Review Yard Bird - Bendigo

Overall a quite disappointing meal. I had the beef brisket which lacked flavour and was riddled with fat, quite unpleasant to eat. The accompanying chips were not crisp and not seasoned. I had fond memories of this place from several years ago with their amazing food. Clearly a lot has changed in the intervening years. I’d recommend looking elsewhere to eat.

All good here, but I thought it was the Shamrock. Initially they were slow to take our order, others being served first ( pet hate ). But to be fair, they fitted us in. Enjoyed the food and wine.

Wouldn’t waste your money eating at Yardbird. The only positive is the location. The food was very ordinary and service extremely inadequate to the point that the staff “Cody” was bragging about being able to park in the multi story car park at no expense and at the disadvantage of hotel guests….

Food was overpriced and ordinary Sorry less than ordinary Service was patchy and the only upside was a good selection of local wines but you had to go downstairs to get them Disappointing in the extreme

Really disappointed with the service we received here. We asked if we could have all the food bought out at once which they agreed too but there ended up being an hour between our first and last meal coming out. The food was average at best and for the price we paid ($26 per meal) they were tiny portions, a little salad on the side never hurt just to round up a meal. The live music was alright but it was so loud for such a small space we couldn't hear each other talk. Also it was a colder night and we asked for the fans to be turned off four times before anything was done about it. The over all experience was a bad for our whole party and I probably won't go back.

Food was delicious, reasonable prices, nice view from the Balcony of The Shamrock Hotel and friendly staff.

i hate to be leaving a bad review but this experience was so disappointing. we had a table for 18 people booked at yard bird on a friday night for our work christmas break up. the table was booked over a week in advance with confirmation that it had been booked (via facebook messaging). all 18 of us turned up just to be told they didn’t have our table in their books and had no room for us. we stood there looking stupid, it was incredibly embarrassing. we’ve since messaged them asking what happened to our reservation only for them to not reply to us. we had to scramble to find somewhere last minute to fit 18 of us, which luckily we did otherwise our break up would have been ruined.

Four minutes before our booking as we were walking up the stairs, our booking was cancelled as the staff decided to not open the kitchen til 3:30

The food could be better but the location is perfect, right in the centre of town upstairs from the stately Shamrock Hotel. Eating a meal and having a drink on the balcony is a real pleasure, even on a cold winter afternoon (it has protective plastic sheets and heaters). The burgers aren't bad but are overpriced at around $20 with fries. The staff are fun and attentive on a quiet day. The balcony here must be be fantastic for a drink on a warm summer evening.

Didn't even go down the food path after the bar staff had to see if they could 'find' a wine list then produced 2 warm glasses of white wine...

Overpriced and understaffed<br/> Came here for my kids birthday, food arrived almost an hour after we had ordered. Meat platters were luke warm at best. Staff were rushed off thier feet but were very accommodating.

Great views from the upstairs balcony. Nice atmosphere music in the background and a singer on the night. friendly staff. Forgot to take photos if the meals. But they were good. Huge range of craft and imported beers.

The missus and I love going to Yard Bird. The brisket is fantastic, the ribs and chicken are very good but could do with more sauce, onion rings are out of this world, but the Nantucket was a bit disappointing however. The staff are excellent and nothing is too hard for them and they do the best Black Russian cocktail

Won't ever be returning! <br/>Overpriced meals, poor quality food and average service. Such a disappointing night out. Wine tasted off, kids soft drink didn't taste right either so drinks were left almost full on table. When mentioning the wine issue to wait staff the response was 'it's Mitchelton'. The bucket of shrimp (6 regular size prawns) for $19 is a total rip off. A side of slaw was a tiny bowl of average, overly dressed coleslaw for $6. Ribs were lacking flavour and at a cost of $36 they should be outstanding! If visiting Bendigo or staying at the Shamrock, avoid this place and go elsewhere.

Nice room and a good idea, but the food lets this place down. <br/><br/>I had brisket, which was horrendously overpriced. $25 for 2 pieces around 2cm thick and approx 7cm square! I expect brisket to be melt in the mouth, which this wasn't (it was tender). The worst part however was the poor excuse for a salad that came with it. Iceberg lettuce, 3 cherry tomatoes and 4 slivers of cucumber. No dressing! My partner had pork ribs which were falling off the bone with tenderness. Everything is coated in sickly sweet sauces which can be overpowering. The corn bread was pretty ordinary. <br/><br/>They serve all food on custom printed paper on the plate, which is really awkward to eat off. <br/><br/>Worst of all, there's no desserts! Drinks selection is good.<br/><br/>Service was a little inattentive but friendly. I think they had trainee staff.<br/><br/>Won't be returning here.

I like yard bird I'm happy with the ribs (not enough sauce) tender and good, brisket was good, sides are a bit sorry, no Mac n cheese, I would have liked mash potato, onion rings were overcooked, wings were good, saucy and hot, no desserts was a big let down, it's so easy to buy some brownies from a bakery heat one up add a scoop of ice cream and drizzle hot fudge on it, heck even McDonald's can do that.

