plough hotel

footscray is an area we have somewhat neglected. not sure why. i don’t think its due to lack of options, however it just doesn’t seem to get suggested to us all that often. don’t get me wrong - i have been pestering the station via twitter to put a parma on theirmenusince i first tried their amazing menu… but to no avail. so when i heard the long-neglected plough had recently had a revamp it was on the top of my list.

it was ok. i was really excited to have diner at the plough hotel on wednesday night. i was surprised how busy it was for a week night. the décor was lovely and i didn't feel i was in footscray lol.

a lot of themenuwas quite simple and as such i expected the food to be top notch. i ordered the salmon nicoise salad, which tasted great but had a few flaws. the salmon was overcooked ( which i personally don't mind) and the eggs were really over cooked.

another person on my table ordered the hamburger, they said it was decent but would not order it again.

we also ordered the potato pizza, it tasted really good , with soft and crispy potato with rosemary and onions. i really enjoyed the pizza but once again something was missing ..... i have no idea what, but it needed just another spice or something to make it amazing.

the prices were quite steep for footscray and for better quality food i would go to the victoria hotel. for ambience, great range of beers and a different crowd, i would recommend plough hotel.

my partner and i ate here recently and were presently surprised.
great beers, wines & spirits. the food was delicious and well presented.
i had a blue swimmer crab linguini followed by a 400g scotch fillet with a fig & watercress salad, both dishes were cooked perfectly and were really really tasty.
my partner had stuffed zucchini flowers and a hanger steak, again cooked well and delicious.
the service was minimal but friendly and efficient. im looking forward their wintermenuand trying the woodfired pizzas next time.
tip: the plough also does their pizzas to takeaway

good food, friendly staff. we've been to the plough hotel 3 times in the past few months and have been happy with it every time. the staff are very friendly and smiley, as well as accommodating of dietary requirements. the decor is very smart and neat, the place is child friendly with highchairs and baby change facilities, and it has always been absolutely packed in both the dining and bistro parts - definitely worth booking ahead of time. my only complaint about the plough is that can be very, very loud when all the tables are full.
the food is mostly pretty good. i love the zucchini pizza, was a little disappointed with my veggie burger (i found the burger part to be a bit bland) and thought the chicken parma was ok. the wine list looks fantastic, although i'm pregnant at the moment so haven't been able to give the wine list a good test yet! my partner was impressed with the good choice of beers, particularly the representation of local victorian beers on the drinks list.
despite having been a little disappointed by a couple ofmenuitems, the zucchini pizza really won me over, and we like the place enough to come back and keep trying the other delicious sounding items on the menu.

whilst you wouldn't expect it from the outside, the plough hotel is excellently presented from the inside. over the last few years they have done a modern update which gets my tick of approval. i have eaten here on a few occasions and have been impressed with the quality of the meals and the excellent manner in which the staff have presented themselves. my favourite thing on themenuhas to be the pork fillet. i can't wait for my next experience at the plough hotel

i eat here so often!! one of my favourite places to dine in, great steak, pizzas are amazing, desserts are unique and cocktails are spot on too. workers are so friendly, they change their specialsmenureally often so you’ll always have something new to try

have been coming here since it reopened in 2013 and spent many sunny afternoons in the now closed beer garden. it is, hands down, the best gastro pub in the west.

themenuis regularly updated and there defiantly isn't a lack of choice at the bar.

their changing specials are always worth a look and the steamed brown ale chocolate pudding on the desertmenuis brilliant.

all that with the added joys of their brilliant front of house staff and not charging like a wounded bull make it worth the visit.

came in for a work project celebration on a thursday lunch time.  very impressed!  the changing face of footscray.  modern, bright and not at all what i expected in terms of interior.   friendly, attentive service (it was pretty quiet though).  excellent, modernmenuwith plenty of healthy options including a rice pudding which i managed to squeeze in after a haloumi starter and tamarind chicken salad.  everyone in our party was very happy with the food and service.  although i didn't have one there is an excellent range of craft beers and the wine list looked pretty good too.

