Review Hotel Collingwood - Collingwood

I loved everything about Hotel Collingwood, the decor and ambiance was lovely, a great menu and exceptional service. The beer on tap was impressive and there is a beautiful beer garden at the back which is cosy. We shared a number of dishes, each presented and tasted amazing with good quality ingredients. We ordered the Kingfish sashimi, salt & pepper calamari, grilled fish of the day and Black Angus ribeye 350g, all dishes so yum and even better when washed down with a glass of beer!

Had a fantastic time, food was delicious, wasn't that loud and I do love a good QR ordering system👌🏽 One thing I'd like to suggest though, is to install hooks in the female toilet stalls. Its not like its a big issue or anything but its just been a long time since I've been in a bathroom stall and there hasn't been a hook to put my bag lol. Anyway, had a great time and would go again!

Attended this hotel for lunch and before I review it I would like to make a few comments. There are aspects of this hotel that are five star and there aspects that would not even rate a one star. The managers of this establishment should be taking notes from the reviews and fixing the issues as most of the reviews reflect accurately. Firstly I ordered a stock standard Parma chips and salad. The Parma and chips were cooked perfectly . The place was very clean and tidy as were the toilets. The staff were very pleasant and hard working and it was a very pleasant atmosphere to dine in. Now moving onto what I didn’t like. Other than the bit of tomato on the top of my salad the bowl was full of green stuff and nothing else. I did not like the non personal service by making you feel out that five page app. with the option of tipping the staff upfront as this is not the USA and we only tip on good service in Australia.There was-no tip given up front. I also did not like that the only way you can pay is by credit card which they offer to keep the details safe and then charge a credit card surcharge. Another reason the staff were not tipped on the order .The last thing I didn’t like was if I chose to tip afterwards I couldn’t. In this case no tip would have been given even though the staff were very nice and hard working ‘they didn’t seem very knowledgeable of the products.Over all it is a ok lunch . Would I go there again. not by choice but I went with a group and would go with a group again.

The outside looks a bit reserved so it doesn't stand out on the street which isn't a bad thing. Inside is a clean, dimly lit interior with exposed bricks. Tables are spread out so you aren't crammed in. On the Saturday we were there on a Winter's afternoon it wasn't too busy. There is an outside beer garden that's reasonably isolated from the elements with outdoor heating. Staff were friendly, good variety of food and beers. Happy to come here again.

Good ambiance and traditional pub food. Very nice lunch was had.

Gastro pub with pretty nice dishes although you pay for it. For eg, one pork bao for $8 is pretty outrageous. Food was good though. Nice atmosphere and setting as well, big garden space making for good time in summer.

The worst food I’ve eaten in a long time. $26 for ‘four cheese’ gnocchi which is literally canned tomatoes with bits of unmelted mozzarella mixed through. Don’t get me started on the raw batter in the deep fried cauliflower. We sent food back thinking maybe it was a joke or they made a mistake but it was just the same. The pub used to be good but this refurb is a disaster. Not quite the Melbourne standard.

I was there as part of a group of 8 on new year's day. Service was fine, beer lines were clean but food was mixed. Most people enjoyed their food but I got the burger and it was terrible. Presentation was bad, taste was bad. Definitely over-priced. So if you want a burger go anywhere else in the area and it will much better.

Over lockdown, received (delivery) the most wonderful cauliflower salad & the eggplant side dish is a MUST try. The roasted veggies (broccollini also had an incredible flavour). I was so impressed, will defs be back!!

A choice of the bar area or dining room for food, we chose the slightly less formal front bar space. Same food is served in both 'spots' but felt more at home in the bar. We were there fairly early on a Friday and therefore quiet and unrushed.<br/><br/>In the mood for fish and seafood - so half a dozen oysters shared between the two of us with the traditional bar food appealing. So fish and chips across the table with the swordfish and broccoli on my side (with a side of thick cut chips to be on the safe side).<br/><br/>Verdict? Total thumbs up. Quality rather than quantity so do not expect your plate to be overflowing with food. But the oysters were some of the best ever, swordfish yum (you should not be able to go wrong!) and thumbs up for the fish & chips. Couple of G&Ts and generally great meal. Only minor caveat is the fish being placed on top of the broccoli results in the fish oils soaking into the vegetables, removing that fresh, crisp taste. But we'll be back...

Dined here last night and was pleasantly surprised by the flavours of my meal. Ordered the spatchcock, swordfish and cauliflower salad to share. All were delicious and would happily have them again. Everything was well seasoned and portion size was good. Will definitely be back to try more of the menu!

We heard of their one kg steak night so we booked in for it<br/>The atmosphere is good and service is personalised beers are good and comfortable seating and if you r a single diner, easy, you will blend in and not feel uncomfortable<br/>So we ordered the one kilo t bone steak and the waiter manager indicated it can feed two<br/>My friend had a small entre<br/>The steak came out and it was disappointing very very disappointing and no value for money<br/>My dining pal felt guilty eating it as it was no where near one kilo including this giant bone and it did not come close to feeding me!<br/>The bone was over an inch wide but the meat came already shaved off the bone and cut up in small orations, NO WAY was this one kilo of meat and bone<br/>I have had a lot of steaks in my time the bone looked like it had a kilo of meat from it and this was the deceptive mirage as the meat, I would say was 200 to 250 g of meat <br/>Very disappointed and expecting a one kilo steak I went in g hungry , left hungry so we went to coles after wards and bought cheese and crackers<br/>One kilo steak<br/>No way on earth!

I went down last night for the first time and had the pasta special (wagyu lasange) - it was the best lasange I've ever had and the service was fantastic. I would always walk past this venue and think it's another pub - the food is incredible, highly recommend it!

What happened to Robert Burns? It no longer serves Spanish food. Instead it serves expensive pub food with tiny little portions...

Since it was established in 1861, the Robert Burns Hotel has seen various iterations with the most recent being a Spanish themed restaurant. New owner and proud publican, Gerry Nass is making a bold move to refresh expectations of how to enjoy a good time at this local pub. This improved incarnation sets the bar high when it comes to pub dining, and is set to reclaim Robert Burns Hotel’s title as a landmark Collingwood pub. <br/><br/>A talented new chef duo have joined the crew - Celebrated Italian chef, Danny Russo from Russolini is collaborating with former Atlantic Group head-chef, David Maclean to reignite the menu. Think modern bistro meets nonna’s kitchen.<br/><br/>We loved tasting our way through the new menu. To start, the charred octopus was an absolute highlight. The octopus was incredibly tender while retaining a robust structure courtesy of being expertly cooked and well-seasoned by the heady squid ink which delivered a luxurious salinity and also enhanced the flavours of the octopus.<br/><br/>The burrata was similarly delicious. This cheese sensation demonstrated that unforgettable dishes can sometimes be very simple. In this instance, a ball of unadulterated burrata simply paired with pickled persimmon and prosciutto. When the outer solid mozzarella shell was cut, we loved how the creamy interior of soft, stringy curd and fresh cream revealed itself. The sumptuously rich yet sensibly balanced flavours were sensational.<br/><br/>For mains the fish of the day, (on this occasion, a whole flounder) exceeded expectations. Cooked to absolute perfection, the natural sweetness of the very fresh fish was allowed to shine through.<br/><br/>Also very notable, was the reimagined chicken parma. Lightly crumbed chicken breast was topped with prosciutto, tomato, melted buffalo mozzarella and served with a side of fries. Simply beautiful and a must have when at the pub.<br/><br/>You can be friends with salad at Robert Burns. We recommend you try the roast cauliflower salad. This was a true crowd-pleaser - an amalgamation of caramelised roasted cauliflower florers, burnt leeks, hazelnuts and rocket topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds and heady parmesan. <br/><br/>Dessert time continued to please. The almond coconut panna cotta was texturally perfect, just barely holding its shape and boasted complexity with a subtle sour "twang" courtesy of being served with rhubarb and strawberries.<br/><br/>The tiramisu was yet again, delicious - Traditionally made and utterly comforting.<br/><br/>On the drinks front, fine wine is available for every palette or if you prefer a stiff drink, there is a solid cocktail and spirit list. An extensive selection of classic Aussie and craft is set to impress with 14 tap beers and ciders and more than 30 tinnies in both standard or longies.<br/><br/>Located on the corner of Smith and Easey Streets, this new phase in the life of the Robert Burns Hotel is an exciting one. We simply cannot wait to return.

Over my past four years in Melbourne, I’ve noticed something. Australians and Melburnians in particular exhibit a dichotomy of at once loving the new and the novel but also taking immense comfort in familiarity. Meaning that a lot of the people checking out the hottest new fusion spot are just as happy to sink beers and kick back with a parma at the local pub.

Robert Burns may look like your standard Northside pub on the outside, but on the inside is a cute, cosy dining room serving "elevated pub fare" plus great cocktails. The space is warm and a welcome a mix of vintage and contemporary, featuring wicker seating and tartar floors and walls. The menu is large and heavily Italian-inspired, with sections for veggies, pastas, proteins and small plates. The vegetarian options are scattered around the menu so ask if you need guidance.<br/><br/>I was advised to try the green tomato salad which is light and fresh and served with straciatella, one of my favourite cheeses. I was also recommended the cauliflower, which is incredible. It's roasted to a point where it becomes smoky but not too crisp and served with salad, roasted asparagus, pecorino and hazelnuts which add a great texture.<br/><br/>For mains, I tried the super soft and fluffy gnocchi which almost had a filled dumpling consistency. While lots of pub gnocchi can be too dense and lacking flavour, this one had perfect amount of both. My partner enjoyed a parma which he also voucher for heavily. If you eat seafood, the squid is beautifully presented and apparently quite good as well.<br/><br/>From the cocktail list, I can recommend the Pink Lady and the Robbie Burns Sour - both light and sweet and fruity and refreshing.

Great Spanish restaurant and pub! A great hang out spot for groups as you can get a paella to share and believe me the food is delish for a pub! 😋

New management, lovely new menu but still ironing some things out with execution and overall lack of generosity- we went home still a bit hungry, which you don’t expect from a pub meal. The steak was excellent- perfectly cooked but the serve of fries was really stingy, especially in an empty pub! If you want people coming back though the doors don’t skimp there, especially with such an inexpensive ingredient.<br/><br/>The seafood pasta was a bit disappointing- I ordered it because of the bottarga listed on the dish description, but when the dish came it was nowhere to be seen! It was also a quite small serve with very little seafood in it- 3-4 small shelled/tailed prawns, 2 microscopic bits of calamari, and 3 chunks of octopus. I make a similar but more generous version with the (dirt cheap) marinara mix from the supermarket. Though it had a nice flavour, when eating out I expect a little more, especially when a whole ingredient is missing!<br/>The lemon lime bitters only had a couple of drops of bitters in it, and the green tomato salad was also on the small side. A little generosity, especially when trying to get locals coming back, would go a long way.<br/>

Went for lunch in December 2018 just after they changed the menu (from its longstanding Spanish themed cuisine to some sort of Modern Australian situation). Food was pretty appetizing, and reasonably priced. Would return.

Looking for a place for dinner today my partner and called into this place. This pub is unusual. It didn’t feel welcoming to me, maybe it was the heavy brickwork or just the layout of the place? <br/><br/>I’m not sure what it was but I decided to only stay for 1 drink and then move on. The service was fine, but the bartender made a lot of noise and banging just to let us know that he was there I guess lol<br/><br/>I had a Colonial Brewing Company Draught beer which was good. And my partner had a softie. <br/><br/>Apparently the Spanish food is good there so I might go back and try that sometime.

I Have been here twice & I cannot fault anything! The customer service is always amazing & the food is amazing too! <br/>I recommend this place 1,0000 times over & over. I could not stop eating, everything was so yummy!

Went to the Robert Burns hotel for dinner last night with the family, I’d heard about about this place so the expectations were high. We had a number of shared plates between our group rather than individual meals. I was expecting a myriad of flavours with the selection of dishes given this is place with a Spanish theme, but unfortunately everything I got to try was on the bland side. I not normally a person that likes food overly spicy so I was a bit confused about what I’d experienced. My daughter said the same, the food was decent and couldn’t be faulted other than it lacked a bit of flavour. Between us we tried at least 7 different dishes, everything was ok but nothing was memorable. The place was nice and the service was very good but overall the experience wouldn’t draw me back in a hurry.

