robert burns hotel

what happened torobertburns? it no longer serves spanish food. instead it serves expensive pub food with tiny little portions...

since it was established in 1861, therobertburns hotel has seen various iterations with the most recent being a spanish themed restaurant. new owner and proud publican, gerry nass is making a bold move to refresh expectations of how to enjoy a good time at this local pub. this improved incarnation sets the bar high when it comes to pub dining, and is set to reclaimrobertburns hotel’s title as a landmark collingwood pub.

a talented new chef duo have joined the crew - celebrated italian chef, danny russo from russolini is collaborating with former atlantic group head-chef, david maclean to reignite the menu. think modern bistro meets nonna’s kitchen.

we loved tasting our way through the new menu. to start, the charred octopus was an absolute highlight. the octopus was incredibly tender while retaining a robust structure courtesy of being expertly cooked and well-seasoned by the heady squid ink which delivered a luxurious salinity and also enhanced the flavours of the octopus.

the burrata was similarly delicious. this cheese sensation demonstrated that unforgettable dishes can sometimes be very simple. in this instance, a ball of unadulterated burrata simply paired with pickled persimmon and prosciutto. when the outer solid mozzarella shell was cut, we loved how the creamy interior of soft, stringy curd and fresh cream revealed itself. the sumptuously rich yet sensibly balanced flavours were sensational.

for mains the fish of the day, (on this occasion, a whole flounder) exceeded expectations. cooked to absolute perfection, the natural sweetness of the very fresh fish was allowed to shine through.

also very notable, was the reimagined chicken parma. lightly crumbed chicken breast was topped with prosciutto, tomato, melted buffalo mozzarella and served with a side of fries. simply beautiful and a must have when at the pub.

you can be friends with salad atrobertburns. we recommend you try the roast cauliflower salad. this was a true crowd-pleaser - an amalgamation of caramelised roasted cauliflower florers, burnt leeks, hazelnuts and rocket topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds and heady parmesan.

dessert time continued to please. the almond coconut panna cotta was texturally perfect, just barely holding its shape and boasted complexity with a subtle sour "twang" courtesy of being served with rhubarb and strawberries.

the tiramisu was yet again, delicious - traditionally made and utterly comforting.

on the drinks front, fine wine is available for every palette or if you prefer a stiff drink, there is a solid cocktail and spirit list. an extensive selection of classic aussie and craft is set to impress with 14 tap beers and ciders and more than 30 tinnies in both standard or longies.

located on the corner of smith and easey streets, this new phase in the life of therobertburns hotel is an exciting one. we simply cannot wait to return.

went to therobertburns hotel for dinner last night with the family, i’d heard about about this place so the expectations were high. we had a number of shared plates between our group rather than individual meals. i was expecting a myriad of flavours with the selection of dishes given this is place with a spanish theme, but unfortunately everything i got to try was on the bland side. i not normally a person that likes food overly spicy so i was a bit confused about what i’d experienced. my daughter said the same, the food was decent and couldn’t be faulted other than it lacked a bit of flavour. between us we tried at least 7 different dishes, everything was ok but nothing was memorable. the place was nice and the service was very good but overall the experience wouldn’t draw me back in a hurry.

3.5robertburns offers a slightly upscale spanish dining experience that doesn’t break the bank.
however, with new owners at the helm, it’s evident that some fine-tuning is still required, both in terms of execution of the food, namely the headline paella, as well as the attentiveness of the wait staff.

happy hour was quite a rush atrobertburns hotel on friday despite all of melbourne freaking out over a little bit of rain. fortunately it was welcoming inside and the drinks were still flowing.

i tried both the $10 happy hour cocktails... the pisco sour & the espresso martini. they were both well made and tasty. i love the raw egg white foam and tanginess of the pisco sour and this was my favourite of the two.

i also tried the otherside cocktail which was a wonderful blend hendricks gin, cucumber and citrus.

the from bar area offered spanish tapas while the dining area out back offered more substantial but still largely spanish fare. the interior is quaint classically presented.

