Review Old England Hotel - Heidelberg

I like being pleasantly surprised when dining out and this was more than pleasant. The Old England's food was excellent from entree thru to dessert. (The Parma was magnificent) The staff were friendly and accommodating. The building itself is a classic with plenty of history - check out the photos in the entrance. I highly recommend this place and hope to make another visit soon.

Really really good pub food! Portions were generous, and the quality of the cooking was seriously good. Went with a party of 8, and they sat us in a really quiet corner when we requested a quieter spot. Service was excellent, with entrees coming out very promptly and no mistakes for quite a large order. Very cool and comfortable on a hot day too. Kudos to the Old E, we’ll be back!!

21/6/22 No refund or credit forthcoming. AVOID, AVOID, AVOID! EDIT : One would think this would have refunded on the spot, even after speaking to Rosa Roberts (senior manager) the venue so far has not refunded the meal. Not good enough. We ordered our food at 1257. After receiving olives and rather ordinary herb bread quite quickly, we waited and waited for our mains. At the one hour point with still no meal (1357) I spoke to your manager, David. He became argumentative and was rattling off excuses. To David's credit he did offer a free round of drinks to the table which we accepted. The food came out after waiting just over one hour. The meal that I ordered was baby veal, which you expect to be very tender. It was extremely chewy and as you can see from the photo, burnt. The other two meals were below the quality I would expect at your price point. Very disappointing!

Pretty nice place to go get a feed with friends, I got food at the sports bar and the lady was fantastic, Parma was pretty good. Nice spacious hotel with pokies there aswell.

Food quality is reliably good and the staff are great. The bar is reasonable with a few craft beers available, including one on tap. It's a well presented venue that should consistently deliver a good experience to a wide audience.

Pity theres no entertainment live music and such but not many pubs do anymore it's just all gambling and eating and drinking not social like in the past. Someone needs to get the pubs rocking till early hours of the morning partying all nite and having so much fun with the locals dancing drinking talking socialising. But it does serve fantastic food and is a very nice place with lovely staff I just miss the good old days and I'm not old at 36 Bur the world has gone downhill since my teenage years

We had a beautiful dining experience here recently. With 11 of us dining we were impressed that all our meals came out at the same time allowing us to eat together. Each person was extremely satisfied with their meal & not a drop of food was left on the plate! Meal presentation was beautiful, portions were generous & flavor was perfect! Look forward to returning!

I don't mind paying good money for good food but this place is seriously over priced for the quality they serve. If I am paying $45 for steak I would expect it to be cooked perfectly. Based on past experience, I ordered rare expecting it to be served medium/rare (how I liked it) but it once again arrived medium, almost well done. Other meals bland and tasteless. We only keep coming back because its a day out from the nursing home for my mother. She remembers it from her heydays

I have been dining at the Old E for about 20+ years and never had an issue until tonight. 4 of us booked for dinner for 7.30, I talked up the ribeye to my brother as for he and his wife, this was their first experience at the Old E. Took my advice and ordered the ribeye, as he is lactose intolerant, his wife made sure it didn't come with the usual herb butter on top. All good at this point. When the steak came out, it was with the herb butter on top to which we said this was wrong because of lactose intolerance. The waiter took it back to the kitchen with me in hot pursuit and told the chef of the issue at which point I was standing at the order counter wanting to see with my own eyes what they would do. I was in shock to see the chef flick the herb butter off the steak with his hand and then wipe the steak with the cloth he had in his hand. Outraged I demanded to see the manager. As the manager was trying to sort the issue out, another waitress brought the steak back to our table within 5 minutes to which I asked if it was the same steak. The manager came back to tell us that they put the steak back on the grill to burn off the butter. For a highly decorated establishment, this was nothing short of shocking and disgusting, for not once trying to get away with it but twice. I am shocked by this to the point that I will not be returning again or recommending The Old E to anyone in the future.

Had my 65th birthday lunch with the family in the Gallery Function room, at the weekend,the food was first class and perfectly cooked and presented. The service from Mel and Brooke was perfect and helped make the day memorable, with great comments from the guests. It's the perfect location for private functions with an old world charm but modern menu and excellent wine selections available.

God aweful! Steak was sinew and had raw garlic cloves with spinach. Frozen solid butter ontop with no flavour. Parma was small for the price and had a bay leaf still in the sauce. Salad was lettuce with tinned mushrooms and 2 pieces of cucumber. Kids meal was actually better and came with icecream! Also staff seemed less interested in helping. Lesson learnt won’t come again!

