lamaro’s hotel

we attended a 30th in a privatediningroom at lamaros yesterday which had undergone another change in ownership. i enjoy the ambiance here and the service was generally very good other than one incident with an extremely unfriendly waitress who practically accused us of ordering the wrong dish when the eye filet came out inside of the scotch (despite the fact that the sauce was not what we had requested either).

in the end maybe we would have been better off with the red wine jus that appeared as when they eventually did remake our steaks as the correct cuts the diane sauce we had was quite salty. one thing i will call out though was the exceptional complimentary bread. it was kind of nutty and utterly delicious. they also make a superb mojito. shame that one staff member soured an otherwise pleasant experience in what is a stunning venue

original review
i was sad to discover this has recently changed hands and is no longer the spanish inspired 'lamaro's bodgea' but now 'lamaro's hotel' reverting back to the more pub style menu it had a few years ago. i desperately miss those huge sharing plates like that whole chicken and the marinated lamb. please bring them back! they were so visually impactful and impressive.

it's such a beautiful venue i loved that there was previously a point of difference with the food. the world doesn't need another steak restaurant (although i must say the new menu is delicious) but the old one by default forced you to share and as such felt homely and warm and welcoming which suits a nice pub such as this

this restaurant has been our standing place for a group get together for some time and after this evenings fabulousdiningexperience we agreed to keep it going.

the staff are friendly and knowledgeable on wines and on the meals on offer. we had a great recommendation for a red wine which originally we were going to order in a shiraz but in the end the waiter suggested we go for the merlot, i cant remember the name but we all thought it was extremely delicious, so good in fact we even ordered a second bottle.  

we dined on a range of veal schnitzels, steamed chicken vietnamese salad, red duck curry and the daily special of mussels in green curry sauce.  we pimped up the vietnamese salad and the mussels from entre size to main.  whilst everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals, i only tried my dish of the mussels. i found the portion size for the main way to generous as the mussels themselves were unbelievably large, they were extremely plump, in fact the largest i have ever seen.  they were just fantastic in the green curry sauce, one of my favourite ways to eat them, especially when i got a chili hit in a mouthful, yum.  

despite the fact we were all full, we shared a few desserts, i shared the dark chocolate tart with a delightful pastry, it was very rich and decadent.

we then retired to the bar for a night cap, a great way to finish a fantastic meal and a fabulous evening.
kd


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previous review
we came back to lamaros hotel for a catch up with old mates.

we all partook in some red wines this evening, there was an extensive wine list and we were not disappointed with the sangiovese we chose.

the popular mains within the group included the mixed grill which came with a red wine and cracked pepper sausage, lamb cutlet pork belly and steak. the other most popular choice was a steak with various toppings. while i didn’t partake in these meaty dishes, the comments were plentiful around the tenderness and tastiness of these meals, the following days later there was still plenty of talk of how great the steaks are.

my dish of choice was the whole baby barramundi which came with a biryani rice and 3 sauces. my dish was lovely and tasty and gratefully not a bone in sight which made for a very enjoyable experience. we shared a variety of salads, chips and roasted vegies across the table, all prepared with delicious combinations of flavours that i thought worked really well.

for dessert we had the poached pear with a hazelnut crumbled biscuit and orange curd. the pear was well poached so cutting into was easy.

we also had the chocolate pudding with white chocolate ice cream and decadent chocolate sauce. i’m so glad we ordered this dish as the menu indicated it takes extra time to prepare so we nearly didn’t.

kd

had dinner at lamaro's last night, the place is a little gem of a higher-end pub / almost finediningbistro in the heart of south melbourne. the surroundings are quiet, but inside the pub and restaurant was buzzing on a friday night. they have an intensive drinks menu, plenty of amazing wines to choose from. decent selection of cocktails. the food was surprisingly incredible. the grilled scallops with pork belly was a definite highlight, followed very closely by the kingfish sashimi. as for main, we went with the ribs and that glaze on the ribs was just finger-licking delicious! i kinda wished the glaze/bbq sauce on those ribs came in a jar so i can have ribs that taste like that at home... 

finished with a coconut pavlova for dessert, opted for the fresh tasting one as the others sounded a bit more rich and we were already so full at this stage we almost just needed a refreshing palate cleanser. great decision. the passionfruit curd inside the coconut pav was pretty intense.. and pretty amazing.

overall, the ambience is pleasant and cosy with a fireplace in the corner. lovely dinner, thank you to the friendly staff at lamaro's for a delightful evening.

lamaro’s has become our ‘go to’ for special family occasions, and today was no exception. the maindiningroom has a lovely and warm ambience, and the service was attentive and welcoming. we all enjoyed our meal - with calamari, veal saltimboca, and authentic spaghetti carbonara the standouts.

it was wonderful to enjoy our wine and conversation in a space that wasn’t overcrowded or noisy like many restaurants are these days. the service staff graciously dealt with all of our special requests with a minimum of fuss, and the 2yo in the party felt especially welcomed. thank you lamaro’s - we’re already looking forward to our return visit!

note - the italian ‘winter special’ lunch (m-f) looks especially good value!

