Review Gpo Bendigo - Bendigo

We had Amazing experience at GPO. Food is awesome. Staff is very friendly and helpful. We were have received extraordinary service, even after kitchen closed she arranged us dessert with happy face. The arrangement at courtyard was really amazing for larger groups. Will come back there again for sure. Keep it up GPO

Giving 1 star as orders can be very slow. It took a good 45-55minutes for our food to arrive. Food is just average. Nothing exciting about it. Their salads are good though, but main meals need lots of improvement especially their Seafood Paella, Pork Belly Bites and Wagyu Skewers. Tried calling for booking but nobody answered. Attempted to call them for approximately 5 times. The restaurant itself is beautiful and clean - given the 1 star.

Had 3 pizzas delivered via Menulog. Over $70, but all 3 pizzas were cold, dry and hard as a rock. Base was too hard to reheat. Re-orderered dinner via another restaurant, as none of this was edible. Edit: Thanks for reply below, but I called the store at the time of the issue and the staff member couldn't have cared less. Opportunity to rectify was missed.

GPO for lunch yesterday, nice little experience service was amazing, entrees were fantastic, mains were also good but a little on the oily side, wedges were hit and miss aswell, but cannot fault the service!

Delicious food and great service. We had the scallops, corn fritters, chips, pumpkin salad and the slow cooked lamb pizza. All were fabulous and piping hot. We were there on a Friday lunchtime and only 4 or so tables occupied which may explain the great service. Would definitely visit again on next trip to Bendigo.

Decided to do try out some of the choices on the tapas menu! So delicious! Will definitely be back when I’m in Bendigo next!

Nice and cosy with great food. The scallops are a must such great flavour. Steak was cooked to perfection. Loved the vibe.

We really enjoy our whole experience at the GPO. The food was great and the service was excellent. Our party included 2 adults and a 7yo child. As soon as we were seated the waitress brought coloured pencils and an activity sheet to the table for Miss 7, who was thrilled (and happily occupied with colouring the whole time). The kids menu is great, with actual real food for kids! We had pizzas and they were an excellent size and delicious. Great selection of drinking and decent pricing. We can highly recommend the GPO and were so happy with the service from all staff we encountered on the night.

Disappointing experience - paella was bland and pasta was very basic (tasted like canned sauce). Fish and chips were ok though, crispy and fresh. <br/>

Delicious lunch today at the GPO Bendigo. We were in town from Melbourne for a conference and were very pleasantly surprised with the lunch specials at GPO. We enjoyed Pork Belly and Zucchini and Corn Fritters and both meals were delicious, and left us wanting more!

Was there over the weekend and ordered Salt and Pepper Calamari.  It was DISGUSTING!!! It was supposed to be crumbed and fried and came out as a slimy mess and no crumbed or pepper or salt. It was hidden on the plate under a large lump of salad. I couldn't believe my eyes upon seeing the slimy white mess underneath the salad. Also the service was quite slow to start with. Would not recommend this place.

Great venue but customer service lets it down. There never appears to be a manager or senior staff member around. It feels like a place where people work as a job not profession. Food is good but service is hit and miss.

Menu is constructed to aim for haute cuisine but delivers bland hot food. Friendly service but overall a very disappointing experience, and definitely not worth the prices.

We really enjoyed ourselves at GPO on a very busy Saturday night.<br/><br/>The variety of options on the menu made it hard to choose! Two serves of oysters for entree, backed up by a huge eye fillet and paella pan gave us very full bellies - but we did manage to fit in the dessert tasting platter!<br/><br/>Plenty of drinks on offer as well, including an impressive range of Victorian boutique beers.<br/><br/>The staff were friendly and very attentive. They handled an issue with their register system well, making sure we weren't kept waiting too long.

