The 18 best family-friendly pubs in Ballarat

At a jaw-dropping $27, you'd expect a burger that flirts with transcendence. What I received instead was a soggy, sorry stack of mediocrity masquerading as gourmet. The meat patty was cold. Not lukewarm. Cold. As if it had been cooked yesterday, stored in a fridge, and then forgotten on the grill for a few seconds as an afterthought. The flavor? Nonexistent. The patty tasted like it had been marinated in apathy and grilled over the dying embers of ambition. Whatever seasoning they used, they must have waived it at the burger from across the kitchen. And the sauce — oh god, the sauce. A deluge of some indistinguishable, cloying goo drowned the bun and annihilated any texture or integrity. I've had more balanced flavor from a vending machine sandwich. Even the bun couldn’t save it — soaked, limp, and collapsing under the weight of its own pointlessness. The Golden Point Burger is a masterclass in how not to make a burger. Save your money, your tastebuds, and your dignity. This isn't food — it's a $27 insult.

Big portion with fair price. We went on Saturday night and they didn't have a table for two in the dining area, so we ate in the bar area, but we can still order the same food. I might look a bit young, they asked for a physical ID which I didn't have, so they asked my partner to order the drink and didn't check his ID.

Always disappointing coming here, I got 2 starters for dinner tonight and requested they be brought out with the mains so I can eat with my family. I firstly got given these $19 bao buns that were so underwhelming ( one piece of cucumber with one ball of chicken on open flat buns, absolute rip off in this cost of living) these got brought out to me right after the kids meals arrived ( 20 minutes before the main meals came) not only all of this there was a small curly hair on the bun ( I have hair that reaches my lower back I know what it looks like and it was definitely not that) then my second starter which was also requested to be brought with the mains came 15 minutes after all my family got their main meals. This was just so disappointing not only did I not get to eat with my family but it wasn’t even worth it. Although I must say all of the service staff were so lovely and were doing an amazing job on this busy night! The revamped to golden point may look nice but it will never compare to Zagami’s My recommendation is if your looking to actually go out for a nice dinner do not come here

Lovely modern looking place with so much to keep the whole family entertained. The kids play area was a huge hit with my kids. Small arcade type part to it and a decent size play ground. The meals were nice, standard pub style meals. With allergies it can limit your choices but no different to most places similar to this. The pokies room is huge and very clean. The cleanest pokies area I’ve ever seen. The staff were all friendly and helpful. I have to make a special mention for the cleanliness of the bathrooms too. So many hotel/restaurants can let this slip. They also had a nice function area. We didn’t use it but from what I saw it was a good size.

Had a stop over on the way to SA. Had a char grilled scotch, and my companion had the seniors battered fish. Steak was cooked goid, nice and tender. Chips and salad were good. Battered fish was very, very good. To me, it seemed like it was fresh fish, which is amazing. It was freshly battered. Beer was nice.

Great service and tasty and generous portions of food. Love the weekend entertainment. Great place to have a great tike with family. Will be there next time wjen we visit area

Food was AMAZING. The service was a little slow however they were very busy for a Tuesday night. Kids loved the indoor playground. Great place for families

Absolutely deserving of 5 stars! We had a fantastic experience and service was exceptional. The food exceeded expectations—delicious and generous portions. We tried the beef burger, chicken parma, and an Angus steak, all cooked perfectly, especially the steak which was spot-on. Sitting by the fireplace made the atmosphere warm and inviting. A truly great spot to relax and enjoy a quality meal. Plenty of parking space on the side. Highly recommended!

Friendly staff, nice food and drinks, loved the wedges! The food is served really quickly and since the restaurant is open till late you can eat there at pretty much anytime.

The food here was tasty but definitely cost more than we were expecting. The chicken parm was the taste / value winner of the experience. My partner had the lamb cutlets which were tasty, I had a medium rare porterhouse which was nice with good salad, my youngest sister in law got the pumpkin focacia sandwich which she didn't like at all and woukdn't eat, the older sister got veggie dumplings which she rated alright and my mother in law got the chicken parm and she ate it all and loved it.

Have been here a few times over the years as it is one my coeliac daughters favourite and safest places to eat. Last night's experience wasn't the best though. Most places will serve everyone's meals at the table at the same time. Half of our meals were served very quickly with the rest of the table waiting almost an hour for their meals. It was until they went up to cancel their orders as it was getting late that they finally got their food thanks to the great service by the young lad who sorted it out for us. The food was OK a couple of members of our table weren't overly impressed with their dishes though.

We are in the restaurant section, where they have full table service. Staff are friendly and attentive, sevice was very good. The duck spring rolls were amazing. The snack pack parma, although good, was over sauced . The salad with the calamari was spot on in flavour and texture. It's definitely worth the drop in for a meal.