Went there yesterday for Valentines Day drinks as a group of 4<br/><br/>2 wanted beers... were served in cans though menu clearly states BOTTLES (stubbies)<br/><br/>Other 2 wanted cocktails.... well...<br/><br/>first cocktail took 20mins to make and serve.... the other cocktail took yet ANOTHER 20mins....<br/><br/>YARDBIRD needs to lift its game for us to return anytime soon

First time I went it was average.<br/>Went a second time to give it another chance.<br/>Won't be back again.<br/><br/>Waited for menus (waitress forgot) ended up getting them ourselves.<br/>Ordered, waited over an hour, told bar staff and apparently they lost our order...<br/>Food came out cold and mac and cheese seemed like a 6 y/o produced it (grated cheese ontop of pasta).<br/>Staff were oblovious to everyone freezing, so we took it upon ourselves to put down the plastic cover (tables next to us thanked us).<br/><br/>Left hungry, cold and annoyed

Wow that was an 'interesting' experience to say the least. It was lovely to be able to finally sit alfresco. The lean on the old verandah however is slightly off putting. Device was extremely slow and the food even longer. The 2 girls waitressing did not cope at all with what I would say was a slow, but moderate size customer base for the night. The lack of veggies was just wrong; yes I know it's meant to be American style food, but really?! The spice on the chips was nice and there was nothing amazing about the sauce on the ribs. Chicken was good but some greens would have been nice.

I've been to this place with friends a couple of times now and honestly I think it's getting worse. The first time we went was when it opened. The service was ok but food was terrible, nothing like any other American bars and cafes we had been to. The latest visit was an attempt to see if it had gotten better, but again it was a disappointing experience and that appeared to be a view shared by other patrons that night. Meals were being sent back and table orders were misplaced. Our meals were better this time but still nothing great (be aware that "Tacos" means "Taco" when ordering the "Speedy Gonzalez Tacos"). Certainly not worth trying again for us unfortunately.

A good way to start or end your day is to have at least one good meal. We had ours in Yard Bird while in Bendigo. We went there especially for Chicken wings and were served with hot tasty wings dipped in spicy gravy. it was bit different from the ones I have previously had. You have to dig in the mess to get the taste. <br/>The prices and portions were good enough for two with a bucket of 12 wings and two glasses of beer. <br/>The decor was American and they also have an outdoor seating which overlooks the Alexandra fountain and the Post office across the road. Its my kind of place to enjoy a relaxed Sunday Brunch with family or friends.

My American partner and I did a day trip up to Bendigo and stumbled upon this place. I had the crab cakes and he had the beef brisket. We both throughly enjoyed our meals. It was nice to have something that we couldn't get locally. Service was good. Had great heating so you could sit outside.

Interesting concept for dining in Bendigo. Had a bucket of 'shrimp', grits and chips. Others on our table had hotdogs and burgers. Pretty standard fare, nothing crazy amazing. Price was ok. Would be good on a spring/summer arvo for beers, burgers etc. Musician was playing when we were there, music was a touch loud so was hard to have a conversation. Could be amazing with a few tweaks to menu.

Great service but the food was terrible. The fried chicken was so salty and the brisket cold. Portion size was small. Not what we quite expected!

Not quite the slice of America I was expecting. My husband and I were super excited about heading to Yard Bird for lunch. Having spent a bit of time in the States we were looking forward to being taken back there in our own home town. We were sadly disappointed.<br/><br/>On face value, if you had never been to America, the food at Yard Bird is quite nice. The problem is, it's marketing itself as American yet I'm not sure if the chef has ever been there and sampled true US delights.<br/><br/>We ordered the buffalo wings, bucket of shrimp, Reuben sandwich and fries. The buffalo wings came out in a tomato based sauce and were not crispy, more oven baked. We were expecting lightly fried then dipped in equal parts hot sauce and butter which is how they should be. The shrimp were actually whole prawns, freshly cooked. They were huge and totally delicious but they were more like true Aussie prawns as opposed to the delicious popcorn style shrimp that you get in the States. Fries were actually crinkle cut chips in a nice seasoning but they were cold by the time they came out. The Rueben sandwich was the highlight, we really enjoyed it and it was by far the most authentic part of our meal.<br/><br/>Blue Moon and Miller on tap with several other US beers in bottle. Orange served in Blue Moon which was a nice touch.<br/><br/>All in all the meal was quite nice but if you are after a true American experience, this isn't it.

Inconsistent service and timing with food. Expensive for average food.. Had a group of us and food came out at different times spread over an hour. Most of us were missing sides such as salads and chips and needed to prompt them a few times that these we're missing. By the time sides came meal was called. Ribs hardly had any sauce on them and the soft tacos ended up being A soft taco with a little bit of meat lettuce cheese and tomato. Needed to<br/>Ask for extra sour cream and guacamole. They should stick to burgers as they were good and that's about it.

Tasty but smallish portions. We had fried chicken and slow cooked beef plus two sides. All were quite good but for the price the portions aren't very generous. 8/10 for taste. 6/10 for value. 9/10 for friendly service and interesting location in a heritage hotel.

Best ribs!. Wandered into new American bar and restaurant in Bendigo called "Yard Bird" yesterday. Wow! Best ribs I've ever had and my friend had catfish for the first time said it was great. All American menu and beers; cocktails too. Great cool vibe , and good idea to be able to both eat and drink at the bar, just like in the States.<br/><br/>Will go back!

Absolutely fantastic!!. My partner and I recently visited Bendigo and decided to go to the lovely Shamrock Hotel for lunch. We went to Yard Bird after reading the menu. The food was outstanding to say the least with a great selection. We had the Southern Fried Chicken with slaw, the Jerk Chicken and a side of grits. We both agreed it was the best meal we'd had in ages!!! Service was excellent and the venue absolutely lovely. We'll be back...