Popped into the GPO for a quick coffee before hitting the road back to Melbourne from a day trip to Bendigo. The trendy wide open venue is best advertised as a hire venue for events but also serves a tasty looking express lunch menu well suited for those keen for a bite to eat in a modern atmosphere. I opted to get my coffee here as it was brought to my attention on a black board that the coffee was fair trade Ethiopian. The venue was extremely dark when entering obviously trying to keep it hip and cool for all the youngsters of Bendigo. There was next to nobody there to fill the large black space but a waitress greeted my eagerly expecting  me to dine in for lunch. I order a takeaway long black and whilst waited for her to make the brew I further inspected the restaurants noting that there was a nice looking courtyard out the back. The coffee was certainly hot burning my mouth on first taste. It was of an average  standard  being watering and not delivering full dark, acidic, earthy flavours of traditional Ethiopian single origin. <br/>Overall GPO is probably a good spot for lunch but certainly not worth the while to try there publicized coffee.

Extremely average. Good wait service but a long wait for food. Our sizzling garlic prawns were nice but the rest of it was a let-down. Cardboard tasting tacos and dry beef sliders.

Did well to accommodate a group of 8. Ordered the tapas/pizza deal for $30 per head and was great value for money. 4 tapas meals and 3 pizzas. All were very good quality and delicious. Cocktails were pretty good too and despite not having quite enough staff working, those that were there did a great job, especially Sam. Well worth a visit.

Has beer at the GPO. Black bug in top. Taste good. Beer, not so much.<br/><br/>I'm liking inside. Lighting make happy. Remind me of mother home. All heil Putin.

I must admit my last visit to the GPO was over a year ago, but at the time i wasn't sure what to expect, i was told they get very busy (this was after NYE). We managed to get ourselves a nice little high table. <br/>The service was great, very friendly people that served us. The iced coffee was pretty good, very impressed by simple things like putting a very long spoon in a tall glass, (some venues can't even get that right, having to dive for your spoon is no fun).<br/> <br/>The Decor is modern and interesting enough to keep you entertained visually. <br/>The food i'd have to say was fantastic, i could't say there was a bad bite amongst any of the tappas we ordered, from the Crispy Pork Belly bites, Corn and Zucchini fritters to the Sliders and Patatas Bravas. Will be back to see if they've kept up with the quality.

Nice space. Sat in the mezzanine area which is a good spot. Service was good. Brisk and pleasant. The coffee was certainly tasty but had far too much froth. A shame.

Great food, average service, the two are a bit disconnected. The wait for my meal was over an hour and my latte was sitting on the counter in view for 4-5 minutes before being served luke warm. I'd go back as the food was great but they need to improve their overall delivery.

Good was good but not very happy with the service. I understand it is a busy Sunday night but we were simply left alone at the attic. The waitresses are clearly untrained since the main courses came before we finished the entree.

We had tapas here on a Saturday arvo and the service was fine but the food was underwhelming. Overcooked, lacking seasoning and garlic. Tapas should have flavour with garlic and salt. These ones were bland and disappointing.

I love this place, the atmosphere is trendy and social. I've been here on three occasions and couldn't complain about any of the food. Ordered the beef tacos, arranchini balls, pork belly, dessert tasting platter and a large plate of calamari. The pork belly is an absolute must. The service isn't amazing but its also not something to complain about. Perfect destination for a child free date night

Great Food at GPO. Recently having a tour to Bendigo and tried the GPO. Food was very well presented, tasty and nothing to complain on. Portion size may not be huge but we are not big eater. Pricing is not overly expensive and general atmosphere is nice. Staff are very friendly and very welcoming. Great place to go.

Great service, fabulous food.. We went to GPO for our engagment celebration. We had the wagu beef tacos, and arancini balls for a tapas starter. They were absolutly delicious. Then we had the salt and pepper calamari and the chicken. The chicken was beautifully tender and had unique flavours that worked very well together, and the calamari was the best that me and my partner had both ever tried. <br/>We would deffinetly reccomend to anyone and were pleasantly surprised with the quality of food but also the service from the lovely staff. <br/>Thanks GPO, we will see you again soon.

Great service & great list of ciders. Nice food too, salmon a little undercooked & "chilli" chips could have a little more kick, but otherwise all the dishes were made from quality produce with well balanced flavours. Would return.

Amazing food, great service! The salmon was perfectly done and the sticky date pudding was just heavenly! I will most certainly be back!!

