cambrian hotel bendigo

don't let the decor fool you.... this is one of the best meals i have had in a long time. greeted by the chef as we came in who offered menus & colouring in things for the kids, we were a little bit hesitant as we were the only patrons for a saturday lunch. menu seemed a bit over priced but we went ahead and ordered the chicken mignon and rump steak and the usual nuggets & chips for the kids. the kids loved the 'dinosaur nuggets' although the chips were a bit under cooked. once our meals arrived we were pleasantly surprised. the chicken was tender and moist, creamy garlic sauce to die for and vegetables cooked to perfection absolutely delicious - i didn't want to eat for the rest of the day and ruin the meal i just had! the steak was sumptuous with a proper mushroom sauce and veg. do yourself a favour and give this one a go. cambrian crew, perhaps invest in updating the toilets and maybe an atm!

love the food; the welsh rarebit, duo of lamb and changing specials are stand outs.
the extensive wine and beer list is what draws in my friends and i.
the real icing on the cake though is the fantastic wait staff, especially briony. fun, humourous and it will feel like your local after one visit.

welsh rarebit!. good stuff:
the food was amazing (especially the welsh rarebit).
excellent selection of wine and beer.

not so good stuff:
the service was a little bit scattered. the waitress didn't take orders from diners in the order they were seated, but her manner was lovely.

we will be visiting the cambrian again!

cambrian hotel review. great and friendly service, fantastic food. overwhelmed! we will return next time we are in bendigo. recommend the cambrian to everyone. you must try the chowder!

really nice. took my mum there on saturday, really polite staff, a little slow on the meals, small menu, but the food was really enjoyable......:-)

two way lamb. beautiful tender lamb cutlet and fillet pieces. fillet had feta and pistachios and was wrapped in prosciutto. was served on a beetroot rosti with asparagus, green beans and carrot, on top of a minted pea purée! absolutely amazing!


-----16 may, 2015-----

two way lamb. beautiful tender lamb cutlet and fillet pieces. fillet had feta and pistachios and was wrapped in prosciutto. was served on a beetroot rosti with asparagus, green beans and carrot, on top of a minted pea purée! absolutely amazing!


-----16 may, 2015-----

hidden little gem. what an amazing little pub. we had 7 different dishes and all were fabulous

we are in this hotel. friendly staff but we have been waiting now an hour for our food. if they didn’t have my credit card we would have walked out. they should have told us about the long wait.

we waited for our meal for an hour and were put next to the male toilets. admittedly it was white night festival here but they should have told us the wait was long. we were very grumpy. would never come back!
i would say however, that when the food finally arrived, it was good. the 4 of us were happy with our choices and the food quality.

service is good, very friendly. great food, especially loved the korean chicken, dessert was nice too, had the pudding, very rich flavor. cider came recommended to me and it really hit the spot. will definitely come again.

a country tavern with a touch of city sophistication. cozy surroundings with friendly owner and staff. excellent beers and dishes all around.

verdict: green sapphire

had a great meal here on friday night. one of our group was a vegetarian and allergic to mushrooms. the chef andie altered his gnocchi sauce so she too could enjoy the best gnocchi in bendigo too. the meat lovers in our group enjoyed the lamb special, chicken mignoette and the beef and chorizo gnocchi. all great meals cooked well. i loved the homemade pate for entre . it was a step above normal pub fare. the men enjoyed a variety of craft beers served by a knowledgeable and friendly staff. we can see why it's so popular and we will definitely be back.

a fantastic little pub! not too big and a great atmosphere. they have a fantastic beer garden, complete with bean bags and conduct outdoor cinema nights. fresh herbs are grown in their garden and used by the chef and publican andy.

we went here based on others' reviews and we weren't disappointed. our waitress was really friendly and knew about the beers available (and there's a lot, with over 65 different beers available and 8 local craft beers on tap). her service was excellent and food was served promptly.

the food was outstanding! fresh, perfectly cooked and the american ribs plate was amazing! 

edit to my review: on our second trip here, it was quite awkward and embarrassing to see the chef throwing a tantrum and abusing his staff. given the kitchen is open and in full view of diners, if the chef (who is also the owner) is a bit temperamental and likes to yell at his staff in front of customers, then maybe an open kitchen wasn't such a great idea!!!!!

my son was coming to the area for an annual event and our family of three went here purely by chance. but the result experience was fabulous. the duo lamb and beer were delicious and the service was beyond great. my son was half full before the dinner. thus he was very disappointed and already claimed to come again next year during the event...

disappointed when i phoned to book a table on saturday night to find that they were booked out. elated to discover that the cambrian serve meals in the public bar. stoked with the quality beer on tap, choice of food on offer and footy on the tv. we ate beef rib curry, chicken and chorizo pie, spinach an ricotta ravioli and spiced lamb shank.

for entree, my family of four had the garlic bread, and it was startling delicious. made using turkish bread, olive oil, and finely cooked garlic pieces, it was a very simple but a very appetising and crunchy way to start the meal. for main, i ordered the chicken mignonette and it was quite tasty. the chicken was tender, and the sun dried tomato and feta stuffing was a delicious surprise. the potatoes were crispy and were a perfect accompaniment to the soft chicken breast, and the vegetables were cooked and seasoned well. finally, for dessert, i devoured a creme brûlée with toffee banana. having never before consumed the culinary delight known as the creme brûlée, upon cracking open the top, i instantly fell in love with the contrast of the crunch and the smoothness, and simply the scrumptious taste of the dessert. overall, an incredibly pleasant experience dining at the cambrian hotel, and i very much enjoyed the open kitchen, with the chef's artistic flare and skill in full view of the patrons, which makes you respect more the frantic efforts of the chef in creating your meal. the only downsides of the night were the slightly over the top waitress, and also that the meals did take quite a long time to arrive, though it was a saturday night. i suggest that if you are in bendigo and looking for a decent feed, go to the cambrian hotel, as the food offered at the cambrian hotel are quality pub meals that are made using fresh, local ingredients.