Birdrock Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Port Macquarie

Okay, not an easy review to write, but after sitting on if for a few days here it is.

My partner and I had dinner here on our anniversary as we were staying in the attached hotel. Looking at the menu, and the restaurant, we were expecting a really nice meal. Unfortunately that is not what we got. My partner ordered a medium rare steak, which came out blue. We asked to have it cooked more, and the waitress offered a whole new one, cooked properly, which we said yes to. What came back was the same steak, heated up some more - how do we know, it was cut in two pieces, exactly as my partner had cut it to check it. My meal (A slow cooked beef) came out and tasted like eating sand. It was as if it had been sitting under the heating lamp for the last 4 hours. The waitress promptly offered me a replacement meal, for which I chose the same steak as my partner.

The steak was full of hard gristle making a large proportion unable to be eaten. This certainly not worth the $49 price charged, and the $16 side dish of broccolini which you have to order as the steak doesn't come with anything was rubbery and difficult to eat.

All in all, this was a highly disappointing evening, and although the restaurant comped everything, we still had some complaints.

We were given two extra drinks, as a 'peace offering' without being asked whether or not we wanted them. We weren't being rude to the staff, we simply wanted food that we could eat. The lovely waitress, who we had talked to just fine earlier in the evening avoided us after we sent the blue steak and sand tasting dry beef back to the kitchen. Saying the manager will come speak to us soon, then the restaurant manager only deigned to speak two sentences to us. 1.) Asking if we wanted dessert which was kindly declined because we had lost all confidence in the chef who couldn't cook their famous steak correctly. 2.)Then when we went to pay let us know the whole thing was comped. A restaurant serving waygu sirloin steak gave us the entire meal for free without a single conversation.

I can in no way recommend this restaurant, it is an absolute disgrace they charge as much as they do to serve completely inedible food. This also reflects poorly on the attached hotel, marring an otherwise...

Enter at your own peril.

We walked into Birdrock Bar & Grill after checking into the hotel, just before 8pm. Not crazy late, but apparently late enough for the chef to decide we were about to embark on a culinary guessing game of "is it food, or is it from the trash chute?"

First up, the $59 wagyu steak. It arrived blue, cold, and looking like it had just run off the paddock. They offered to “make it right,” which was promising… until the plate returned with what was clearly the same steak, now scorched beyond recognition. The taste? Imagine chewing on coal. Coal would taste better.

My partner wasn’t spared either, I think his was worse. His $49 slow-cooked beef had the texture of a sandbox snack from kindergarten. Think grainy, dry, and somehow getting worse the deeper he dug in. A giant slab of “beef" where each bite was more like a Sahara Desert survival challenge to see how much sand a human can ingest.

And the sides? The $16 charred broccolini with anchovy butter, roasted nuts & sultanas was less fine dining and more of an endurance sport. Chewing through it felt like gnawing on a dog toy, and the burnt, shriveled sultanas looked like guinea pig pellets. Not exactly the elegant touch you expect from a “high end” menu.

To be fair, our waitress was lovely at first....then after we mentioned the theatrics called our anniversary dinner. She started avoiding our table, probably because she knew the kitchen had sent us out failure on a plate. The manager eventually appeared, but let’s just say the energy was… distant with two sentences spoken.

Yes, they comped the $150+ meal, which sounds generous, but free doesn’t make up for inedible. It was our anniversary, and honestly, we would’ve been happier if they’d just told us the kitchen was closed.

Bottom line: I’m sure the chef can cook (other reviews suggest as much), but clearly not when you come in “late.” If you’re rolling the dice here, maybe show up early. Because at 8pm, you’re not getting dinner, you’re getting a cautionary tale of a series of unfortunate disasters that somehow are listed...

After our second visit, we have decided that Birdrock Bar and Grill is now our favorite restaurant, which is problematic as we live 5 hours away.

We first had dinner at Birdrock about a month ago, and as soon as we walked in there was a certain vibe. It felt very casual and happy, all the staff had smiles on their faces and it seemed they liked working there.

We first had a drink at the bar and then went to the table, Charlotte was helping us that night, she was knowledgeable, happy and extremely helpful. We could not fault her.

The food was amazing, and we had three courses, which we never do.

Our second visit was last Friday 4th April, and it was a repeat of the first visit. Drink at the bar (same bar people) which is always good to see. Then Dinner - exceptional food and service, and really good value

The staff were fantastic again and extremely helpful.

I can't remember the Managers name but she is sensational, or the staff (Charlotte wasn't working that night) but I wished I had their names, as I would thank them all personally.

It is our favourite restaurant and deserves 47 stars.

See you next time - Chris and...