First time to dine here with hubby. We already heard this place from some people and glad that we had the chance. Though I booked ahead, however, no reservation happened but the man who greet us ensure to make way to get a table for us. Food for me and hubby were excellent and yes, we're full. He likes the pudding and I like my entree, the beef tatiki (is that the right name😁). Surely will come back again and try other dishes.

Absolutely wonderful experience. Stunning meals and exceptional warm hospitality - stayed for 3 nights and will be back again. Adjoining accommodation is wonderful - enhanced by the warm staff at reception that literally go out of their way to make your stay enjoyable. Thanks for a great few days. Cheers Brooke

This was our first Experience at this beautiful brewery, and we were pretty impressed by our visit. This bar had such positive vibes, professional staff, and memorable draft beers. Perhaps the only critique is the relatively high price of the beer, which I believe is justifiable given the quality. It was a great experience and highly recommended to everyone.

Lovely dinner in a great environment. Meals were large and tasty. Atmosphere was great. The place was busy but still easy to talk. Would recommend.

The food was great. Best nachos I have had. And a great afternoon of music. There was a huge variety of beers on tap and more variety in packaged beers.

Cozy place with really fun music. You cannot miss the bbq platter and add the cornbread and housemade ranch, one of the best meals I’ve had. The platter plus a couple of sides was the perfect amount of food for the two of us. Couldn’t be happier

Came here tonight with my mum brother and myself. Atmosphere was comfortable and spacious. Had no trouble waiting for a table. Food came quickly. Absolutely delicious. Would come here again anytime. Recommend to anyone who wants to try something new and enjoy the wide variety of food they have on the menu. The place rocks. 😊⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Having just moved to Ballarat we were keen to explore some different places. We have now been to Hop Temple twice in 4 weeks. The warm eclectic decor is so well done, the staff are super friendly and keen and the food is really good. They have happy hour from 3pm with half price drinks and some food is half price also. It's very good value and we enjoy the vibe. We happened to be there on a Wednesday night when they were running their weekly trivia. I was surprised how full the place was with everyone enjoying the trivia fun. We will keep calling in, it's a great place.

Food was good. Cocktails was fresh. Music was a little loud for dinner time but it has a pub like feel so expect some background music but could have been background music. Was hard to talk to people at the table due to everyone having to yell around you. But other then that would definitely do takeaway food

Had lunch with some friends. Enjoyed by all. Everything was fine service, cleanliness meals delicious. My only gripe was the price of pork spare ribs @ $46 on their specials board. I have these in Melbourne fairly regularly and only pay between $30-$42

Such a clean and inviting pub, service was amazing and food was so delicious. Had 2 meals from the specials board which were incredible, the beef cheeks for the win Definitely returning 🍽

Best pub in town. Beer is cold, meals spot on every time.. highly recommended.

Still undergoing Reno's but a far cry from the pub it used to be. I like that they kept some original wooden trims. Food is pub style food, same as you'd expect from other joints in town like The Western or North Star. Probably a bit cheaper

Very clean and nice hotel. The steak was cooked to perfection. Decent serving of vegetables with the meal, it is so hard to find a place that can do simple vegetables with your meal, but The Park was perfect. Kids playground indoors, to keep children busy too.

Fantastic service. Great atmosphere. Excellent meals.

We came here for dinner the food was alright then I discovered a hair in the food and the water tasted really disgusting

Food/Drinks was good but the chicken Parma was a little burnt and dry and was just plain, not alot of flavour. Salad was small but ok and chips well the one thing I don't really like ... Yes pet peev is Chips under the parma makes them go soggy. The other Schnitzel was ontop of a small amount of mashed 🥔 potato and not a huge amount of veggies. Entrees of Battered Prawns was however quite delicious. The service was quick ( guess it helped to be in there right on opening for dinner time) The staff were welcoming. Loved the different chairs so much easier to sit and get out of than the silver ones they had.

We attended for a family birthday dinner with 2 toddlers in tow. There's a large family-friendly bathroom with a change table available. The staff were lovely! The food was really good also and came out quickly. We got steak perfectly cooked, calamari which was so soft and fresh and 2 kids meals, nuggets and a pasta. I can pick no fault. It was a lovely night

Friendly staff, very accommodating, nothing yoo much trouble . The Parmas were amazing!

Had lunch here today for brother birthday. My mother has no bottom teeth and I asked them if there was anything they could serve us that would help my mother eat. The staff could not have been more helpful with her needs and made her a special dish that wasn't on the menu and mum really enjoyed it since she could eat it. All the meals top quality and so was the customer service. Thank you to all concerned for a fantastic experience. We will back again once mum get her teeth back. I highly recommend the bunch of grapes to anyone looking for a good meal and even better customer service.

We have been to the Bunch of Grapes Hotel many times and have always enjoyed their meals. The staff are very friendly and efficient. A large variety on their menu and the cheesy bread is a favourite and so is the sticky date pudding!

We didn’t eat here but we stayed in the accommodation. Very well priced for a convenient, easy stay. Pristine room. New interiors, comfortable beds. All amenities. Couldn’t fault it. Thankyou.