Deffinately returning. Wow what an excellent place! Stopped in for a drink and the friendly staff soon talked me into coming back for dinner! Best decision of the day! Exceptionally friendly staff, amazing coffee and meals which flavours make you feel there's a party in your mouth! Looking for somewhere in Bendigo? This is the place!

Wow!!!! Amazing food, fantastic service and really good atmosphere! Thanks guys, I'll be back with more of us!!!! I had the beef cheek, and celebrated every minute of it! Beer selection was great! Many thanks for the great service too, really impressed. Cheers!

Fantastic!. The food is fantastic! Loved the arancini tappas and mains. The staff were very friendly also, adding to the relaxed atmosphere. I've been there quite a few times, definitely will be back

Food no flavour. The food had no flavour, the sauces tasted like they came out of a jar from the supermarket. The food was cold & the lemon meringue pie was nothing like like lemon meringue. More like lemon purée on a dish with crumbled pavlova base. To top it off our disappointed entree, main & dessert for 2 with 2 drinks each cost over $160.00. This place should not be operating as a resturant. Will never go back.

Very nice ambience, beautiful tapas. Very yummy. Service a few points off the mark and left a bit to be desired. Mains was average.

We are regulars at gpo being local to Bendigo and there is a reason we keep coming back. Great food, great drinks and awesome staff! Chris has been our waiter quite a few times now and always provides an excellent, friendly, personalised service, and makes us feel at home. Good, relaxed atmosphere, gpo is always our 'go to' when it comes to dinner and drinks, keep up the good work! A shoutout to Nathan for his wonderful service also!

$$$$. This place is way too overpriced, $24 for a small serving of dessert is ridiculous. You can get bigger the portion at a 5 star restaurant in Melbourne for only $15. the staff are very nice, but it is definitely way over the top, coming back and forth to fill up water glasses on multiple occasions, why don't you just leave a bottle on the table? and interrupting conversation on a regular basis, 5 times or so someone would be in the middle of a sentence and the waiter/or waitress would come over and ask would we like anything else, you'd think the third time you'd get the point that if I did i'd ask. I've been a waitress since I was 15, and never was I that annoying or so desperate for an upsell. Overall the food was good, but they have put up the prices so much in the last few months that I wouldn't come back here.

Awsom. Amazing food ,great servise and already made a reservation for next week. <br/>anywere with moscato on tap is a great place .

Really quite good. Easter Monday night and not sure where to eat as all the recommended restaurants are closed. Stumbled on GPO and have been very pleasantly surprised. Excellent friendly service and good food. Very kid friendly which is a relief but not full of families with small kids if you know what I mean! Not noisy although it is pretty full. Defiantly would recommend.

Outstanding food and friendly prompt service! Will definitely be back again!

EAT TALK DRINK - You're kidding right?. SUMMARY<br/>PROS:<br/>***** Nice modern décor and clean toilets<br/><br/>CONS:<br/>* Unfriendly wait staff<br/>* Slow service<br/>* Core menu items not available<br/>* Poor food quality<br/><br/>VERDICT<br/>Won’t be back!<br/><br/>Here’s another bad service review for GPO. You’d think they would take notice and make a change.<br/>Hello owner/manager... Urbanspoon reviews matter! Train your staff in ‘Hospitality,’ it’s called that for a reason.<br/><br/>What was meant to be a lovely Sunday night birthday celebration started bad. The place wasn't particularly busy but we were kept waiting at the ‘wait here’ sign while staff polished spoons and looked at us. When someone decided that they should probably tend to us, we were met with a scowl.<br/><br/>Once shown to our table, we waited for what seemed like an eternity to get a drinks order in, during this time we attempted to catch up on the latest goss, only the music was way too loud for nice dinner conversation. Our drinks prepared, sat on the bar waiting for service and arrived to the table 30 minutes later. Guess those spoons needed more polishing.<br/><br/>Then eventually we were allowed to put in our meal order. The 400g Wagyu steak was a prime motivator for coming to this place. It was ‘sold out’. The only other steak from the Grill Menu was also sold out. Was offered and settled for the ‘lunch menu steak’. Seriously, it was appetizer size and for dinner, I can’t believe they didn’t plate up two or three of those little meaty bites to satisfy a hungry diner.<br/><br/>One other of our party (also wanting steak) settled for a pizza. After several bites it became apparent that the pizza base was raw. Kitchen’s solution was to throw it back in the oven, which of course never works for half-baked dough. Pretty sure we learnt that in year 8 Home-Ec. It came back flat and rock hard. Surprise!<br/><br/>Not wanting to put ourselves through the same with dessert, we moved on elsewhere. <br/><br/>GPO slogan is Eat Talk Drink .... well, we tried but they made it impossible.<br/>Have spoken to other friends who have had similar experiences here.<br/><br/>When things turn to sh*t, just smile and wave! <br/>There were no smiles at GPO, but we have waved goodbye.

