hill in 2 years. This restaurant was one to look forward to on my husband and I’s annual trip to Coffs. Always treating ourself to a 500g rump steak. Tonight all we were was disappointed. Walk in, no service, found our reserved table ourself, sat down and waited, no menus, no table water. I had to get my family menus myself and go find staff to ask for some water. After ordering, we got handed one 500g rump and one 250g rump. I told the waitress that it wasn’t what I had ordered and that the bar staff even repeated my order back to me (hard to mix up since I had ordered two of the exact same steaks). I got told that ‘well that’s what’s on the docket’ and if I wanted the correct order there would be a lengthy wait. Already disappointed, I cut into my steak to find it well over medium, when I ordered medium rare. And so so dry and chewy. You can tell that they had beat the life out of it to make it look bigger on the plate and sat it under the heat lamp for god knows how long. To talk your restaurant up to my whole family and take them there on our little holiday only for the food and service to be horrible. So embarrassing and disappointing. Won’t...

I came here with my girlfriend and ordered a wagyu burger with $7 side of chips. The burger I think was $28. The burger, compared to every other restaurant, was a joke, the buns were nice, but the steak was chewy and filled with grissle, not wagyu at all, but just a cheap piece of chewy, yough as leather sandwich steak. The chips...well, they came in a mini brazier looking cup, there were maybe 12 chips MAX. Enough to fit in my hand, I wondered if they forgot to give me the $7 side of chips. Every other place gives you a plethora of chips for the same price.

As for the atmosphere, its a nice place, its nice and dark and rustic, but the music is always so loud its impossible to have conversation.

We also bought a vodka and raspberry, that was 1 shot of vodka, 80% cordial, 10% soda water, and ice. Not worth it.

The staff were friendly enough, but it looked like a few of them were not happy/stressed.

All in all, this place thinks its in a big city, but its a retirement town, mostly older people, mostly people struggling financially, with these prices and lack of quality of food or quantity, its a great way to get a...