Halls Gap Hotel Restaurant — Restaurant in Victoria

On first impressions the Bistro is lovely and has room to accommodate the town for meal time, they also have a beautiful outdoor set up. The staff were warm and friendly throughout the night.

I ordered the Korean Fried Chicken tossed in a Sticky, sweet and Spicy Sauce with a bowl of chips for the table. I was with a group of Four.

Our first two meals came out quickly Unfortunately for me the Korean chicken consisted of deep fried chicken on a bed of soy sauce ( the presentation was beautiful) I, however am allergic to soy. Unfortunately the menu didn’t state any allergies such as - Containing Diary, Egg, Soy etc. I asked staff upon order and they assured me my meal didn’t contain Dairy or Soy. The chips whilst Crispy were covered in salt to the point they just weren’t edible, my children did not eat the chips.

Around us we watched as tables complained about the food. I felt sad for the staff because the attitude of some people was not ok. Staff were running around and just doing their job. If you work here I feel for you. Being verbally abused is never ok. Shame on the people who did this.

Between the first two dinners that arrived we waited an additional 30 minutes for my husband and Daughters meal to arrive. A staff member mistakenly gave us someone else’s order. This happened twice in this waiting time. It was a busy Saturday night so understandable that it was a bit hectic.

Upon arrival of my Husband and Daughters dinner. My husband ordered the Steak and Chips, he asked for a Medium steak. It was rare - Waved over a flame he said. The chips were equally as salty.

My daughter ordered the BBQ Pizza and it looked and smelt amazing. The pizza was a little soggy and fell apart however she enjoyed it and that’s a win!

You order at the counter and pay then and there, giving no chance to ask to have your meal fixed. My husband asked to have his steak cooked longer and was told they were unable to do that as it had already been cut. I assume it’s a health and safety concern. They offered no solution to the meals that weren’t able to be eaten.

My husband ended up ordering another meal which was Brisket - Paying full price. No discount or refund as the meal had already been cooked. (Not a complaint just stating. ) The Brisket was the winner of the night. Although it had a slightly burnt taste it was edible.

All in all the food was half a star. The Staff are lovely and the Bistro looks beautiful.

We spent over $150 and we are now going to eat somewhere else because...

Not the best experience at this pub which was last night 13/09/25 at 8pm, me and my partner booked our table on the 1/09/25, As the website states it is best to book due to busyness. We arrive, get seated by a lovely young man who accommodated us infront of the fire and TV to watch Football. Get provided with cutlery and a nice chat. We order drinks pretty much straight away, Finish our drinks and go up to order our food at about 8:25, And the young man tells us the kitchens was closed since at 8pm. Me and my partner looked at eachother and thought the young man was joking. We did not get told when we sat down that the kitchen closes at 8pm or 8:15 for the 8pm bookings, Nor did it say on the menu, Have signs displayed, or even on the website when you press to book at a time like this like normal hospitality venues do. Even though they accept bookings until 11:30pm at night as seen attached. After asking to speak to the manager, Who gave us no emotion or sympathy and just said multiple times “Kitchen closed at 8pm their is nothing we can do” The manager ended up offering us LEFT OVER, KIDS, spaghetti Bolognese. After being extremely hungry and arguing for a while we agreed, He offered us a bigger bowl. The kids spaghetti bowl is $12 dollars, For the bigger bowl we payed for it was more then DOUBLE the price of the kids meal, Being $27 dollars each and paying a total of $54 for reheated, Left over kids meals. Being stunned to speak we just walked back over to our table and waited for our food, Although we got 2 free drinks and a free dessert to share, I believe the staffs communication skills seriously lacked. I don’t understand why they would accept bookings at 8pm and later if their kitchen closes at 8 and has no indications when it closes or tells their customers. The So called manager was not very nice either. As i also work at a hospitality venue, i know and always make sure the customers needs and wants are met no matter what, even if it means cooking them a meal after our kitchen closes if the mistake was in the staff members hands. As photos attached, No indications of what time kitchen closes and proof of bookings as late as 11:30 and no further indication that the kitchen...

We pre-booked as we went for dinner on Grand Final Day/Saturday and I’m glad we did as it was booked out! Despite this, there were still car parks and the restaurant was full but didn’t feel crowded. Menu has something for everyone (quite a few GF options as well as tasty vegetarian options) and there were lots of really tasty options that you wouldn’t normally find on a country pub menu! The kids menu has something other than just fried food! And our daughter’s chicken nuggets came with lightly blanched and buttery vege that were delicious! Hubby and I both ordered parmas but were hungry after a big day at the Halls Gap Zoo and swim at the Lakeside Caravan Park wood fired outdoor pool, so also ordered the bang bang cauliflower and chef’s special kingfish sashimi for entrees. The meals came out quickly and were perfectly cooked! The parmas had peashoot salads that weren’t over-dressed and thinly grated apple instead of dripping in salad dressing and red onion piled high, like a lot of other pubs. Staff were friendly and attentive and after our 7 year old finished her colouring in sheet, the waitress was quick to hang it up next to the playroom so our daughter could look upon it proudly. The playroom has a little playground that is appropriate for ages for 5 and under, but has glass walls if you have a restless kiddo that you want to keep an eye on, like we do! Central fireplace contributed to the cosy atmosphere. There is outdoor seating with a basket of blankets, but we’ll have to try...