Aluco Restaurant And Bar — Restaurant in Queensland

I was so looking forward to dining at Aluco Restaurant and Bar, as my husband and I have had great experiences eating here before. We were willing to pay the high price tag, but unfortunately, not this time.

We ordered the octopus, which we’ve had before, hoping it would be as delicious as it has been in the past—but it wasn’t. The tiny baby octopus (just two small pieces) were simply boiled, not char-grilled as stated on the menu, and placed on corn purée and capsicum confit. When the waitress asked how it was, I hesitated, and she assumed it wasn’t to my liking. She said, “Yes, it’s an acquired taste,” implying she didn’t like octopus either. But I love octopus, so we asked if it was supposed to be char-grilled. She said she’d check but never came back with an answer.

Secondly, I came to Aluco hoping to try the prawn linguine, which sounded delicious. I was especially excited because no other restaurant in Port Douglas offers a pasta dish using a shellfish bisque as the sauce. However, when it arrived, it was disappointing. Although it was edible, I doubt the shellfish bisque was made as a proper bisque should be. The pasta was dry and barely coated with sauce. I had expected it to be thoroughly coated with the bisque, but it wasn’t.

On the other hand, my husband’s eye fillet came exactly as he ordered it. He said it was okay.

Our further disappointment came when my husband and I discussed using our Accor membership card, as we felt the meal wasn’t worth the price we were about to pay. We wouldn’t have minded paying if the meal had lived up to the quality expected. For example, we dined at Lagoon House at the Sheraton, paid significantly more, but found it far more worth it. When paying the bill, my husband was informed he couldn’t use the card for a discount, as we had in previous months. Instead, he was told he could take the receipt to the front desk at Sea Temple to have points added to his membership. Since when?

This did not sit well with him and left him so disappointed that he’s lost interest in returning to both the restaurant and Sea Temple. It also soured his view of the entire Accor loyalty scheme.

It’s such a pity because the place is beautiful. However, the staff turnover is remarkable, and I can sense their uncertainty as they try their best to provide good service. As for the chef, I suspect there has been a change since our last visit—you can always...

A Mixed Dining Experience. No scallops available 30 minutes after opening and main meal was severely undercooked.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5 stars)

Our recent visit to Aluco left us with mixed feelings. This was to celebrate my 41st birthday with my family and parents. The restaurant had come highly recommended so we were excited to celebrate there. While there were some highlights, there were definetly aspects that could be improved.

Food Quality: The food was a bit of a mixed bag. Some dishes were delicious and well-prepared, however, after ordering our entrees, we were informed by the waiter that they had run out of scallops (the restaurant opened at 6pm & our reservation was for 6:30pm) and they couldn't accomodate our request. Our mains then followed and our lamb x 2 ($55 per dish) was raw. As we sent the uncooked meals back, our other guests were left not wanting to eat their mains and in turn, their meals were cold by the time our meals came out.

Service: The staff were friendly and attentive, creating a welcoming atmosphere. However, the service was a bit slow in certain aspects and there were moments when it was challenging to get the attention of the waitstaff.

Ambiance: The restaurant has an inviting ambiance being poolside.

Menu Variety: The menu offered a decent variety, however as mentioned, certain things had sold out 30 minutes after opening.

Value for Money: The prices were overpriced given we paid $55 for a lamb dish that was overcooked. By the time it came back out (after it went back in to be prepared properly) - I wasn't even hungry so the dish wasn't enjoyed and it was a waste of money for me.

In summary, Aluco has its positives, particularly in terms of certain dishes and the laidback poolside atmosphere. However, addressing areas like cooking meals thoroughly the first time round and making sure all menu items are available could elevate the dining experience for guests, especially when celebrating a...

Stayed at the Pullman and decided to try the restaurant just next to the main lobby. Being on our first holiday in 3 years because of the convid hoax, we booked as luxurious as we could. This is not what we experienced with Aluco! For starters, travelling with young children meant we decided to order takeaway and eat in our room rather than dine in and ruin the experience for others. I got a pizza, wifey got a penne bolognaise...the pizza tasted like it was a 6 min McCain microwave job! Missus said the pasta was pretty good. What was hilarious is I mentioned it was our wedding anniversary to who seemed like the bloke in charge. So I asked if we could get a couple of margies to takeaway. To the blokes credit he said yes but not in our usual glasses because it's a takeaway order. As a reasonable person would, I agreed this was fine and thanked him for accommodating. I nearly burst into laughter when I saw 2 classic margaritas served to me in coffee cups and a carry tray!! 🤣🤣🤣 my response was "surely you could give me something other than coffee cups for $22 cocktails!?!?" To which the response was that I was told they wouldn't be in their normal glasses. On the short walk back to the room, I nearly wet myself laughing and thought I can't serve my wife on our wedding anniversary a margarita in a coffee cup!! So I found some water glasses and poured the contents into a cheap 70 cent water glass, layered some salt around the rim and we were good. The wife was none the wiser and to credit the bar maid, the margies weren't bad! Would I get food there or recommend Aluco to anyone?? Hmmm,...