wine bank on view

people still aren't getting their heads around this place, its a wine bar. it's all about the wine, the food is there as an accompaniment to the wine. that being said, the new sesame crusted seared tuna with wasabi nato is awesome! great light dish to go with wine.


-----10 may, 2011-----

great place, great wine, great atmosphere. thisplaceis a godsend for bendigo. it's a very well run wine bar in the european mould in a superbly restored old bank building. it has an exhaustive wine list, all the local regions are extremely well represented (bendigo, macedon ranges, heathcote) and the rest of australia is covered in depth. in addition there is a comprehensive range of international wines and a superb selection of champagnes.

inside is nice and cosy with open fires in the winter and there are al fresco options front and rear for the warmer months.

food is there to compliment the wine, nice, simple but with flair. don't expect a full on three course meal, but you will have a pleasant time grazing with a glass or three.

wank bank on view. have been telling my friend from melbourne that this is a must go to whenever in town. unfortunately i was so wrong.
i've been working hospitality for almost 10 years now and never once have i ever spoken to a customer the way the waitress spoke to us, and if i ever saw any of my staff treat anybody the way she spoke and judged us, then they would get a warning on the spot. we were disgusted with the service and treatment from the staff that we walked out and will never go back again. all because we had a young baby in a stroller who was asleep. inappropriateplaceto take a child you may say, however my friend was dying to go there and won't be back up for a while so i agreed.
to not get any help with the door for starters from this waitress who was standing there watching us, (clearly we were struggling to get in the big doors but she just watched), to coming in and standing waiting to be seated for about 5 minutes with staff just walking straight by us, assuming it was sit yourself so going and sitting at a table with the stroller out of the way completely for almost 15 minutes without even being acknowledged still by anybody, then changing to a couch seat that became free and completely out of everybodys way (baby was still asleep) to moving over there to finally having previous said waitress acknowledge us but with an "excuse me but is there anything i can help you with?" in a condescending tone of voice like what are you doing in here?. i responded with yeah we would like some drinks please and maybe some food. with a roll of her eyes she brought the menu over and said 30 minute wait on food. i said yeah thats fine thank you and then with another rude question "will you actually be drinking anything?" and we said well yes we did say that we were going to have some drinks please. she bought the wine list over and just left it on the table and walked off.
we felt like were inconveniencing them by being in there so we promptly left and will never go back again. the only shining light for them was the young waiter who saw us coming on our way out and helped us with the door and with a big smile too.
i'm sorry that i ever raved about theplaceto my friends, i'm sorry i came in that day and struck a rude waitress, i'm sorry that i am a young mother who couldn't leave her son at home with her partner to be able to have a drink or coffee with a friend, i'm sorry that i had to put up with judgement by your staff member, i'm sorry that i felt compelled enough to write a bad review on here, but i am not sorry that you will never have my patronage or that of my friends and family after this day.

a very unpleasant experience. we turned up on a cold night having booked many weeks ahead to be told we were sitting outside in a marquee. we had travelled up from melbourne for the weekend. we were then seated in a very draughty tent; table was unadorned, no menu or cutlery. after perusing the menu for a few minutes we were then told that because of another large booking we would have to wait over an hour for our meals.
no apology, no explanation!
so disappointed after having been recommended the restaurant by several people
very difficult trying to find somewhere else to eat on a saturday at very late notice
ended up eating pizza
won’t be recommending thisplaceto anyone, quite the contrary
shame on you! worst service i’ve had in many years

brilliantplacefor an amazing dessert and coffee ☕️ and wine! service was lovely and the cakes were incredible!

greatplacefor a wide selection of wines. it is like a library!!

only problem is the diners, sorry i have been once for dinner but it is a little cramped. you feel like you are in their personal space when you are trying to look at the wines but i guess it works and the customers their expect it.

worth a visit.

the worst service ever. i wish i could give thisplacea 0. we came all the way from melbourne and we saw thisplacehas a good reviews. the waitress wasn't welcoming at all. (don't think she should be in hospitality- very angry face) waited 15 minutes before she came back to take drinks order, after what she ignored our table for another 15 minutes. when we finally got our drinks we were ready to order food, she walked off. we waited another 10 minutes, paid for our drinks and walked out. barista asked what was wrong and when we said no one came to our table, his response was, "oh". unpleasant experience overall. do not recommend. !!!!!

