builders arms hotel bar and bistro

went to the buildersarmsfor 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 buildersarmswere during such a big event. cannot wait for next year. thank you!

a great experience. went to the buildersarmson a busy saturday night with a group of about 10. we had the set menu which was exceptional - the steamed mussels, served drowning in aioli, were wonderful, and the whipped cod roe was creamy and delicious. also fairly good value at $65 per head - and we were stuffed by the end! unfortunately the porterhouse steak was a bit of a let down. great experience but not in a great hurry to go back.

overall, dinner at the buildersarmshotel was pretty good especially for a chilled out sunday dinner – it was the perfect atmosphere – casual, homely yet stylish. buildersarmsis the kind of place that people would frequent quite often for homely and delicious dishes, as well as for a casual drink with mates. buildersarmsis a great casual bistro in a great location.

sunday lunch at the buildersarmscan't be beaten. traditional chicken parma with a twist is the go to on a cold wet winters day.

the atmosphere is relaxed and the bar staff are on point. the service staff and food was to die for. i had an issue with my meal and not only did the staff act promptly and offer to remake the meal, they offered a full cash refund upfront. good old fashion customer service with the right spirit. will be back for sure and sing there praises.

in a competitive restaurant market as inner melbourne. it's great to experience real service. five stars.

gene isaacs

was excited on getting some decent pub food and buildersarmslooked great, pub vibes without feeling too dingy. crowd and staff were nice if not overworked, but thats where it ends. the food was shockingly average. fish pie with decent but overdone pastry - clearly filled with frozen produce. everything tasted like old seafood. one prawn. for a high price of $35. the scotch eggs tasted like cheap sausage and the pasta was edible. usually im pretty easy with food but huge disappointment when the bread is the best part of the meal.

i enjoyed a variety of small plates in the courtyard on one of those “lovely” hard concrete banquettes, but under the shady trees. we shared some lovely fresh oysters as i continue to wean myself on them. as per many other positive reviews, the whipped cod roe was a winner: creamy, light and well seasoned served with crisp dipping fingers. i would have loved the fish pie as i am such a fan of this nz perennial but i checked with the kitchen and the sauce is still runny. no thanks. we also shared the cured salmon which was very subtle, fresh and light. the cheese on our heirloom tomatoes had already gone hard and rubbery by the time it got to the table. i didn’t even recognise that it was cheese. it was really difficult to cut through. it must have been sitting on the pass for a while. not a great result. the presence of the anchovies was a bit to subtle for me, but that’s because i can literally eat them out of the jar, and am not adverse to their intense flavour.
the buildersarmsis a really nice pub, particularly for mid week lunch when it’s quiet. service was excellent- really friendly. it’s definitely worth a return visit and is a great local pub.
tip: cushions for the concrete benches?

i came to the buildersarmswith work for a small xmas lunch/ afternoon. i wasn’t actually sure what to expect but we had a delicious fine dining style meal with great wine and plenty of atmosphere. we close the set sharing menu and where not disappointed, the cod dip was smooth and creamy, the oysters seriously fresh, those that had the slow cooked meat said it fell of the bone and my fish was exquisite. we all had panacotta for dessert that wobbled well, a lovely vanilla flavour.
kd

pretty reasonable food let down by a bit of a stuff up (which i will go into). however, this isn’t going to be my final score as they were pretty good at fixing it.


i have been to ricky and pinky a few times and had also been to the buildersarmsfor private functions so i have been keen to try this place. it was very busy and quite loud; and everyone seemed to be having a good time. our reservation was found quickly and we were shown to our table. i can't exactly remember having the specials discussed with us, but they have a very interesting wine list with lots of organics, unfiltered etc.

buildersarmshotel epitomises the sophisticated modern australian pub fare. the highlight of my experiences here was the whole roasted rainbow trout. the fleshy fish was fresh and had a lovely hint of french (i suspected it was the burnt butter). the roast pork with "best ever" crackling is also a must-have to share between few people, albeit some parts of the meat was slightly dry and required mustard for enhanced taste. the fried cauliflower starter was also quite cumulus-esque which i really enjoyed. though i really liked the freshness of the mussels, i wasn't the biggest fan of the curry taste in its sauce. otherwise, the sides at buildersarmswere very quality too, along with an extensive wine list! overall, i've enjoyed my dining experiences at builders arms. it's perfectly wrapped up with the divine dark chocolate and orange truffle. the price you pay for the quality of meals here is very justified. however, i've rated this place lower than i'd liked due to slow, uncoordinated, and unfriendly service. the inattentive staff here seemed to have thrown decorum out the window and wasn't very hospitable especially when it came to moving tables (we were rushed out due to a two hour booking slot), and getting the bill. but when it comes to food and wine, you can't go wrong with anything related to andrew mcconnell so i definitely won't hesitate to come back for the food in hopes that service would improve.

