Rustic River Eats — Restaurant in Victoria

Long review

Having heard on Facebook of the reopening and new owners, tonight I walked in after seeing their open sign as I drove past and was greeted by the lovely lady running front of house, apologies I forgot to ask for names. Asking for a table for 1 she directed me to a table with a cheery smile on her face, I was given a menu and cutlery etc. and informed that ordering was done at the register. Always great when you're told the process for ordering and not expected to know automatically!

It wasn't until I ordered and had received my entree that I realised that it was already 8pm (daylight savings am I right!) and they were technically closed as of now! Despite this, at no point was I turned away, all staff had a lovely smile on their face and I was in no way rushed by any of them.

My entree of satay skewers with their home made satay marinade tasted well balanced, I did find them dryer than other restaurants due to not having been drowned in satay sauce, and the touch of lemon worked well with the dish.

After what was a quite reasonable wait the wagu rumo came out cooked exactly as asked (medium rare) and the mushroom sauce wasn't too thick. Unfortunately the chips werent crispy however, being past close and the kitchen likely being half packed down when I arrived this was to be expected!

One of the chefs came out as I was finishing to check how the steak was and if it was cooked to my liking which I informed him honestly with a yes. Likely the interaction doubled as checking how long I would be staying, he had a smile on his face and appeared relaxed in our conversation.

Making their life easier, when I was finished I took my plate up to the counter, which they appeared shocked by and politely thanked me for. After leaving they did not immediately follow me out to lock the door, instead continued their work in the kitchen, laughing and smiling as I left.

It was good to see how welcoming and friendly the new owners are and will be recommending to others to visit (at a more reasonable time).

Whilst they were polite and respectful, I would like to state, please don't be like me and arrive 20 minutes before a restaurant closes!

Thankyou to the new owners and their staff, I look forward to...

We came for the vegan option. They had a tofu burger and a veggie patty burger and we took the second. It was really nice that it had fried mushrooms and onions on it, that kinda “saved” it, but the patty itself really is the kinda patty why people don’t eat veggie burgers. Like it’s not disgusting, but just super plain and soggy. The fries that came as a side were a decent serving, which was very good, but unfortunately they were soggy as well and just didn’t taste super good. No idea why there are such big differences if it comes to chips, but these ones weren’t very good. The place itself looks pretty good though, comfortable and cozy, the service was friendly and very fast, so everything great really, just apart from the food that was average. Would be so nice if I they would just buy some frozen vegan meat patties- they’re not expensive and easy to handle and you get them everywhere. Would improve the...

We were lucky enough to come across this great restaurant on the way back from holidays. It has just reopened with new owners Anthony and Lisa and another employee, whose name we unfortunately did not catch. Located on Main Street, Bairnsdale it is a fantastic place, with a great aesthetic, and relaxed and inviting feel. The food is not only very reasonably priced but tasted absolutely amazing. We had the cauliflower bites (home made), chicken schnitzel , chips and gravy, wedges and bruschetta. Everything was tasty, fresh and hot. The servings are also a great size. My son has anaphylaxis to peanuts and lots of the menu items were great options for him. You could easily drive straight past this place, but don’t. This place is well worth the stop. We will...