5 of us dined out last night (a Saturday). We all ordered our meals at the same time. Two of the meals came very quickly. The other 3 of us sat and waited for more than 40 MINUTES!! (no exaggeration) for our meals. Lovely waitress apologised saying the kitchen didn’t communicate, and offered free coffee. But honestly - this excuse isn’t good enough. How cooks/chefs don’t know that grilled fish takes minutes versus other food - is beyond me. Partners pork chop was hard as a rock, my chicken Kiev was dry inside with zero butter. Parma was dry and chicken was thin as paper. Veggies were boiled carrot & cauli which were still hard and dry as a bone. With Ballarat having such an abundance of nice pubs - we definitely won’t be coming back.

Just had a coffee, no food. Excellent customer service, nice atmosphere.

A wonderful place. Good food & drink. Very nice view. Friendly staff with excellent service.

Had lunch here yesterday. Amazing! The best Lamb Souva I've had in years, cooked to perfection. The meal was so huge that I brought half of it home. Fantastic value! Thank you to the team!

I visited The Yacht Club Ballarat on Saturday, 4 October. The food and service on the day were good, but my experience since then trying to organise a function has been very disappointing. I enquired in person about a function on 13 December and was told there were no bookings that day, but that I’d need to contact the function manager, Kelli, to confirm details and get answers to a few questions. I emailed Kelli on Monday, 6 October, then called on Tuesday, 7 October, to check if my email had been received. The staff member couldn’t confirm, as they didn’t have access to emails, but said they would pass on my details to ensure Kelli contacted me. By Wednesday afternoon (8 October) I still hadn’t heard back, so I sent another email. I eventually received a short reply saying no function rooms were available that day (contradicting what I’d been told in person), but that a marquee on the deck might be an option. I replied straight away confirming that would be suitable and again asked for answers to my original questions, which were still not addressed. I was told Kelli had been busy that day, even though my first email had been sent two days earlier. It’s now 12 October and I have had no further contact. The lack of communication and follow-up from the function manager has been very disappointing. Despite an excellent first impression of the venue, the handling of my subsequent enquiries by the function manager has been disappointing and has diminished my enthusiasm for future visits.

Had breakfast on a whim here with the family this morning, was so pleasantly surprised at how amazing the service is. Thank you for having us and providing a lovely meal and fantastic service, staff just go above and beyond. I stepped away for a moment and they kept my food under the heat for me and as soon as I walked back in I was greeting with a beautiful smile and my meal. The most admirable experience of this dining experience is we observed this amazing treatment to every patron we seen in our vicinity.

Great place to have lunch on the lake. Very generous portions, so I wouldn’t order more than one thing per person. Don’t add chips if you aren’t bulking or smt. Just steal some of your friend’s chips. Quite busy even for a Monday lunch

Food looked nice but had no flavour. Beef salad was just that, bland meat and lettuce. The chicken Caesar wrap was like eating mayonnaise Not for us. Won’t be back

The food was absolutely amazing. The staff were just incredible and the owner was the most lovely man. Super pleased and will be returning often.

Beautiful food and wonderful service. The staff was very quick to attend the tables, clear finished plates and fulfill any requests. Our waitress Annie, in particular, was extremely warm, welcoming and radiated with a lovely joyful personality. She made the experience all the more enjoyable. We will definitely be returning customers!

We had chicken 48, bbq chicken and some oysters. Everything was fantastic and fresh! Wanted to try something other than steaks and Chicken 48 didn’t disappoint at all. It was creamy and perfectly seasoned. We really enjoyed our meal :)

It’s amazing service and food in Ballarat, thank you for your service and providing excellent food in this area. The seafood pasta has lobster omg!!! So yummy, and the bolognaise is fantastic too.

This time, we were sitted on the more casual side of the restaurant. In saying this, it's only the decor, the service, and food are still of a high standard. Due to dietary requirements, we were accomadated with slight changes to our orders. I can say the pizza I had was the best ever. The prawn risotto was light and well balanced, and the spaghetti bolognese was gutsy full of flavours. The chocolate dessert was very light, a good way to finish a meal. If you are in Ballarat, give them a call, go for a meal, or arrange a takeaway. You will not be disappointed.

We stopped here for dinner midway to Daylesford with no booking and on a whim we got a table on a busy Friday night!  What an absolute surprise it is to experience, not only great meals but good old-fashioned service. The owner himself came to the table and spoke with everyone, ensuring we were all happy & catered for. The meals, wow, so big and worth it. My husband loved the chilli & garlic prawns, the kids who generally don't eat all their meals demolished everything and finished up with amazing desserts and coffee. Whilst we are not local, we will be back for sure! Impressive.

