Review The Golden City Hotel - Ballarat

Came here for breakfast only. All the staff were on point and did a great job - although the barista could do with some smiling tutorials… but he made a good coffee. Food came out at a reasonable time and the taste was great too. Price about average. Good atmosphere. Will be back for sure

we were in town for a family vacation away from the hustle and bustle... had visited Sovereign Hill and was famished... was seated and served in a matter of time... food was flavoursome and service was perfect...

Great coffee, excellent cake. Service was quick& professional. Polite staff. Prices were fair.

Had the Parma with mash and veggies. Delicious meal with a nice atmosphere. Nice pub, family friendly!

We tried the tapas share platter of duck spring roll, arancini balls and lemon calamari too. Food tasted very fresh. Coffee and cake was absolutely mind blowing! Just perfect balance to drive your taste buds crazy. You would pay a bit higher prices. But I feel worth it for the historical place and overall ambience.

We had a large family celebration at the Golden City over the weekend and had such a lovely time. The staff were so accommodating and kind and made everything go so smoothly. And the food was fabulous. Everyone commented about how great their meals were, and what a lovely time they'd had. Thank you Golden City Hotel.

Friendly staff. Quick to bring drinks. We had a pizza which was really nice I had nachos absolutely worst I’ve ever had. Very plain with a small handful of cheese and very tart tomato sauce all over it. Would be five stars if the nachos were not so awful.

Amazing fish and chips - my partner had the parmy and said it was delicious

This was my third time at the Golden City and i absolutely loved it. The food is to die for, the staff are amazing and i love the ambience of the place...cant recommend it enough 10/10�

Hubby had the burger which was rare and extremely difficult to eat, burgers are generally not rare and was rather put off by it so it wasn't finished therefore not really enjoyed, there was Atlantic salmon on the menu with risotto (which I despise) they were happy to change it to chips and salad for me and I was grateful for that, however the salmon was still raw in the middle when it arrived. Ordinarily we would have sent them back but we were wanting to head back to Melbourne so ate what we could and left. Would not return to be honest, very disappointing.

Just had a fantastic meal, chicken Kiev, I definitely recommend to give it a try! Great atmosphere and friendly staff. If I find myself in Ballarat in the future I'll be visiting again.

We had a lovely evening with our German Shepherds seated in the verandah. They were welcomed by staff and other patrons and offered water and pats. The bonus was the great food and atmosphere.

Haha some of the reviews, since these tv cooking shows everyone's a critic. Service was friendly, meals were some of the nicest we've had. Prices are very reasonable. Would highly recommend to anyone in the Ballarat area. Just what we needed on a long trip home with the kids... we'll be back for sure.

Great service & atmosphere, food is fantastic and full of flavor. Highly recommend to anyone wanting a feed thats affordable and tastes great.

I would just like to say thankyou very much for being so kind and patient to my two children this evening. You made my little girls night! She was devastated when she spilt her milkshake all over her pizza. You all were so kind to her and also replaced the milkshake and the ruined pizza. Thankyou �

WOW, these guys have restored my faith in ordering a steak..........done perfectly with the most delicious vegetables I have ever tasted, coming back here won't be soon enough.

Excellent lunch and even better desert. Yum. We had the lamb shank pie which was huge. The sticky date pudding was amazing. Service was very good. It was a stab in the dark for us as we were only visiting but it was an excellent choice.

Came here months back, ordered the parmi and was as tiny as a large nugget, staff didn’t care.

5 yr old Granddaughter loved her pizza, I Thoroughly enjoyed my steak, but hubbys was quite tough. Will return, usually have a great meal. Wonderful happy atmosphere, very polite staff.

My daughter and I had the calamari. .. melted in the mouth. As always, the food and service were excellent. ..

Great Hotel... old favourite. We are always greeted with a friendly smile. Service is great and quick delivery of meals to table. We had Salted Calamari and Sweet potato soup. We will always drop by this place... quality is always consistent...

Great and consistently reliable pub. Fantastic parmas, great Atlantic salmon and good choice of kids food too. Always a good spot for dinner. Very family friendly too. Highly recommended.

