Herdsman Lake Tavern — Restaurant in Western Australia

Updated 2025 March Revisited this tavern, thought we’d try their steak and ribs. It’s great to see them offering Sunday kids eat free (one kids meal per adult meal) but no points or other promo can be applied. The wait time for the food was again very long on this revisit but the dining area were approx 50% occupied given their large dining area. However, they have colouring sheets, colour pencils and an indoor kids playground which is fantastic to keep kids entertained while waiting for the food to arrive. It took a while after ordering before we were notified that rib-eye steak was unavailable so we were offered scotch fillet option which there was a price difference. The refund must have been forgotten so we had to chase up the refund of the difference. That aside, the steak was cooked to perfection (medium rare) and absolutely delicious, likewise for the pork ribs, meat just falls off the bone and flavour was delicious. Portion size for the salad and chips were quite generous and definitely enough to feed one. They have a few kids meal options, it’s great to see healthy options offered as shown in the photo, however, they do need to pay attention to the fruit served. The strawberries were a let down with the quality and the bottom strawberry even had presence of mould which is a worry serving that to anyone let alone to kids. After speaking to one of the staff at the counter, I didn’t feel at ease as it wasn’t a straight forward apology and replacement, but rather an investigation of the strawberry brought back and took a while of investigation in the kitchen with a kitchen staff before replacement was brought out all the while me standing at the counter. Services was definitely a let down in this aspect but otherwise it is a fantastic place for family with young children and anyone who loves watching live sports on several of their TVs around the dining area.

Visit in 2024 A spacious dining area with an inviting atmosphere, suitable for adults, family and children as they have a playground to keep the children entertained while waiting for meals. Staff were all very attentive and friendly and took our orders promptly. It was the wait time for food to arrive that was the let down for the evening especially when it wasn’t a full house. Kid’s meal ‘pizza chips and juice’ arrived, it was quite disappointing. Juice wasn’t even a juice box or pop top but something poured out of a big bottle/carton into a little cup. Pizza has next to nil toppings and tasted like frozen supermarket pizza… all these for $12 was definitely not worth the value. On the contrary, the Malaysian lamb curry was delicious. Flavour for the Malaysian curry was not what I was expecting from an Asian’s taste bud but it was still tasty enough for me to finish the entire plate. I personally found the seafood linguine nothing overly fancy in flavours but my husband enjoyed it. A place worth trying especially if going with kids but just pick kids meals carefully… not sure what other kids meals...

I've been having the $42.00 steak here since the beginning of March and I must say it is pretty good! I started having it once a week, then twice a week, and thrice this week if it weren't for the really bad service that I received by one of the managers, Tushar. It's truly a shame because his lack of customer service has pulled down the good efforts of everyone else.

Last Tuesday, I was there for a late lunch at 2PM and waited for more than half an hour for my order. When I went to the front to follow it up, my order was forgotten by Tushar, who was the manager on duty, the other staff, and the chef. What was really bad about this was I was pretty much the only customer there at the time. The restaurant was empty except for a couple of women at another table talking to each other. I repeat, the restaurant was empty 😞

I just couldn't believe it that none of them bothered to check. Tushar was just standing at the bar most of the time while the young lady was putting cutlery and serviettes on the table. I was so disappointed with this very bad customer service that I asked for my money back.

I had accumulated 200 points on the pub+ app, equivalent to $8.00, which I used to partly pay for the $42.00 steak. I had to insist that this be refunded to me also because Tushar would only give back $34.00, which was not fair. He also wouldn't listen to me that I would not get back the $8.00 back on the app as I would need to accumulate the points again. He was quite arrogant and not apologetic for one bit. He didn't care that I got to accumulate the 200 pts quickly from the $42.00 steak that I had there at Herdsman Tavern. I was a regular customer.

Today, Saturday, I missed the scotch fillet steak, mashed potato, and garlic sauce that Herdsman Tavern really does well only to find Tushar behind the counter again. The look on his face was full of disdain and arrogance even if I was a paying customer. I asked for the owner, but they were not there. I showed Tushar the 8 points on my pub+ app which also said 192 points to go, but he didn't care. He was still insisting that I'd get the $8.00 back on the app. He didn't even put in my pub+ points this time so I left. I went to Outback Jack in Northbridge instead for my steak, salad, and mash .

I dine out everyday as I don't cook and would rather help out small businesses, but to the owner of Herdsman Tavern, you need to send Tushar to some customer service training because he has none. He does not care about orders and the customer, and I truly wonder what he is like with the staff. The manager has a very important role and they can really bring all the other staff, and even the business, down. Choose them well or get them trained up. No matter how good the scotch fillet steak and mash are there, it's not worth to be treated...

Subject: Disappointing Experience with Beef Rib

Dear Herdsman Lake Tavern,

I am writing to express my disappointment with the beef rib I ordered at your establishment on 1 July 2023. I recently dined at your restaurant with high expectations, particularly for the 36-hour slow-cooked beef rib that was priced at $32.

Unfortunately, the actual experience fell far short of my expectations. The beef rib I received was incredibly tough and challenging to cut with the provided cutlery. I attempted to use the cutlery, but it proved ineffective in separating the meat. Eventually, I resorted to using my hands to pull the meat apart, but even then, it was still difficult to consume.

Given the premium price of $32, I had anticipated a tender and succulent beef rib that would effortlessly melt in my mouth. Regrettably, this was not the case. The lack of tenderness and the resulting inconvenience greatly impacted my overall dining experience.

I am writing this review not to seek a refund, but rather to bring this matter to your attention so that you can address the issue and ensure that future customers enjoy a more satisfying dining experience. I believe it is crucial for businesses to be aware of customer feedback to improve their services and maintain customer satisfaction.

I hope that you will take my feedback into consideration and take the necessary steps to rectify this issue. I believe in the potential of The Herdsman Lake Tavern to deliver exceptional dining experiences, and I trust that my experience was an isolated incident. I encourage you to evaluate the cooking and preparation methods of the beef rib to ensure that it meets the standards that customers expect.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope that my feedback will contribute to the ongoing improvement of your establishment. I look forward to a more enjoyable experience should I choose to dine at The Herdsman Lake Tavern in the future.

Sincerely,

Emily

Response from the owner3 hours ago Dear H C,

Thankyou for your feedback on the ribs. I will pass this onto the Head chef and the kitchen staff to follow up with.

Please know that if you are ever unhappy with the quality of your meal, let us know straight away so we can get you another one, or exchange the meal for something else.

We strive to give every customer a great experience at the Herdsman, so I hope you can give us another chance soon.

Regards, Brad.

Hello Brad,

Thank you for the reply.

In fact I did complain to the waiter when he was trying to collect the dishes, and he said sorry, walked away.

That's the end of the...