Great food and service but noisy birthday bunch right in front of us. Couldn’t hear myself shouting Food and service were excellent. Unexpected and delicious. Lamb was so tender and delicious with the red wine sauce. The vegetables were crisp and fresh, beautifully cooked. My friend had chicken risotto which tasted really good. We were both happy with our choice of dinner venue ❤️❤️😊😊😊😥❤️❤️😊😊

The quietest of the little strip of cafes here and I have no idea why when our meals were delicious. We feel we were overcharged for some items in my sisters dish. She asked to swap some items out and instead of swapping, they didn’t give her the item and then charged her for the additional ones…..But we were in a rush, so didn’t bother to bring it up. Either way, the food was yum and the staff super efficient and friendly. FYI: They have a business for sale sign up in the window.

Tasty menu, ambience and decor could use some TLC though. We had the Roesti and the French toast. Roesti was a nice house rendition with beetroot and pumpkin. The French toast was tasty and the serving was great. Though the plating could have been better as the plate itself was tiny. The decor is a little drab and there isn’t sufficient light in the cafe. The furnishing doesn’t help to increase the brightness either. Coffees were alright. Not bad but nothing to write home about either.

They were able to accommodate eight of us with no notice. I got the prawn pappardelle, which was simple but nice. It came with six big prawns, which is quite generous for the low price of $22. Some of the menu prices did seem a little odd though. For instance, the cost of a small bowl of chips was high at $9.50 - yet the main meals were all very reasonably priced. The menu is not particularly well suited to vegetarians/vegans. However they seemed happy enough to accommodate for changes to the menu when our friends asked. So overall it was a pleasant experience.

Great coffee, great food. Daughter loved her French toast while I had the poached eggs. Friendly & helpful staff.

Delicious Benny Burger with mushrooms & haloumi. Great coffee. Friendly service. Highly recommended.

Very satisfied with the food service and atmosphere. Prices are on point for what you get and the meals are well cooked.

Went for brunch, waited 20 minutes for my daughter's coffee to come ( we had to ask for it) even though mine came within 5 minutes. Had the fritters which were hard as a rock. Looked like it was reheated. My daughter had the french toast and that looked and tasted like it had been pre cooked and reheated. When we went to pay, told the girl behind the counter that the fritters were hard and she didn't care just asked if we were paying by cash or card. Won't be going back.

We waited almost an hour for our food and when it arrived the "we'll done steak was virtually raw. The chicken parmy was really good. The seafood basket was overcooked as well. The chef should be fired. Giving it 1 star was only because I couldnt give 0 stars. Do not recommend this place. After spending $130+ we are 😞

The meal was wonderful but chips could be just a little longer cooked but otherwise superb service was great venue was clean

Very happy with the food, the price was excellent and good value, staff were extremely welcoming and friendly. If we lived here we would definitely come again.

Absolutely amazing food,service and the staff were genuinely friendly. Came up for 1 night stay in Ballarat and would highly recommend Ballarat Leagues Club for your stop Breakfast lunch or dinner. Loved it, thank you for the beautiful meal. Cheers Wendy and Shaun Lara

Staff were excellent in both dining area and sports bar. Food was not hot. We later returned for dessert, wasn't aware of cake cost until payment, $9 each and were very dry. Have been here before and found the BLC quite good, but there obviously has been a change of management, I wouldn't return sadly.

We came here twice on our visit to Ballarat. The dining room has a huge open fire - lovely on these freezing winter nights. The staff were friendly and couldn't have been more helpful. Our streaks were cooked perfectly to our order. Meal sizes were good. Plenty of seating. Thank you for the great service!

Full bellies, great servings, awesome service. Even with a couple of errors, quick rectifying and compensation made, and an extra surprise with buy one adults meal and get one kids meal free (with ice cream). All the kids were happy! Thank you.

What a delightful lunch, at last a pub with quality food, wine and service. Probably more for those who love good food and wine and not fussed on the price. Don’t bother if you like cheap food and wine, although very reasonable prices and top quality. Plenty of reasons for us to come again

Due to family obligations, we hadn't been to The Mallow for a while, so spending a couple of hours there on Saturday night was a real joy. The service was as friendly as ever, the food and beers as delicious as ever. Another plus about The Mallow is that their prices are super reasonable, too. Can't wait to go back!

The food was see sensational, very inventive and beautifully presented. The wine and wine advice was great too..thanks for welcoming us and finding us a great table.

We had a wonderful time Tuesday for my husband's birthday dinner. The Taco Tuesday menu was delicious as were the Spicy Margaritas. The staff were all so friendly and took excellent care of us.

New life. Still offers classic pub fares (albeit cooked well above pub standards). Some exciting menu options available. When the meals took a small window to come out I got excited about my risotto - a sign it was being made properly. And it really delivered. A real contender for the best rissoto I've ever had (and so know an unhealthy amount too much about rissoto and how it should be made 😆). Unreal thanks team. I hope the community gets behind you and reaps the rewards of what you're offering.

Hadn't been here before but it had come up in Google searches as a good place to go so decided to check it out. Glad we did! A unique bar with a unique menu. It was a fun place with good service and we enjoyed the food. They were even setting up a cinema out the back in the beer garden when we were leaving. Might have to book a movie night next time.