I have visited here before and on i cold night i had a desire for pub fare, unusually quiet night and directed to a prime table next to the window. From the specials board i chose the roast pork belly and I'm glad i did as i couldnt fault this dish. A massive serve with tender pork and crunchy crackling and tasty gravy. The mashed potato was fluffy was creamy and a great serve of greens comprising of asparagus, beans, snow peas and broccoli, all fresh and crisp! My friend had the barramundi and enjoyed it though the fish was a tad small in comparison to the pork dish. I have never had a bad dish here.

Despite being left to my own devices and on entry, unsure if I’d be given a table or to simply take one of my choosing, the service was eventually decent, though not amazing. My cauliflower salad was packed with flavor and chicken was cooked to perfection.

I had lunch here today at 11:35 am and I chose their Chicken & Avocado Penne at $25. The meal was truly flavorsome and I thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful also it was in sufficient quantity for a light lunch meal. The service provision was efficient, attentive & friendly. By around 12:15 pm the eating area had become very busy obviously all looking for a great feed - always a good sign.<br/><br/>The Juror's Verdict: Food 4.75/5, Service Provision 4.5/5, Will I return: Definitely<br/><br/>Phill Jury (food critic & writer)

You'd be happy to eat this kind of food at home or a friend's house, but it's probably a bit sub-standard when you're paying for it. Not bad but not great. Thought the garlic bread and lemon calamari appertisers were very pleasant. I had gnocchi for main course, which had nice flavours and great oven-roasted cherry tomatoes, but the gnocchi itself and parmesan cheese were clearly from supermarket packets and a bit bland.

As said with a lot of the other reviews here - this place is quite "okay". An easy spot that can cater to all eating types, but all in all overpriced and lacking flavour. Staff and service not amazing, but if you're looking to cater for a large crowd with varying diets it'll do the trick.

Had a nice lunch here once again. Food is always good. Unfortunately our favourite ham wrap and veggie pide was gone from the menu! We tried out waffles with ice cream, strawberries and maple syrup for the first time which was really nice (and very filling!). We also had the veggie frittata and the avocado penne pasta - all really good. Service could be improved with clearing tables, bringing water, etc. Coffees were also good.

Meal was okay. Had the crumbed calamari it was a bit greasy but not overcooked. My partner has medium rare steak but came out well done and the cut was fatty.

Pretty hard to fault and always a good fail safe option. Despite the place being fairly packed due to the road nationals on, we were promptly seated and then once we had ordered, our meals only took about 20 minutes to come out. <br/>There is something on the menu which I think would suit everyone, and they are generous with servings. Even the addition of chicken to my pumpkin salad so three decent sized portions given. Good service, food, and atmosphere.

Good food , Nice atmosphere, Good service,  Well presented , staff, food and decor.<br/>The trio of dips with warm bread was superb, the Pesto dip was to die for. <br/>I really do recommend this as an entree/ starter, and they don't skimp on the toasted warm bread.<br/>The Duck Laksa was nice but could have done with a bigger bowl or more duck. Just enough heat to creeping in and full of flavour<br/>The fish of the day was cooked perfectly as fresh fish should be ( just cooked ) I do like Blue Grenadier , however as a rather inexpensive fish I was expecting to get a larger portion or two for the price paid.<br/>Service was polite and they even reset the table after our entree which was nice. They did forget the spoon for the Laksa and it took a few attempts to get their attention , but once we did they were very polite.<br/>They have a good range of beverages. The room is bright and not that noisy with many rooms and seating options. The cake dessert fridge , unfortunately was not appealing, the cakes looked tired and droopy, IE the sides of the cakes had slumped, possibly as they were on plates that were to small for the cake and on an inclined shelf.

We were accommodated on a very busy Sunday morning without a booking which we appreciated (group of 4). Staff were friendly and happy to help. Food was delicious, but just a touch pricy. Coffees were slower than the food.

Came here without a booking on a Saturday night. Extremely busy, staff were attentive and accommodating. Food was great! A lot of GF options. Kid friendly too which was an added bonus!

Golden City has a fantastic function space upstairs and in the back room. The outward presentation of the building is very pleasing aesthetically and it continues to be a popular place for both locals and visitors. There are a selection of papers to read, get a seat by the fire if you can. It can be noisy on occasion and having to order at the bar is frustrating, bring back table service. I also want to make note of the fact that its disappointing you can't exchange breakfast items e.g. ditch the tomato and add hollandaise sauce. That's not allowed and will cost you approx $3 extra for the sauce. Might be a little thing, but was the reason I stopped going there for breakfast. Other than that, Golden City is a great venue and one that will continue to be a crowd pleaser for two people having coffee, or a large group. The food is consistently good.

