Airport Tavern — Restaurant in Northern Territory

10 stars for Customer Service! I was greeted by Jai (security) with a warm and friendly welcome, who immediately addressed the NT COVID-19 SAFE AP, at the Saloon Bar entrance. He escorted me in to fill out a register as I hadn't download the NT AP.

I was then served by Kirsty (Bar Tender) who was friendly and polite. I was later served by Mikeala who had a great smile and really made me feel relaxed.

Emilee the Supervisor from the 'Punters Bar' was also friendly and very helpful.

I ordered the 'Lobster Special'. A 200g Eye Fillet, half a WA Lobster with Dianne sauce, salad and chips. The Steak was amazing! Perfectly cooked at the medium rare I requested. The salad had a delicious dressing. The Dianne sauce was too salty to consume. I can't comment on the Lobster as it wasn't on the plate.

I finished the meal with a Sticky Date pudding and ice-cream. This was okay, sweet and yummy although I guess it had been microwaved.

The Customer Service was outstanding and I highly recommend you visit this Tavern. The food...

ALH venues often have a whiff of being generic and uninspired, but tonight something on the chef's menu caught my eye. A buttermilk southern fried chicken burger topped with mac and cheese.

It gave me memories of the hidden gems you can find in the form of American styled bars, serving wings and micro-brews. But alas, these same descriptors of generic and uninspired fit this dish. Boring, is what it was. The chips were bland, seeming to have been sitting in their aluminium bowl under lights in the kitchen for a while, the burger lacked any real personality other than the cheese in the mac and cheese sauce. The chipotle mayo should have been a star of the dish, but was was almost undetectable.

Sadly I left thinking to myself something no chefs wants to hear, "I should have just got the Parmi", or even worse, "perhaps I should have gone somewhere else". Driving out of the car park was a mixture of disappointment, knowing I'd sat down for a boring meal and only got a heap of carbs in the process. Sorry guys, this...

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“The Airport Tavern isn’t just a pub – it’s home of the best bartender in the world: SHAJIN.”

Yeah, the feeds are massive. Yeah, the beers are ice cold. But the real reason this place is untouchable? Shajin.

This bloke is an absolute weapon behind the bar. Fast as lightning, smoother than a fresh pour, and sharper than a box cutter. He doesn’t just serve drinks — he puts on a bloody show. One second he’s remembering your order before you’ve even opened your mouth, next second he’s running the bar flat-out without breaking a sweat, all while cracking jokes and making everyone feel like family.

He’s the kind of bartender that makes you wanna stay for “just one more” — and before you know it, it’s 1am, you’re three pints deep, and still laughing at whatever yarn he just spun.

Honestly, if the NT handed out knighthoods for bartending, Shajin would already be Sir Shajin, Protector of Pints and Guardian of Good Times.

The Airport Tavern is a great pub… but with Shajin behind the bar, it’s a...