We got in early before the rush and had dinner. As a family we had the kid's gnocchi, gnocchi and mushrooms, Beef Ragu and everyone was impressed. Normally with gnocchi I feel like it wasn't enough this was perfect and super fresh. Great selection of beers on tap. I have to say there was a lady on front of house that was amazing and totally made the night with the rest of the staff. Great place to go but do book before hand otherwise get there at 5pm

Nice atmosphere made dinner very enjoyable not noisy at all. Unlike other venues we didn't have to shout to have a conversation amongst the whole extended family.

Very nice place. Food was great, people there are very friendly, only if the customer service was a bit better. Comming from the city our expectations with customer service was a bit higher than what we experienced, but still wasn't as bad as it could get.

Excellent pub and last minute booking. Ordered surf and turf with the steak perfectly cooked. Calamari was so tender and tasted great. Excellent service and atmosphere, thank you.

Good food and service. Would recommend. $27 steak on a Thursday was very nice.

We went to Blackhill for dinner but ended up leaving after starters. Saturday night in the beer garden was a hot one so sitting outside a viable option. Sadly the smoking area nearby marred our enjoyment of the live music. Popcorn chicken tasteless and dry. Wait staff were pleasant.

Loved our stay at Black Hill Hotel! Great location, friendly staff, and a comfortable atmosphere. Perfect for a relaxing getaway or a short stopover.

A pub with great bar atmosphere. Pesto Chicken Risotto, Gnocchi beef ragu, Chicken snitz and Chicken Burger. All most enjoyable.

What an amazing Brewery Restaurant. From the front you won't think it was a brewery, but wait until you walk in, it's more than that. The decor takes you back in time with some amazing wall art and old machines. The place just keeps opening up as you walk through the multiple levels. The brewery is set back on one of the levels and the beers on offer are faultless. I enjoyed two tasting paddles and love every beer I tried. The food we ordered was delicious and didn't take long to arrive at our table.

Aunty Jacks has such a great vibe…warm, welcoming and full of character. I loved the décor and the friendly service added to the experience. The food was excellent, with a hearty pub-style menu and plenty of drink options. We ordered two mains and an entrée for three people, but the entrée arrived on its own rather than with the mains. It would have been nice if the staff had checked our preference, but that’s a small detail in an otherwise great dining experience. Definitely worth a visit when you’re in Ballarat.

A great place to have beer (or any other drink of your choice) and a nice pub meal. I love the interior of this establishment with all the greenery. I can understand why it’s popular - it’s very inviting. Definitely a must visit when you’re in Ballarat.

Possibly the coolest place I’ve been to in a while. Lots of unique places to sit and the burger was very homely I enjoyed it allot.

Very very cool looking place! We went in thinking it was a cafe but actually its restaurant… the staff was so lovely and directed us round the corner to a cafe cos we wanted a takeaway drink. But Aunty Jacks looked so great inside we thought oh well come back. The staff and the place itself I can’t fault. Very lovely and the place looks great. But the food was just okay. Not terrible just not as good as was hoping for. Had the halloumi burger and I think the bruschetta.. hmm it’s a few days later and yep I’ve forgotten because it wasn’t memorable.. unlike Meredith farm stores bruschetta 20 mins away.. :) Anyway I wouldn’t go back unfortunately for that reason.

The Haloumi Chips were the best things I've eaten in my entire life, I'm so sad I'm not local and won't get to eat them very often. All the food we had was amazing, (popcorn chicken, regular chips, haloumi chips and jackfruit tacos), the staff were very friendly and service was quick. I love the vibe/decor of the venue as well, lots of plant life and a couple of fireplaces to make it cozy while still keeping a sort of industrial yet kitschy vibe. Will definately visit again!

We had my daughters 18th birthday here Saturday night and it was fabulous. Great atmosphere and music, meals were fast and delicious! The standout for me though were the staff! Friendly, helpful and just giving amazing service all round.

We were asked to wait for 8 minutes in the parking but nobody came out to give food and when i went in and aksed they started making then. There was no compensation for that much wait . After coming home when opened food was short fries were very lesss box was open. There was no sppon for gravy and there were no serviettes

I recently purchased a box of wicked wings from KFC on Ballarat Road today and observed that all the wings had a dark color and oily, indicating they were likely fried in old oil. The service was subpar and I intend to report this incident

Final Update: 19th March 2024: Teenager's who sit there expressing repulsive words about their High School friends and leaving food all over the floor, is not acceptable. OHS breech and an OHS inspection needed there! I would suggest that until "Jeno" who is apparently supposed to be the boss (I don't think that was his real name 🙄), employees more polite staff, otherwise I would suggest to many - do not bother going there 🙄👎 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nicely Updated since I was there last year! Polite Staff and very a Clean Atmosphere. Enjoy 😊 UPDATE: 8th December 2023! Interesting to see how many seat's are empty at KFC's! So go on, take a chance and go and grab a bite, enjoy the Orange Juice 🍊 and the Chicken Wrap 🐔! Oh, and don't forget there are Jobs available there to Ballaratians! 👀 Enjoy! 🤗

