pig & whistle tavern

ourfoodexperience here was great - hearty, heart warming englishfoodserved by the fire on a cold day! fish & chips, parma & pot pie were so good all plates were cleared! staff were probably a bit too relaxed & could probably do with some more restaurant training, although at the end of the day it is a pub and thefooddid make up for it! we had a wine tasting at the joined winery in the bar - the waitress really needs to go on a wine tour & see how it's properly done. also comments about past & present owners don't need to be shared with your customers. this alone let the whole pub down unfortunately.

food, glorious food.. it could have been the weather: a cold autumn day late in may. not windy, but a crispness just after noon accentuated by the moist road and heavy fog that adorned mt dandenong last saturday, as we drove up for the day from melbourne.
it could have been the thick wooden tables, the warm, rich carpet that decorate this olinda establishment that contributed to the feel this gastropub emitted. or the open fire crackling in one corner, at which my partner at i stood next to while reading their hand-written specials board containing traditional yet bold meals, such as lamb shanks cooked in port, or a traditional british christmas affair: turkey and roast veggies swimming in gravy, topped with stuffing.
but before we get to the food, let's discuss their drinks.
a nice selection of wines were offered, though what makes this place shine is their selection of beers on tap, ranging from eurpoe's most recognised establishments to local micro-breweries, and a nice selection from little creatures's brewery.
i opted for a pint of german beer, which was rather stout, a great accompaniment for what was to come.
my partner decided on trying different pots from little creatures: a bright ale and a golden one. delicious in their own right.
then it was time for ordering food.
feeling rather hungry and not knowing what i would be about to experience i ordered a sourdough bread to arrive before lunch.
not long after i ordered, an enormous bread roll appeared, with a knife stabbed through its heart, and a regular selection of butter, olive oil and balsamic viniger as accompaniments.
the bread was still warm from the oven, it was crunchy on the outside and moist, warm and gooey inside.
if the meal was to end then, i would have left happy.
but shortly after my turkey (aptly introduced as "not quite christmas christmas meal") arrived.
a massive plate filled with gravy, turkey swimming therein, and more roasted vegetables that i would generally eat in a whole day, topped with delicious stuffing.
my partner decided on an irish steak pie. equally large bowl offoodtopped with flaky pastry hiding some of the most tender pieces of meat i have dare tasted, surrounded with fat crispy chips.

don't get me wrong. its deliciousness and charm comes not from the quality of food, presentation, or decoration of the locale. it doesn't come from its waiters, who don't wear ironed shirts and shiny shoes. it comes from its soul. it comes from knowing who they are and boldly adapting a menu to accompany their location, their demographics and clientele. it's a lovely place that i'll gladly visit again. and again. and quite possibly, again.
and i'm certain theirfoodand service will remain consistent, as will the dandenong's crisp, cold days which will demand the services the pig & whistle offer.

i can not speak highly enough about this place. thefoodis always delicious, the staff is friendly, the service is great and the atmosphere is just perfect. their pumpkin soup is possibly the best i have ever tasted. if you want a good meal for a great price i would definitely go here. have been many times and will most certainly go many more.

great little gem located up in the dandenongs have been here numerous times and never disappointed all i can say is get the pork belly it's amazing great selection of drinks andfooda great little cozy place to visit on a cold night

been a while since i have been to the pig and whistle. thought we would book for a nice froday dinner.

on to the good things: service was great. really friendly staff that made us feel welcome.

unfortunately the quality offoodwas not up to par for the price. the chicken parma was ok, a generous portion with plenty of chips. but i was really disappointed with the pork belly. not sure how it was cooked but it had an odd texture and a really gamey taste.

i swapped dishes with my wife half way through (she is far less fussier than me) and she couldn't finish the dish.

a little bit disappointed with the experience. my recommendation is to avoid the pork if you visit.

lovely for drinks, don't bother for food!. a lovely outside area in the dandenongs for a few drinks! we also orderedfoodhowever a chicken parma arrived still raw pink in the thickest section, an apology was given however they made no offer to remake or refund the order. the interior is quite dark and a little creepy with stuffed foxes and various animal heads. trying to pay was ridiculous as the staff including management seemed disorganised and frantic at the register.