i visitedrobertburns for the food social hosted spanish feast. loved all the different courses like cold cuts, garlic prawns, croquettes, grilled meats etc... the sangria could have been better. but totally loved the paella, one of the best i have eaten.

it's great to see that even after years of my absence from not visiting therobertburns hotel, even though i've had one a great many times dining here at in the past .. this place is still a fine classic ..everything was yummy .. and staff were just fantastic

tried the seafood paella, shared with the hubby. i was expecting the flavours to hit me in the face but the rice was lacklustre and stodgy. lacked any seasoning, tastes like tomato paste and rice.
my night was topped off with a cockroach crawl across the couch to me.
was my first time to therobertburns and will be my last.

the only negative is that it's quite pricey for food and drink.
i like the atmosphere. the staff are often friendly and attentive.
the rabbit and chicken paella is my favourite dish out of the ones i have tried. it is a taste sensation. it's not a huge menu and it was a tiny bit difficult to cater for my pregnant friend.
if you are cashed up and you'd like an enjoyable meal please organise a visit to therobertburns hotel.

the robbie burns has been serving decent spanish food for many, many years. while previously it served larger and more old-style dishes (the sopa de mariscos was amaaaazing), it now serves more modern-style tapas and smaller dishes.

while nostalgia wishes the old robbie was back, the current incarnation still does a good job. if you haven't eaten much tapas or paella it is still a good candidate to try, but unfortunately for me i don't find this venue overly exciting, and i think you can do better at places like anada, movida and lourinha for similar style food.

the decor is pleasant; therobertburns is an old collingwood pub and icon, and it is done up well enough. the courtyard out the back has a modern theme with a bit of greenery, and is a lovely place to sit in warmer weather. staff are professional and friendly. the wine list is also reasonably good.

a nice safe bet.

this was the second time we have had lunch at this hotel.  because there were 12 of us, we managed to secure their wine room.  this sectioned part of the hotel is fabulous - surrounded by lovely wines.  we all ordered their lunch specials.  whilst everyone enjoyed their meals, i could not believe my fantastic rump steak.  big, juicy, cooked to perfection.  unbelievable.  it is so so good.  and i do not often eat meat but atrobertburns hotel they do the meat to perfection.  all for $14.00 - and we will return every couple of months, our friendly group of 12.

had a quick afternoon bite atrobertburns hotel. not your typical hotel food, because they do spanish food! we had the chorizo and jamon croquettes. it was pretty good. we will go back for the monday 1/2 price paella and the tuesday spanish film!

if there was every a book that you shouldn't judge by it's cover, then thisrobertburns compendium is it. with carpet (and carpeted walls) that pay homage to its namesake in a bright red tartan pattern, you can almost assume that haggis will be the first item on the menu. but this is where the scottish connotations stop. with staff that have strong spanish accents, a very long spanish wine list, and the aroma of paella filling the air, this unassuming venue serves some of the best spanish food in melbourne.
there are a variety of entrées to share, including an amazing layered vegetable bake served in cheese sauce, and crispy calamari with aioli, but the real star is the paella. we ordered 3 paellas (the vegetarian, the squid ink and seafood, and the chicken and rabbit) between 7 people, and whilst we were super full (we had already shared 5 entrees!), we still scraped the pans clean.
if you like spanish food, and are willing to forego the pretentious atmosphere, then this is the place for you.

saturday lunchtime and we found ourselves at a local that we'd been meaning to try for a while. so therobertburns hotel seems so un-spanish but the tapas menu is so very spanish downed to the little tinned good available to snack on. we decided to share some croquetas, a meat board, goats cheese and mushroom salad and the seafood stew.

we had a wonderful night at therobertburns. good atmosphere, great service and amazing food! we loved the spanish corquetas and the tumbet, a traditional dish from mallorca. we had some wine from valencia, vermell, and it was excellent. i'll be back... i want to try some paella! ;-)