i have been to the buildersarmsseveral times for work lunches, including taking my team there for a very long afternoon, so when i took my wife there for dinner i was expecting a similar quality experience. sadly this was not the case. we arrived at around 7.00 on a friday, but the restaurant wasn't too busy. staff looked at us for a moment while we waited for them to give is a table.. the moment turned into several moments, became a little awkward and so i said. we would like a table for two for dinner. not an unusual request considering the circumstances but it still felt as though i had just asked where can i park a camel or what do they think of hazel nuts... it was just odd.. they processed my question and then suggested that i look outside..so off we wandered to find no available tables.. back inside then and found a free table.. ok guess we will sit here. now this sort of find your own table and sit yourself is perfectly normal for a traditional pub, but this place has linen table cloths and nice cloth napkins. each setting has at least two glasses. this is not a $15 pot and parma place! after finding our own table we were ignored for a while.... then another while.. and then when the whiles became ridiculous i got up, scrounged some cutlery and glassware and set my table myself. it was either that or do something more extreme to get attention and by the time i finished our table was all set for dinner. at this point our host who had previously been hiding behind the counter jumped in and told us that we were at a reserved table (that had no settings) and got quite agitated. now i don't need to spend a lot of money to be treated this rudely and i certainly wouldn't recommend the buildersarmsagain. seems like their staff don't give a cr#p about their guests and frankly i think we were in their way spoiling their quiet evening.

that's ok we (or my team) are not likely to come back.

our party of 8 gathered at the builder'sarmsfor a sunday arvo long lunch. having not been there before i was expecting a simple pub meal but this place is no basic pub. they have clearly pumped a lot of money into turning this space into a sophisticated and welcoming spot families and groups to come together for great food.
service was very friendly and they guided us with our food selections well. we shared an array of started that included whipped cod roe with toasted turkish bread, salt and pepper school prawns and the jamon serrano, fried bread, smoked peppers and parsley. all were pretty tasty and left us wanting more. the cod roe and bread probably the favourite. 
for main we opted to share two of the boston butt pork shoulders. along with sides of roast potatoes, garlic and rosemary, house chips, aioli and chopped broccoli, freekeh salad(quality!) . note that you need to allow 1 hour for the pork. two pork shoulders were easily enough for our group of 8 to share even if the wait staff said they should be shared between 2-3 people. i'd say 3-4 with sides. 
the pork was pretty impressive with prefect crackling. it was perhaps a little bland and we could have done with some more condiments to liven it up a bit.
overall though this place was prefect for a group lunch and i wouldn't hesitate in returning at all.

overrated. went here with a big group of friends, and most of them were chefs. we found the place to be lacklustre, the food lacking imagination. some of the mcconnell restaurants are great like cutler, but buildersarmsfailed to deliver. on a good note, the dry aged steak was great. we much prefer venues with vibe & atmosphere, places like panama who have awesome food, or le bon ton for the wicked atmosphere and cool outdoor area (but not in winter!!)

walking away from the festival towards smith street, you could see back up gertrude street to the buildersarmshotel, always subtle but striking in its projected jacket. this year, the gertrude street projection festival runs from 6pm to midnight each night from 18 to 27 july.

carnivors preferred. my second time at the builders arms, this time for dinner. this place caters primarily for steak eaters so if you don't like steak, your options are very limited. i didn't feel like fish, and that left me with the pork shoulder or a vegetarian dish with fairly negative reviews on urbanspoon. my partner and i shared the pork shoulder, and it was probably perfectly done but far too fatty. i tried to scrape as much of the fat off as possible but in the end i wished i'd ordered the vegetarian dish. the pork left me feeling uncomfortable and queasy. the house chips were uninspired, and only the chopped broccoli salad was impressive. for appetizers we had tiny olive toast pieces with anchovy and okay cod roe. for dessert, the baked quince pudding, the malted milk parfait and the chocolate ice cream were very nice. service was efficient though not particularly friendly. the place feels wide and open and got very noisy. i really don't see the attraction and don't think i'll be back.


-----26 may, 2012-----

good service, mediocre entrees. went there for lunch with a small group (six of us). we ordered all the share-able entrees, of which i enjoyed the carrots and harissa, found the corned duck pretty interesting but not amazing, and wouldn't order the other entrees again. the food seemed to take a long time to come out, but the service was good, very friendly, and the space clean, white sparse. didn't try mains, which seem very meat-oriented. from the entrees, i had the feeling that the buildersarmsis trying to emulate the commoner but it can't hold a candle to it in my opinion.

the buildersarmsbistro. it’s a cosy and modern pub in fitzroy, offering both casual and fine dining options. we decided to dine in the bistro, although they also have a fine dining restaurant called moon under water. the bistro has some fantastic menu items, including a rotisserie with a different....