I came here for a few drinks with work mate while down here for work. This place is a run of the mill pub that serves ok pub fair. Nothing to write home about. I had the fishermans basket because i was craving a dirty fried meal. The servings were big. The service was good.

Pull pork bagel, nice pull pork flavour, soft texture and quite moist, the coleslaw is not ver good, and the serving is very little, bagel itself is a little dry.<br/><br/>Angus beef burger, very moist angus beef, the sweet potato wedge is very crispy.<br/><br/>Overall quite standard, good but nothing impressed me to come back again.

Can always rely on to be open... Good for big groups with fussy people that have different tastes. New decor is great! Can get a bit loud at times when busy. Staff are always nice!

Excessive prices and half assed pretentious food.Roast pumpkin salad was literally a few thin wedges of pumpkin, lightly roasted and placed on a bed of rocket. I can see what they were going for, they may as well have dressed the salad in flannel and put a beard on it.<br/><br/>I haven't been back, I won't be back, that level of herp derp burns a customer permanently.<br/>If you have GCs money, you have The Lane money. Reconsider your choice.

This is one of those places that meets your expectations but doesn't really wow you and you don't walk about feeling really wowed by your experience. Having said that, the menu is very large and the restaurant is large, warm and well laid out. I'd hope that they regularly refresh the menu as the seasons change, otherwise I could get tired of this place pretty quickly.

Pretty standard pub food, quite bland and actually overpriced for what it is. Great atmosphere though, would be great if the food quality matched it.

Standard pub food formula, well executed. The staff coped with our rowdy table of extended family including four kids under the age of six, weaving in and out of the chaos carrying food and great manners. They are to be congratulated for their good humour in the face of the onslaught.

Karen Fraser. Just had my son's 21st birthday party upstairs at GC's....Sarah and staff were knowledgable and professional and I could not recommend this venue highly enough for any event! Dealing with Sarah was hassle free and she is an incredible asset to this establishment! Would not hesitate to reccommend this venue to anyone planning an event! Thanks GC's !

3 out of 7 meals were served before a flustered waiter rushed over and told us he'd served us the wrong dishes.... He then picked them up from our table (after we'd poured gravy and eaten half the chips) and served them to another table. Gordon Ramsey would have had a heart attack.

Food was delicious but the service was so poor that we will not be returning any time soon. Very disappointing as it is a beautiful spot. No one that worked on the day we visited greeted or spoke to us at all. It's a shame, Ballarat has a range of lovely restaurants so next time we'll take our business elsewhere.

Something for everyone. Excellent menu with lots of variety to suit everyone. Always a consistently high standard of food and service. Some of my favourites include the lamb cutlets, the chicken schnitzel and the steak sandwich. We come here regularly as a family and its a welcome change that the kids menu has "real" food items. Not the kind you find at a fast food place.<br/>We will be back again. Thanks for always making our visits enjoyable and fuss free, especially with the kids,

Golden city serves a nice breakfast comes out quick and hot normally bit disappointed when my breakfast turned up in a pasta bowel had paid the extra $4 for sausages which were the size of my pinky finger bit of a piss take, should put one "normal" sized one in the bowel. Was tasty all the same just abit slap dash this morning!<br/><br/><br/>-----02 Nov, 2014-----<br/><br/>2 Eggs on Toast with Extra Sausage and Hash Brown. Food comes out hot and quick! Little bit odd being served in a pasta bowel not practical to eat eggs on toast out of, paid and extra $4 for 2 sausages the size of my pinky finger bit of a piss take would have preferred one "normal" sized sausage

Great breakfast spot. Lots of menu options of well made food. Delicious iced coffee.

We came here on a Sunday afternoon for coffee and cakes. The carrot cake is one of the best I've ever had in Australia. It came with a thick layer of delicious cream cheese frosting. The chocolate ripple cake was also good though not as nice. I ordered a pot of tea and it came with an extra pot of hot water, which you don't often get in Australia. The interior has been cleverly furnished into a series of smaller and more intimate rooms with contemporary furniture. We enjoyed our Sunday afternoon here, and question the 53% rating it has been awarded at the time of writing.

