Bark Mill Tavern — Restaurant in Tasmania

As a person with a long-standing wheat allergy, I have always been diligent about ordering gluten-free options. In April 2023 I had a deeply concerning experience at Bark Mill Tavern & Bakery in Swansea, which compels me to share my unfortunate experience. I ordered there on the phone a gluten-free pizza for takeaway. Upon receiving the pizza, we headed back to Swansea Beach Chalets where we were staying. The pizza box was reassuringly labeled "gluten-free" by hand but the pizza was not served on any additional, for example, aluminum tray. Approximately 30 minutes after consuming the entire pizza, I began experiencing severe symptoms of an anaphylactic shock. The severity of my allergic reaction necessitated an emergency call for an ambulance. Stabilizing my condition took about two hours, and only then was it possible to transport me to the hospital. It was a fight for my life. This particular incident not only endangered my life but also cast a shadow over what was meant to be a pleasant holiday with my family. We are from Europe and it was our third day in Tasmania. In my opinion, either a mistake was made and a regular pizza was prepared for me instead of a gluten-free one, or there was negligence in preparing the gluten-free pizza. The next day, when I left the hospital, we went to Bark Mill Tavern & Bakery to seek explanations. I took there some photos of the oven used to bake pizzas. I want to highlight that both the oven and the utensils used to put in and take out pizzas were heavily contaminated with a flour, suggesting that the restaurant does not properly separate gluten-free pizzas from the rest. As I mentioned before my pizza was not served on any additional, for example, aluminum tray what is typical procedure in Europe. The only compensation the shift manager offered us was a refund for the pizza, approximately 20 dollars. My life is worth more than 20 dollars. I nearly orphaned my two-year-old son, and my wife nearly became a widow thousands of kilometers away from home. This experience has raised significant concerns about the restaurant's commitment to food safety and the accuracy of their gluten-free offerings. Given the potential severity of allergic reactions, especially for those with life-threatening allergies, I strongly advise others to exercise extreme caution when considering dining at Bark Mill Tavern & Bakery. From my experience I do not recommend this restaurant under any circumstances. In the interest of public health and safety, I hope that Bark Mill Tavern & Bakery takes immediate and comprehensive measures to ensure incidents like mine do not happen again...

It should be admitted that the kick-off was not positive. This place did not interest at all but the kids demanded we stop as they were less than ecstatic after other Swansea eating experiences. An attempt to get them to just have a bakery snack failed. That was as well due to the apparent use of margarine in lieu of butter. They wanted pizza. It happens that simple Margheritas are the only thing they will eat. I would have been happy to have been told they could not be provided. When the name did not appear to ring a bell, i described the ingredients. Well, not specifically in regard to the cheese type, just about any would do in this case. This was met with "oh! you mean a garlic bread pizza" the reply: "No, the sauce is important, a good sauce, cheese and some basil leaf if you have it." "Oh! you want Hawaiians without the pineapple and ham.." The reply, "I don't know about that (then a second description of the ingredients." Charged for the Hawaiians I expected the result may suit them. Wrong. Out came the garlic bread pizzas. Not a hint of sauce anywyhere. Good thing i decided not to bother only getting one each for the kids. The problem could well be down to the person taking the order as the lady collecting plates was warm and efficient, very pleasant. The other staff seemed OK too. My wife had a seafood pizza which looked OK. Anyway, the excursion didn't get better, when somebody wanted chocolate cake from the bakery I found it named and priced $5. After being charged $6 I quietly noted the $5 sign. The response: "Oh well, all our chocolate cakes are $6." We left before I ran into someone who might be interested in hearing of all this but they need to know. The short East Coast tourist season could be supplemented with a better eye to quality...

Extremely disappointing meals at the tavern. Unfortunately the reviews are absolutely correct with regards to the long wait time- we waited over 1 hour for our meals for very classic and basic pub food. When we notified the waiter about this, he kindly apologised but also gave the impression ‘that’s just the way it is’ with the kitchen.

It seems there is no system in the kitchen with regards to serving the orders. We had tables who came in and placed orders 20 mins after us getting served before us and also had other tables with nearly all of their guests finishing their meals before the last guest finally received their creamy chicken pasta.

The most frustrating issue after waiting over 1 hour for a meal is getting an incorrect dish. We opted for one of their fish specials with creamy tomato sauce but the fish we received came with no cream but a pool of butter and a handful of tomatoes. When we asked the server for some creamy tomato sauce, the server immediately questioned our choice thinking we made a mistake and thought we ordered the fish and chips and wasn’t until we showed him the menu board that he realised the dish even existed.

Unfortunately there are not many places open on a Monday evening but would recommend going elsewhere for dinner until they fix their service times. However judging from past reviews - this has been a long standing issue that will once again be passed on but not...