C.Y. O'Connor Village Pub — Restaurant in Western Australia

My party and I had made a reservation for the inside Kathleen Room Mezzanine for three people, and upon arrival, we were disappointed to find the upstairs to find the mezzanine unlit and unprepared for service. There was no host or clear signage to indicate where we should wait to be seated. After waiting in line at the bar, the staff were polite but seemed concerned when I showed them my booking confirmation.

We were eventually shown to a table outside and told that we could order via the app. While we understand that there may be staffing shortages, we were not informed of this change and were unprepared for outdoor seating. One member of our party is a severe asthmatic, and we had specifically booked an inside table to ensure that they could breathe comfortably. Unfortunately, the cold air made it difficult for them to get enough air.

In addition, the experience with the drinks was also disappointing. One of the drinks was not what we thought we had ordered, the hostess who was polite and pleasant took a second look and informed us that it was the right drink just garnished wrong. The drinks did have good flavour profiles, however, while we understand things happen. It added to our frustration and disappointment with the overall experience.

Furthermore, the Melaleuka Farmhouse Trio that we ordered was not up to our expectations. While we enjoy high-quality locally grown meat and are happy to support the farmer we were disappointed with what was presented. Despite the pub's emphasis on delivering a farm-to-table experience and using premium locally grown meat, the meat was overcooked and overshadowed by the sides. We appreciate the effort to support local farmers, but the execution fell short of our expectations. While the Southern Fried Chicken Burger was okay, it did not live up to its price point. The brioche bun felt stale and the chicken was dry, making the overall burger experience disappointing. The addition of sriracha did little to make up for the dryness in the dish.

Overall, we were disappointed with our experience at the new CY O'Connor Village pub. We have had several pleasant experiences at Tilly's garden and enjoyed beautifully cooked kangaroo and crocodiles. We were excited to try the pub's new menu and support local farmers, but the execution and value fell short of our expectations. We were also looking forward to the steak house however have reservations based on tonight's experience. We miss the old establishment and hope that the pub can work to improve the quality and value of its menu...

We dined as a party of 3 on Saturday 11th Jan 2025, seated just inside the pub in a booth. I ordered the chicken burger and my accompanying diners ordered the beef and Guinness pie, and the pulled beef sandwich. We also ordered half a dozen oysters to share.

Service was pleasant and food arrived quite timely - the pub was quite busy, but not chaotic.

I cut my burger in half. First bite of chicken burger - it wasn’t very hot, and the bun was a little stale. I was hungry so I tucked in for another bite. About the third bite in something didn’t seem right with the texture of the chicken patty - it didn’t feel like the firm ‘doneness’ texture of a thoroughly cooked piece of chicken. I stopped eating and inspected the rest of the patty and discovered other parts of the chicken patty were borderline - they felt soft and squishy and had a pinkish tinge, certainly not thoroughly cooked . The other half of the chicken appeared ‘ok’ but I didn’t pull it apart to inspect in detail.

I returned my plate to the bar and spoke to the manager who said he would sort it out. Minutes later he returned to my table with the same plate and informed me the chef said there was nothing wrong with it. I told the manager that I had definitely eaten undercooked chicken, he asked if I would like the same one cooked further or a fresh one made. I elected to get a fresh burger made.

The fresh burger came out in good time, and was definitely a lot hotter than my first burger and was thoroughly cooked.

It was really disappointing that the manager felt it appropriate to return my cold undercooked burger to me, despite the fact that he quickly offered to have a fresh one made. For anything else I would have just eaten a terrible meal and probably not said anything, but I draw the line at eating undercooked chicken, and it shouldn’t have been questioned or disputed by the chef - particularly as I had already ingested the most undercooked part of the fillet and it was obviously the other parts left on my plate were undercooked. Thankfully I enjoyed the rest of my meal and didn’t end up with food poisoning.

Happy to return to try other menu items in the future, but will be steering clear of chicken on busy nights. Accompanying dinners were both very happy with their meals and the oysters we shared...

First time back to C.Y. O'Connors since it has reopened. We chose to sit in Charlie's Paddock because we had 7 little ones with our group. The playground is outstanding for children and the seating around the playground means parents can keep a watch of their kids whilst enjoying a meal or drink although of some concern is the open gate leading straight into the carpark and with small children, I don't see this as a safe option. I am not sure how this would work if it was raining because the seating is under cover but the rain may blow in and of course a wet playground is not the best. I may be prudent to consider better shelter for winter. We rugged up and our great grandkids loved it. The tables had a menu on each table which was alarming because of the pricing. Steak prices were ridiculously extreme. We used the QR Code to order and only then were aware that there is a range of cheaper meals available. That pricing is better and we found all the food great. No complaints except that with the QR Code booking, you can't change any of the menu i.e. no chips etc. We were all happy with our meals and the children enjoyed their kids menu with complimentary ice cream. The food was delivered very quickly. The drinks were a bit expensive. We had a bottle of red and it was a nice red but overpriced we felt. The younger ladies loved the cocktails. There was a lot of confusion with the drinks orders and I think the QR Code wasn't working for some people, making the wait for a drink very long. I think this is simply a teething problem at the moment and not enough staff. Can I suggest maybe have 2 meal specials at each sitting for those that can't afford the prices and maybe some Seniors Meals? I will be back but would be back sooner if it catered for Pensioners. Overall, I feel happy to have the old pub back and certainly it is a lovely rebuild. By the way, the staff were extremely helpful...