Such potential, but so devastatingly bland!! It’s like your kitchen staff are scared of flavour! <br/><br/>We tried so hard to like you and there were some things you did really well - the drinks and your homemade chorizo were delicious! <br/><br/>But the jamon croquettas, the fish of the day with mussels, and the octopus had some great foundations but just lacked punch - the octopus was actually the most disappointing as it was cooked perfectly but lacked the zing needed to add some balance out the char and smokiness. Some more salt, lemon, and herbs would have taken you from a 2 to a solid 4. <br/><br/>I’d love to come back and see you guys do amazing things. Here’s hoping it happens.

I came here for a nice drink and some patatas bravas. The drinks were absolutely amazing. Especially the sailor jerry and coke. However the food tasted like an uncooked potato with dolmio sauce poured all over the top. It was garnished with Mayonaise and what appeared to be the chefs tears. It was putrid. Drinks 10/10. Food 1/10

Great service. lovely courtyard.  We started with Jamon Croquetas which needed seasoning and although they were recommended as a crowd favourite I wouldn't go back to them, the white sauce was wet and lacked flavour.  We waited a bit too long for our mains but it was worth the wait.  For our main we chose the 500gm rump cap.  It was charred to perfection, pink, juicy, tender and well rested (the wait!).  We had the beans with olive and goats cheese for an accompaniment, which i would also highly recommend.  One of the tastiest steaks I've eaten.  My partner and I loved it.

Food was so disappointing<br/>The spare ribs were terrible <br/>Prawns strange flavour<br/>Fish insufficient lime<br/>Not value for money <br/>Food not tasty<br/>Will not cons back here

Happy hour was quite a rush at Robert Burns Hotel on Friday despite all of Melbourne freaking out over a little bit of rain. Fortunately it was welcoming inside and the drinks were still flowing. <br/><br/>I tried both the $10 happy hour cocktails... the Pisco Sour & The Espresso Martini. They were both well made and tasty. I love the raw egg white foam and tanginess of the Pisco Sour and this was my favourite of the two. <br/><br/>I also tried The Otherside cocktail which was a wonderful blend Hendricks Gin, cucumber and citrus. <br/><br/>The from Bar area offered Spanish Tapas while the dining area out back offered more substantial but still largely Spanish fare. The interior is quaint classically presented.<br/><br/>

This was the first time and the last time as I sent the paella back undercooked, no crust and wet. The chorizo was tasteless with no spice or salt. I am told they do good paella but will never find out first hand...

This charming Scottish hotel has been converted into a Spanish place, though it retain its old charms. Dropped in with a couple of my tour friends after missing our Spanish time. The paella were the main reason we were here. The service was good, very attentive and prompt. The atmosphere is a casual with background music, so you can talk.<br/>The paella on the table were mushroom and seafood. Cook in the shallow pan, the flavours were excellent though the rice were a little burnt on the bottom sure to the depth of the pan. But the paella were littered with flavour. <br/>The dessert were ok, we had the combination of brownies, churros and catalana. The sangria is a bit weak.still a great night.<br/><br/>Sorry no photos, must have been really hungry that night. 😀

I visited Robert Burns for the Food Social hosted Spanish Feast. Loved all the different courses like cold cuts, garlic prawns, croquettes, grilled meats etc... The Sangria could have been better. But totally loved the paella, one of the best I have eaten.

Staff friendly and efficient. Restaurant was booked out but we were offered the option of ordering from the restaurant menu and eating in the bar. We didn't mind as we found a lovely quiet spot at a wooden bar facing out onto the street. Although I really enjoyed the seafood paella at $26 pp. I thought for two people it would be a larger serving. Would I go back? Yes! I would. The margaritas were divine!

My partner and I went late on a Saturday night. To start with the ambience was rather lack lustre topped off with a huge TV in the corner playing AFL.<br/><br/>The service was disinterested at best and I had to ask for a full menu three times. On the fourth time I just pulled it off the shelf myself.<br/><br/>We ordered three tapas dishes. Croquetas, Mushrooms Fried in garlic and Shark friend in a batter. <br/><br/>Firstly any tapas venue in Spain would bring a small basket of bread out. This did not happen. When the mushroom arrived , they had drowned it in chille. So not only did it kill the flavour of the mushrooms, but the complete lack of seasoning turned it into a bland mess. These mushrooms were also from a tin.<br/><br/>Secondly the fish. Unbelievably bland and flavourless. Again, zero seasoning and frozen fish.<br/><br/>Finally the croquettes. Spanish croquettes would never contain blue cheese of which there was an over powering amount of it in it.<br/><br/>For all the publicity and promotion this place does around Melbourne, it's a complete embarrassment of Spanish food. <br/><br/>Unfortunately I cannot give this place a zero which is what it deserves.<br/><br/>Don't waste your time or your money on this atrocious piece of rubbish

It's great to see that even after years of my absence from not Visiting the Robert burns hotel, even though I've had one a great many times dining here at in the past .. this place is still a fine classic ..everything was yummy .. and staff were just fantastic

First time we came was surprised that a pub named after a Scottish poet was all about Spanish Tapas but it works. Beautiful bricks and great selection of beers on tap. The Tapas itself is sensational in particular the Mojo-Rojo green beans , Spanish olives , goats cheese as well as the Croquettes of the day. Clean, fresh flavours. Love this place. Great place to stop after all that outlet shopping.

Great staff. Good selection of beers on tap. We had lunch out on the courtyard and it was really nice to sit out there. The tapas menu has lots of variety. All in all it was a great lunch considering it's a pub.

I have been here on 2 occasions, the first being seated in the lovely beer garden and had only ordered some tapas and the second I sat at the front bar and ordered the seafood paella.  The service was much better when I was seated at the back, I found we were given more attention than when seated at the front bar.  I liked the food, I can see other reviews not too impressed with the paella but I quite liked it.  There was a great balance of seafood for 2 people and the rice itself cooked well.  I loved the dj playing cool beats which was at a good noise level, I will be here again to try some more tapas / entrees.

Been here many times. Used to be a awesome place several owners before. <br/><br/>Solid entrees, with the squid ink paella being the pick of the paella selection. Food is reasonably priced too. <br/><br/>Not a fan of the wine list. Prices start at $52 for a bottle of red wine which is average at best.

Robert Burns had been recommended to me by someone who said it had the best paella. Having tried the seafood paella by simply Spanish, I couldn't think it could get any better. I jumped onto the website and was enthralled by the variety of paella on the menu. Rabbit, squid ink, seafood. ...<br/><br/>Plus happy hour from 5-7pm<br/><br/>I was sold. I quickly made a booking for a Friday evening for two.<br/><br/>I arrived there around 6.30 and was offered seating straightaway by the host. There is outdoor seating as well and with it being a beautiful warm day in march, we decided to sit outside. We were told to wait five minutes at the bar while we waited for tables to be cleared. We ordered pisco sours for 10 bucks each and were quickly then ushered to our seats.<br/><br/>The outdoor tables are slightly bigger than the indoor ones and there is a slight canopy like covering. It's quite beautiful.<br/><br/>Our pisco sours were delicious. We ordered the seafood paella which is 25 per person and two people must get it. Which I think is very pricey. But oh well. We also got the tuna salad.<br/><br/>The tuna salad was just some canned tuna with spinach leaves. One quartered tomato, one egg and some cucumber. Nothing special.<br/><br/>The seafood paella arrived in a large paella pan with four prawns, some calamari, two mussels, two clams and that was it. Quite disappointing in terms of amount of seafood. The rice was quite chewy, stuck to the base of the pan and tasted quite burnt and dry. Very disappointing. Very overpriced for what we got.<br/><br/>Service is great. Venue is great. Drinks are great. Perhaps better for drinks and small bites I think.

Discovered this wonderful place through a friend who was celebrating her birthday here. Restaurant did a set menu for a very reasonable price of $50 per head. Entree and main was amazing but dessert was a bit of a let down. They also cater for special dietary requirement.

Robert Burns Hotel is what your house looked like as a kid. Except it's 2017. While the entrees started off strong and the Croquettes were particularly delicious, there is unfortunately not much I can say for the mains. The Seafood Paella is fairly bland and not very "seafoody" at all. As we didn't try anything else off the menu I can't comment for the rest of the food. Service was good and the wait staff were all attentive.

The best Spanish food you will find in Melbourne! The paella I had here was better than the ones I had in Spain. Friendly staff and a great venue.

Food and service were both severely average. There wasn't anything significantly horrible or amazing, the whole thing was just "meh". Our paella tasted so strongly blow torched and the garlic prawns were suspiciously similar to the ones you get out of the freezer at coles. The drinks and the fries were actually pretty good except for the little ant I found in there... meh

Tried the seafood paella, shared with the hubby. I was expecting the flavours to hit me in the face but the rice was lacklustre and stodgy. Lacked any seasoning, tastes like tomato paste and rice. <br/>My night was topped off with a cockroach crawl across the couch to me. <br/>Was my first time to the Robert Burns and will be my last.

The experience was good but with no real wow factor. Best thing might have been the slice of life number 86 tram to get there. What a great trip. The hotel setting doesn't do much for me. It's 70/80s but without retro lift. The croquettes were great but the seafood paella average at best. The wine list we were presented with but clipped but sufficient for purpose. Best thing here was our server. From the Sunshine Coast but with an accent that we couldn't pick. I liked the night but there are better options around.

We had the seafood paella - amazing. The staff were lovely and knowledgable about the wines in stock. The restaurant are had a nice atmosphere. Can't wait to try the rest of the share paellas!

We went on a Wednesday night and ordered the croquettes, calamari and vegetarian paella. The bill came to $82 with 1 beer and a soda water (they charge for that). <br/>The croquettes and calamari were delicious but the paella was tasteless and took 30 minutes to come out, It was disappointing. I feel the meal was not good value for money.

Everytime I come here it's like the first time! Seafood is great and always tasty! Latin American great comida - go to in my book and ice been coming jere for years

Food was quite delish, not what we were expecting. Thought it more of a pub style venue, however is a little more refined. Had the barramundi, swordfish, rabbit leg and lamb rack(both specials) and all the food tasted great. The waitress we had must of been new as she wasn't very alert or...

Perfect spot for a Nightcap ..... just make sure you've got a designated driver.<br/><br/>Came here after dinner for some wines .... On their wines alone ..... unbelievable European reds, just a bit costly $11/glass and more.<br/><br/>Very cozy ambiance, like a holiday ranch, just perfect.

It is the second time I visit this place but today I was very disappointed with my food. I did not have the tapas plate as last time, but the monk fish salat which was tasteless especially the potatoes cubes (ready frozen food) and I must say it had nothing to remind me of anything Spanish! It was just bad! I also do not understand what the red cabbage ( which tasted good)is proposed on a Spanish food menu which is more a German Eastern Europe typical food. Service was ok, the manager was lovely and efficient but if I go back, only for the tapas.

I always come back for the seafood paella, one of the best in Melbourne. Overall the menu are quite pricey and it is not your standard pub. It can get really busy on the weekend. Service was on par. Great atmosphere and ambience.

The best steak I've had in a long time! The eye fillet was beautifully cooked. Great croquettes, delicious calamari, fantastic wine list and great service. Always love coming here!

Not really your standard pub which means the food is better than your average pub. The downside is that it's more expensive than your standard pub from the food to the drinks.

Great service at this place, average food though... scotch fillet steak had not much taste, wouldn't recommended it here, my friends enjoyed the paella though.

Don't be fooled by the name. This place serves great varieties of proper Spanish restaurant food instead of the standard pub food. Even tho it's more of the costly side, I'm still okay with it. We had paella which was the star of the lot, fried calamari, chorizo, tumbet mallorqui, churros, and chocolate coulan. All deserve a thumbs up

Venue is very nice, but I've had better service at kfc. We had a terrible waiter. She wasn't aware she was on the clock. Didn't order another beer after my first took 30 min to arrive...to the wrong person. Food was very average, the paella was 90% rice, some entrees we had were nice but over priced. It took them 4 attempts to get the bill right and stop overcharging us. Just got the feeling they didn't care, not going back.