i really didn’t want to rate the plough hotel this low, especially when i have heard many good reviews from friends.
started off with lovely service. seated to our table and immediately supplied water to the table. then it immediately went downhill. we didn’t get menus for 20mins, had to go up ourselves and asked for the menu.
still waiting for our orders to be taken another 25mins later, trying to get the waitresses attention.
food finally arrived, parma was average. pork belly was lovely, but the mexicana pizza was a disappointment. really salty, thought it was just the once slice but it was the same with the next slice. we had to alert the staff and ended up getting an apology and got offered something else on themenuor a refund. we stuck with the refund. if you have a look st the photo, the pizza itself didn’t look appealing. homemade pizza and even pizza delivery companies would have at least looked better and tasted better.
highlight: moscato, nice fruity punch.
lovely interior/atmosphere, got really hot and sweaty at times on a 26 degree day, no doors/windows opened, just 2 fans no air conditioner.
won’t be returning.

dined here for lunch on saturday with friends as a group of 4. we shared the grilled haloumi with baba ghanoush, cucumber, mint and dukkah and the garlic, rosemary and fior focaccia. both dishes very tasty and good way to start a meal. for main i had the fish of the day, was barramundi and it was super delicious, loved the parmesan crackling it came with. other mains ordered were chicken parma and beef burger and another fish and all enjoyed their meals. for a drink i enjoyed the elderflower mocktail which was a delicious combo of lime, mint, ginger and soda and i loved how it is served in my own carafe. service was friendly and prompt. we have dined here before with the same group of friends and the food/service was just as good back then so we will be back again as the food is always so fresh and delicious here andmenuchanges regularly. they have parking also for guests which is great bonus.

came in for dinner last night at 7:30 with a group of seven particularly for the much advertised roast pork special. we all ordered the special, but after ordering were then unfortunately told there were no servings left. very disappointing. i then ordered the pie special, only to have the waiter return with news the kitchen had also run out of this item. i would suggest that ifmenuitems, particularly a publicised special are running low, that the kitchen at least keep the floor staff up to date. for the future roast specials i would expect to be able to arrive at 7:30 and not be told there are no servings available. the food we ordered instead was good, but more expensive, and not the food we had all come in expectation of. the waiter did a good job in spite of difficulties.


addendum: the manager contacted our group promptly with an apology for our experience, and an invitation to attend at a future date. i'm very satisfied with this outcome and look forward to another meal here.

was here last wednesday late afternoon 29th feb for a few beers and dinner. i simply cannot fault this place, 2nd time here. service is excellent, plenty of staff on hand to serve drinks and food promptly. we had a number of small dishes that were of excellent quality, very tasty indeed. the tap beer selection was good and the quality of those beers was very good. with the onemenuyou can eat in many different areas of the pub. will certainly be back...well done.

have been down on a wednesday night after driving past and seeing the beautiful light fittings.  i was completely 'wow'ed' upon entry, the newly renovated space is simply stunning.

the wait staff were really chilled but knew theirmenuwhich was great... easily answering all of our questions with confidence and yes, they were 100% accurate.

i had the fish special, was fresh and cooked perfectly.  others had pasta, steak + sides which they all loved.

child friendly menu, highly recommend this place.  can't wait to return.

7 of us ate here on a very busy saturday night though it didn't deter great service and food. the restaurant itself is beautiful on the inside and out and staff were very friendly, charismatic and helpful. their extensivemenualso had something for everyone with reasonably priced meals and drinks. i ordered the mexicana pizza (minus hot salami, due to the fact i do not like it) though was disappointed they couldn't offer anything to replace it with. nevertheless it was a great meal, thin base with a decent serve of toppings (including jalapeños!). everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals. someone did mention that the pork rack was quite a small serving size though. would recommend and return!

not much to look at from the outside, this place serves fabulous hearty food that is geared towards carnivores but still offers something for everyone.

i brought a friend here from out of town who loves seafood and red meat, favours pub food that will raise his cholesterol levels but also is a bit of a food snob who doesn't want to slum it with the average working man (as i said, snob). said friend ordered from the specials board - scallops with black pudding (eew), fennel, radish and watercress, followed by a t-bone steak with salad and some sort of baked vegetable and cheese dish. he loved every bit of it. my partner ravished a steak with creamy mash and i felt very healthy and content having the ancient grain salad with a side of green beans (both veganised).

the food tasted very rich and indulgent but as the portions were not stomach stretching we felt deserving (we like to kid ourselves sometimes).

the drinksmenuis equally high quality, well priced and the source of my new favourite whiskey - laphraoig, a ten year old single malt scotch from the isle of islay, $12 a shot here, up to $18 elsewhere.