I love this old original hotel. It's very traditional, stylish and welcoming. Sits atop of the hill. Provides the bistro style meals always delicious generous serves. There's an area for relaxing with a tea or coffee afterwards and it's reasonably priced. A beautiful traditional venue. I would highly recommend it.

Great place, lovely food and fabulous atmosphere. Definitely recommend.

We had a fantastic meal, food was superb and service excellent we finished with coffee in their beautiful lounge area - terrific arm chairs and sofas. Highly recommend.

Delicious food, comfortable setting, great staff. Would definitely recommend.

We held my mum's 70th birthday lunch in the Old England Dining Room yesterday and it was wonderful. The staff were amazing, especially our dedicated ladies Kate and Rachel who were very attentive. The food was delicious and our guests all commented on what a lovely day it was. Thank you all for helping make mum's day so special.

Dinner for last night , everything was great except for the Field of Onions in my rocket , pear , parmesan salad , could not taste anything other than the onions ,which l picked out and put on a side plate , there was so much onion it made its own little mountain .

The food was really good. We had 13 on our table & most meals arrived together even though we had ordered separately. The only annoyance we had was the wait at the bar in the Bistro area for drinks. There were only 2 people serving whilst there were over 10 customers waiting for drinks. Then on top of that people were served out of turn. More bar staff needed on Sunday dinner sitting.

Average at best. It was very busy. Food wasn't hot and had to queue far too long for pay for quite expensive drinks.

Brilliant, we've been coming here for 10-15 years. We visit every three months for a girls catch up. The food is always delicious and the staff friendly. Love it here 💜

Food quite ordinary. Very expensive for what you get. Only one vegetarian option. When bread ran out they didn't replenish. Noise levels were very bad, no materials on walls to improve acoustics. Thanks goodness the company was good otherwise I'd have walked out.

Dined last night with a group of friends in the “Dining Room” which gives you table service only to be slugged 10% surcharge on our bill.. I was stunned as there is no mention of this surcharge on their website unless it’s my oversight.. If so, dear management please show me where it is stated.. Left a very bitter taste in our mouths considering the food & service was substandard!

The Old England Hotel never fails to disappoint. I prefer The Dining Room. Food delicious and service fantastic. Popped in yesterday for a sandwich/coffee. Menu lots of choice's + daily special's too. A great piece of history right in the middle of Heidelberg.

I just cannot understand how this place continually ignores all the bad feedback on here about the terrible food. Was the chosen Christmas work venue and wow I wish it wasn’t. I’d rather set fire to my money than ever eat here again. You don’t deserve to take peoples hard earned cash for this appalling food!

The Old England Hotel has a large seating capacity that was nearly at its limit when we visited. Due to the number of diners, we had to wait quite a long time for our meals which I guess is to be expected. Catering for the masses can have its drawbacks  ….. when my meal eventually arrived it was just lukewarm.  Very disappointing especially paying top dollar for a just warm steak, cold soggy chips, and vegetables.

Just what you would expect from an old style pub<br/>Meal sizes are big<br/>Service is friendly without being outstanding <br/>Place is a little bit dirty to be honest, but I think that’s because of the constant foot traffic <br/>The crowd is really really old, feels like your in a nursing home!<br/>The food itself is pretty good. Just a pub meal<br/>The e bar out the front is a kool little initiative <br/>Every single time I’ve had a drink at the e bar which is about 4 or 5, the same 5 guys are always in the same spot at the same time <br/>Good little local

$26.90 for this pie pretty expensive. Pastry yum, filling was watery and salty although chicken nice potatoes were cold. Peas cold and undercooked. Very underwhelming. Waited 45 minutes too, unimpressive.

We have been for lunch twice in the past week. I had the Christmas in July meal both times , turkey and plum pudding. The meal was different both times. <br/>The first time the toast potato was twice as big, the turkey was two pieces not one and the the vegetables were different. The turkey not flavoursome either time. The plum pudding also very different both times. Paid the same money, different servings. <br/>Meals being different to other visits has happened before. <br/>I didn’t comment at the time because of the other people at my table. <br/>Could the meals be consistent? <br/>Not impressed. <br/>The meal pictured is the second visit with less turkey. The pudding with less content is the second visit. Does a busy Sunday make the meal smaller???