No service. We waited in our table for 25 minutes with no one being able to take our order, even though we let them know twice that we were ready.

Decent Brekky!. Good Brekky ... Eggs benedict Delish! But make sure your in there well before 12pm (The advertised Breakfast finishing time) because they'll knock you back at 11:45!!

Went here for breakfast this morning and all I can say is that I don't think such a low rating of 53% is warranted. 6 of us ordered breakfast and could not fault the food or service. I ordered well done scrambled eggs and they came out perfect, would be happy to eat here again!

I was here for a function upstairs recently and quite enjoyed the food and the service. GC is by no means fab, but worth considering and has the potential to be great.

Horrible. So I came down to ballarat for the first time in a few years to see my family for a long overdue get together, as we where looking around the city for a good place to have a family get together we saw the golden city hotel, from the outside the building is a beautiful heritage land mark that has been well maintained.... This is the only part of my review that reflects on the "restaurant " in a good light, from the moment I walked through the doors I was confronted by the spectacle of one of the managers yelling at one of the young waitresses, it was the most deplorable display I have EVER seen in a work place. Yes the food was adequate if some what over priced, but the staff where completely miserable, and many very young and entirely unfamiliar with the whines and most of the menu ! Never again.

GC's REALLY?. Well i have many negative comments to make about this appalling restaurant or as I see it "pub".<br/>so folks here is the run down before you consider dining at this venue.<br/>- overpriced<br/>- cheapest products used<br/>- young staff who wonder cluelessly <br/>- overpriced drinks<br/>- massive menu (makes you wonder if food is fresh or comes frozen...)<br/>- worst kids menu<br/>- overpriced (7.50 for toast!!)<br/>- the wraps are tasteless <br/>overall my last visit confirmed i would not be back, not worth my money.

Went here on the weekend and requested no onion..... Waitress seemed okay with my request yet it came out with spring onion...

Terrible service, snobby without any food or wine knowledge. Waitstaff need to get over themselves and learn how to serve

Totally Surprised In A Good Way. I normally won't eat anywhere that has a menu with seemingly a thousand things on it. I don't know about the wedges or the parmy's or burger's..but I can comment on the pizza. I used to think The Forge Pizzeria were the best in Ballarat...but Gee Cee's is right up there too. I love a thin 'n crispy base... and these bases are different from The Forge....but far out... I tried four kinds of pizza...and I can highly recommend them. Go for the pizza if nothing else!

Terrible exuse for a parmagiana; deep fried schnitzel, way too much garlic in the SPC tinned tomatoes, veg was unseasoned and yuk. Definitely not a stand out dish. The double angus burger is a much better option. Going back to melbourne to pan fry my schnitzel.

Hit & miss. Used to be a regular at this casual dining venue, but it's very overpriced for what you get and the food is hit and miss. It's noisy too!

Travelled from Melbourne to celebrate a birthday. Terrible service. Tried to speak to a manager, sorry they're not available. Word of mouth is a dangerous thing.

Had the Angus Double Beef burger.... Off the ricta good!

Best Wedges Ever!. They have the best wedges ever! Deliciously seasoned. I recommend going with double aioli

Well, that was tasty. Braised Gippsland Beef with mashed spud and oven roasted carrots. Yeah, the spud was dry but that made it easier to sop up the yummy gravy/sauce. The meat fell apart and was sooooooo yummy. It really hit the spot. I'd give this place another go, next time I'm over from Adelaide. <br/>It's not flash or fancy...but it really suited my mood.

Fit for a God. The Wedges here are fit for a god, heck I would give my own son for them.<br/><br/>-God

On our table 3 of us got our meal last one took 20 mins to come out. Ordered dessert and it took 25mins to come out. Waiting staff we all over the place. Was not impressed

Food is severed cold without cutlery. Juies are poured out of golden circle bottles. Food is over priced. I reckon McDonalds does better breakkie. Wont be coming back here.

Greesy pizza, average pub meals. I have been here on multiple occasions, as it is a popular spot for large group dinning, but I have been disappointed with most meals. All the meals taste "rushed" Atmosphere is not great, very loud inside.

