Gosford RSL Club — Restaurant in West Gosford

Not happy! Went for dinner on the 7/4 and waited 1hr and 20min for food after being told it would be a 45min wait. One member of our party received their pizza (burnt on the outside and raw dough on the inside) in 35min while the rest of us sat there waiting for our meal and entrees. Not nice to go out for a meal with family and not being able to eat together. Fire alarm/evacuation announcements went off 3 times and the fire fighters had to be called in while staff stood around not approaching customers to inform them of the situation. My sister and I had to calm an elderly patron who was standing alone near the bathroom when the alarm went off and was incredibly stressed and scared as she did not know what was going on and nobody was comforting her (about 4 staff and a security guard were standing meters from her and did not approach the clearly distressed woman). Cooking and service stopped during this time. No ventilation at all so all the smoke from the kitchen entered the dining room. If you are asthmatic or have lung issues do not go as it will be aggravated. When food finally arrived (all at the same time entrees and mains) the calamari was dry and basically inedible and the food was mediocre at best. No offer of a free garlic bread or drinks for our wasted time. The table next to us asked for a refund as they waited for two hours for food to only to receive it with hair in the food. They can try and say it’s opening week rush but I disagree. Ventilation, quality of food and carelessness has nothing to do with opening rush. If I could give zero stars I would....

Previously, I gave the place a high rating because it was good for casual dining and very family-friendly. Today, I need to update this. For one year, the RSL showed some true commitment to being family friendly. That involved a big open play area that allows families to sit, dine, AND supervise their children at the same time. I acknowledge that at times, the old play area was crazy busy, and not all parents supervised as much as they should have. But the new solution is a problem. I can see that the RSL invested money to create a new playground at the other end, but it is basically a repeat of the mini Mania situation in the old RSL. Families are forced to be tucked away in a too small space, and supervision is impossible unless you are actually behind the closed doors. Once more, it is clear that children and families are seen as a problem that needs to be dealt with by hiding them away. Unfortunately, in the play area is zero seating and not even enough space for parents to supervise. The play equipment caters for older children and very young toddlers, but barely addresses the age of 3 - 4 year olds. In other words, it is now the old dilemma of having to choose between meeting with friends whilst eating or going to the playground and standing around for an hour with no food/drink. I will choose the latter and eat somewhere else. Sorry RSL, you just lost a weekly customer that was dining and drinking there all the time and spending a substantial amount of money. It was the open play area that got me there. Now it's gone, and so am I...

First time in the new club. We went for dinner with our friends. The whole thing was quite disappointing. The whole dining hall is a big room, with high ceilings with exposed pipes, ducts, and electrical wiring. The seating arrangements are a mixed bag. Along the walls are wooden tables with upholstered benches along the walls and OK looking chairs. But most of the tables in the room look like from a cheap eatery in a regional railway station. The whole space is ungainly, drafty, and incredibly noisy. One can not do anything about the number of people, but the high exposed ceilings with no noise dampening fixtures definitely don't help. On the night in question, there was a trivia evening in one section of the dining hall. The moderator of that competition was adding his echoing comments to the overall din. It is amazing that in a brand new club, where there is always a prospect of occasional competition, lecture, private party, or a musical event, there isn't a separate room for such an event. When ordering food, you can always bring the menu with you, but if you forget it at the table and you need to read the menu on the wall boards, bring the binoculars. I had a smoked brisket, and it was very disappointing. Stringy peace of meat, definitely nothing to write home about. As soon as we finished eating, my friends, my wife, and I decided to leave and continue our evening in a quieter and more pleasant place. I am sorry to say this, but I have the feeling that the new Gosford RSL will not be my/our favourite...