I went to the Old English Pub a few weeks ago and I ordered a Ceasar salad without chicken or anchovies. When It was given back to me it had anchovies and chicken in it. After a lot of complaining it took almost 40 minutes for the proper food to come since I ordered. <br/>At this moment I would rate them a zero, but they had amazing oysters.

I got the vegan poke bowl and it was so so so horrible! Bland steamed vegetables in a bowl is just not good enough anymore - cmon it’s 2019!!!! Mushroom risotto was bland, tasted like stock and rice! <br/><br/>There are way too many good options around these days that you just can not afford to have bad food. Disappointed is an understatement. Would not recommend to a friend. <br/><br/>

I had a really nice meal here! Was quite weary of this place as the reviews aren’t great, but our experience was lovely! <br/>We went with family, the decor is by no means modern or trendy as that is not the vibe or style of the location. But the food was tasty, great serving sizes and came out quickly.

Absolutely packed on a Wednesday lunchtime, median age 65. The menu is huge and there's something for everyone. Additionally, they have rotating specials not on the standard menu. From this specials menu I chose the roast pork ($27). It arrived relatively quickly, and was a good sized portion. The meat was so tender, the gravy was fantastic, and the accompanying vegetables were great. You can also choose a bread roll. However, the price point of all menu items really is on the high side, given the RSL style ambience, and that everything is self-service. Still, the place seems to be very popular with locals.

Had the trio of dips, the calamari entree and the pork belly stir fry. The calamari was absolutely delicious. Was a great highlight for my wife and I. The stir fry was a lowlight, just wasn’t quite an enjoyable amount of flavours, it felt like there was too much going on in the dish. The olive dip in the trio of dips was excellent.

i had the greek lamb salad which was actually quite delicious, just very small! i thought the wait time was a bit long and you have to que up to order the food. <br/><br/>I came a second time and i got the prawns and calamari vietnamese style, once again very small serving and just looked extremely sloppy on the plate, not what i expected! (don’t have a photo)<br/><br/>i actually really loved the old england hotel but their restaurant food, prices and wait time are just a let down

Very disappointed in the Old England for their Christmas in July meal. There were nine people at our table and my main meal and one other were delivered but not the other seven main meals. We were then told (after about 10 minutes or so) that there had been an error in the meals and the two meals were meant for another table in the main eating area. (So those people would not have been very happy either I guess).The meals still took about 20 minutes to 30 minutes to come out which ended up having the people waiting for about an hour for their meals.I had the pork roast which even though the plate was hot the meal was actually not hot at all, the vegetables quite hard, the potato very floury and I didn’t really enjoy my meal at all.Other people complained on my table that the soup was tasteless and cold and that the ham (with the turkey roast) was quite tough and not very nice.I have been to the Old England many, many times and usually the meals are quite good but yesterday I was very disappointed with the service and the food. I will end on a positive note that the redeeming feature of the day was the plum pudding, which was very nice indeed.

Having only recently (over the last year) discovered and dined at The Old England Hotel, I invited a friend and her mother(in her 80s) to catch up for a Queens holiday lunch at TOEH.<br/><br/>The place was not very busy and had mainly older or senior guests.  And it came as an unpleasant surprise when we were CHARGED A 15% PUBLIC HOLIDAY LOADING.<br/>As well THERE WAS NO SENIORS DISCOUNT EITHER.<br/><br/>Fair go Old England, a 15% public holiday loading?  You've lost me, my visitors and a few other pi..ed off seniors -from what I overheard at the neighbouring table.<br/><br/>The food like in the past was average to good pub fare but well above average in pricing. <br/>But, as in the past, the service  left a lot to be desired. The staff were  'distracted, disinterested and not friendly' . This was surprising considering that the place was not busy and the staff were all - presumably- being  paid the extra public holiday loading. <br/><br/>My advice -AVOID THE OLD ENGLAND HOTEL  on public holidays.

Had a pleasant lunch function today with our family.<br/>We had the function room as we had a large group, and found the service very good.<br/>I had the duck and scollop stir fry that comes wrapped in a crepe. This was delicious.<br/>My wife had the lamb salad and was also excellent.<br/>The only negative which i noted on another review was the roast pork was dry and bland.<br/>Although the price is probably 10% higher than I would expect from a pub meal the food was worth it.

