The Stanley Pub — Restaurant in Stanley

After a long drive from Wollongong NSW, several cups of bad roadside coffee and stale bread salad sandwiches we arrived at the Stanley Pub in NE Victoria. A little old country pub on a road to nowhere. Not that it mattered because they have it all going on at this little pub. We booked our accommodation online using the pubs secure booking service that you can find on the website, we also booked our table for dinner. We didn't book lunch the next day or dinner the next night because you never quite know what your going to get with these little country pubs. Boy were we surprised! We were greeted by the owners Shane and Annemarie Harris on our arrival, shown to our very well appointed rooms, nice touches included the wonderful linen and lovely locally hand made soaps, oh and the open fire already burning was simply heaven! We eventually dragged ourselves away from the open fire and out to the bar! here we were greeted by a friendly selection of the locals all downing cold ales. So when in Rome ! ....

Next came the highlight for me. Dinner ! Although I had read the menu online sitting at home dreaming of a country trip to somewhere ! sitting there in front of yet another open fire with a beautiful glass of Pizzini Riesling ( a local vineyard ) it all seemed to sound so much yummier! We were not to be disappointed. The food from head chef Shauna Stockwell and her sous chef Tim was simply amazingly delicate and perfectly cooked, everything from the Seared scallops and the peppered venison we had for entree down to the brined pousinn and confit of duck for main. With each bite I found I had look up and check where I was? was I really sitting in the middle of an old country pub? yep I was! The wine list was extensive a little bit much for me to handle, so much to choose from. When I told our waitress of my confusion she nodded and quickly had Shane the barman come over to help me with my selection. Turns out Shane is sommelier extraordinarily disguised as a country barman! After a brief conversation I realise it would be just better to hand over the wine list and we just said "you choose", and boy am I glad we did. Much to our surprise he chose well priced wines that matched the meal perfectly, although on a side note re the wine list - while extensive overall it is very well priced, and features a good selection of local and international wines. We skipped desert we were quite tired after a long day and we retired to our Room, with the open fire ( which had been re-stoked while we ate dinner) a very nice touch. Oh before we went to bed we booked lunch for the next day and a table for dinner as well ! .... As good as it...

My partner and I stayed here for a weekend, arriving Friday and staying both Friday and Saturday nights. We stayed in Room #1 which was just charming. Quite an unexpected space with a great bed (and electric blanket) and a walk through sitting room. Both equipped with open fire places (for the romantic amongst us) and oil heaters. The bathroom had a heat lamp too which was a blessing. We stayed in late June and things were a bit frosty in the evenings/morning.

Greg and Robyn (owners) were just lovely people, and their nine week old daughter Frankie was gorgeous. Despite the pub being packed for locals night on Friday, they found time to come and say hello and have a good chat to us. And while we didn't win the Friday night meat tray in the raffle, we went to our cosy bed well satisfied that we'd chosen a great place to spend our weekend. The next morning a gorgeous continental break awaited us in the breakfast sun room.

Stanley is perfectly placed to allow you to get to other parts of the area while avoiding the usual tourist accommodation. We spent our days exploring Beechworth and Myrtleford, returning Saturday night to enjoy another great meal at the pub. We had a really nice bottle of local wine recommended by bar man and viticulturist, Waz. A true local character.

If you can't stop to stay the night at the Stanley Pub, at least stop for a beer and a chat. If you can stop and stay, you won't regret it. We'll be heading back there...

Mixed feelings about this place. Had lunch here with my son on a wet and rainy afternoon. Loved the feel to this place, very cozy with an open fireplace and plenty of charm. Very busy when we visited, all tables booked out and very busy around the bar too. Tried the Korean corn cheese for entree, very good! And the carnivore special for mains, the young fella opted for the pork Belly bites. Desert was the apple pie from local Stanley apples. The food itself is absolutely sensational, like a really high-class restaurant, certainly not your traditional pub grub. Wait time was a little long, in my opinion, but they were very busy. Our waitress was servicing several other tables as well as ours. What disappointed me mostly was the price though, very, very expensive! I review a lot of pubs and hotels and these guys would have to be the most expensive I've experienced, and then to add a 10% surcharge on top was unbelievable! I can understand a public holiday surcharge, but a weekend surcharge? Never had anyone charge me 10% extra for the weekend before. Guys, the weekends would be by far your busiest days, and I think slugging you customers an extra 10% for their patronage is just bloody rude. Total price for a Saturday lunch for just 2 people was $202 bucks! I don't think I will...