the meal and service was excellent, the wines and beers are delicious. we come back to taste the breakfast and was yummy. i recommend thisplacewhen you are in bendigo

great atmosphere, especially in winter as it's one of the few places in town with an open fire. impressive drinks list too! perfectplaceto pop into after visiting the art gallery or catching something at the capital.

i love to call into thisplacewhenever i'm back in bendigo, not only is the building itself gorgeous but the wine selection is outstanding. the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable about the wine and have given me some great selections over my visits.

i've only ever eaten here a couple of times, but i've very much enjoyed it each visit. the cold platter is varied and vibrant and more than generous, a great way to spend an afternoon or start an evening.

it's a decentplaceto go for a few drinks except for one glaring draw back... the wait staff know absolutely nothing whatsoever about wine.
i don't expect a connoisseur serving me, but bare minimum you expect them to know the basics, it's called the 'wine bank' no? strange.

wow thisplaceis bad.. i ordered 3 entrees for dinner tonight which took 45mins to arrive. i would hate to think how long an entree and main would take. the calamari had been cooked and obviously cooked again. it was so tough i couldn't cut it. the pork slider was a let down. the pork tasted boiled and under seasoned. the kimchi had a lemongrass undernote but it wasn't enough to add any flavour to the slider. the beetroot salad was nice (the fried goats cheese the hero) but would i return for a salad? nope

we visited the wine bank after visiting the art gallery. it has a great selection of wines and share plates making it the perfectplaceto relax and put your feet up after soaking up a bit of culture. the beef cheek terrine was divine... we practically licked the plate clean.

we tried to enjoy it but.... this is the first review i have submitted to us as i normally just read them. however after our nye i felt i had to put something down in writing. we are a melbourne couple and this was our 2nd nye at the venue and 3rd time we had been there, so our expectations were realistic as we were satisfied on previous occasions.
ok...
no welcome on arrival (unlike the year before). just blank looks from staff and no-one taking the initiative to enquire as to why we were there or what we wanted - fine it’s not the end of the world, i can live with that. what i can’t live with was what followed:
first course was unceremoniously 'plonked' in front of us without cutlery, water, or anything much by a nice young guy who did his best. i do suspect it was his first night ever in hospitality - why drop someone in with no experience, serving a degustation menu on nye of all nights?
the food was ok but generally uninteresting and poorly presented. when we enquired as to what it was we were being given no-one knew. however, the young guy did come back to tell us after we’d eaten it. last year we had a menu given to us detailing the courses and it also included matched wines which made it an interesting journey, although the portion sizes were marginal.
the rest of the food came out in a similar fashion, with the portions tiny to the point of ridiculous and devoid of any hint of fine dining. dessert was a shot glass full of blood orange sorbet. not even a mouthful. what we had of it was quite nice.
the ambiance of theplacewas also lacking. we were dining outside at the front as we did last year, but inside and out the back where most people were, there was music. just having some speakers set up to pipe music to where we were sitting would have helped as it was a themed night. alternatively, had we been informed of the changes in set up when booking we may have booked out the back.
when leaving our attached accommodation 2 days later, we spoke to one of the owners/manager about our experience and they apologized, but we won’t be back. apparently the other owner/manager has been unwell, but for a venue that trades on class and professionalism contingencies should for such things should be made.
bottom line – if the wine bank was in melbourne and this was typical of their service, it would be out of business in 3 months.

lost it for me.... i've been a few times over the years, but the last three times i have been really disappointed. tapas quality and the quantity of the serve has dropped away. it's too hit and miss on the food. therefore...i have to give it away as aplaceto go. shame...such an awesome building & location.


-----11 jun, 2011-----

a treat.... i'm a fan, but the bill adds up. niceplaceto treat yourself with friends though once in a while. tapas are delicious. great historic building in arts precinct.

simply stunning! as soon .... simply stunning!

as soon as you walk in you feel special in this mid 1800's building, which has been lovingly and skilfully restored to (quite possibly) beyond it's former glory.

the fact that it has one of the best wine lists in australia and deliscious modern seasonal quisine is almost a bonus.

best savoured when not in a hurry, this bendigo icon is a must visit when in central victoria.

if you are feeling a little overwhelmed by the choice on offer, i've found the staff (despite reading some other user reviews) to be very pleasant and genuinely helpful.

i think sometimes you can get what you give with regard to friendliness.

thisplaceis a credit to the owners and makes me proud to be from bendigo.