Had an early Mother’s Day dinner at this bistro and it was busy but luckily we booked in advance. Interior was nice and had that nice atmosphere and the staff was quite nice.<br/><br/>The food was a bit of a let down and the price was too high for the quality of food. <br/><br/>I had a roast pork with crackling and roast vegetables and I found the pork was dry and the crackling was too tough to eat as if it was way over cooked. The apple sauce and gravy tasted as if it was made from a packet from a supermarket.<br/><br/>My partner had premium parma and the chips was bland and tasted like it was been re fried. The chicken was touch and dry and was not tender at all, I felt that the pesto on the chicken was unnecessary. <br/><br/>Please don’t get the overpriced trio of dips as I had better for half the price. The beetroot and the tzatziki dip was really watered down and I can get a better dip at coles! <br/><br/>I wouldn’t come here again due to the price being really high for something I can cook my own.<br/><br/>

I’ve visited the Old England Hotel in Heidelberg many times.  The hotel excels in traditional English fare.  We ordered a range of dishes and the notable ones were the pub classic, lamb’s fry; the pretty and tasty Greek lamb salad; the roast pork loin with crackling; mushroom risotto; and whole flounder. Overall, we were happy with their choices. This is quite an achievement when you consider the range of dishes that the kitchen sends out.

I've been coming to the Old England for a very long time; probably thirty plus years and I think, food wise it reached it's peak when Brian Steele ran the place. Yes it has a nice décor but food presentation and especially quantity have declined markedly over the last year. Not sure if they're going broke but the food quantities are now very small. This evening I had the mushroom and lamb pie. $26.50 for about twelve small pieces of mushroom and meat, mainly button mushrooms, a spoonful of mashed potato, and a few peas. Puff pastry on the top that was so light it was like rice paper, you could barely taste it. Complete rip off that took an hour to arrive. If you're hungry give it a miss and go to the Box Hill RSL. Far better value. How has the once good hotel declined

Last minute decision and would have been better off with an unhealthy dose of KFC!<br/>We ordered a chicken Parma which was soggy and unappealing and rack of lamb that was over cooked and chewy. <br/>Quite a busy night with a lot of pensioners . I’m assuming one loses their taste buds as they get older . As for me, I still have mine and will not EVER go back <br/>Oh and it’s expensive too

Went here Wed 13 Dec for a family get together.  Is a little more expensive than the pubs in the area but was worth it.  Nice meal, especially the sizes.  The pouched pear salad and the way the potato was done was excellent.

Process Driven<br/><br/>The Old England's dining room resembles an upmarket RSL. I mean that in a nice way. It's clean, organised and comfortable.<br/><br/>We had the beef burgundy pie, roast of the day and the fish of the day. Nothing special but true to the menu description.<br/><br/>The staff were on automatic, taking orders and delivering food robotically. Again, no complaints, service was well timed and effective.<br/><br/>Overall - it's a pleasant place with reasonable food and the efficient service you'd expect from a process driven establishment.

I've been to this place many times but...<br/><br/>Now they gave me the impression that they think they are a fancy luxury place. In receptiont they inform us that we are not allowed to eat because we were wearing trades fluorescent clothes.<br/>Like trades are less human...

Went here yesterday, service was extremely slow! Garlic bread arrives, it's just a loaf of bread with no garlic. Food finally arrives a lot later, 2 of us ordered the Salmon. Lukewarm, seemly undercooked and served on a cold vegetable salad. One order a $40 steak which wasn't worth the money either. Most of us were ill last night, used to dine here on occasion, service and quality of food has gone down. Will not be coming back here. More than a couple hundred dollars worth of food, wasn't worth half the price that was paid.

Average food, did not like the fact that a lot of the meals were made enormous by compensating with cheap ingredients such as vegetable. I got a tiny portion of the seafood that was highlighted in the dish. If you want to eat here, I strongly recommend going for a steak dish as they seem the best value for money, observing other's plates.

Old (and uninspired) England Hotel.<br/><br/>Don't be fooled by this nice to look at historic building, what lies within is a disaster.<br/><br/>Poor service is clearly a product of poor ownership and poor management. 👎

So tonight we arrive for our dinner.<br/>Four people .... 2 order an entree size for main course.<br/>So 2 meals arrive. 40 minutes later..... Other meals ..... Still waiting!<br/>Speak to Scott.... The manager.<br/>Not helpful.<br/>Other staff offer to compensate us......<br/>Manager Scott.... Says no..... I was aggressive by giving feedback.<br/>Scott ...... Customer service is not your forte!<br/>Ps ..... Other meals arrive ..... Lamb so undercooked.... Couldn't eat it!<br/>Lift your game Old England .<br/>We have many choices !

