Jana Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Newcastle-Maitland

I have no idea what this restaurant has done to deserve 2.9 ⭐️ but I can only rate our experience.

My husband (the MOTH - Man of the House) and I dined at Jana last night. My experience was absolutely 5 ⭐️ . My husband’s experience was 3.5 stars so it’s a 4 ⭐️ overall and here’s why:

Bread snack from Uprising. It was a bit odd that they chose to toast it when they only served it with olive oil and salt. So many other accompaniments could have been added if you’re going to toast it.

Entree: Me - the kingfish was absolutely faultless!!! Served with a broth at the table and cut to perfection!!!

MOTH - the prosciutto - and this is what brought the scoring down. This option deserves to be on the bar menu and probably shouldn’t make it into the restaurant. It involves 4 slices of Uprising bread (not toasted) and about 3kgs (probably an exaggeration!) of prosciutto with a brie-type cheese on the side - for ONE person! Although the prosciutto just melted in your mouth and the cheese was creamy divine-ness, it was more a light meal than an entree. It could have been so much better if the quantities were reduced and some cornichon or similar were added.

Main: Me - the wagyu - no words! Another faultless dish.

MOTH - the sirloin - also faultless.

We ordered 2 sides to share - the potato dish with an amazing creamy sauce and the beetroot salad both of which were perfect with the steak.

Dessert: We don’t normally do dessert but if we do we share it. I can never go past a passionfruit or lemon dessert and the MOTH thought the icecream would compliment it. Ah No!

The icecream (only described as that on the menu) was a delicious dark chocolate with 3 scoops which the MOTH decided he wasn’t sharing. While the passionfruit mousse … well you just wouldn’t share!!!! It was absolutely divine with both presentation and taste!!

The service was excellent! The place had energy!! I’ve seen some comments in the reviews that seem to suggest if you were lucky enough to get great food then the service was bad, and vice versa. Well we got fantastic food AND fantastic service! So there goes that theory!!

Overall the food was amazing and Jana is absolutely the type of dining experience Newcastle needs....

Our experience at Jana was absolutely outstanding! From the moment we walked in, everything exceeded expectations. The food was phenomenal – each dish on the menu was so enticing that it was hard to choose what to order. Every bite was a delight, with flavors that felt carefully crafted and perfectly balanced.

The drinks were equally impressive, complementing our food beautifully. And the service? Impeccable! The staff ensured our glasses were always full and made us feel truly special throughout the evening. A special thank you to Lottie, who went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable, happy, and enjoying every moment. Her attentiveness and warmth added so much to our experience.

A heartfelt shout-out to the head chef and the entire kitchen team – every dish was exceptional, with perfect portion sizes and thoughtful presentation. Not a single detail was overlooked. Jana is a place where passion meets perfection, and we can’t wait to come back for another...

Had dinner this evening at Jana Bar as the restaurant is closed on Monday’s… which I don’t understand being in the centre of Newcastle why the restaurant isn’t available. I had their Steak Frites offer … cooked medium rare. What a disappointment, although steak was cooked to order request it was tough, fries over salted & their bone marrow jus was seriously just like liquid stock .. not reduced & no body or flavour. I stay at this hotel every two months for work for location convenience & try to support the facilities on offer … but when you’re going to charge $40 for a very sub standard offer (using a French take) … please deliver rather than charging overpriced food that doesn’t match the price point or expectation. It’s not the first time this bar menu hasn’t delivered on price or expectation, whilst the ambiance is chilled, there’s absolute no customer service … sorry guys time to try...