Had the worst experience tonight.... Who puts bread rolls under everything so they get squashed. Also ordered hot and crispy and got given wings, great on the jaw when you bite into it and hit a bone... No warning... No attention to detail from this store such a disappointment

There is no star low enough. On 25 June 2025 I ordered My Bucket 1 $38.75 • 2x 6 Pieces Original Recipe (+$11.95) • 2x Large Chips (+$4.95) • 1x 1.25L Pepsi Max (+$4.95) Unfortunately there were only 10 pieces of chicken. I don't understand how a person old enough to work in a KFC outlet can't count past 10. Or is it lack of attention to detail or a purposeful short order for the end of shift staff party so an audit wont find missing, unpaid items. I actually drive past a KFC outlet to go to the Sturt St Ballarat outlet because with the closer one, two out of three orders were short a side or chicken. My order was paid in full so any missing items are, in my option, stolen items. I would love this to be heard in court. I think that is the only way this constant theft is going to finish. I rang, when the theft was discovered, spoiling the rest of the meal which was then cold. I was told they would provide the 2 missing pieces of chicken and a large chips. Woopy do, doesn't cover the time and cost of driving half way across Ballarat. Today, 3 July I went into the Sturt St Ballarat store, spoke to the manager who checked the theft was recorded and instructed an employee to do the order. I waited and waited, after all, my order was placed 25 June and the store is only replacing stolen items. Why isn't it the next order. In the end I left in absolute disgust without my stolen items and will never give any KFC in the Ballarat region a single cent going forward. David

Yes busy day today. Father's Day. Staff at KFC Wendouree need training in communication and customer service urgently. When ordering I was told 20 to 30 mins wait. I said ok. Only message during my 45 minute wait was to show me any empty box and be told we are waiting for the chicken. 🤔 50 orders came and went before mine. 🤔 KFC Wendouree worst case of over promising and under delivering in my 70 years. Was that truly the best you have to offer? Really???? Alan

Colonel Sanders would be very disappointed with this place. I wanted to order the special $8 box, but when I went through the drive-thru, I was told in a very abrupt manner, “You need to order on the app.” What?! I'm here now to place an order—why do I need to pull out my phone, load the KFC app, and place my order? This is such an inconvenience for customers. Additionally, the drive-thru order board was nearly impossible to read because it was positioned directly in the afternoon sun. KFC and McDonald's are not what they used to be. They have become too expensive and too inconvenient to visit these days, and honestly, the food quality has really declined at these places.

Had a great Chef's Dinner here last night, so returned tonight for round 2. Service is fast and attentive. Drinks selection is ok, but there could be more wines by the glass. Ambience is great. It's busy for a Tuesday (and Monday was busy too). All up, great food, good drinks, attentive service at good prices. A winning combo.....well done to all the staff.

The atmosphere was excellent, environment is cozy, sitting is comfortable, staffs are so helpful and friendly. The man at the end when we pay are super welcoming and nice. It was such a pleasure experience in here!! Meal is good quality and nice as well.

From the moment I walked in, the service and experience was positive. I asked Ralden if there was a spot for 1 - he responded instantly with a “yes, always yes…. Where would you like to sit”?… and pointed out a few options. It felt like being invited into a welcoming home. I ordered the Roys Dine in Feast. And what a feast this was. Loved every dish. Faves would have to be the: KIMCHI CROQUETTES PORK BELLY BAO I’m not a huge dessert person, however…. Their VANILLA PANNA COTTA …. Oh my goodness it was delicious! My waitress Fernanda was so sweet. Always asking if I wanted a mini break in between servings and checking in on me every time she walked past. Such a delightful human. Even when I went to the bar to pay, service was great there too! I believe the gentleman’s name is Dillan. Decor is delightfully colourful and inviting. Was so nice to see so many customers enjoying themselves, their food and drinks. Put a huge smile in my face. This experience was simply delightful. Thank you!

These current photos don't do the ambience and Aliveness of Roy's justice, as I'm here at a pre-busy time...Normally the place is fully buzzing inside and outside! Footpath dining is just as popular. Every facet of great hospitality and richness of experience is here...The food is diverse and delicious and the timing of delivery of courses is superbly managed. I particularly want to acknowledge the outstanding service offered by Fernanda, Issie and Kim...I haven't experienced other staff members but these wonderful human being shine! No McDonaldised automatic disengaged responses here! They're authentically warm and engaged, knowledgeable, thoughtful and kind, going beyond expectations and with such a generosity of spirit that really underpins the sheer brilliance of the whole experience. Five star everything! Cheers and thanks...Stuart

Amazing mocktails, great vibe, and the best service. Kim was fantastic — friendly, attentive, and made the night extra special. Can’t wait to come back!

