The Hoey Moey — Restaurant in New South Wales

Booked a table in the bistro for dinner on Saturday the 26th of February 2022. Upon arrival the place was moderately busy. Ordered out meals (buffalo chicken wings, chicken parmi, calamari and fish and chips). Once alerted that our food was ready went to collect the entree of buffalo wings only to be handed a basket of garlic bread. When my wife said that was not had been ordered the male staff member commenced arguing that that was in fact our order. My wife had to say a number of times that it wasn’t our order only to be told that it was. Rude service in the extreme. Funnily enough whilst this staff person was continuing to tell my wife she was wrong, our correct entree arrived. No apology for the error.

The buffalo wings were great, would recommend them. Once the other meals arrived I’m sad to say that not only would I not recommend them, I would actively discourage people from going anywhere near them. The calamari consisted of 5 calamari rings that were no better than frozen calamari from the freezer section of the supermarket. Chips on the side and a mountain of salad to make the meal look larger than it was. The salad was bland and without dressing.

The fish and chips consisted of three pieces of fish, chips and the obligatory mountain of bland salad. Not sure what the fish was (it wasn’t indicated in the menu) but I suspect it was ling. I ate a smaller portion of the fish and it was flavourless. The second piece of fish was a different experience again. As soon as I put the fish in my mouth I found it inedible. Tough and undercooked to the point that it was raw in the middle. The rest of the fish was the same. The real pleasure came when the uncooked centre of the fish began to thaw and the defrosting water ran onto the plate. Needless to say I hadn’t continued eating after the gross first bite.

The waitress came to collect the dishes and was informed and shown the uncooked fish. She was friendly and agreed that this shouldn’t have been served that way. She said she would tell the kitchen staff. We explained that we didn’t want a refund, rather that the kitchen be told.

In all, the meals were of poor quality and overpriced for what was served. Would I return? To have a beer and listen to music, sure. To eat? No way, never again. And I will be telling friends about...

After asking another local business owner for a lunch suggestion, they suggested either The Greenhouse or The Hoey Moey. The Greenhouse appeared to be a standard ALH owned venue so went with The Hoey Moey.

Arrived at a deserted venue (it was a Monday) and seated ourselves as nobody was there to greet us (the young lass with plaited hair was remarkably inattentive). We sat down, read the menu and decided on the specials. Went to order and was informed that the kitchen wasn't ready to take orders (at most venues orders are taken early but the kitchen doesn't start until they're ready). No big drama, get some drinks. The bar had a good choice on tap, so I ordered a Coopers for myself and my wife (who is a Type I diabetic) ordered a Coke Zero.

My wife took one sip and said "this has sugar in it" - confirmed with a glucometer. Quizzed old mate at the bar and he said "I pressed this button!" gesturing at the Coke Zero. Entirely possible someone has hooked up the wrong syrup but he was arguing the toss. Eventually gave us a bottled Coke Zero.

OK, time to order. I asked for the wagyu on the special board. Someone who appeared senior in the kitchen yelled out "there's no wagyu!". Hey, let's go for the next best option on the board, the ceviche.

"There's no ceviche either!" was the reply. This bloke was muttering expletives as he walked from the kitchen (felt his frustration). Right, nachos it is.

The kitchen was actually working very well, and we received our dishes in a great time frame. I was pleasantly surprised by the degree of heat in the nachos - it was overpowering - however if this was served to a regular punter they would more than likely complain.

The only thing of note here was the great kitchen performance - otherwise give the service staff...

Our recent visit to The Hoey Moey was, quite frankly, appalling. What should have been a simple dining experience quickly turned into one of the most unprofessional displays of customer service I have ever witnessed.

From the outset, the staff appeared disorganised and untrained. Multiple orders were taken incorrectly despite being repeated clearly several times. Instead of taking responsibility and correcting the errors, the front counter attendant became defensive and argumentative, insisting that customers were at fault. This attitude not only reflects poorly on the individual but suggests a complete absence of proper training and supervision.

The situation deteriorated further when management intervened—not to resolve the issue, but to escalate it. Rather than listening to both sides and seeking a fair outcome, the manager chose to make unfounded accusations against us and asked us to leave. This lack of professionalism and disregard for respectful communication was deeply disappointing and completely unacceptable in any hospitality setting.

It is evident that The Hoey Moey’s issues extend far beyond a single poor interaction. They stem from a culture of defensiveness, poor leadership, and inadequate staff training. If the owners of this venue wish to retain loyal customers and uphold the reputation of their establishment, they must urgently review their management structure, recruit competent staff, and invest in proper customer service training.

Until such changes are made, I would strongly advise others to avoid this venue. A business that treats its patrons with such disrespect does not deserve...