lamaro’s hotel

we attended a 30th in a private dining room at lamaros yesterday which had undergone another change in ownership. i enjoy the ambiance here and the service was generally verygoodother 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

excellent ambiance... great service. tucked away in cecil st ..lamaro's is a must visit.. start with a nice cold chilled cider ... then make your way to the restaurant.. for a truly sumptuous meal... great menu... with choices for everyones palate...
service with a smile and agoodsense of humour makes this a terrific night out... recommend highly

schnitzel veal saturday lunch!!!!
love it
super delish
we went to have lunch with a few friends
drinks aregoodtoo ;)
recommended

afl grand final lunch at lamaro’s. definitely deserving of 5 stars. friendly service on hand,goodatmosphere and most importantly the food was fantastic. oysters were spot on with the shallot mignonette, definitely order these, whilst the calamari was fresh and tasted lovely. didn’t want to overeat with a steak, so opted for the the wilderness beef burger. it was spot on, vastly superior to a burger i had at a specialist burger shop recently. beef patty was tender and could tell the meat was of agoodquality. french fries are french fries, but they did the job. whilst the dessert i thought was beautifully presented, but most importantly delicious. the rose petal and turkish delight ice cream was sensational, accompanied by persian fairy floss and candied ginger added texture - a must have dessert. if you like whites, opt for the 2018 frankland river estate riesling; verygooddrinking. i will be back soon to try more on the menu, in particular the rib-eye. this establishment i would highly recommend to anyone for any occasion.

this restaurant has been our standing place for a group get together for some time and after this evenings fabulous dining experience 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, sogoodin 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

lamaro’s has become our ‘go to’ for special family occasions, and today was no exception. the main dining room 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 especiallygoodvalue!

gastropub food served in a plush modern venue. having eaten here once before returned for another casual night out. both times i’ve eaten here the food has been great. started off with a dozen oysters which were fresh and served the way an oyster should be served. main was a perfectly cooked to order fillet steak. service wasgoodand attentive. definitely recommend for a casual night out with mates

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.
sogoodmy colleague booked the private dining room for a special birthday in a few months.

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

my partner and i ate here for dinner on a sunday night. the food (both meat mains) weregoodbut the portion size of the veal was too big. the restaurant area itself is quite nice for an intimate dinner with family or friends but the service was terrible. the wine bottle was taken off the table but our glasses were left empty for too long - if you’re taking the bottle away, at least be prompt with service! also, there was a group of very loud drunk women in the restaurant area which the maître’d did not ask to lower their voices. i understand they were having agoodtime, but the entire restaurant could hear what they were saying and it ruined our meal / conversation. in all, i probably won’t be back in a hurry

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

firstly had a couple of drinks in the warm bar area -goodselection 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.

we ate in the dining room 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? notgoodvalue, 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. the dining room 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 verygoodexcept 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 wasgoodas 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 great dining experience and one i will do again.

we booked a table for dinner on a friday night. the food was nice, favourites were the padron peppers and kingfish, but overall the menu was pretty expensive.

the atmosphere was a bit dull in the restaurant, and although we had booked a table for two and half the restaurant was empty the whole night, we were seated right in the middle next to a pillar and almost in the hallway of the kitchen and bathroom entrances. there were much nicer little private corner tables empty the whole time.

our waiter felt really pretentious. i asked what was in one of the menu items and he gave a vague description that indicated he had no idea. i pressed for more information (just what flavours it consisted of) and he finally had to ask another waiter in an off hand way. i don't care if you don't know, but don't pretend! just find out.

i was disappointed they had cider on the menu but no spanish sidra (which is significantly different to aussie cider) considering the spanish theme.

overall, food was nice, but wouldn't go back. if you're after agoodspanish/south american meal and experience, i'd go somewhere else.