Tried this place again. But never again will I. The staff are so clueless and extremely rude. They morning staff are dull and don't want to be there. Need to hire all new staff<br/><br/><br/>-----18 Mar, 2013-----<br/><br/>I feel like in the last 2 weeks everything has gone down hill. Seems really unorganized and the functions manager is so so rude wouldn't even consider having my function there now<br/><br/><br/>-----14 Nov, 2012-----<br/><br/>Amazing. I'm in love with this place. <br/>The staff, the food the atmosphere.<br/>All amazing. Hard to find a good place like this.<br/>Anyone that has anything bad to say doesn't know what there saying.<br/>Highly recommend it ;)

Don't even bother going here anymore but I do miss the chocolate ripple cake.

Ho hum food trying too hard to be trendy wanky cafe instead of focusing on good food

Great Atmos.. Had a Sunday morning family breakfast at GC's yesterday.. Warm atmosphere with table in front an open fire. Prompt service. Kids menu selection was limited but we worked around it and kept them happy with a mixture of eggs, sausages and a variety of sides. Mushrooms were a highlight. I had the Golden City breakfast which was huge and all good qulaity. Wife had eggs benedict and gave two thumbs up. Coffee was excellent as always. Prices were perhaps a little high. 2 adults and 2 kids came out at about $80. We're local, so I'll probably shop around a bit next time we go out for a family brekky, but when you get good service and good quality, the price doesn't sting so much.

A great stop while passing through and hungry! We tried a few others that were full and were initially put off this place because of the urbanspoon rating, but I really can't understand why?

James. Don't like paying up front for anything, especially food. On this ocassion breakfast was cold, sent it back and it came out again microwaved. No recourse. Won't be back.

Honestly The Golden City Hotel is one of the best places I have ever been. The staff are so happy and helpful. The food is great. I don't know why these people are saying it was to expensive maybe your just tight asses. Staff were unpleasant? Maybe it's because your up yourself. 10/10

Have been coming here for brekky for on and off since it changed hands. Not sure why it gets a lot of negative comments. It is consistently good. Coffee is the best on sturt st and the breakfast pocket is a winner

Meals and drinks were overpriced and the staff were less than pleasant. Disappointed.

I am not sure what the other reviews did not like it bur I lovethe food. Yes it is not like the old England pub bit the good is great. For the location and the food, the price is just like any modernized pub place. Wouldn't say that it is old pub food but pub food with a modern twist.

Not very impressed. The quality of the food did not match the prices charged. I won't be going back.

Not the place to go for a quick coffee. The people beside us arrived 10mins after we had ordered our drinks and got their meals before our drinks (or theirs) had arrived.

Will the menu ever change? Very boring going there to see the same choices as always. The only good thing is it's location.

Lozz. Had our wedding here on the weekend, gotta say i was pretty dissappointed! I never had high expectations but what we got was overpriced and just too ordinary for wedding food. I paid $3.50 fper piece for sesame crusted beef as an appetiser what we got was scprappy pieces of tough beef offcuts. I was told that our wedding cake would be cut up and plated ...this never happened, small things like tealights were never lit and most of our guests left feeling hungry desprite ordering more food than the guests attending. The room I had hired until 12.30 only to be told at 11.30 when the bar tab had run out "that noone was buying drinks that they were going to close", simply not good enough. Sorry but i cannot reccommend this place at all especially not for you wedding day. Luckily my day was made amazing by our guests that attended :(

Big Dirty Grey Hair. My wife and I had breakfast at the Golden city hotel. Reasonable price and service. We both had the 'Golden City Breakfast' which was pretty much a 'Big Breaky' you would order anywhere else. All was going well until my wife's last mouthful in which case she copped a big grey hair...not cool. Not good enough and won't be eating there again.

Can't say I dislike GC's but it's not very impressive & completely overpriced for standard pub fare...without the pub character.

WEDGES!!!!!. Must say these are the BEST WEDGES we've had in a long time. Make sure you order double aioli because its to die for and the kids just love it. Food sizings very generous and affordable pricing. You can choose from about 60 different items but wedges are definately a stand out!!

Pretty bland suck salad, and $16 for a tiny serve of calamari! Sorry guys but this has to improve, come on.

We visited the Golden City Hotel for lunch. It sits right on Sturt Street in the centre of Ballarat and is a traditional looking pub from the outside. On the inside you quickly realise that it is certainly focused on serving food.. We got one of the last