Quality. As infrequent visitors to Bendigo, we hit on this place online. As passionate fans of Spanish food, we were delighted as it met our expectations of the familiar and surpassed it with its own variations. Service was exceptional, as was the food.

I do not get the negative reviews. Nice vibe tasty tapas great pizza and outstanding calamari. Melbourne standard or better. I'll be back.

Very slow to nonexistent service.

Do yourself a favor and NEVER go here. We went here thinking it would be a good place to stop for a reasonalbly quick dinner and saw the $5 tacos advertised out the front. There were no tacos left when I tried to order them. I asked the waitress a few simple questions about the other tiems on the menu and she either didnt understand or didn't know the answers, she also didn't have the initiative to go and find out. I gave up and ordered an easy pizza. We then waited almost an hour and a half for SOME of our food to arrive. 1 meal was completely forgotten (or the waitress from ealier didn't write it down on the order which is quite possible given she didn't know what she was doing) Our pizzas were below average in taste, and the ham tasted off, except for the margarita which is hard to stuff up given you only need about 3 ingredients. Looking around the whole restaurant seemed to get meals sporadically...half the table had finished their meals long before any other meals arrived. For our meal that never came after almost 2 hours of waiting we were given an appology and $14 off the bill! Definitely never going here again. They need to get rid off heaps of staff before this place will be any good!

What happend. We use to dine at gpo once a week a year or so ago and it was fantastic i would always have the duck spring rolls and my husband would start with the. Scollops but after a year out of town we have come back to what can only be described as a flat out. Disappointment clearly the has been a chef change as now the menu lacks both passion and care and from over hearing customers on near by. Tables this place needs a chef change for the better where ever the old chef went they need them back A.S.A.P

We stumbled apon GPO on our recent trip to Bendigo. And what a wonderful mistake to make! We have been twice! The staff are helpful but not pushy, the outdoor courtyard is tranquil. The antipastos were amazing, perfect pizzas and the gnocchi was the best I've ever had. Would highly recommend GPO to all!

This place is amazing and I wish we didn't live 2 hrs away from Bendigo! The tapas is delicious and well seasoned, the pizzas are delicate and fresh and the pan fried gnocchi is the best gnocchi I've had anywhere. The service is friendly but not overwhelming.

I am constantly disappointed by every experience I have at GPO. Not only is their food mediocre and incredibly overpriced, their service is also lacking. I just popped in for a Friday afternoon drink with my little brother, we were seated out the back and waited near fifteen minutes before deciding to leave. There were three waiting staff on and eight tables, most of which had already received their food and drinks and we were passed three times but not even glanced upon. Being a hospitality worker with six years experience, I felt this was absolutely despicable and will not be bothering to go back anytime soon. (Its been two years since I have and I now know not much has progressed..)

This place used to be one of the best restaurants in town... Back in 2007. It seems for the past few years it's lost a lot of good staff both front and back of house. The food is ok, but nothing amazing. The service is very touch and go. There are nights you'll be forgotten and nights where the waitstaff will very nearly sit down with you. I've given GPO a few chances, now I won't go back.