Had a light bite - house special Pie, Korean fried chicken and soft shell crab Bao . Deep fried chicken was not oily, nicely salted!

Roy Hammond was absolutely amazing! Kim went above and beyond with her service, the drinks were incredible, and the venue itself was stunning inside. All of the staff were extremely friendly and welcoming — such a great experience from start to finish!

Relaxed and friendly vibe. Great little wine bar, we love coming here to chat to Miles about the wines. Atmosphere is cosy. Looking forward to our next visit when next in Ballarat. Didn’t taste the food saving that for next visit.

Truffle Fries are goddamn life changing. I’ve had them more than once and they were just as good second go. Best fries in town hands down.

Booked a table upstairs for around 10-15 people and was an absolutely incredible experience!!! The food was incredible and enjoyed by everyone! The staff were amazing! So friendly, accommodating and were so easy to communicate with! Highly recommend for anyone looking to celebrate in an elegant setting! Will be back for sure!!!!!! 🥂

A hidden gem! Delicious! Miles and his staff have created a great bar with great food and service! I highly recommend it!

I recently celebrated a birthday upstairs at Ellington’s. The space was incredible and perfect for what I was after. The staff were amazing and went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. Fantastic food and music, all to make for a very memorable night.

The woman working behind the bar on 9/3 was so nice to us - drinks were good, food even better.

Great little wine bar. Very cosy. Beautifully styled. Lovely owner. Can’t wait to return

Staff are always 100% attentive. Such a wonderful venue. Music, shows, food and service are top notch. Every time we go it feels like we are at home and so welcomed. :)

Check this place out, you won't be disappointed! Even having only been here a handful of times so far, it feels so inviting and has such a positive, fun - but chilled out energy about it. It is gorgeous and moody inside with lots of booth seating. Food is consistently good, the all you can eat Bao Buns and Dumplings are amazing value and so much fun to try different flavours out. Cocktails 👌 Aaron is such a kind and welcoming host and the staff are so friendly and their service is on point. Can't wait to go back! :)

We had the absolute best time at the bottomless brunch and drag show! From the moment we walked in, the energy was electric, and the vibes were immaculate. The staff were incredibly friendly, attentive, and handled the busy crowd like pros, always with a cheerful attitude, truly top-tier service! A special shoutout to the amazing Piano Man Matt — his talent and charisma lit up the room and had everyone singing along. The drag performers were fabulous, fierce, and absolutely hilarious — we were laughing, cheering, and dancing in our seats the whole time. If you're looking for a fun, fabulous, and unforgettable day out, The Piano Bar Ballarat is the place to be. We’ll definitely be back!

3rd time today, march 29th 2025. As always, the performers every Saturday are awesome. Love the drag act and the Queen. I really enjoyed my time as usual, EXCEPT for one thing today that annoyed me. I just went outside for a cigarette, the staff took my food. My friend was there and told her not to take it as I am not finished eating, and the staff replied "we have to take it anyway". For the price range of the food, you shouldn't take it. If you have to take the plates and utensils, atleast give the customers a paper plate or put my pizza on the tissue, just don't take my food that I have paid for.

This place is amazing 🤩 thankyou staff for your beautiful energies and looking out for my welfare the entire time I was there, literally earth angels ✨ 👼🏼🪄 X 💋 truely that means alot to me! Also a huge thanks for the gorgeous "Door Darling SiSt⭐r" with the most stylish glasses 🕶️!!!! Your Pure kindness towards my special needs treating me so impeccably will not be forgotten. Also thanks for looking after my coat & being so kind and thoughtful for me to enjoy the night by making sure that I am hydrated with water 🌊 💦 💗 sending much love to the artistic performances and incredibly talented singing and playing the piano! 🎹 Wow I am so impressed with the vocal range & also the patrons are truly very blessed souls. Had a satisfying time that I won't forget either with a very handsome new soul tribe member, I love you sweetheart X 💋! 💞🥰💕 Honestly for now I say it's he best place to have a dance on a Saturday night 🌉

Huge thanks to Aaron and the entire team, for a fabulous evening with Ella Hooper! Gorgeous cocktails and a really great range of tasty gluten free options to choose from! ... and the ice cream sundae was divine. Xx

Came in on Saturday, was my first time at this venue and it was incredible! Food was great, drinks were great, service was great and the show itself was sooo much fun! Will definitely be returning in the future!

We ordered the beef and mushroom pizza and it was amazing, the flavours were insane!! We can’t wait to come back to try the other pizzas!!! Excellent service too.

I got a takeaway salad and cheesy garlic bread. Salad was great. Lots of fresh ingredients. Garlic bread was good. The guy came to the front door and handed it to me since I was waiting around outside, that was nice!

We've had takeaway pizzas a couple times from here. We'll have to try dining in some time. It looks like a nice place to enjoy love music, quite romantic and relaxing vibe. The pizzas were yum, I really like the lamb one especially when you add goat cheese to it.