Quite a step up from the standard pub. The steaks were excellent and resonably priced. Didn't try the paella but it looked amazing and will definately try it next time.

Croquettes were sublime.<br/>Pork belly (with calamari) and leek sauce was an amazing melt in the mouth experience.<br/>Valencian paella (chicken, rabbit and vegetables) was straight forward - meat was over-cooked, the rice was a little crunchy and the flavour was masked by too much oil. Having said this, I will go back again to check for consistency.<br/><br/>Waitresses were attentive, friendly and only came to the table when needed. The atmosphere was a nice buzz for a Tuesday night, with locals just enjoying the venue.

Although you may expect typical pub grub or British food from the name the Spanish food and steaks are excellent here. The squid ink paella was delicious as was the calamari.

We had a birthday dinner at the second floor, it was a nice venue and they were able to accommodate 16 of us on a Saturday dinner! It was great. The food was good, massive portions for the $49 per person set menu. The waitress was attentive in getting our drinks orders. The only downside is that they came and served the food but didn't really explain or go through what is being served to us - it would have been nice for them to say what grilled meat variety is being served so we are not left wondering which one is beef or lamb.. But overall, a nice place to have a satisfying meal with a group of friends!

Overpriced, bad service. Came for a birthday dinner on a Wednesday night. we were told we would be in a private room which was actually open to the bar and dining rooms (next to the kitchen) and people from the bar were seated less than 1m from our table, meaning we could hear their whole tipsy conversation. Paellas were huge - enough for 5 people, not 2 - and didn't have a lot of flavour. We ordered churros for dessert which were unusually salty and chewy. Croquettes were the only saving grace but aren't enough to encourage us back.<br/><br/>Would not recommend.

Came in for a very nice lunch with my partner. We shared a pork belly starter, which was tasty but a little tough, and then a lovely seafood paella. The paella was a generous portion with plenty of seafood.

The only negative is that it's quite pricey for food and drink. <br/>I like the atmosphere. The staff are often friendly and attentive.<br/>The rabbit and chicken paella is my favourite dish out of the ones I have tried. It is a taste sensation. It's not a huge menu and it was a tiny bit difficult to cater for my pregnant friend.<br/>If you are cashed up and you'd like an enjoyable meal please organise a visit to the Robert Burns Hotel.

The Robbie Burns has been serving decent Spanish food for many, many years. While previously it served larger and more old-style dishes (the sopa de mariscos was amaaaazing), it now serves more modern-style tapas and smaller dishes.<br/><br/>While nostalgia wishes the old Robbie was back, the current incarnation still does a good job. If you haven't eaten much tapas or paella it is still a good candidate to try, but unfortunately for me I don't find this venue overly exciting, and I think you can do better at places like Anada, MoVida and Lourinha for similar style food.<br/><br/>The decor is pleasant; the Robert Burns is an old Collingwood pub and icon, and it is done up well enough. The courtyard out the back has a modern theme with a bit of greenery, and is a lovely place to sit in warmer weather. Staff are professional and friendly. The wine list is also reasonably good.<br/><br/>A nice safe bet.

Named after a Scottish poet, this pub is actually specialises in Spanish food. The venue still looks like an old Scottish pub, with a well-stocked bar, comfortable sofas, and a roaring fire. Upstairs is a function room with its own private bar, which N and E had booked for their baby shower lunch.

This was the second time we have had lunch at this hotel.  Because there were 12 of us, we managed to secure their Wine Room.  This sectioned part of the hotel is fabulous - surrounded by lovely wines.  We all ordered their lunch specials.  Whilst everyone enjoyed their meals, I could not believe my fantastic rump steak.  Big, juicy, cooked to perfection.  Unbelievable.  It is so so good.  And I do not often eat meat but at Robert Burns Hotel they do the meat to perfection.  All for $14.00 - And we will return every couple of months, our friendly group of 12.

Been meaning to try this restaurant for quite a while and finally the opportunity for eight of us to attend arose. We all arrived at 7PM as expected and were shown upstairs. The first impression is that this does not look like a Spanish restaurant. Up we go via the narrow and steep staircase lined with tartan carpet, obviously a sign of previous endeavours. The room was fairly stark, fitted with four oversized tables and obviously a space that doubles as a function room. Nevertheless we were very comfortable on our table. We did the usual, and as recommended, and ordered starters to share and then we all ordered our own meals. The slow cooked Pork Belly was very nice and well portioned, the Croquetas de jamón were light and fluffy and very moreish, the Tumbet Mallorquin (eggplant layers) was a little bland and lacked flavour and the Rabas de calamar fritas was very well portioned and great to eat. For the mains, a few ordered the Suquet de pescado con marisco (Fisherman’s stew) that was a hit and the rest of us had the Paella de marisco (seafood) and to me this was a real disappointment. Firstly it was suggested that we get one large pan to share between four of us and when we all took a quarter each, there really wasn’t that much rice on our plates. Then the seafood, we basically had one small shelled prawn each, one larger unshelled prawn each and two mussels each (perhaps with an extra one or two for the pan), but at $104 for the pan – to me it was a disappointment. Also, whilst the Paella was not bland there were no stand out flavours nothing to give you hit. The desserts were good, with most of us settling for the Crema catalana (Crème Brulee) without any complaints. The service was good and attentive without any complaints. I’ll be back again, but nothing to get me back in a real hurry.

Had a quick afternoon bite at Robert Burns Hotel. Not your typical hotel food, because they do Spanish food! We had the chorizo and jamon croquettes. It was pretty good. We will go back for the Monday 1/2 price paella and the Tuesday Spanish film!

Went to Robbie for diner with a group of friends and was amazed by the authenticity of the food and the quality of it! Whoever says otherwise is obviously a snob that's never been to Spain!!! Clean flavours and great execution. I'd even bring the in-laws for diner! Try the chorizo and the paella negrA

I've had a look through other reviews and we either must have had a 'bad night' or the reviews are really generous. We were really disappointed and unpleasantly surprised by the quality of food, particularly the Seafood Paella was awful and the size of the entree and scoop of ice cream is perfect if you want to maintain your diet when you're out. The staff were pleasant and attentive and when we saw how authenticity Spanish the Restraunt appeared we had high expectations. Our rice was mostly burnt. We had some Mussels, tiny Calamari and ordinary Prawns in our Paella. The entree Pork Belly was ordinary too but unfortunately the Peanut Butter ice cream that tasted delicious and was definitely the highlight was $12 for 1 scoop. I really hope what might appear like harsh criticism isn't perceived that way because I'm not that kind of person. It's just when we spend as much as we did the quality and quantity will usually be worth it.

Robert Burns has a good buzz and is a popular place. The service was excellent with many Spanish staff. We had a very friendly waitress who helps us with the selection of spanish wines based on our preference. The food was well cooked and presented. Prices were fair although I did find the portions smaller than I expected for the shared mains. We also had paella which tasted great but ours wasn't quite perfect as it did not have the crust at the bottom of the pan. But we shall return.

We have been to the RBH during the old days and always loved the food and the rustic atmosphere. When it changed management we gave it a fair go and our experiences was not disappointment until last night. It was a total let down. <br/>We ordered the <br/>-garlic prawns (not much depth in flavour)<br/>- goats cheese salad with mushrooms (nothing special) <br/>the aged jamon (loved the jamon but it was served with grilled white bread topped with chopped tomatoes) <br/>-crispy pork belly ( served lukewarm and the crackling was hard like cardboard) <br/>and <br/>- the fish stew (the fried barramundi tasted like it was fried in olive oil which had gone rancid- strange taste. The rest of the seafood in the dish was rubbery. The potatoes had different consistencies. The broth was a little too salty for our liking with not much flavour. <br/>Obviously there has been a change in the kitchen since our last visit, which unfortunately was not for the better in our case. We won't be coming back for a very long while.

If there was every a book that you shouldn't judge by it's cover, then this Robert Burns compendium is it. With carpet (and carpeted walls) that pay homage to its namesake in a bright red tartan pattern, you can almost assume that haggis will be the first item on the menu. But this is where the Scottish connotations stop. With staff that have strong Spanish accents, a very long Spanish wine list, and the aroma of paella filling the air, this unassuming venue serves some of the best Spanish food in Melbourne.<br/>There are a variety of entrées to share, including an amazing layered vegetable bake served in cheese sauce, and crispy calamari with aioli, but the real star is the paella. We ordered 3 paellas (the vegetarian, the squid ink and seafood, and the chicken and rabbit) between 7 people, and whilst we were super full (we had already shared 5 entrees!), we still scraped the pans clean. <br/>If you like Spanish food, and are willing to forego the pretentious atmosphere, then this is the place for you.

Saturday lunchtime and we found ourselves at a local that we'd been meaning to try for a while. So the Robert Burns Hotel seems so un-Spanish but the tapas menu is so very Spanish downed to the little tinned good available to snack on. We decided to share some croquetas, a meat board, goats cheese and mushroom salad and the seafood stew.

Not the place to go if you are hungry!  <br/><br/>Started out with the pork belly which was good and enjoyed it.  I followed up with the barramundi, nice flavour but the portion size was woeful.  My friend ordered the grilled rabbit and on the plate was what looked like a large drum stick and a handful of salad.  Had to order a second serve.<br/><br/>Huge drinks menu but it'll take you 10 minutes to decide on what to drink.<br/><br/>Dining room atmosphere is somewhere between a cafe and hospital cafeteria.  <br/><br/>Oh, and wait staff - when I cross my cutlery on the plate after the entree, it means I would like you to take it away and bring a clean knife and fork.  Please do not take it off my plate and put it down on the table for the next dish.<br/><br/>With all the great places to eat in the area, this one is okay but not enticing enough to go back.

We had a wonderful night at the Robert Burns. Good atmosphere, great service and amazing food! We loved the Spanish corquetas and the tumbet, a traditional dish from Mallorca. We had some wine from Valencia, Vermell, and it was excellent. I'll be back... I want to try some Paella! ;-)

We have been going to Robbie Burns for 3 years and love it but today was just outstanding. They had a paella pan outside with delicious looking paella in it for $10 a portion. We ordered some paella at the bar with wine and several tapas. While we were waiting for our food, sipping our delicious Albarino the paella sold out. I was not really bothered as all the food is lovely but when the waitress arrive with our tapas she was really upset that we missed out on the paella. The kitchen, God bless them, made us a whole paella. We managed to eat most of is because it was so wonderful but they really went above and beyond what was needed to make us happy. So lovely to see such exemplary service

I LOVE this place... been here 4 times already, friendly staff.. good food and nice vibes! You can sit inside or when the weather is nice in the courtyard outside! Paella is to die for! Highly recommend

Not your standard pub. Came here with a group of friends and we got a range of entrées and then paellas to share. All the food was tasty, good selection of beers and good atmosphere.

Very nicely decorated pub and restaurant.<br/>Good beers on tap. Some really good ones in the bottle menu.<br/>Wine list is quite interesting as well.<br/>Appetizers was great and the paella was delicious.<br/>Food portions was smaller than expected and slightly more expensive as well,<br/>Service was good.<br/><br/>Will come back relatively soon to try the grilled meats.

If you're going to increase the price, increae the portions. Don't make them smaller.. We came here in February for my children's birthdays. We enjoyed the lovely customer service, and the food was delicious. However, I asked for the seafood parilla and I was disappointed. The portion was small and overpriced. The mussels were half the size of a broadbean. The garlic prawns entree was a small dish as well. We have visited for many years but the dishes have changed. I'm disappointed and I don't think I'll be back.

We had a group booking and were asked to pre-order our meals a week before the date. Fair enough. We were asked to arrive in time (7:30pm), which we all did. The female who took our drink order barely knew English and got our orders wrong every single time. We waited 2 HOURS until our meals came out. I ordered 2 sides, the first came out cold! Then I had to sit around and wait another 30mins for the second side to be served while everyone else was eating thier mains. Incredibly overpriced and left with a bitter taste in my mouth and a very sore stomach!

