Reviews by Toonunit
Always friendly service. Excellent value. I usually get lunch here a couple of times a week as it is so much cheaper than most of the CBD options. Love their pumpkin cakes.
Consistently good Fillet Mignon, with steak always cooked as requested. Generous hearty servings. Friendly attentive service. The decor is looking pretty tired and out of date but we have never been disappointed with the meals. They have an appetising selection but I haven't tried any of the other dishes yet.
Great selection of slices, love their peppermint slice - it's not like the usual ones you get everywhere else. Salad rolls are good but end up very expensive.
Horrible tough meat - pet food standard. One dish clearly did not fit the description on the menu, even though the waitress called it by the name of what we asked for. Stale pappadums. Barely polite service. A few years ago this place was really good but it has obviously changed hands. Sauces nothing like the way they used to be, despite being called the same dishes. One tasted mainly of tomato paste and the other was sickly sweet.
The food is OK but is a bit inconsistent. Have been served burnt parmagiana before. Their Mars Bar cheesecake is pretty decadent and tasty. The tables are very small and the seating is extremely cramped - they totally pack you in like sardines, which is very uncomforatable and not good if you're slightly claustrophobic. It also becomes so loud that you have to yell just to speak to the person next to you, so the inside atmosphere is a major negative overall. Probably OK on a nice day if you get a table outside.
The food is competently made and I have never had a terrible meal here. The building itself is the strongest feature and it is a pleasant place to have a meal or drinks. Last time I went I ordered a desert from the specials menu & was charged the regular menu price. When I pointed this out and asked to be refunded the difference, the staff member appeared annoyed. Tough. Don't advertise a special then and then try and get away with charging full price.
After driving here from Ballarat we were met with rude staff who implied we should think ourselves lucky we were getting a seat there. Very abrupt service and we were made to feel like we were an inconvenience to them. Meals were poor. I ordered a veal dish and there is no way the meat I was served was veal, it was very tough. My partner ordered a steak which came way overcooked and was tiny. The accompanying mash was substandard as well. We will NEVER consider going back here and are totally confused by their supposed good reputation.
Awesome pies, never had better tasting pies anywhere else ever. Great range of gourmet varieties. Also, a good selection of slices. Pies are a little expensive, but I have to say they are worth it as they are soooooo tasty.
Always excellent, friendly service & the best range of icecream I know of in Ballarat. They will even let you order whole tubs of your favourite flavour. Dangerous on the waist, but sooooo tasty.
Pretty disappointing experience. Porterhouse steaks were large but very chewy. Served with bland mashed potatoes, carrots & beans - bore fest. We both chose the Bearnaise sauce as we had never tried it before and were really looking forward to it as something different. Unfortunately it was not made fresh in-house as one would expect for a $32.50 meal, but gross muck that anyone can buy in a plastic squeeze bottle from the supermarket. Most places we have been to lately have been capable of making their steak sauces fresh, so I don't see why The Red Lion can't - they are trying to pass themself off as a restaurant but are serving mediocre cafeteria quality food. Also had terrible music videos playing the entire time to further lower the quality of the experience. On the up side, the service was really good - pity what's on offer is so substandard.
Approximate cost: $32.50