Visiting relatives in Buninyong atm and we had takeaway pizzas from Red Door Pizza last night. They were absolutely DELICIOUS! Perfect chewiness and saltiness in the crust, and the Garlic Prawns Pizza and the Pumpkin and Beet Pizza came out on top. Highly recommended. Edit: I loved it so much that we went there for dinner last night, and ordered the Garlic Pizza, Garlic Prawns Pizza again, the Inferno (very yum) and Mushroom Pizza. YUMMO!

Booked a table for 8 adults at 7pm on a Thursday night for my son's birthday. The welcome was non existent and the young waitress didn't seem to know what she was doing. We were the only group in the restaurant apart from a single person and a couple who arrived after us and received their food before us. These people were gone before our main arrived. The garlic bread we ordered didn't arrive for more than 30 mins but was closely followed by the two salads we had ordered to share with our main. No side plates were offered for these and we all had to dig into the salad bowls. A few minutes after our garlic bread arrived one pizza was brought out (piping hot). By the time my son had almost eaten it one more pizza arrived which was not cut at all. This was taken back by us to be cut into slices and eventually the rest of the pizzas arrived (luke warm or cold) except for one which had apparently been forgotten. This one arrived soon after. No apology was made for this and no one came to check how we were going but the missed pizza was deducted from our bill. Also, the knives provided do not cut at all. We had to go up to the kitchen to alert the staff when we wanted to order more drinks. Even with the drinks, no glass was offered to one person in our party who had ordered a Lemon, Lime and Bitters ($13) which she ended up drinking out of the can. We eventually went up and requested menus so we could order coffee and dessert. After another eternal wait to order we gave up. By now it was almost 9pm. We could hear the staff chatting in the kitchen but they behaved as if we weren't even there. With three staff (that we could see) and the takeaway area quiet during our time it was the worst service I have ever experienced. Previous visits were not the greatest for service but never this bad. For the hefty prices they charge it certainly isn't worth a visit and (despite being long time locals) we will not be returning. Such a shame because the food (when hot) is really quite good.

Last night. Red Door 🚪 had live entertainment. A blues type band who absolutely added 10 fold to the Gourmet Pizza 🍕 vibe!! I’ve been involved in the shop Fitout game for over 40 years. It wasn’t long after, Gourmet Woodfired Pizza took off! With the likes of Gourmet Pizza Kitchen in Sydney. GPK. Red Door is right on par with this mob, who did exceptionally well through the 90’s and beyond. Couldn’t recommend this place highly enough. The first night I had the lamb. Last night the potato 🥔 Unbelievable flavours that just flow through each n every recipe. A credit to the Woodfired and Gourmet Pizza 🍕 revolution!!!! Keep up the great service guys it’s a credit to the food industry 👊💥😁

Fantastic music, fantastic service. Beautiful Pizzas that tasted like a little slice of Italia ❤️

Such a cool place for dinner and drinks! We headed up on Saturday night for a few non-alcoholic cocktails and a light dinner, and we were blown away by the service, food and the quality of the N/A drinks menu! Being non drinkers for nearly two years, we struggle to find good places that offer a decent menu that caters to us non drinkers. RENARD gets a full star review for the quality staff and food. We will be back for sure!

Everything was so delicious, especially the multi-layered lasagne! Couldn’t fault it - service, food, atmosphere all 10/10!

Insane food, nice atmosphere/interiors and lovely staff. If you’re in Ballarat, don’t miss this spot! Highly recommend the goats cheese donuts and sweet potato hummus w flatbread.

Best service with smiles, courtesy, friendliness. Amazing bunch of people here to look after you Every dish was great except the porterhouse steak. It was very salty. I was 1 of 3 people at my table who ordered it and we were all put off by the saltiness. My friend did inform the team and they were quick to apologise and gave us a discount overall for our table. But every other dish was AMAZING - meredith goat cheese doughnuts, southern fried chicken, ratatouille, pork terrine, pita bread with dips. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ We enjoyed our dinner after having played hard games through the day in the weekend competition. Thank you, Renard team!

What a sensational place!!!! The attention to detail is spot on. We tried 5 foods on the menu. All were well presented and tested incredible. The combination of flavours is certainly not an afterthought. The cocktails were delightful. And while the atmosphere was relaxed, the service was of very high quality. We decided to go back tomorrow to try more things on the menu. This place belongs on the “Must visit list” in Ballarat.

8 of us came to celebrate my sons birthday from all over Australia and we were welcomed with hospitality beyond. Food was delish very attentive service , how the lass rembered our orders cocktails and food with us all babbling I have no idea but she did. The host very affable with the birthday cake we brought with us. A night to remember. Thankyou! :)

Rocked it at 2:15pm on Saturday, and left around 7:30pm. Would have stayed longer, but had to go. Great service, and their selection of drinks is on the money, brilliant. Will be back!