For me, the highlight was definitely the paella. The food, coupled with a great vibe and atmosphere, made Robert Burns Hotel the perfect place to wind down at on a Friday night.

...a lovely find as an alternative to the Latin Fiesta as it was raining. Excellent sausage platter and paella!

The Robert Burns Hotel had our crowd truly divided: on one end of the spectrum was the Spaniards (and neighbouring countries’ descendants) only handing out 5s and 6s. Is that because every European thinks their Nonna/Abuela/Yiayia does it better or did they have a point? On the other was descendants of Robert and his countrymen with 8s and 8.5s, were we easily fooled or did it really deserve that?

Not only was the superb Spanish cuisine a highlight but the enthusiasm of Jose giving us a presentation on Spanish northern region Cantabria was contagious. Before the food was served and in between courses we were treated to a multi media display and talk around the highlights of Cantabria. It all made me feel like getting on a flight to Spain (they should partner with tourist authorities and airlines). We were shown images of stunning beaches, rugged coastline and mountains, and were told fascinating stories about the villages and cities of northern Spain including Santander.

The octopus pieces put up no resistance when challenged with our incisors. So soft and delicious– it was almost a shame to dilute the octopus goodness with the potato!

On a rainy afternoon on Brunswick Street the Robert Burns Hotel is a little cosy watering hole with some Spanish flavour going on! You can’t miss the massive bulls head mounted above the fire and anyone who didn’t realise Robert Burns was from Spain would be a little confused but once you meet the friendly staff and see the menu it all clicks into place and you get set for a trip to latin foodie heaven! Obviously all about tapas and sharing the menu offers a great selection of small dishes, cured meats, paellas and plenty of fish and meat! But best of all there are plenty of platters on offer for everyone to share. The cured meat platter was a must! - Jamón Ibérico – Aged 36 months - Chorizo Salamanca – Cured and seasoned with paprika - Lomo embuchado – Smoked and cured pork loin Absolutely YUM!! And the ‘Croquetas de hongos trufados – Organic mushroom croquettes with truffle essence’ were a stand out dish for me! I did a little happy dance when I tasted them!! The ‘Txipis pelayo – Bab

Not a pleasant Sunday afternoon experience. Wasn't allowed to keep my small (very quiet) old dog tied at my feet in outdoor courtyard (where smoking is allowed) and asked to move to the street.<br/><br/>That's fine, no problem with that, this is always the manager's call.<br/><br/>However we were then asked to pay for our meals before sitting at our new table. Note to manager: If we were planning on running away without paying for our meals we wouldn't have tried to be seated in your courtyard.<br/><br/>We left and won't be back. (Ended up having a very nice seafood paella at Don Vincenzos nearby).<br/><br/>A shame because as Spanish expatriates we were very much looking forward to trying the food here.

Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff, and simply amazing food! Will be adding to one of our 'regulars' :)

Valentine's Day at Robert Burns. We felt really excited when we were told that we could have the last table available for the night. Now we know why that table was vacant. One piece of advice for all those wanting to dine at Robert Burns ask not to be seated at the corner end table on the Easey Street side as you will be forgotten about. We arrived at 8:30, took ages before someone spotted us and took our order and that was just the start of a disastrous night. Our first entrée arrived half hour later and the second never did even though we kept on asking and were always told that it was coming (so is Christmas!). People came after us, ordered and ate whilst we were still sitting there waiting, bored and hungry (we could've got up and left and I am certain no one would have noticed). Eventually our main arrived at 9:55 pm and the second entrée was delivered shortly after. By this stage we were all soooo hungry as between the three of us we had only had a piece of pastry. Though apologies were made and we were provided with a free drink... all we wanted was our meal that we had ordered. Now I know how My Kitchen Rules’ guests feel when they have to wait an hour and half for a meal...but hang on they are amateur cooks unlike Robert Burns staff aren’t they?

Great food. The food & service was great. <br/><br/><br/>-----29 Jan, 2015-----<br/><br/>Great food. The food & service was great. <br/><br/><br/>-----29 Jan, 2015-----<br/><br/>Great food. The food & service was great.

Usually good, had a pretty bad experience here last week - incompetence, bad service and poor attitude all in one night. We have frequented the Robbie Burns and enjoyed it ok previously (besides some attitude on occasion), so perhaps our visit last Friday night (January 9 2015) was an aberration (I hope so but unsure). My partner's steak came out very under-cooked according to his request, and was sent straight back but came back exactly the same. As I was almost finished my meal he did not want to have to wait for another to be cooked again. We were not offered any kind of compensation at that stage, or even an apology really. After we ordered one dessert to share, we were notified that they would give this to us for free, to compensate for the steak. They blamed the chef's 'training'! Asking to see the manager, he said he had 'only just heard about it' and also that we had 'refused' to send the second meal back! When asked if he thought one dessert was fair compensation for a ruined meal, he then said we did not have to pay for (one) steak. He also blamed the chef, saying he was still in training! No other offer of compensation or apology was made, so to my mind this is not a reasonable recompense for a ruined meal and the inconvenience etc. Blaming and complaining about your staff, telling the customer you had not been informed of the issue by your wait staff (not our problem) plus trying to put the blame onto the customer (ie how many meals should we have to wait to be cooked?) - all very unprofessional. How much trouble is it to provide good customer service, admit and rectify a mistake asap and offer a compensation? Doesn't have to be much, perhaps dessert or a couple of drinks - minimal costs, but have the customer leave at least believing they are valued. Unfortunately this experience was very negative, not just for the issue with the steak, but mainly how it was handled.

Damn good. The chefs at Robert Burns know how to cook a good steak. I requested my scotch fillet rare and they gave me a deliciously tender, melt in your mouth steak that had been marinated nicely in well balanced mixture.

You cant always get it right.... Been to Burns a few times now and generally it is always good but the reality is $50 for a bowl of rice is a bit of a p*** take really. taste ok but nothijg to rave about. not value for money but a good pib to hang with chums.

Great food!. What a lovely surprise! The food and service was excellent. The paella was to die for and also the croquettes. Will definitely go back.

They serve crispy paella!!. What a great place and such lovely atmosphere. The food we had was amazing and full of flavours. It was such a delight to know that when you order a paella you have the crispy's on the bottom :) The best part of the dish!!

Chori-so good. Amazing housemate chorizo. Great selection of raciones.

Bueno. We arrived as a merry band of five to this Spanish institution, I'd visited once before and held fond memories of char grilled chorizo and morcilla blood sausage. The last visit evoked memories of a very bustling environment, this time around the atmosphere was somewhat subdued and relaxed. We were ushered to our table and immediately started proceedings with olive oil, salt and bread. Service was attentive throughout, glasses regularly filled along with a few top ups of Estrella cerveza. Raciones aplenty, we opted for the octopus with confit potatoe, very tender and nicely accompanied by the salt and sweet paprika, glazed honey ribs with red cabbage proved to be quite unctuous and moorish. <br/><br/>The seafood paella for two was a generous affair garnished with prawn, calamari, cockles and mussels - good to see that they use the genuine Calasparra rice grain which gives the dish a slight croquant bite reminiscent ever so slightly of risotto, the caramelised crust underneath only confirmed this Paella's worth. Finishing with a selection of meats from the parilla, the chorizo and steak were particular stand-outs acosted by chimmichurra, pepper and sweet mustard sauces. It was worth noting that there was a slight mix-up when we originally ordered, a genuine misunderstanding from one of us at the table who speaks a spot of Spanish. The Maitre'd took it upon himself with absolute grace to gift us another round of Chorizo with apple compote - good play. Churro for dessert was all that was required to bring to an end a very relaxed and enjoyable evening. In a city known for its culinary diversity, genuine, fairly priced Spanish fare can hard to come by - this place delivers in spades and has for a long time. Recommended.

Lovely Food. The kids were happy to indulge my love for spanish food, we came here for a quick dinner on a Monday night only to find out that it was booked out. We managed to get a seat in the Alfresco area which was great. Staff very helpful and friendly. Food was great, we had the Croquetts, Lamb ribs, Tumbet and Paella. Kids want to go back again.

Disappointed!. Lets start with the positives.<br/> Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, food came out fast.<br/>Negatives.<br/>I had the Lamb Shank served on top of mash, the food was not hot, the potato had cold spots and the lamb tasted very oily and not fresh, my husband had the steak with a side serve of hand cut fries, well they were so soggy and oily.<br/>Very disappointed and would not recommend this restraunt

A Winner for the Thursday Lunch Special. I visited the Robert Burns with family members last month after being applied a budget of up to $15 per head. For this reason I chose the Robert Burns on a Thursday.<br/><br/>A piece of well-cooked steak, some french fries, a light salad and a drink were all served within this budget and (happily) were of excellent quality. Though the quantity was not enormous it was more than suffiecient to fill our bellies without succumbing to excess or gluttony.<br/><br/>Gluten free bread was also on offer (always a bonus) and the experience was mostly seemless, excluding some minor communication issues with the staff.<br/><br/>Winner.

Robbie Burns. Great to be back after bad experience from previous owners some years ago. Food and Service were both excellent. We would highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys Spanish Food..<br/><br/><br/>-----07 Oct, 2014-----<br/><br/>Robbie Burns. Great to be back after bad experience from previous owners some years ago. Food and Service were both excellent. We would highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys Spanish Food..<br/><br/><br/>-----07 Oct, 2014-----<br/><br/>Robbie Burns. Great to be back after bad experience from previous owners some years ago. Food and Service were both excellent. We would highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys Spanish Food..

Burnt dry paella. What a disappointment this place was. I'd heard all about the paella being the best. It was just awful. The entrée didn't serve much better. The service was fine but I found you didn't have much space between tables. It felt like I could join in with other people's conversations. We ended up moving to the bar area and found that so much better.

OK, but disappointing paella. I used to frequent this place regularly a few years ago and always remembered how amazing the paella was. Unfortunately last Friday they didn't deliver. The seafood paella we ordered was so over-seasoned with stock/salt and was just really disappointing. The croquettes on the other hand were delicious but we left feeling hungry because we barely ate the paella. In hindsight we probably should've let the staff know as they were quite friendly so probably would've taken it back.

We ate a respectable meal there with wine in the bar area and when it came to paying I got more hassle from the bartender for not having my "tab card" than actually paying the bill. Honestly, if your'e not used to bar tab card culture like I am (I'm not Australian and new here) don't give your customers grief about "there's nothing you can do because I don't have your card", flash me my own credit card I left there anyways and then present me with the bill seconds after. This experience soured me of this place and after a $170 tab, I would not come back just because of that attitude. I've worked in the bar restaurant industry for years and this was a joke. The bartender made more of a point to look in his book of laminated "tab cards" instead of actually giving a care for the customers. Melbourne is an amazing city with endless places to eat and drink and my money will go elsewhere to those that care about their product they are selling and less on their "tab card" process.

Wood not. The place was empty with hardly any body seated at the tables, and the staff refused to give us a table and made us sit at the bar. They were also understaffed with 1 person serving at the bar and having to wait 10 minutes to order a drink.<br/><br/>The food took around 25 minutes to come out. The paella was decent, but the rice was burnt on the bottom, still enjoyable but a similar quality to the $12 paella you can get at the night markets, much better value and taste as good. <br/><br/>Ridiculously small serving size for the price, spent $59 on food for 2 people not including drinks and left hungry looking for a burger, never again.

NOT QUITE RIGHT. Expected more from this place after reading the reviews online, however we loved the atmosphere with it's open fire and tables spread all over. We attended on a house full night and still room to move. Service very very slow. Waitress informed us that we had probably ordered too much food however when the food came out because portion size was so small it didn't fill our empty stomachs. Took a while to get someone to come over so that would could place another order for more food. Food overpriced. Portion size small, Best item on menu was the croquettes. Paella's came in 3 different flavours. hardly any seafood in it at all and very overcooked..nothing special for what you pay. Left feeling disappointed expected more. Wouldn't go back. There were 6 of us and we all felt the same.

