Bistro Nomad — Restaurant in Newcastle-Maitland

Spacious dining area in a very eclectic motel. Surrounded by stained glass, brick arches, a fireplace and and indoor tree canopy, this is a very interesting experience. We find this place perfect for a dinner stop when you are sick of the ubiquitous fast food joints along the highway. Tonight's road trip dinner consisted of mussels in a cream and white wine sauce and cheesy garlic bread for entree. The mussels were more like a mornay sauce over green lipped mussel on the half shell. A lovely version of this recipe that I haven't had before. Delicious! Cheesy garlic bread was super garlicky (yum) and nice and crispy. Main course of chicken schnitzel with mash and veges was also excellent. Real chicken breast, very crispy crumb and a very large serving. The veges were wonderful. Zucchini, carrot, broccoli and baby spinach. Best of all, they were not overcooked. Mash and mushroom sauce were both very good, standard fare. A great wine list, Annie's Lane Chardonnay with the meal, sold by the glass. They filled the driver's go mug with hot water (carries his own coffee satchels), and we were on our way. All in all...

Bistro Nomad is located in the Sir Francis Drake Motel. The ambience and atmosphere of the motel are lovely. I particularly like the trees indoors, adding a natural vibe to the back area of the restaurant. The restaurant is licenced and they have a well stocked bar although a little pricey on some items. The menu looks great but for my choices the dishes were a bit hit and miss. Cheesy garlic bread may have been the best I've ever had but the marinara linguine was a rather small serving and a bit watery and lacking in taste. The service could be better. After waiting at my table for quite a while without being served, I eventually had to go to the bar to order my meal. (Maybe they don't take orders at the table). Once I received my meal, I realised the cutlery on my table consisted of 4 knives and nothing else. Quickly grabbed some cutlery from another table. It's only a small complaint but easily addressed by the staff. The motel rooms are well priced and huge, so I will stay again and give the restaurant...

We arrived and were “welcomed” by a visibly grumpy staff member who seemed almost annoyed by our presence. When we asked for a table, she simply pointed to one without a word and, while walking away, shouted that we had to order at the bar.

Once at the bar, no one was there. We had to get the attention of the hotel reception to call someone, and the response from the staff was a loud “I’m coming!” shouted from across the venue — far from professional.

I truly don’t enjoy leaving negative reviews, but this kind of service needs to be addressed. The table next to us waited over an hour for two pizzas, and we ourselves waited more than 1.5 hours in a restaurant that was far from busy.

There’s definitely potential in the place, but service and attitude need...