cambrian hotel bendigo

wonderful staff . made us feel very welcomed. the chef took the time to explain dishes then came up with fresh tasty meals. and the beer! 55 kinds i think? true .

top food - great service. pros:
***** great food - this is not your typical pub grub.

***** good sized meals - i hate it when other places give you a piddly little snack sized meal in the middle of a ridiculously huge plate. you won't leave the cambrian hungry that's for sure.

***** great service - friendly greeting, quickly seated and your drinks and meal order taken. always feel welcomed.

***** great local produce - if you like to support local producers, this is the place to eat and drink. there is a distinctive local focus on the food and drinks menu.

***** reasonable prices - the prices are quite reasonable considering the great quality food. i've had worse meals elsewhere and paid a fortune for them.

cons:
*** dated decor - the old girl is showing her age a bit but this does not detract from the experience. the bistro and front bar are clean, neat and tidy. new owners have made noticeable improvements.

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things have changed at the cambrian!

thanks to andy, tash and team, i've never had a bad experience at the cambrian. if you are looking for a good value, enjoyable lunch or casual dinner, you won't be disappointed. my steak is cooked perfectly every time!

cheers!

ps: love what they have done out the back. beer garden looks good and has a great atmosphere. love the big cinema screen and movie nights too!

10/10 and deserving of such a rating. amazing bear list, like seriously out there. even the dutch ales i had in groningen. local and aussie ales from everywhere. in bendigo , i know?.
then reds to comfort even my fussy taste.
belmain bugs entree and the barra main was exceptional.
desert was, well yum, yep it was yum. not telling what it was, come and try it( bananas) this place should move to torquay so i can visit every week rather than when my daughter has uni needs.
who is the chef .
thank you
craig waters *****

don't be put off by the exterior... this place has great food and an extensive wine, beer and cider list. will definitely be back again.

visitor to town.. disappointing ........
we booked to have dinner for 4 and ended up with 5. based on this site. the waitress was great, did her job well with what she had to work with.
sadly it was the kitchen that let her down. we tried to order the scallops for an entire, the pork belly for a main. both of these not available, as they had run out as well as the special beef fillet. we both ordered the garlic prawns, but the kitchen had a accident and there were only two serves left, so we only ended up with one.
sorry but i believe the kitchen needs to communicate with front of house more. to advise what is available and it not and it's not an excuse to say that "it's a sunday night and we don't open on monday so we don't order in".perhaps the kitchen need to be more proactive and think on their feet with the menu. it did look like the chef was not happy regardless.
would i go again.....no!

fantastic desserts. after reading reviews we thought we would try this hotel. we were pleasantly surprised, great food, great prices. we had the chicken parma and also the chicken mignonette, was delicious with everything cooked to perfection. would highly recommend to all, try the banana and kailua crepe - it was to die for!!

unpretentious and delivers on quality and flavour. exceptionally fresh ingredients. highly recommended. the chef served us and certainly worked to give us an enjoyable and personal experience.

great food on 6 days of the week!. i've been to the cambrian on many an occasion and have never been let down by the food quality, quantity, taste or presentation. great effort by andy & tash to keep this fantastic venue going by excellent customer service. i'll be down again this week for another delicious pasta or steak! :)

love cambrian steaks. andrew is a fabulous chef, his steaks are my favourite, i keep going back and taking friends, all have been favourably impressed. this place deserves to be much more popular than it is, it's still a well kept secret. i have organised groups as large as 60 for meals, andrew and tash rise to the occasion every time. easy to find, easy to park. not a sophisticated looking venue, but well worth trying.

perfect smiley welcoming service!! perfect food combinations!!! i had the pork belly as i often do ... and i loved it.. highly recommended for a quiet and tasty country meal ... meals presented and cooked superbly ... a must when in bendigo...

wake up the next day and i am still dissapointed enough to make a second comment. a salad that has 3 ingredients is a bit plain. still not happy about my steak. no airconditioning. when i ordered, someone had sent their steak back with the wrong sauce. the chef scraped the gravy off. put it back on the grill for 30 seconds, then re served it with garlic butter. be warned!!!


-----24 nov, 2012-----

had the worst steak ever. 40% of the cut was pure fat. asked the waitress if this was normal and the chef came out and explained that this was normal for wagyu beef. expected some fat content but not half my steak. never be back !!!!

after the bendigo swapmeet. we had a superb meal here on saturday night.food & service was excellent,even though they were under pressure.we'll go back.better than some melbourne restaurants.