Very disappointing. For a restaurant specialising in Spanish food one would hope they'd be good at it. Not so: paella was seriously overcooked, meat in the scarce mussels and clams was reduced to small, dehydrated pellets about the size of a shelled pistachio. We went with another couple who both ordered seafood stew for their main. Strangely their identical orders were served about 10 minutes apart. <br/>Our entrees were also served indivually with long gaps in between so the other three in our group were finished before mine arrived. Not worthy of a second chance from me.

Hit and Miss. Went on a busy Sunday night for 7 pm dinner service without a booking and the back area where the kitchen and restaurant was at was full. There were no seats available so we sat at the bar. <br/><br/>Service was patchy from the start. Our table still had remnants of the previous patron’s paella on it despite asking the waitress to have it wiped down. It was self-service from then on. We got our own serviettes, cutlery, drinks and chairs. Our cheese parfait with berries (lovely dessert but the Hazelnut Praline seemed to be missing) was served BEFORE our Paella and on a heated plate nonetheless so we had to eat that first.<br/><br/>Food was a decent 6.5/10 but I felt that the kitchen was scrimping on the ingredients or they didn’t want to serve it to us as we had a voucher discount. Most of the things we ordered were ‘not available’.. Namely anything with Jamon or slightly pricey.<br/><br/>We had the following:<br/><br/>1) Duck Croquettes (5 unevenly sized pieces) – crisp on the outside but had no taste of duck inside and the insides were very mushy and wet. This was originally meant to be Jamon but it was ‘not available’.<br/>2) Calamari with Aioli – passable <br/>3) Beetroot (could have been the canned variety), candied walnuts, crumbed goats cheese balls (nice) served with baby spinach – presentation was very rushed but it was an enjoyable salad<br/>4) Fish stew - the fish and prawns were definitely overcooked and very powdery. Two mussels that were small and of the frozen kind. Squid rings were thin and most likely of the frozen sort too. The broth was flavourful though and it came with potatoes. Originally wanted a different fish and lamb main but both were ‘not available’.<br/>5) Button mushrooms – nicely seasoned. Good bar snack<br/>6) Our desserts magically appeared at this point. We ate the cheese parfait with berries first as it was melting at an alarming rate. Loved the berries sauce very much. There wasn’t any cheese taste in the parfait but it wasn’t sweet either. <br/>7) Yoghurt and orange mousse with rhubarb compote almond crumble – very light mousse with nice citrus tang, rhubarb compote was very sweet and almost too acidic for some reason, the almond crumble was missing the almonds. Tasted like a normal butter – sugar crumble.<br/>8) Squid Ink Paella with cuttlefish (2 thin rings) and scallops (4 unevenly sized scallops) and aioli sauce (not needed as the paella was rich and greasy enough on its own) – nicest dish of the night despite the lack of generosity in the seafood and it was quite salty.<br/><br/>The atmosphere of the back dining room is nice and food is not bad but I wouldn’t return given that there are other Spanish places in Melbourne.

Service was very good. Croquettes amazing, octopus and paella ok. Loved the churros and the spicy choc sce

The paella was truly amazing. It was a busy Sunday night but staff were still friendly and service was prompt. The chicken and rabbit paella was truly delicious and we can not wait to come back with friends.

Ignored by 4 staff while waiting at the door last Friday including a guy that looked like the manager we decided to take our money elsewhere pity this never happened when the original owner was here.

Love. Eaten here many times and love it! The garlic prawns and croquettes rock. The staff are always friendly too.

Great place ! Homely atmosphere and friendly staff. The sausage platter and paella are amazing. Even the humble chips and super crispy and great with the dips they give you with the sausage platter. And if you think you have no room for churros - your wrong ! Chocolate sauce is decadent and has a nice spicy kick to it. 9/10

Good pub food. Unpretentious really good fair priced food. very reliable a bit old school but its a great joint

Less than impressive meal. Went to Robert Burns Hotel after hearing some good things about it.<br/>Unfortunately I didn't experience anything good.<br/>Fish was under cooked.<br/>Chicken was so under cooked I could see blood.<br/>Meals were expensive and not plentiful - I left hungry.

Great venue for a function! Mine was 40th drinks. The staff were organised, friendly and attentive. There is a function room if you prefer but they held our choice of area downstairs for 30. Flexibility to make it as casual or as fancy as you like, without a high minimum spend or fighting for a space at a packed pub. Great food ( I ordered delicious canapés ) and drink, a beer garden for the smokers and a great ambience that my guests enjoyed. Many said they were keen to return. Thanks 'Robbie'!

Festivus - OMG best spanish ever. OMG best Spanish ever<br/><br/>Anything else written want do it justice !!!<br/><br/>Just go

Have been coming here for 15 years and thought when Urbano sold out that would be the end . But the present owners have carried on and enhanced the place to a new level. The staff are friendly and know the drill and the food is great.

Spelling. You really need to check your spelling in the menu, iwas checking it out, but many spelling mistakes, who checked this ?

Relaxed Sunday night lovley staff. The game Of beers Is a good idea to sample the local and Perth beers. We orderd croquets and calamarie at the bar. The croquets where freshly made but a little underwhelming in flavour, nice consistency. The calamarie we where disapointed as it wasn't seasoned :( and it wasn't hot... Really underwhelming. Love calamarie and I would think that a place like this in this trendy location with great food that this place would be the same.

Best Spanish in Melbourne. This is by far the best Spanish cuisine I have had in Melbourne after living here for 15 years. Worth going back again with the varieties and prices of the dishes.

Had dinner with friends in the function room upstairs tonight. We all loved the menu so we decided to get different entree and did the same for main course. Everyone loved it and our waitress Louise was extremely attentive and nothing was to much for her. A great place , great food, great staff. Defiantly be coming back !!!

Stopped in for a Sunday lunch and was offered a table in the courtyard as the restaurant was full. We a ordered a multitude of things and although we new for 6 people we had ordered to much there were so many delicious offerings on the menu we didn't know where to stop. The croquettes with their creamy cloud soft interiors coated in a crusty crispy coating were divine and the garlic prawns to were yum and we fought over dipping our bread into the garlicky oil long after the prawns had been polished off. Sausage plate was lovely with the blood sausage a stand out, as repugnant as the idea might be to some the flavour will have you going back for more, also lovely was the rabbit paella with crispy caramelised base that a true paella must have. All enjoyed with a Spanish red. A splendid way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon with friends.

Spanish Festival. We visited the Robbie when they had a Spanish festival on a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday and it was amazing. You got tokens at the bar and we sampled chorizo, calamari, croquettes, ham rolls and the most delicious big paella that they were cooking in the courtyard. All in all with the decorations, live flamenco and quality of the food it was a top night.

Quite nice but not wow. After many years, we finally popped in to try their Spanish tapas. We shared garlic prawns which, though expensive, were very tasty and quite plentiful; the bread they served with it was yum too. The homemade chorizo was okay but certainly nothing like we ever ate in Spain. The glass of tempranillo wasn't the best wine but it was one of the cheaper Spanish ones. Not sure we'll bother again but we'd certainly not dismiss it. Try it for yourself.

Delicious, a favourite always amazing food!

Got mouldy bread and their response was "sorry, it was just that part of the loaf, we can cut you up some more". That's all we got and said in an arrogant manner. The waiter also told the manager who smiled (they didn't realise we were looking at them)

Good but not Great. Had lunch here on Sunday with 5 friends. It's been well over 10 years since I was here and the paella has improved a little bit. Tried the pork belly and scallops which was good but it didn't work with the beetroot purée. Tried the pancetta wrapped prawns also good, but didn't go very well with the white beans. The garlic prawns were standard and the croquettes were really good. The octopus was good, but didn't match the purple potatoes it sat on. Sides are a waste of money and no value there. <br/>Overall the drinks and food are overpriced for what you get and service is just okay. <br/>Would I come back - probably not.

Give it a miss. So. mushroom ragu with duck pate is a plate of sauteed breakfast mushies with half a tsp of pate...and NO BREAD for $16? clearly i dont get out enough. $11for half a glass of sav blanc? Please! Its a pub! We were planning to eat but left.

Great food!. Ate here recently after a hiatus and it was as good as I remembered. Highlights were the croquettes and the octopus. Staff were very friendly and accommodating. I'll be back!

Fabulous flavours. We visited on Saturday evening and happily perched in the front bar to eat our dinner, rather than the restaurant at the back.<br/><br/>We shared the tapas: stuffed octopus with pork belly; grilled octopus; ham and cheese croquettes and beautiful garlic-licious prawns. We were pretty full once we had devoured these dishes and decided to share the rib eye.<br/><br/>The food and service was first rate. The wine selection excellent. <br/><br/>Only negative was the small size of the caipirinhas for $16 a pop. They tasted exactly what you get in Brazil- but the glasses were full of ice.<br/><br/>We will most definitely return.

Fantastico!. Great service with very knowledgable recommendations for a fantastic feast of Spanish delights with a wink and flourish of confidence that left us assured we were on a good thing after ordering. And it just got better... The croquettes were amazing and they gave us 5! A generous serving luckily as they left our mouths watering for what was next to come. A complimentary jamon iberico just because we weren't recommended it was very impressive, and we know bruschetta... The escalibada was lovely, crisp and tasty and the scallops gratin were not to be missed. All in all a great place with very worthy menu and awesome staff. Will be back for the paella!

Recipe for Happiness. Friendly, delicious, authentic, relaxed, everything you would want for a long happy dinner with friends. It does help, of course to give a friendly wave into the kitchen as you watch, mesmerised by the random but easy dance these guys do.<br/>The tender, sticky pulpo and mushrooms with foie gras just knocked me out.<br/>Add the Sunday afternoon guitarist and it is impossible to be anything but contented.<br/>I will return again and again.

We've been to Robert Burns a few times and have enjoyed it immensly especially the goats cheese mushroom. However the last time we went the mushroom was no longer on the menu and the mix grill that we always order was ok. We won't be coming back unless the mushrooms are back on because that was the highlight of their menu.

Great food, lovely staff. Good was great, probably a little overpriced. Wine that was recommended to us was great and food came out pretty much straight away.

Delicious little balls and other treats. Skip the salad. Go for the meats and little tapas style snacks. Mmmmmm

Wow!! What awesome food!! We had the special and seafood paella and asked for it to be extra crispy....oh my it was the best!!! Pork belly was a super treat and deelish. Another definitely another thing to order.

Will NOT be going back!!. Long wait, terrible service, wrong food...I've been to Robert Burns Hotel a couple of times over the past year and my expectations have been lowered each time - I've had enough of giving them a chance and I won’t be going back!<br/><br/>I went for a late Sunday lunch with a couple of friends and sat outside. The venue was not overly crowded, however the staff retorted several times to requests to clean our table (of prawn heads) that they were very busy. <br/><br/>The lack of appropriate co-ordination between food and bar service leads to long waits to get drinks and order food. There appeared to be no dedicated bar staff, as staff were frequently away from the bar or having to get more 'table numbers' from the kitchen to process food orders. All the staff were on the verge of being very rude about the delays. The disorganisation and lack of effective management was clear to all the frustrated and long-waiting customers. <br/><br/>When our food did eventually arrive, they gave one of my friends order to the table behind (??) and it took another long wait to advise staff and receive the meal. The staff were most unhelpful or apologetic over the mix-up. I ordered the tuna salad which lacked any flavour and was mostly big white stalks from iceberg lettuce (something I wouldn’t serve to myself at home). <br/><br/>Overall, none of my friends would have paid for their meal, however having paid upfront at the bar and knowing that the staff were ineffective at dealing with complains we left this horrible experience with the promise to never return!

Aioli from hell !!!. The service and initial greeting was pleasant though we were mystified by the odd plaid uniforms and rustic decor.<br/><br/>Our meal arrived rather quickly as did our drinks , but it quickly became evident that this was due to the rice.<br/><br/>We were also entirely disappointed with the 'per person' policy of charging for meals.

Pretty bad.. Next to no service whatsoever. <br/><br/>The food was so beyond average and overpriced.<br/><br/>I'm a big eater, I'll eat almost anything and we ended up leaving 3/4 of our meals on the plate. Won't Return.