Haven't been here in about 15 years, it's changed a lot & is beautiful! Unfortunately, for a vegetarian who doesn't eat mushrooms, that's where the beauty ended. Valentina took my meal order & was doing her best to accommodate but the larger woman who was "helping" her was rude & extremely unhelpful. Apparently a stir-fry with no meat & no mushrooms is not possible, end of story. Ceaser salad or a side of roast vegetables were given as options or gnocchi with tomato sauce...I ended up with a bruschetta, not the semi nutritious meal I was looking for. Note to chefs; not all vegetarians eat mushrooms! <br/>My parents seemed to enjoy their meal, guess that's a positive

Urgh, why is this place so full? It was not an experience I would recommend to anyone!<br/>Completely packed with large groups, the atmosphere was destroyed by the extremely loud noise which required one side of the table to yell at the other side. It has been reconfigured to cram in more tables yet the kitchen clearly couldn't handle a busy Friday night because the food took 50+ minutes to come out (for 6 mains). A query for where the food was at the 45 minute mark was not followed up and an additional question to another waiter on the whereabouts elicited a rather rude 'as you can see we are rather busy and it IS coming'. If you are so busy then why pack in even more people?<br/><br/>The food was quite expensive but the portions were fairly large for most meals (but not all!). However the quality of the food was pretty poor so all the money was in volume, not quality. For example the prawns in the prawn mango salad were absolutely not cleaned properly, poop shoot and legs included on almost all of them (granted there was quite a few prawns which, while good, is not pleasant to eat when you have to pick lots of bits of shell off). Not too much mango but loads of mint and coriander which isn't for everyone.<br/>The rest of the food was just average. Big but utterly forgettable. Oh yes, I forgot the bug found in the fish and chips! Pointing it out received no response from the waiter except a frown.<br/><br/>The extra points are for the sparkles they put on the cupcakes we provided for the birthday person the meal was for. (The same person who received the bug...)<br/><br/>The drinks were very expensive but unlike the food the size of the pours did NOT make up for the cost. <br/><br/>Of the staff, Emma was a standout with the rest ranging from nice to 'abruptly rude'. The dinner rolls you can help yourself to were a nice touch. <br/><br/>The dining area has been nicely refurbished with very nice decor and when the lights were dimmed and people started clearing out it was great but unfortunately the sound proofing was non existent so even with only three groups of people the sound travelled way too much!<br/><br/>Overall if your standards are low and you need a space for big groups you could certainly make your way here for a below average evening.<br/>

A last minute late in the evening option. We were rushing around and finally at 830pm we decided to grab something to eat. We were ushered in quickly, lots of full tables. Decor is fine for a family bistro. We both decided on the grilled blue eye with cauliflower mash and mushroom and asparagus. The presentation wasn't great but the blue and mash was good. The mushrooms rubbery and not enough asparagus. It was all swimming in a jus which was ok but just too much of it.

Was pretty disappointed with the Old England. Haven't been for a while but the food was not great and also felt sick afterwards. Don't think I will be going back for a while

Good pub food! Parma is one of the better around I think! Chips a bit crap so get some gravy to go with them!

At in the front bar and ordered a Parma. Looked good on the plate, decent size but not too big. Was happy with the thickness of the chicken and also the flavours. Chips were cold and crap but had a nice gravy to warm them up a bit. Parma is a good safe choice

Very very busy bistro style dining . For the portion size it quite reasonable pricing. Food was lovely. Good strong flavours in the Asian pork belly. Parma was a little lack luster. Lambs fry was "like it was back home" says my English mother. Quite loud and a little dated in the decor. Service staff were nice however I felt that it would be nice if they at least served water on the tables.

Awesome pub set in old English style dining area. The public bar has some great decor and love the fireplaces set around the pub and lounge areas. Food was what you would expect of a local pub meal, wholesome, generous and good. Well priced too and they go out of their way to cater to your specific dietary requirements.

There were 16 of us for a family function, a few weeks ago. We sat in the dining area which offers table service. Everyone was happy with their choice of mains - good sign, considering we were a large group. Only one meal was delayed.<br/>Staff were friendly, bar one, who appeared impatient when decisions were not made quickly. <br/>The high chairs lack a harness, so are unsuitable for children under 2 years.<br/>Some of the upholstered dining chairs looked as though they needed a clean.<br/>Management are happy to allow you to bring a special cake. No extra charge.<br/>This dining area has a lovely feel to it, with good acoustics. Therefore, I would recommend this venue for a mixed ages gathering.