Went for a meal with girlfriends and had a great time. Staff were friendly and very helpful, resturant is beautiful. Really nice food and huge menu. Great for a night out with <br/>friends

Great Lunch. Last Saturday (July 2012) we had the opportunity to have lunch at the GPO Care Bar. Loved it!!!!<br/><br/>Food was excellent, wine list was extensive and service was great. The restaurant was busy and the food coming out looked amazing.

Fantastic, will definitely return. We went to GPO with some friends on a Saturday evening just before 6, so had the bar menu, and it was a fantastic experience. We had four kids with us, including a toddler, and the staff were all extremely helpful and friendly. The food was delicious, we had a range of tapas and the pizzas, and it was all delicious. Service was quick, and the overall it was a pleasurable dining experience (which says something when you have a toddler with you!). Will definitely return.

Stumbled Upon - A must try. A group of friends and I decided to check out what Bendigo had to offer (as we are all from Melbourne to see Grace Kelly) we decided to stay overnight, we were looking around town and stumbled across what seem like a nice place to dine. The staff member who greeted us managed to get us a table for 4. They have a wide range of cocktails to suit all and THEY HAVE MOSCATO ON TAP!!! looking at the menu it all sounds delicious, we ordered some tapas for the table to share with some turkish bread, for mains we ordered crusted chicken, pork belly, and a lamb pizza to share. Starters did take around 40mins to arrive however it was well worth it mains shortly followed after. The only complaint regarding the food was the pork belly (slightly dry) other than that the meals were spectacular (as described in other reviews) . The waiter who served us tonight had great recomendations with the wine and all thou the staff we rushed off their feet they all provided us with a memorable experience. We are already planning another night back in the weeks to follow with family.

Don't Bother. We booked on Dimmi in the afternoon and received the email confirmation. We then arrived at GPO on time. However the waitress could not see my name on the computer. I then said that I had only just booked on Dimmi in the afternoon. She then said that their internet had not been on during the day and she would go and speak to someone. When she came back her story had changed and she said "The problem with Dimmi is that the bookings come through the next day". I knew that this was not true as I have often booked on the same day through Dimmi. We were told that they were fully booked but we could sit outside where it was covered and heated. I said we would like to look at it. We walked all the way through to the back but she did not follow us. So we stood in the courtyard and the waitress made no attempt to follow and see if we wished to stay. As we would still have had to wear our coats we had no desire to stay. Appalling service. They should have realised their mistake by not having the internet on and offered a table inside - but they couldn't be bothered. Sadly this shows Dimmi in a bad light and they should consider withdrawing from this restaurant.

With a group of three went to GPO on ANZAC Day for a light lunch. The place was warm, with a fresh decor, light and airy, it has 4 dining areas, it looks great. We were welcomed soon after we entered the door (as was everyone else who followed). We ordered calamari (gluten free) x2, it seemed like a good sized portion and tasted as good as it looked. We had also ordered chicken kebabs that came with pan fried cherry tomatoes with some herbs and with flat bread that had been sprinkled with a Dakar. All in all it was a pleasant experience. Just note there is a 10% surcharge for public hols. I hope the staff get that %.

Good, but can be improved. It was my second visit here. the service was pleasant and food was good. the tandoori pizza and chargrilled lamb rump were table favourites. the slow cooked lamb pappardelle was really tasty with ample sauce, and generous portion. it was quite disappointing that the crispy pork belly and crispy barramundi fillet were in fact chewy, not crispy. also, the hand cut chips were potato wedges that lacked the desired fluffy interior. overall, it was a satisfying meal - not the best but worth a return.

Yummy very nice food i am not from Bendigo but if I come to Bendigo for another visit I will be back to GPO an that's a promise!!! :)

Disappointing food and lack of service. Pork belly was too fat and not wow at all. Food pretty average and prices above average. Hit and miss. Too much disappointments, very inconsistent. Service a bit slack too. One can do much better in Bendigo.