Paella ????. After much debating on a Spanish restaurant, we came to the Robert Burns Hotel as we had heard so much about the great Spanish food...well wish we'd gone somewhere else!!<br/>Having had many paellas in Spain, we all ordered the paella, both the chicken & the seafood. Surprised to see it was like risotto, brown not yellow as it should be, with the addition of saffron, no vegetables either...very disappointing. <br/>Looking forward to stuffed zucchini flowers only to receive zucchini towers, pieces of stuffed zucchini...misleading, wording on the menu needs to be changed. Very expensive for what you get..

Robert burns is an absolute rip of , service was garbage and atmosphere very boring the owner of this establishment should really look at his staff and prices the staff run the floor with only people they like anybody else ignored food was ok but not worth $120 a head we paid the young Colombian waitress was very rude and honestly should stop playing with her friends and serve I didn't expect fine dining waitresses but some level of professionalism

Che?. I had heard so many positives about the Rob Burns Hotel but was nothing but disappointed in the food and the amateur service. When we ordered mushroom-filled zucchini flowers with truffle butter, we got mushroom filled zucchini tubes with no truffle anything in sight. The pork belly was ruined by overpowering nutmeg and a drop of bland purée. The chicken and rabbit paella was slaughtered by the strong stench and flavour of rosemary - such a bad and heavy flavour combination!!! And the mixed grill was ok but not great. Frank Camora has nothing to be worried about - he and Movida continue to reign supreme when it comes to Spanish food, dining experience and service.

Scottish theme,Spanish food.Love it. The service here was lovely as I do like a Spanish sherry but know little about them a manager was summoned,gave me a bit of a tasting and a small piece of salty,blue cheese as well.Sadly I missed the paella as my dining partner wanted a steak( 400 grams ) that I begged a taste of and it was juicy and tasty.I chose 2 entree style plates that are meant for sharing as I was not that hungry .A lot of choice here and wished we came with more people so we could graze the tasters and I could have had squid ink paella as it served for a minimum of two people.Love the name,the tartan carpet and the Spanish food!

The best paella in Melbourne! The food is always great & the service is excellent. One of my fav. places to go with friends or family.

OK until payment time. I'd been to this pub quite a number of times under its old ownership and took a group of 6 there this evening. The food was 7/10, the service about 5/10 The wine list was restricted to Spanish varieties which were unknown to me and so impossible to value. Quite expensive, though. We had a red and a white which were poor vale compared with our local product.<br/>The real issue came with the bill. We offered a mix of cash and several credit cards to be told "no split bills". This was not a split bill as we did not request separation by person. We were told that there was an ATM and we could get cash there. I guess to avoid the pub paying any commission to the various credit card providors. One of our party took the responsibility to cover us...and we saved any tip which was a plus....<br/><br/>...but a very bad experience in the end.

The best of both worlds. Our Spanish inspired feast was served in generous and delicious portions. Our pork belly was both tender and crunchy and delicious, and the paella with rabbit was an all-round hit. The Spanish theme in a Scottish pub initially had me wondering, but I left knowing we would frequently return for a mid-week winter warmer.

Paella has lost something. Entrees were amazing and looking forward to the paella, but it was just salty rice!<br/><br/>Time after time, its been great, but today, very disappointed.

Amazing food time after time!

Been here a couple of times before and had a great meal but today we went for lunch and we were sadly disappointed.<br/><br/>They have just started a new menu and its not as good as the old one. The beef ragout was tough and lacked flavour. It also had a bitter burnt edge to it. The stuffed chicken breast was dry and flavourless. This is not a cheap meal and on top of that we just received our change from one waiter when another swept by and collected our changed of $25 bucks and took it as a tip. Change should not be cleared from a table and assumed as a tip until the diners have left the table. Very poor form and sadly I will not be going back.

Went with a group of five. We shared a meat and seafood platter. Food was fantastic, great outdoor courtyard and good service. Recommended!

We really are lucky in Melbourne it seems like wherever you go even a transformed pub on Smith St you can get outstanding food! This hotel/pub/restaurant is great, really cool atmosphere and awesome courtyard especially on a lovely night when we went. The Spanish food here is amazing - as good as Spain we shared the garlic prawns and meat paella which had chicken, rabbit and green beans. Was suburb and meat cooked perfectly. Also had jug of sangria. My boyfriend and I had such a lovely night here.

Probably my last visit!. I've been a fan of Robert Burns Hotel's Spanish seafood for years. Today was my first visit after more than 2 years, due to being away, and also the last time we tried to come it was closed for renovations. <br/><br/>I arrived in anticipation of the Mariscada - that huge bowl of seafood soup that has cast its delicious spell over me for years. My first major disappointment was finding out it's no longer on the menu.<br/><br/>My second disappointment was to realise that along with its decor upgrade, its menu also went into price upgrade and serving size downgrade. Those fresh delicious seafood meals are now a thing of the past. <br/><br/>Instead of generous serves, fresh honest food, great pricing, this new Robert Burns has become like any other overpriced restaurant serving stingy-sized serves, leaving you hungry after spending $200 at lunch for 4 adults. <br/><br/>It's become just one of the many nondescript cookie cutter restaurants out there with high prices and low value.<br/><br/>I won't be back!

Great night. Dinner last night with three friends. Food was delicious, wine was excellent (maybe a little over priced) and the service wa knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive.<br/>Will definitely go back shortly.<br/><br/><br/>-----09 Feb, 2013-----<br/><br/>Impressed. 4 of us had dinner. Great food, lovely Spanish wine, terrific service (friendly, attentive without being intrusive), good ambience. Will definitely return

Lunch is a steal. Mounds of delicately fried calamari and thyme & feta roast button mushrooms and jamon for around $10 a plate. But we've just come back for dinner and it seems a bit over-priced. The mixed grill for two is pretty meagre - one sausage, one steak, one chicken drum and two lamb cutlets for $55. Still, food is good quality, and service friendly.

Local Favorite. Easily the best venue in Smith Street.<br/>Smart new fit out, without losing any charm.<br/>I'm a big fan

Disappointed. Third time lucky, or so we thought, when we finally successfully made a reservation. Ambiance is tops, staff friendly and helpful, but the food was a letdown. Tired presentation, a little greasy. If you want tapas, there's a score of better places to go. Oh dear!

Pretty average for the Price.. Don't go to the Robert Burns if you're expecting decent portions of your food. My boyfriend ordered the rib eye steak, and delicious as it was, the portion was so small it was barely enough to feed a kid. I ordered the Barramandi which came with a few vegies on the side, but not even a bit of salad which was very disappointing.<br/><br/>The service was also average. We ordered some more water for the table which never came. We also had to wait up to half an hour for our food when the restaurant wasn't even full.

Had our work Xmas function, shared tapas, paella and dessert, the food was delicious... They had run out of a couple of items which was ok until they said no churros :( ill be back to try them though. All in all we had a super night.

Service was below standard. Food was good but I had heard great reviews so I expected it to be amazing. Tip... Don't order ribs they are soggy balls of fat

Delicious but.... Just got home from a wonderful meal here, the cold cuts of meat were authentic Spanish fare. The sauces to compliment the meats were spot on.<br/>But, we returned our dish as some of the meat was a little under done. To the chef's credit we received a completely new well cooked meat platter which was delicious with complimentary dessert . In our opinion the portion sizes could be a little larger, but all in all good food, service and atmosphere.

Thank you rbh! Amazing staff, amazing decor, amazing food and service! I had my 30th birthday at rbh and was provided a party area, complimentary nuts, a sangria deal and set up a tab for drinks! We were looked after so well and couldn't have had a better venue 10/10

Anne smith. Been going to the Robert Burns since the original owners ran a tight ship and great food,<br/>Gave the new owners a second chance on Saturday in the hope that the stage fright was over?? BUT guess what? no its just the way they run things at the Robert Burns. Just plain old hopeless, from the time we walked in and sat down no service and as for that spanish waitress I fell like telling her were to put her attitude which was quite appalling.<br/>Seafood plater was the same as the first time cheap fish with no substance, no flavour, all 5 of us were gob smacked as they tried their hardest go have us vacate our table by 8 so they could have another round of people. But no we sat drinking until 10.30 I will never go back there again and I am a local who dines out all the time.

I have been a regular diner at the robbie burns/el matador restaurant for the last couple of years & we hadn't been there since the change of menu and refurbishment and thought it was about time we got our butts there. We were all really looking forward to a lovely night out with our close group of friends for a paella feast and many jugs of sangria. Unfortunately all 7 of us will never be returning. The service was pitiful, the food was bland & the portions were little and we all left feeling hungry. We always used to leave feeling like we were bursting at the seems. Not impressed. Not impressed by the price jump in the sagria. Not impressed by the small portion of paella (which, by the way used to be served with a lovely big salad).

Used to eat here quite regularly prior to the renovations. On our first visit back everyone in our party of 6 was extremely disappointed. We ordered a dozen oysters only to receive 4. The paella was completely tasteless and steak was not cooked as requested. We will not be returning!!

Never Again!. So myself and 5 friends thought we would have a nice night out at the good old Robbie Burns Hotel, as we had not done so for quite some time.<br/><br/>Well... The entire evening was woeful, from the moment we arrived.<br/><br/>Lets start with the wine:<br/><br/>The Wine List was not in English, and when I asked the waiter what the closest thing to a Pinot was, he simply returned with a bottle of their House Red. <br/><br/>It wasn't the worst red wine I've ever had but it certainly wasn't the best.<br/><br/>Next came the entree`:<br/><br/>Ok, so there were 6 of us. We thought we'd order a dozen 'Oysters Naturale` to share amongst ourselves.<br/><br/>Not a very complicated request, right? Well... 15 minutes later a different waiter appeared and presented us with a chopping board (everything was served on chopping boards, I don't know why - perhaps they had some Greeks come in, who smashed all their plates...) And on this chopping board were 4, yes that's right, 4, Oyster Shells, filled with a Heinz Tomato Soup, and floating in this wretched soup were bits of something that resembled cigarette butts which had been dipped in batter and then deep fried.<br/><br/>Oh dear, we thought, they have given us someone else's order, 'We ordered 12 Naturale` Oysters, not these 4 horrid things.<br/><br/>When we eventually got the waiters attention, and tried to point out the error, he had to go and fetch another waiter with a (slightly) better grasp of the English language. Ok, so his English was good enough for him to inform us that they don't serve normal fresh Oysters, and they certainly don't sell them in plates of 12. (I can FULLY understand why no one would want to order 12 of the deep fried concoctions!) <br/><br/>So four people ordered the seafood paella, one person ordered what was very imaginatively described as 'Half a Chicken' and I ordered an eye fillet steak (blue.) <br/><br/>First came my steak: Oh dear, where's the blood? I politely told the waiter it wasn't cooked to my liking and after muttering a few things in Spanish (swear words, presumably) she took my chopping board with the leathery steak and marched off to the kitchen.<br/><br/>While I waited patiently, the Paella arrived, as did the Half chicken. I'm not going to go into the half chicken, lets just say it lived up to it's name, and that's about it.<br/><br/>As for the Paella... Was it Paella? I don't think so. How did they cook it so quickly? Why is there no crust? Why is there no flavour? <br/><br/>It was a badly made risotto, at best. <br/><br/>At this point we couldn't wait to leave. But then a female hovered over and asked if we would like to order desert... My response was quite justified 'No thank you, we have already suffered enough'<br/><br/>So there you have it. A harsh but honest review of a night out, at the (former), Melbourne Institution: The Robert Burns Hotel.

Amazing. Went at the end of August for a full meal (i might have snuck in from time to time for wine and churro's before!) as a large group of 8. Very accommodating and staff were friendly and helpful.<br/><br/>Lovely wine, and I ate:<br/>Entree - garlic and chilli prawns - Delicious<br/>Main - Eye fillet with a side of pumpkin with 5 peppercorns - Medium sized piece of steak but cooked perfectly and the pumpkin was tasty - always nice if you don't have to buy sides but ahh well! <br/>Dessert - Churro's con chocolate of course! - What's to hate about spanish donuts and melted chocolate. <br/><br/>Liove this place, glad I live close by, will be back regularly!