Delicious Greek salad with lamb. Perfectly cooked, fresh feta cheese, olives and more. Usually go here with my grandparents who absolutely love this place and you can tell the clientele are around that age group but that definitely didn't mean the quality wasn't there. Presentation however could have been improved!

Not the best place in Heidelberg to eat, but somehow we manage to come back time and time again. The paella was very spicy but still delicious. This place is a pub with a classy twist. Food is normally pretty good.

I have gone to this restaurant many times and everytime I have enjoyed it. It has lovely food, resonably priced and a nice atmosphere. Recently I had the lamb shanks which just fell off the bone but the sauce and cabbage were a bit sweet. My friend had a lamb steak, spinach and chips which she really enjoyed.

Had a work dinner to attend at this venue and for a bistro-type place it was surprisingly good. Food, service and ambience exceeded my expectations. As their parmigiana is their best seller, I opted for that (also in the mood for a standard bistro favourite) and found it to be flavoursome and superbly presented. I would order it again if I returned here.<br/>Staff were extremely positive and accommodating, and service as a result was efficient. In a busy restaurant we had waited no longer than 10 minutes for our meals to arrive. <br/>Great spot in the heart of Heidelberg.

Faultless . Exceptional service , very good food : ordered the Atlantic salmon with Niçoise salad which was made to a turn . Good selection of drinks and lovely ambience . Great Australian vibe .

food at the old england is wonderful genourous servings well cooked  and presented<br/>unfortunatly the service here is extremely poor you get the feeling some of the staff here would rather not serve you <br/>the attitudes of some staff is extremly dissapointing epeccially as the dining room and food are both so lovely<br/>will not be returning to the old england

Went here for a family dinner...would never have chosen to come here myself. Ordered a drink at the bar first, in which I found two bugs. Told the bar person, who didn't seem that fussed, and offered me more of the same liquor that probably still contained even more bugs. Switched to a cheaper drink to avoid insect ingestion but was not offered any sort of compensation/refund of the extra. Line to order food from the bistro was actually ridiculous - we stood in it for around 25 minutes, and I cannot fathom how it could take that long for people to order food given that two registers were open. Ordered the calamari, which I thought was quite nice but somewhat overpriced - the red pepper aioli that came with it was tasty though. Boyfriend had ravioli, which was cold when it came out. Coffee was okay but not very strong. Would not go back here.

For a restaurant to attract repeat business, it must deliver consistently well, but unfortunately the OEH doesn't do that. I realize it's a bistro -- which is a service model that by definition sucks -- but on our first post-concert visit the staff were kind enough to inquire about how many were at our table so they could deliver together. Nice touch. On our second visit, I advised there were a few more to come and was advised flatly tough shit, they come when they come. The next time you try that trick on me we'll be having a terse and frank conversation with whoever you work for mate. Then tonight, I ordered a rib-eye which is the easiest steak to not screw up, and at $38 and change they managed to deliver a medium/medium well when I asked for medium rare. It may be nice to fill the seats with people who don't know better, but pull that shit on me and I'm going to get as much exposure as possible as to how you've lost my repeat business.

Been there a few times. One of the better pubs around. Nice pub professionally run and very popular with the locals. It is however pub food which is cooked and presented better than most other pubs in the surrounding area.

I have dined here a few times, great atmosphere and friendly staff. They serve quality food at reasonable prices. Weeknights are best because bookings are not required and the place is not overcrowded with noisy diners.

I AM STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS HOTEL CAN SAY THEY DO NOT TAKE BOOKINGS  - NO MORE THAN TWENTY - FOR A SUNDAY LUNCH THIS JANUARY 2016?? I MADE FOUR PHONE CALLS TO THIS VENUE - AND FINALLY SPOKE TO SOMEONE WHO HAD BEEN THERE SINCE 5.30 A.M. - AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WILL NOT TAKE ANYMORE IN A GROUP BOOKING OF TWENTY FOR A SUNDAY LUNCH AT THIS HOTEL.!!  I TOLD THIS PERSON I WAS WANTING TO PLAN A NINETIETH BIRTHDAY FOR MY MUM  WITH BETWEEN THIRTY TO FORTY FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS -  AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE AS THE BISTRO WOULD ONLY TAKE A GROUP BOOKING FOR TWENTY!   I AM STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW A VENUE CAN SAY ONLY TWENTY PEOPLE IN A GROUP BOOKING - WHEN I KNOW FAMILY AND FRIENDS WOULD BETWEEN THEM SPEND AT LEAST $2,500.00 !!!!!!!!!!

