builders arms hotel bar and bistro

not too impressed. went for a friday lunch to the revamped builder arms, the place has a nice feel to it for a casual lunch, but that is where the enjoyment eneded for me. the place was only about half full, we ordered our meals, entree were oysters which were aparently fantastic. the main took approx just over 1.5 hours to arrive to the table. i had the pork rack, which looked more like a pork chop dumped on a plate. i also found the pork was very bland and under cooked not worth the $28 price tag or the fact it took so long to get to our table, i also tried the chicken which everyone seemed to be mentioning and i found it nicer then the pork but still not worth the $29 price tag. the sides of home chips were nothing special considering the $7 cost they tasted burnt dry not very appealing. overall the place has potential but it seems it depends what you order. i will not be entering thoses doors again.

different meaning of pub food. had the whipped cod roe for appetizers to share with some delicious artisan fluffy bread, i had the prawn omelette with aioli & smoked paprika & my partner had the pot of curried mussels for entrees then for main course we had the plains pork shoulder with with piquant apple sauce & for dessert i had the ice cream & sorbet & my partner had the pear & honey. everything was divine & this clearly is no normal pub food i can tell you that. we also had some oysters & they were fresh & succulent! it was a little bit noisy as you would expect from a pub but the food & service was overall excellent.

...dining room gets up and going in june), we feel a warm spot in our tummies starting to grow. it’s bound to be fab. we hope mr mc can now get some shut eye.

what a shame!. the phrase "who have you got to f!%k to get a drink around here?" springs to mind. the service was terribly light on, and when we were lucky enough to get served, the exchange was insincere and condescending. we had intended to stay for dinner, but moved on elsewhere. rip builders arms!

i love to come here on their steak night on monday. definitely one of the best $19 steak night i’ve ever tried in melbourne. the portion is pretty generous. however, one night we came here for the steak night, the portion for the chips and salads were small compared with the ones we had previously. overall, we always enjoy coming here even for drinks only

the whipped cod is one of my favourites. it’s the hot toasted focaccia soldiers that really seduces you to go in for one more bite, as well as those bright bursts of cod roe.

my partner and i initially called in here for a couple of pre dinner drinks. it was reasonably busy inside but there were a lot of staff who were over attentive to the point where we didn’t want to stay any longer so we only had 1 drink.

they had a reasonable range of craft beers here and a restaurant inside as well. i’d probably find somewhere quieter next time.

it's a shame that initial reviews are shaky. we found service to be friendly enough, warm welcome by front of house. subsequent service by waitstaff was a little frazzled but i can imagine over time this will cease. surroundings were still very clean and untouched - fresh paint smell still lingering. it's bright and white yet the food is far from sterile.

oh what a disappointment.. pork served not as described on the menu, where the hell was the crackling????
fish pie a hollow starving over-salted concoction.
but the bread was really lovely and the 2nd and 3rd staff members very apologetic.

will be back. the food at the builders is as you would expect from andrew mcconnell, seriously good and from our experience, good value. our highlights from the bar menu were the sea bounty mussels with saffron & aioli (yum) and the whipped cod roe with turkish bread. the bar has a great feel to it, the original tiles and circular bar have been retained and service is still very pub-like. yep, pretty happy to have this place back.

no variety. not much variety and burger tastes like metal

we moved on to a couple of glasses of wine and one of my faves, mussels. 1/2kg sea bounty mussels, saffron and aioli came in a cute little pail with a slotted enamel spoon for serving. tasting of the sea with the right amount of garlic, it was more....

i question some of these negative reviews but my experience dining here was quite impressive. firstly the turkish bread and cod roe dip was delicious. my steak was cooked to perfection, rump cap is normally a cheaper cut but the steak was so tender, amazing house made pepper sauce and fries. delicious beverages and to finish a decadent chocolate tart and coffee. will definitely come back here again.

four out of four - alongside  cutler & co ,  cumulus inc  and  golden fields, yet another winning formula. the bistro is simple and minimalistic, making full use of natural lighting. more importantly, as always the food doesn’t disappoint.

went to the builders arms for their wine tasting festival. jam packed with happy drinkers, the day was fabulous with delicious nibbles, epic beers (literally) and a really interesting variety of wines.
the staff were cool, calm and super friendly. one staff member in particular was so helpful, and even happily checked a coat into the cloakroom (even though the bar was chockablock with customers). sounds like a small request, but i was very impressed at how accommodating the staff at builders arms were during such a big event. cannot wait for next year. thank you!