Very busy Saturday nite quality of food was good not enough quantity and over priced food and beverages.

Went with a booking of 10 people for first sitting and received minimal service during the evening and poor advice on how much food to order for the amount of people. Even the paella dudn't come with serving spoons! The food however was excellently presented and well worth it. Asked for more bread on a couple of occasions and order was forgotten. Left with a bad taste in my mouth.

Robbie Burns. After living in Spain, I have finally found the perfect piece of Spain on Smith Street: authentic staff, food, wine and atmosphere. Me encanta!! : )

Disappointing service... again. I booked a 5.30 birthday dinner for my husband in May. "can you be out by 7.30" said the friendly voice on the phone. Sure with 3 kids under 6 I can be out of there by 6.30!! However this was made hard by being ignored. Our meal was late, we didnt receive our full meal (they completely forgot the food we orderd for our children) not being served drinks until we followed someone to the bar... Disappointing. When my girlfriend organized a dinner for my birthday and told me it was at The Robie Burns I thought "let's give it a go". I was first to arrive, it took me 5 minutes to be acknowledged. I was taken to the table we had booked two weeks ago to find 4 strangers sitting there. The waiter then accused me of not booking. He finally found a table in the noisy bar with three stools (we had a party of 5) and left me there to stand. When I complained that it wasn't what we had booked he shrugged his shoulders and left. Thank goodness for the lovely staff at the Builders Arms on Gertrude street, my birthday wasn't a complete disaster. I won't be going back to the Robbie Burns for a third insulting experience

This Restaurant respects the original taste of Spanish cuisine. The food is awesome. My favourite: chorizo a la Sidra!

NIce atmosphere and kitchen view. Nice seafood paella, yummy croquetes and also i heard they are going to get a very exclusive new iberico jamon from a new guy who is selling around!! I jjust can't wait to try it!!<br/>Good and friendly spanish staff and also goos spanish music when DJ is on!!<br/>I definitelly will go back!!

What we Spaniards consider as authentic.. Being Spanish myself, when I ate at Robert Burns some years ago I left quite disappointed: the so called "paella" was too oily and the tapas had nothing to do with what I was used to - not to mention the atmosphere, which make it look more like an Irish pub.<br/><br/>Luckily I heard the place was now under new management, so I decided to give it another try... and since then it has become a small piece of Spain in Melbourne: excellent and authentic food that reminds me of summer days spent with friends at the beach, combined with an excellent and friendly service that is keen to suggest and recommend based on your personal preferences. Even the price list is adequate and the dish sizes generous. New chefs, managers, cooks, decoration, menu, wine list... it really feels like being home.

I LOVE IT!!!!. I started having some calamari at the bar before having my proper lunch and I have to say they were the best calamari I have tried in Melbourne! I continued ordering some garlic prawns, potatoes, seafood paella and finally for dessert crema catalana. I had a great great experience, all was delicious!!!! And the service is just spot on, they are very nice and very kind even when the bar was super full and they were very busy. Nothing negative! Do yourself a favour, go and try! I will definitely come back very soon!

Went there 4 years ago and.... Went there 4 years ago <br/>and have ever return there again <br/>its bloody arwful

Good food ,not enough staff. Great food , but i wanted to order more and there was not enough staff on a wednesday night

Good food, overpriced Sangria in a pub. The food was great, tasted the squid ink paella, had the meat platter for 2 and shared in the white bait, chirizo and baked eggs. The 'tapas' were advertised as starters, which were actually quite large servings - but the mains seemed quite small... I shared in the meat platter which is listed for 2 people, but yet only 1 sausage, small piece of rabbit and smaller pieces of lamb. Although it tasted fantastic, the portion was tiny and for the price I was quite disapointed, but not as disapointed as I felt with the sangria - at $30 for a jug with maybe 2 pieces of orange in it I would not recommend it. Pub setting weird, and prices were a bit outrages but the food was tasty. All in all its OK, I probably wouldnt come here again, I think there are better options.

Lots of options on the food and drinks menu-we enjoyed a very Spanish experience with most of our wait staff having thick Spanish accents (real or fake we do not know)-mushroom croquettes were tasty-valenciano paella was very nice except for an entire family of rabbit spines that found its way in there-but oh well-still enjoyed the night there!

Good place to eat. The steak was very nice and tender. The staff were very good and friendly, with good selection of food, drinks and deserts, there were 12 of us and we all liked the restaurant, we are also spanish :)

Robert Burns - hola!. The guys that run this place get it. The steak is unbelievable - the kind where you wish it didn't end. The service is spot on - they understand their cuisine and are great at recommendations. You need to book two weeks out for the weekends and Friday nights. Their bar meal is a feast in itself. Looks like a dodgy local on the outside but stunningly spanish on the inside...

Worth the refurb. Having enjoyed the rustic market-style Spanish fare of the pre-renovation RBH, I didn't go in expecting too much. It was definitely much fancier, with higher prices and what looked like a less satisfying menu.<br/><br/>However, I was proved wrong by some of the best (and still quite rustic) Spanish fare I've had to date.<br/><br/>The Seafood Paella was excellent, but the real surprise was the Paella negra con alioli (Squid Ink Paella). if you go, you MUST try this. We had a pork rib a well, which was outstanding, but I'de give the Prueba nuestra parrilla (meat platter) a miss as it just isn't good enough to match the richness of any other dish on the menu.<br/><br/>The price may have gone up (no longer a Monday night cheap eat), but not by enough to make this any less accessible than your corner gastro pub. An must try :)

A pleasant surprise. After reading a few reviews, some of which were negative, I thought I'd give this place a go. I love Spanish food and I have eaten at Movida numerous times as well as Anada. Having read the Chef is Spanish and some of the positve reviews, I was confident that the food would be authentic. This is 'Gastro Pub' and the decor reminded me of a restaurant I ate at in Toledo in Spain. It's casual with a modern take on 70's decor. It also has a great beer garden out back.<br/><br/>As for the service, it was good and not intrusive. Most of the waiters seemed to be Spanish. The wine list is extensive so I was spoilt for choice. I recommend the Spanish cider (Sidra) - It's excellent!<br/><br/>As for the food, I couldn't fault it. Both the Racion's and the mains were as good as if not better than what I had at Movida Aqui. The croquetta's were crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside without being oily. The eye fillet with the chimichurri dipping sauce melted in my mouth. The churro's were exactly how I remember the ones I had Chocolatería San Ginés in Madrid, Spain - not oily. The serving size for all that we ordered we perfect and not too big. The prices were reasonable and not as expensive as Movida.<br/><br/>For those who have given negative feedback, I recommend you give it another go. Today, the place was packed full of diners including some Spaniards which says something.<br/><br/>Not only do I recommend this place, but I will be coming back - hopefully soon!

Really Disappointed. I had booked a large group (14 people) in the Wine Room, twice confirmed with the restaurant our numbers only to find out on arrival that the whole group had been moved without bothering to let me know to another table which made it harder for people to get in and out. Was told due to our number we could only choose one type of Paella for the whole table. The seafood Paella was dry, lacked taste, mussels and clams overcooked and prawns were definitely frozen as they tasted tough and chewy. Asked the group what they thought and overall it was a 5/10. Saving grace for the night was the entre of garlic prawns still very good. The staff very attentive with drinks but I do not like being told what I have to have for a main, this all should have been made clear when I made the booking. My advice would be to go in small groups don't do big bookings and don't order the Paella. The previous reviews regarding the Paella have been pretty spot on.

The seafood paella is a must try ... As is the pork spare rib which was tender and perfectly cooked.

Great steak. The rib eye steak here is great. Reasonably priced food all up & comes with a good selection of beers as well

Very disappointed. Used to love going there before reno but now a different experience. Food was oily and small servings. To top it off we were kicked out as soon as we had finished are meal. NB there were no queues to get in , now I know why!

Hmmmmm.... After waiting for 30 minutes to be asked for our drink order and then for it to be delivered, I took it upon myself to search out food menus and stablise our wobbly table.<br/>We never received our requested ice bucket....<br/>The food was average, the staff... not at all pleasant or helpful.<br/>My third visit here since the renovation....there's too many other great restaurants around to waste my time and money.....won't be back.

Delicious. Insanely oily but mouthwatering paellas. Will always go back for the paellas!

Give this a miss!. Eating the tapas here was like having dinner at a friends place who doesn't really cook much. It was sooooo bland and boring, with sauces and flavours that all seemed to come out of a Masterfoods bottle.<br/><br/>I'm not a huge paella fan so I won't comment on that, but the octopus, "chorizo" (it was just cold cuts of salami it seemed?) and the potatoes battered with bottled hot sauce and mayonnaise poured over the top was seriously average. We also had a salad that consisted of lettuce, tomato, red onion and a couple of olives with balsamic vinegar poured over it for $12.50!!<br/><br/>If this was a cheap eat, then maybe you could go there for a quick meal before going out but for the price (five of us paid $50 each) it was a big disappointment. Chin Chins was cheaper.

Been here before and after renovation and the food remained just as excellent. Selection of Paella is great (especially the squid ink). My only real complaint is if it's a busy night, it's pretty loud inside.

Super spot.... You have to like slightly hearty home-style spanish cooking - but this place is a Gem. The food is fantastic (my brother and I had one of the best steaks in recent memory) and tapas very tasty. The atmosphere is cozy - whether it's a date or a bunch of lads - it's a very pleasant place to spend a couple of hours. But above all, I rate the management team and the staff - just really lovely people who made it a special night. 10/10

Popped into the Robert Burns Hotel with no real expectations and had a really enjoyable experience. A good old fashioned pub lunch with a modern Spanish twist. The seafood paella to share and some refreshing beers whilst sitting outside in the beautiful courtyard just a stones throw from The busy Smith Street - what more could you want!

Unimpressed... This has been one of my favorite restaurants for 15 years. Service and wine were great, food was uninspired... I wonder if the chefs taste the food they make? The only seasoning was huge chunks of rock salt. Sorry to day I won't be back :(

Once is enough for testing the waters here at Robert Burns. Good priced tapas but lousy quality. All potato dishes I had, there was an issue....dry, overcooked, unseasoned...it goes on. The chorizo...i love chorizo. Not here though. Hard big chunks of sausage that was only eaten as I had to leave the potato dish. The meatball combination with the cuttlefish....i didnt get it??? Didnt enjoy it at all. The only enjoyable thing we tasted was the croquette. At least we left with a nice taste in our mouth. The service was good but the food needs to lift a few....quite a few notches. With so many tapas places around these days, Robbie, you cant afford to slip up in tge quality of your food.

Great food, not so great service. We went to Robert Burns on a Friday night. We ordered a selection of small dishes, although upon reflection, we should have chosen the paella as well - it looked amazing! The jamon was the stand out, as was the amazing bottle of Tina Fina (Spanish red). The service however leaves a lot to be desired. We were put off immediately when we were told we couldn't order from the tapas menu unless we sat at the bar. We had to ask for most things several times, and at least 4 different waiters appeared to be serving our area. Would visit again, but probably would stick to the front bar and the tapas menu... and the wine!

It's failing to be Movida and it's not even close to how good it used to be. Tasteless tapas - reheated omlette and watery champignons - followed by $20 for 3 sausages. A chorizo fried to a chip, a fatty non-descript thing and the classic morcilla (I don't like blood sausage). Excellent rib eye, but the $22 doesn't include the side of olive oil-soaked chips. Not enough main choices. Ends up being damn pricey. Not worth it at all.

New Favourite. We didn't know what to expect when headed to the robbie burns, but the light and breezy atmosphere quickly put our minds at ease. Its a lovely place just to sit, drink and enjoy some spanish cuisine, especially on a warm day with the windows open! Sangria is divine and the food is authentic and honest. Generous serves make for great value and the charming service made our night!<br/>Deffinately worth a go! but make sure to make a booking, the place was busy, even for a monday night

Perfect. Food was very tasty, great value and the service was spot on for a pub...I think Melbourne trendies expect too much when they go to pubs for food. May they should actually go and jump in the yarra and cool off! The barra was spot on and the Spanish beer made me give this place a high review. I'm coming back for more...

