Hydrant Food Hall — Restaurant in Victoria

My wife and I had the pleasure of spending a week in Ballarat, the town where I was born. We currently reside in the United States and have done so for the past 15 years, making this trip a homecoming of sorts as we were in town to visit family.

During our stay, Hydrant Food Hall was the first eatery we ventured into, and it didn't take long for it to capture our hearts, quickly becoming our go-to spot. In fact, we found ourselves returning daily, drawn in by its charm and culinary delights.

The highlight of my dining experience was undoubtedly the Eggs Benedict. It was a revelation in terms of both taste and presentation, setting a new standard for what I had previously known. The innovative twist of pickled cabbage, a hash brown base, and the addition of succulent mushrooms took it to another level. It was so delectable that it lingered in my dreams, making me yearn for it the following day.

The coffee, too, deserves special mention. It was exceptional, prompting us to indulge in extra cups with each visit. But what truly set Hydrant Food Hall apart was the warmth and friendliness of the staff. Their genuine excitement and energy each time we returned made us feel like we had formed fast friendships, adding a personal touch to our dining experience that was deeply appreciated.

We are eagerly looking forward to our next visit to Ballarat, with Hydrant Food Hall at the top of our list. It wasn't just a place where we ate; it became a highlight of our trip, contributing to our memories of a town that holds special...

Day 3 of our anniversary trip to Ballarat (4 March) we went to Hydrant Food Hall for brunch and we got:

☕️ Iced Coffee & Latte 🌮 Chilaquiles + Chicken This was such a nice dish! It was savory, slightly tangy and creamy. Perfect with the addition of the chicken. Just hoping the tortillas chips were crunchier to have a texture balance.

🌮 Swordfish Tostadas This dish was aaaaalmost there! The flavors were quite similar to the Chilaquiles but the fish consistency didn’t taste fresh (more like canned fish). If the fish was cut in cubes or had chunky consistency, it would’ve been great.

🍗 Popcorn Chicken (Szechuan Pepper) A bit of a let down cause this dish was under ‘To Share’ item but as you can see there wasn’t a lot of chicken/chips. We were expecting the heat from szechuan pepper but it wasn’t present and borderline bland. Other than that, the outer layer was crispy and the chicken meat was juicy.

🥔 Hashbrown We didn’t know what they did but this was the worst hasbrown in terms of flavors! It seemed that they added their own mix of herbs/potatoes which was not it! It was perfectly cooked though, but I couldn’t even finish one bite of this.

Overall, the menu is quite interesting as we don’t see a lot of brunch food with mexican twist! The place was huge & we appreciate the history behind it. The staff was attentive & friendly too. The food did look great but sadly some flavors are lacking, hopefully they can improve in...

Came here after rush hour and was able to get served immediately.

Decor and vibe was very nice, staff were attentive & pleasant.

Good to see some Daylesford mineral waters on the menu and coffee was good.

Ordered the Eggs Benny, didn’t read the menu and was surprised to receive eggs on a super thick hash brown. Not a big fan of too many changes to an Eggs Benny but was pleasantly surprised at how well this worked. Ham hock was replaced with mortadella, not a big chunky hock. Personally I prefer a thin hock, so this substitute worked for me. It worked well with the Hash Brown which otherwise would have been too much. A big hock can sometimes ruin it. Eggs poached well, pickled cabbage worked well. Hollandaise was as expected but just a tad too much of it, as a personal preference. I plan to order this again next time, and just ask for hollandaise on the side.

Bruschetta was a good medley of favourites, decent, definitely need the chorizo. Bright, tomatoes definitely made it fresh. Hard not to say you could make at home…. Not a deal breaker though, and not disappointing. Definitely coming back for...