Great food and awesome.... Awesome coffee, great pictures on the coffee and good service from the barista

The night started with excellent Entres, had the Lamb, Pork Belly, Squid & Chicken, all we're Delicous, Service from the Bar was very slow as the Venue was not busy, Upon ordering Mains we were informed that the dishes we were ordering we're unavailbe, this was the low light of the night for us, Overall would go back but the Staff must lift there game for me to recommend this to my Clients & Friends. 6/10

Dined on saturday night, ordered fish tail tacos from the tapas menu then tried the pork belly dish absolutely must try, restaurant was quite busy when we walked in at 7.30, nice atmosphere the young man was in training with the manager who I thought did a great job, I recommend this place to everyone as the NZ guy had mentioned that their were new and exciting changes happening over the next few weeks. I will be back!!!

Nice atmosphere and had a good tappas menu but the mains weren't to flash. Good by Bendigo standards though. Oh and happy cocktails where to weak.

Let Down. GPO let us down. 4 people 4 meals all were disappointing 4 people = 8 feet and we will subsequently use them never to return. And we are locals. Very ordinary

Yum. Dined at GPO sat night and I must say it exceeded our expectations quite a bit. Had some tapas to start all very tasty but the duck shank was a stand out could of had three of them. The wagyu was amazing and my wife's pizza was up there with the best she's had. Finished with donuts with hot fudge sauce, yum. We will be back

I had the worst experience at GPO. I don't recommend it. The service is pathetic, their food is pathetic and drinks ridiculously overpriced. the staff look like they are overjoyed to be there not!

SAD. We went to GPO a while ago to celebrate my mother in laws birthday as they were in bendigo for our wedding. We had heard good reports and wanted to show them the spirit of bendigo..... well 3 of us had the snapper and all had to send it back as it had been microwaved and we couldnt cut it. the angelhair seafood pasta came out ith a cream sauce..WTF .such a shame . we were offered a voucher to come back. We never bothered!

Interesting decor, but rude staff! Asked a few simple questions, ie soup and dips of the day which they had to check (seemed like a huge pain) and after ordering both they were wrong! Mains took awhile and weren't amazing. Ordered a bottle of wine from a friends vineyard and the reply from the waiter was utter shock as she said we didn't look like the type to order such a nice bottle. Left feeling over charged and not looked after, adding insult to injury they joked about a tip being mandatory!! Not worth a second glance!!

Makeover well worth it. We had several bad experiences here when it first opened, vowed never again, but went back recently and were pleasantly surprised. There has been an interior makeover and the level of service and the quality of the food have improved out of sight. If you are in a grazing sort of mood try a selection of the entree plates, some of these are superb and the wine and beverage list has also improved dramatically. Now a very good choice in Bendigo for a casual light meal.

Below average. Dined here this afternoon. Ordered a bottle of wine, dips, chili chips. Wine came out about 15 minutes after the meal. Chips devoid of chili. Service was below par turning a relaxing afternoon into an ordeal. REWARD THE GOOD PUNISH THE BAD. Verdict: Avoid. 2 Cowboy Hats out of 5.

There are strange giblets in my pasta!. I was excited to try GPO, but it was only ok..<br/>the place wasnt that busy but there were tables full of dirty plates and the waitress instantly warned us "be prepared to wait half and hour to 45 for food"<br/>ok, so we arent in a rush, lets give it a whirl.<br/>menu reads well but it just doesnt get there on the plate.<br/>soft shell crab had a dense and oily batter, and no sauce as described. onion rings were the same, swimming in oil and with a really thick batter. ugh.<br/>My slow cooked lamb pasta wasnt bad, but was freaked out to find weird little things that looked like chicken giblets in there... hmmmm.<br/>My boyfriend got a pizza and the bottom of it was covered in what looked like the black oily scrapings from the oven, like 1/2 a cm thick, it tasted like burnt dukkah or something . so all in all, high expectations, menu sounds awesome but they just cant pull it off. pity.

Not good. Far too many kiddies working there. Do we really need to see the waiters arse hanging out of his skinny jeans?? Kids who clearly haven't been trained and don't care for a customers needs. the food? Boring and average. Why bother!

... It was flavourful, the sauce was incredibly beautiful and the pasta texture was damn near perfection if not perfect. Impeccable.