Love the Old England for a quick midweek meal. Gets crazy busy on Fridays and Saturday nights though so I'd highly recommend booking a table. Can't go past their chicken parma.

I expected bad things due to the reviews on hear, but it was the complete opposite! Great pub food at standard pub prices, nice dinning room and bar, this will become our new spot, can't wait to go back again

I've been here a few times now and for a pokies venue the food is always delicious and the service is always wonderful! Nothing fancy but does pub food well!

I didn't have to wait long for my meal and the staff were nothing but lovely so if you head down for a meal then I hope you find it as enjoyable.

Fantastic meal. We have just dined at the Old England Hotel for the first time. The three meals we ordered were a little slow in arriving but it was a busy Saturday night, so this was understandable. Each was nicely presented, extremely tasty and the portion size was substantial but not excessive. We ordered a chicken parmigiana, a premium parmigiana and the chicken Brie. We then shared the pecan tart served with salty caramel ice-cream and the Oreo cheesecake. Again, these were very good. We will definitely go back for another meal when family and friends are visiting in the coming months. We were a little worried reading some of the reviews but our experience was excellent!

A Christmas treat. This is my elderly mum's favourite pokies venue so we took her for a Christmas Eve night out. After reading all the negative comments on urbanspoon I was concerned. I was so pleasantly surprised. All of our 6 meals were excellent. In particular my eye fillet was tender, cooked perfectly and well accompanied. We eat out regularly in Australia and overseas and the food compares, especially for the price. The restaurant was packed and we didn't wait long. Don't know where the other reviewers ate but??

Used to be a top spot. Went back there after a year or so, decided to eat in the Dining Room where you pay a 10% surcharge presumably for superior service. Sadly mistaken, no Daquari for my wife, waitress didn't know her Whiskeys at all, service was slow, main courses were Okay but not as good as before, service was slow, chocolate mouse was grainy and the Panne Cotta was more like a plain old custard. In short not at all like the award winning Old England Hotel.

Has gone downhill sadly. Went for dinner here after a few years <br/>( have been living interstate) Had good memories of this place and we were looking forward to a good night out - great food and great service as we had remembered from our past experiences.<br/>Unfortunately for us, the Old England has let us down. The prices have gone up but the service, quality of food and the quality of the place have gone way down. The wait staff is extremely young and clearly inexperienced or badly trained or both, we were left standing at the reception desk while the the staff member clicked on her computer for ages before even acknowledging us ( and we had a booking) ; once seated we noticed that the linen tablecloths were missing replaced with bare tables and cheap cutlery. <br/>The complimentary bread rolls were stale and disgusting. The $35 steaks we ordered were overcooked ( we ordered medium rare and got medium well done - yuk!) The fat chips that were once legendary were hard in the middle and too crispy outside, but after waiting over an hour for our food we were so hungry we just ate what we could manage and vowed never to return again. Overall an extremely disappointing experience.

Appalling meal. Four of us visited old england hotel today for lunch and I can honestly say it was the worst meal I've had in my whole life. Three of us were very disappointed. Mine was atrocious. It appeared like the chef/cook had thrown a whole bottle of soy sauce in the meal which was a stir fry. There was enough salt to cause an instant heart attack or stroke. I could see the waiter grimacing when he took my plate away.<br/><br/>The only piece of advice I can give this place is to hire a new cook immediately.

I ate for a bday dinner on tues, and must confess I was worried after reading the reviews online especially considering I'm a vegetarian, I thought perhaps I wouldn't have much choice and the service would be bad but actually there were zero issues. The food was delicious and large portions, served quickly and our waitress was lovely and attentive without overcrowding. If it was like that again I would go back-I'm not sure if I came on a good night, or management have brushed up or if perhaps diners are quick to review when feeling negative about the venue but not so much when it's just neutral?? <br/>Don't completely give it a miss its not hopeless...<br/>Fyi I was in the dining room not sure if that made a difference.

