lamaro’s hotel

i can’t believe it’s taken us this long to visit lamaro’s! this cosy hotel has the charm of a country pub but the sophistication of a melbourne eatery. theservicewas wonderful and the food left us excited to come back for more! menu highlights were the spanner crab betel leaves and the scallop & pork belly for entree. main favourites were the veal schnitzel and the seared yellowfin tuna.

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 theservicewas 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

just went to have lunch at lamaro on sunday. it was very quiet lunch. we had the bar menu, that was like tapas menu, it was a small menu, and not many dishes to choose from. food was average, but the steak was cooked perfectly. theserviceand staff were very good, restaurant atmosphere was nice and clean, the music was not too loud! food price was reasonable!

afl grand final lunch at lamaro’s. definitely deserving of 5 stars. friendlyserviceon hand, good atmosphere 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 a good quality. 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; very good drinking. 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.

we went to lamaro’s last night for the first time for the crab club night!! wow!!! the food andservicewas excellent and to a very high standard... as keen and avid crab eaters all the crab dishes and sauces were delicious... the atmosphere had a great
vibe to it and the all waiters/servicestaff were awesome! also had the pleasure of meeting the owner dimma, who was a very genuine hospitable host and gentlemen! thanks for a great night dimma and team at lamaro’s.. we will definitely be back soon!!!👏👏👏👏👌👌👌👌👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿😃😃😃

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 theservicewas 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. theservicestaff 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!

lamaro’s hotel is very much a local south melbourne pub, its very clear that 9/10 diners here live in the area.

we had a nice dinner on friday night with friends, the food clearly now relies more on the hotels name that its gastropub history and rests on its laurels.  

lamb was ok and is not worth the price point, the red curry exploded on my friend and none of the staff came to help or acknowledged it when we told them (shocking really) and the cheese board portion was so small its was a joke to charge that much for. 

its sad to see a great place become so average, the vibe not trendy and theservicesecond rate.

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.servicewas good and attentive. definitely recommend for a casual night out with mates

all i can say is wow what a fantastic lunch we had. we came in for a table of 12 “feed me” menu and the food was just devine! theservicewas fantastic and everyone was so attentive to our needs. we ended up staying for drinks well into the night because the bar was so welcoming! thankyou for hosting our work event- will come again !

my partner and i ate here for dinner on a sunday night. the food (both meat mains) were good but 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 theservicewas 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 a good time, 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

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-empty dining room, we were shown to a table under the window. the decor is neat and unfussy. the lighting and noise attenuation are spot on. theservicewas 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.

1/3/2017....great food & presentation sadly let down by incompetent, disinterested waiting staff.
so bad was theservicethat we will not be returning. there are too many melbourne restaurants that offer delicious food complimented by attentive efficient waiting staff. lamaro's fail dismally...so disappointing.

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, private dining room, or a couple of different seated table arrangements). theserviceis 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.

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 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 theservicewas attentive and friendly. the wine and water glasses were always topped up.

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

perfect winter night's food. the best lamb ribs, pork belly and beets then a perfect roast chicken with jerusalem artichokes.servicewas polite, friendly and welcoming. we enjoyed every part. the decor is great with a big open fire.