i would recommend for drinks outside but not much more, my friends and i won't be revisiting.

oink. i love the pig & whistle. go there quite regularly and am never disappointed. even when it looks as though there are two people working and they have a full house they still manage to be warm and friendly and are prompt with service. thefoodis amazing!!! i will keep going back and ill keep bring my friends. definitely a place that doesn't disappoint.

love this place! my only issue is the cramped restaurant. we ask to sit in the bar instead which is super lovely when the fire is lit!foodis perfect english style cooking and the complimentary schnapps and choc cup just add to the charm!

april 2018: still good , bring my mum there, love their pork rib but their nachos is so so. pork belly is $26 for larger portion, worth it!
feb 2018: my hubby likes this place, said that their cooking is always consistently good. he gave a 4. however, surprisingly my kids are totally disappointed with their food. not sure is it because its the last day before the holidays or they thought that kids meals are not worth putting extra thoughts to them as the kids will not border. i am totally disappointed with them. my daughter likes the chips more than the fish, and my son said theirfoodtasted liked they were cooked like mass-canteen food. furthermore, the banana shakes tasted so artificial, with banana syrup and milk....forget about the kids'meal. the adults' ones are actually really good. the "melt in your mouth" pork belly(small portion) is really filling for me and the steak my hubby order is really cook to perfection. we had their desserts before and find them quite good. overall they are worth it if you pick the right meals. price wise, on the high side but once a while, is good to spend a little for an enjoyable meal.

our table was booked for 7.15pm and we were seated right away outside. we were completely neglegted for 20 mins and only by chance a waiter asked if the brownies were ours and i replied " no our order hasnt even been taken yet" shortly after a waitress came out and took our order at 7.40pm. ourfoodarrived at 8.30pm. we ordered the pork belly which was nice but over cooked and the parma which was actually pretty good. overall 3 out of 5.

attended today’s for mothers day. arrived and there was chaos. we were seated and nothing just left alone. no menus no drinks order nothing. finally after 20 mins we hot up and ordered drinks ourselves. more disappointing was that there were no menu... it was a set menu. this i was not informed of when i booked nor when there was a confirmation. we were booked into 3 courses offoodthat we were just not ready for. just felt average the whole menu was not special. i don’t know if we will be back after today!

cosy, welcoming pub up in the hills. generousfoodat reasonable prices and friendly staff. there's a front room with screen that would probably be ok for pints and the footy, but this is probably not the place for a big night out. the rest of the place is filled with tables. nice spot for down to earth pub grub.

greatfoodwe had the piggy platter and dessert lemon meringue pie.. great cold beer .. love the location, wait staff definitely need more training and / or management .. disappointing when u need to remind them the dessert isn't served at the same time as mains then get told to find your own cutlery

our lunch at the pig and whistle in olinda was lovely and met with warm hospitality. the portion sizes are huge so come with an empty stomach. thefoodwas great pub-fare & reasonable in price. great selection of beers & british treats for sale if that's your thing. thank you!

this place is a fair way out of the city, and we were hopeful it was worth the drive.
the place has a warm and welcoming feel the second you open the door. it's rustic, old, and far from modern, and we were taken with the atmosphere. the staff were great, lots of them and vey attentive.
the entrees of garlic and pesto bread were good, not amazing but good and generous serving size.
then the mains arrived. there was no visible space left on any plate, the amount offoodwas staggering, and the five mains were very hit and miss.
the salmon was the pick of the table, the fish and chips was bog standard fare, and the pan seared prawn linguini was the hit. off the specials board it was really flavoursome, plentiful and left a lingering taste. and then there was the piggy parmy.....no. a smashed thin deep fried chicken "breast" with an horrific sauce under circular ham taken from a don supermarket ham packet. on a bed of 3,000 thin fries this looked like a meal for henry viii but was on a parmigiana scale barely scored 2/10.
we decided to go elsewhere for dessert and coffee, but for a catch up with friends in a great setting, pick wisely as you will either love it or hate it....