I will never come back here again.The first time they bought us out the wrong meal,then graciously gave us complimentary desserts and appetizers to wait for our undercooked paella,then. made us pay for it.I call that critically bad on every part of the experience.The next time we came for drinks,they did not even know how to make the cocktail I wanted.But instead of telling me that they did not know how to make it,they had a try and it was nothing but rubbish.So I ask..... Can you polish a turd???

We've had two great experiences here since it opened back up. Not sure why there have been so many poor reviews of late. The tapas were ok, but the squid ink paella was a big hit. The parilla went down well too. And the churros. Reasonably priced, and very good service on both occasions.

Had the spainish omlette - bland & tasteless. Sauteed champignons w garlic & parsley - couldn't taste the garlic Spanish sausage in a roll was ok nothing special Loved the old Robbie Burns - not convinced by the new yet.

Downhill!. Robbie Burns was a favorite of ours before it closed for renovations. I was thrilled when it re-opened only to be bitterly disappointed upon my return. The food used to be hearty, honest Spanish - the menu has changed completely, their signature seafood cazuela has disappeared and the food we did receive was really, really poor. Perhaps the bar menu fared better, but unfortunately won't be returning. On the plus side, the place looks great after the revamp.

What is going on?. I had not been for a couple of years but had read the less than impressive reviews on this venue but thought let's give it a go.........Big mistake.<br/>Started by waiting over half an hour for 2 beers that had been ordered - should be a basic task in a pub or so I thought?? Entrees came OK and actually tasted really good but mains arrived b/w the 6 of us over a period of 90 minutes!! Even now we are still waiting for the side orders of chapped potatos. The waiting staff tried hard politely to placate us but obviously major issues in the kitchen. Don't care who is at fault but every negative thing I had read about the place seemed to occur with us also. They offered to take care of the bill but that was not the point as there are too many other good venues around offering quality food and service. Avoid!

The Robbie Burns totally misses the point of tapas, everything tastes like it was cooked yesterday

Not the same.... For months I had been raving on about how good the chicken & seafood paella was prior to the renovations. Sadly this is not the case anymore...Although the chicken/seafood combo is no longer on the menu, we tried the seafood paella, expecting the dish to be bursting with seafood (like it used to be). For $48, for two comes with 2 prawns, 4 muscles and not much else. Meat mains the others had were good, service slow & mis-timed. Disappointing...

OTHA!. Off The Hook Amazing! <br/>Hearing all the buzz about the Robert Burns I was keen to try. The decor is fantastic, and the outdoor eating area is just divine. <br/>Sat night - so it was fairly busy but all the staff are very attentive and keen to make sure you have a great experience. <br/>First we shared a board of spanish cured meats - to die for! <br/>Then I had the rabbit - decent serving and succulent. <br/>My partner had the rib-eye which was done to his liking and was a decent serve - the only thing - the ribeye size has been increased so the price is now $32 - not $24 but the waiter kindly explained this was because they have printed so many menus they can't change them as yet - which we were fine with - a side of crisp hand cut potatoes - and we were happy! <br/>The prices are quite reasonable - the whole meal only came to $100 - I wasn't drinking alcohol - but my partner had two beers. <br/>I would recommend this place to ALL! I am going back ASAP - in love with the Robert Burns!

Won't go back. I was disappointed with the new Robert Burns. We live locally and they do not cater for the vegetarians. There is only one main, a paella, and its for two people. So those dining with you will need to feel like vego paella. There are also two vego entrees but the night i went one wasn't available. I am sure there are more than meats in Spanish diets.

Massive fail on food and service, no taste in the paella, came with 2 prawns and not much else, no crunch, no. Bread and salad comes with the dish anymore. Service is totally incompetent, second order of drinks never came, got charged for a 50 dollar bottle of wine when we only got a glass. Massive fail on every level

FANTASTIC. I'd heard some bad things about the Robbie Burns prior to undergoing it's recent renovations and transformations, but I highly doubt there remain any similarities between the old RB and the new because our lunch was most excellent. Great food and service all around, plus a nice bright and fresh atmosphere.<br/><br/>Started with a number of tapas dishes, the highlights of which were the champignons, 36 month cured jamon, pork ribs and the incredible prawn and mussel croquettes. We then all shared a plate of the chicken and rabbit paella for mains. This wasn't a strong tasting dish, but it was cooked beautifully, the texture was amazing, the ingredients were fresh and it went down a treat.<br/><br/>Overall, very very nice. Will be returning.

Muy Grande!!. After a few hours in the Garden on Sunday we decided to pop out for Lunch and having heard that the Robert Burns had recently undergone a rebirth, we thought we'd give it a go.<br/><br/>Glad we did it was just what we were after. We planted ourselves in the front bar area with an open bi-fold window and got a couple of drinks.<br/><br/>The staff were very friendly, professional and the service came with a smile.<br/><br/>Foodwise the menu looked very appetising and decisions didn't come too easy as everything sounded great. We settled on a nibble of Chorizo Salamanca. 8 slices of thinly sliced, fat chorizo arrived with tomato bread. Hard to toss as a typical Spanish starter. <br/><br/>We then got mussel and prawn croquette's which were nice and crispy on the exterior but inside was a quite strong, but nice mussel flavoured silky batter.<br/><br/>Next up was Pacquillo peppers stuffed with ox tail. (dish of the day). 4 peppers arrived filled with soft ox tail and a thick dark moorish sauce. There was no way that sauce was going back to the kitchen so we asked the waitress for some more bread which came warm and crispy and fought over who got the last bit. I think Kim actually was running her finger around the bowl in the end!<br/><br/>Mains were a Rib Eye with chimichurri and Sausage Plate with Aioli. Steak was cooked medium with a great smokey char flavour. The chimichurri was strong but worked great with the beef. All dishes from the grill come with a side of rocket and shallot salad. The sausage plate was 3 large snags, chorizo, bratwurst and morcilla. If you don't like blood sausage I would avoid this. All the snags had a great authentic flavour. If anything the aioli could have had a bit more garlic. <br/><br/>On to desert, creme caramel which was the let down of the meal. Nice but a touch firm and the caramel had been taken a touch too far and was bitter.<br/><br/>The wine list has a top selection of Spanish red and whites with quite a few by the glass.<br/><br/>VALUE!!! The prices here are amazing with the Rib Eye @ $24.00<br/><br/>All in all a great was to spend Sunday arvo with the passing foot traffic on Smith Street not disappointing in the people watching stakes.<br/><br/>Def will return.

Spanish Inquisition. I really enjoyed the whole experience at the new, revamped Robert Burns. The wait staff were fantastic, the wine was a big hit and ultimately the food was delishious. We had a plate of cured meats, baby squid, two different paellas and a few other dishes. Do yourself a favour and get down to the Robert Burns for a spanish treat.

This could be the new local. We are lucky enough to live around the corner from the Robbie Burns and were invited to the re-opening last night - what a great night! Got to taste heaps of things off the new menu - all excellent. Standouts were the chorizo and the paella tasters. The Sangria was also great - maybe liked that a tad too much...:-)<br/>Looking forward to warm summer nights in the new beer garden.

Closed until Mid 2011. Closed for a significant refurbishment until Mid 2011.

Never again. I have heard so many great things about this place over the years so I thought I'd organise a night out with friends to give it a go. It was by far the worst experience I have ever had. The staff was extremely rude, the seafood was frozen and tastless. We were a large group of 15 and we all had entrees and mains and at no point did the wait staff clear the table after we had finished our meals.....we were trying to have dessert whilst the dirty plates from entree & mains were still on the table. When we asked the staff to clear the table they refused. I will never go back again.

Some good but too much bad. We tried the croquettes and chorizo tapas dishes and were delighted; both authentic and reminiscent of eating in Spain.<br/><br/>However, the paella was disgusting; rather than a moist and creamy dish we were presented with a dish that had a dry and burnt crust of rice, peas and pieces of meat. Underneath the rice had absorbed the stock leaving no creamy richness. Without tasting it we sent it straight back to the kitchen, only to be given the excuse that "that's the way it's supposed to be". No self-respecting chef should have allowed that paella out of their kitchen.<br/><br/>We will not be going back.

We had a group of 14 for dinner. We had booked for 20but a few people cancelled at the last minute however we got told on our arrival that we'd still be charged for 20 people! Considering they hadn't told us this before we were surprised but thought we'll just eat enough for 20! The service was friendly but incredibly slow and very poor english in some instances.we had two people arriving later by which time most of the paella was gone.. we had only been given four pans of paella and we asked for more they said that they have already brought out all the food for our table. when we asked how many people each plate of paella feeds, they said 3! by simple math, we worked out we had only been given enough paella for 12 people yet we were being charged for 20!! a few of us tried talking to the staff and clarifying it but they just kept repeating themselves that we had been given all the food that had been allocated to our table.<br/>overall it was good night purely because of the company and none of us would go back there again. the quality of the food was ok, not outstanding but not bad either. but the poor service, very average decore and the whole issue with being charged for 20 and being fed for 12 left a bad taste in our mouth.

Good for the family and big groups of friends. I've been here many times and have always enjoyed it. I think it rates up there for best paella in Melbourne and the atmosphere is great. It's a very family and friends place (hey it's out the back of some dodgy old pub), but the food is really tasty.

Amazing!. I went here on a saturday night and take a group of 12 people, the food was amazing! it reminded me of being back at my home. the paella had so much flavours and my friend, they say they couldnt stop eating all the tapas. <br/>the staff were beautiful and so much friendly and helping.<br/><br/>to live in australia and eat food that remind me of my home is my most perfect.

"good things come to those who wait"... The paella will take at least 30 minutes to be cooked fresh, but is well worth the wait, even if it comes without the traditional crunchy layer on the bottom. Order some tapas to sharewithfrirnds to sate your hunger in the meanwhile. Probably melbourne's best patatas bravas, the sardines ars great, but oysters Kilpatrick were a little on the small side (plus side was I learnt I liked oysters Kilpatrick).

Dont Judge a book by its cover. While the interior leaves something to be desired, good food, affordable prices, and authentic spanish cuisine make up for this. We will definitely return to try more fun tapas. We especially liked the spanish influenced stuffed Portobello mushrooms. It was also nice to find a drinkable Tempranillo on the menu.<br/><br/>Give it a try! The food is lovely and its nice and warm for a cozy winter meal!!

You must try .... Certanly the restaurant has improved the service, the food its just great, fantastic, amazing, every time. I got there and always I have a great experience. The paellas can't taste better. And what about the Mariscada, It's the best combination of seafood ever. and the tapas are delicious.... the perfect presentation, smell, fresh food, and taste of the best spanish dishes.<br/><br/>The waiters really do a good job, they always smille and are just there any minute u need them.....<br/><br/>It's a really spanish experience...

I like it. I like the changes of the restaurant which was suprised me. The foods are good, i like the paellas which are delicous and the atmosphere is very Spanish. It would be my recommendation for Spanish foods in town. Love it.

Dud. Annoying and caca food

Awesome Sangria!. Eaten there a couple of times recently. The Mariscada is awesome and the paella is amazing. Both are huge and its great value for money. But what we loved at the end were the churros. Yum!

2 visits since the change of management I can confidently say we won't be back. The staff are rude, slow and clearly have somewhere else to be. The food has lost in a sea of insipid flavours. These locals will not be back.

I still like it, but I don't think it's as good as it used to be. Bring back the gazpacho soup this summer!

Worst service ever!. I went on a Saturday night and it was very full. We had a table of about 10 people and we all ordered at 7.30pm. Some of us received our mains at 8.30, some at 9, some still hadn't received anything by 9.45!!! The staff were rude, getting obviously annoyed if you couldn't here what dish they were calling out.<br/><br/>The food isn't even that good. The salad is terrible! Limp iceburg lettuce with way too much onion and a faded slice of tomato. I wouldn't eat that at home, let alone expect it from a restaurant.<br/>My advice, stay away.<br/>xox

Viva Espagna!. Rude man awaits the door, does he care, no, why, because it is always full. Full because the food is incredible as well as being incredibly cheap. Ole!