i love this place ..happily eat the scallops every night for dinner..fantastic, clever combination.
the bar staff are friendly and knowledgeable had the best expresso martini’s i can remember.
so good my colleague booked the privatediningroom for a special birthday in a few months.

popular local with bar menu and more expensivediningroom menu. the bar menu could do with a couple of hot dishes (croquettes, hamburgers maybe?) but it's a pleasant and laid-back spot. good and detailed wine list - not cheap (about three times retail prices)
special mention of dan - very efficient and courteous. can recommend with confidence

exquisite is just one of the words that i'd use to describe south melbourne's hidden treasure lamaro's. tucked away on cecil street, lamaro'sdiningroom is the place to go to if you're after finediningwith a local touch - there won't be a glimmer of pretentiousness or snobbery whilst your being served up your french champagne and oysters - just a friendly smile and a 'how else can we help'.

i'm not sure i'd rate this one as 'casual' dining. it seems to attract the more well-heeled citizens of albert park and surrounds. there was an air of cashmere and tweed. after some initial confusion about whether two walk-ins could be accommodated in a nearly-emptydiningroom, we were shown to a table under the window. the decor is neat and unfussy. the lighting and noise attenuation are spot on. the service was a little indifferent (my companion was not offered a second glass as her empty was whisked away). the food was really, really good. seared tuna ($38) a highlight, sitting on a perfectly balanced salad. it's not cheap pub grub, as dinner for two added up to $135, but as a step up from schnitty, this place is good. it's the kind of place you take your dad when he's insisting on paying.

was looking forward todininghere with a colleague since the paul dimattina / geoff lindsay take over.

firstly had a couple of drinks in the warm bar area - good selection of beer on tap.

moved into the restaurant, and was greeted with very friendly service.

i advised my colleague (visitor from sydney) to have the famous red duck curry, and i went for a scotch fillet.

along with a very nice bottle or reasonably priced red, it was a great winters night meal.

100% going back.

this place is nice for all sorts of occasions- an intimate date for two, friends catch up or a family dinner. there are multiple areas to be seated (at the bar, on high stools and tables, privatediningroom, or a couple of different seated table arrangements). the service is friendly, mostly efficient (although initially none of the waiters realized we didn't have menus so in the end we signaled a waiter over to get us some) and once our menus were in hand, they seemed attentive to our needs. the food is really tasty, fresh, and comes out hot from the kitchen as it should be. the waffle chips are a hit. my crab pasta dish was nice but a tad too salty and oily for my liking, but the pear and cos salad was delicious and so was my husbands pork dish.

we ate in thediningroom and watched with envy as the bar meals went past. we love melbourne's great restaurants, cheap and cheerful or fine dining, but this was pretty underwhelming for the price. $38 for a charcuterie board, that came with no crackers or biscuits-just the bread for the table-a few bits of salami, 5 mini gherkins, tomato relish, pate and a bland chicken terrine? not good value, although the taste of the pate was sensational. $38 for 300g steak, which although cooked perfectly, was not likely 300g. inattentive staff-certainly not commensurate of the cost of the food. wouldn't go back, not because of the flavours and quality, but because it's just not great value for money.

this place is pretty special. welcomed by friendly wait staff as you walk in, you have the feeling that you will be taken care of very well for the rest of the evening. it was a cold night and roaring fireplace going. thediningroom is a beautiful space.

we had the calamari and cured egg yoke with peas as an entree to share. it was absolutely divine. the mains were decent, but not quite as spectacular as the entree. the rockling and diamond clams was very good except it was slightly on the salty side. my friend sirloin again was slightly on the saltier side otherwise very good. we finished the evening with churros that were light, crispy and really hit the spot.

throughout the evening the service was attentive and friendly. the wine and water glasses were always topped up.

overall a very enjoyable evening. look forward to coming back one day.

i have heard about this place and had to give it a try. warmly greeted and made to feel very welcome. the young lady that looked after us asked if this was out first time and it was. she described how the menu works with the share plates and had a great knowledge on what was on offer. they have a great selection of wines. we started with the bodego plate which was great with freshly cooked sourdough bread with olive oil. we ordered the flinders island salt grass lamb shoulder to share between two. we were advised that it takes a while. this was fine as we were grazing and it came to us in around an hour which was good as we were getting full. now the lamb came out and there was no need for a knife. it was actually pulled apart with a spoon. i will say it fell apart. it was awesome and i am salivating writing about it. you can share between four and order something else. all in all it was a greatdiningexperience and one i will do again.

the 'paddock to plate' philosophy holds true for lamaro's bodega. reinvigorated from a pub, the venue now serves as a spanish-influenced restaurant and bar. an ode to the spanish way of life, there's plenty of vino and comida served in a bodega setting, where smoky, sultry flavours are served amongst aged barrels and cellar wine. landscape paintings extend the length of the privatediningroom, embraced by the comfort of dark timber facades, soothing diners before entering the realm of spanish feasting. lamaro's is all about the locality of fresh produce and ethically raised meats. there's melt in the mouth charcuterie platters sourced from greenvale farm, flinders island lamb, fresh seafood from the crashing waves of the victorian coastline. lamaro's own farm in cape schanck breeds lambs and black angus cows. the produce-driven menu representing victoria at its best.