The food is always disappointing and I'm celiac, who's recently chosen to not eat meat- there is one choice on the entire menu. One! I only come here because my friends always suggest it the twice a year we catch up, but the menu is rubbish.

You have got to be joking. Went to the old England tonight Monday 8th for September for dinner booked into the dining room ,put our order in at 6.30 and at 20 past 7 the waitress came back into the dining room we asked where our meals were she went out and came back and told us that there system was down and it was going to take 40 min for our meals then the person in charge came over to our table and told us that it was human error that the waitress forgot to put our order in what a joke we go there once a week SORRY NO LONGER

Skip it. Went to the OE last night for dinner. We booked into the "dining room" for "full service" since the bistro was completely booked. We order a bottle of the house Merlot only to be brought a bottle of Sangiovese. We sent it back and the young hostess returned with it again to explain that the winery dropped the word "Merlot" off the label but the wine was in fact a Merlot in new packaging according to the bartender. We sent it back again for a bottle with a label that said "Merlot". The food was OK but overpriced for the quantity i.e.: $24 for a stir fry. We we got out bill 21⁄2 hours later there was a 10% surcharge on it for the "full service" dining room. That was not explained when we booked, not stated in the menu or signed anywhere. Full service amounts to taking your order since food in the bistro is delivered by the staff anyway. <br/><br/>The owner doesn't need to worry about poor online ratings. It's a gold mine due to the central location. Definitely not going back.

Pretty ordinary. Had the $30 seafood platter, stale chips, warm dish, deep over fried doused in oil !!! Oh McCaines would give em a run for their money !!! Disappointed and sadly won't be back ... Drinks and food totally over priced !!

Xmas in July promotion. Two different days we have enjoyed xmas meals - exc. Genuine thick slice of tasty ham with the 'real' turkey and pudding above average as well. Overall you will always come across staff who do 'not like their job' very much!

Will be back. We read the reviews and were apprehensive about our friends suggestion to dine here but we are now planning our next visit. The food was sensational, fresh, hot and well presented. A great extensive menu that spoilt us for choice and beautiful warm atmosphere.

Super ordinary, unfriendly staff. Overpriced for what it is, food is far from great.

A nice casual setting to meet up with family and friends, but has a feel of a suburban senior citizens RSL that has tried to cater for an upmarket crowd. Prices are pretty steep for what you get, the food has generous servings but it's nothing really that special. The service was quite reason tho

Mixed experience. Food was pretty average - no peanut flavour in satay, pie had a chemical taste. Nice venue though and partner's eye fillet was excellent.

Food is not fresh. All i can say is i wouldnt eat here<br/>just go for the pokies<br/>the food is not very fresh or tasty

No effort made, big management problem. We have been here before as it is a handy location. We came for a mid-December Christmas menu one year and it was "ok". Came the next year and they had 'run out' of the turkey for the December Christmas menu even though we specifically asked when booking were they doing the turkey meal as we do not eat the alternative which is pork. Instead we had to order from the regular menu which ruined the Christmas event we had planned with relatives visiting us for an early Christmas celebration before they flew overseas.<br/>Now this year, only due to convenience of location, we planned to have another shot at an early Christmas get-together (with relatives who were visiting pre-Christmas and returning before actual Christmas, so we wanted to celebrate with Christmas fare). We rang to book and they said that they are stopping the Christmas menu early December because "it is too hard to arrange that many meals". W-h-a-t t-h-e....? It's too hard to do effectively a 2-choice menu (no 2nd choice for dessert, each year plum pudding lump it or like it). How can this be harder than cooking to order or having the usual menu? Completely illogical. How incompetent! <br/><br/>Despite this, again for convenience of location, we had another group Christmas meal here later in December only to find that the narky staff attitudes and mismanagement of menus, lack of availability of menu items, food temperature, late meals were indeed a regular feature.<br/><br/>Each visit, with the exception of bar staff who seem more friendly and pleased to serve you, the staff have absolutely NO concept of customer service, with snappy harsh dictatorial type language, a 'like it or lump it' attitude that others on here have commented on. Most of the food is fairly bland and/or predictably boring, and it does seem to come out at different times with some meals coming to the table being cold while others are waiting an eternity for theirs.<br/><br/>PLEASE TAKE NOTICE Old England Hotel owners - completely replace your management hierarchy and all bad-attitude staff. Very seriously - Start over. A consistently crabby and unhelpful attitude from each and from each and every staff member can only come from how they are treated top-down.<br/><br/>A historical hotel in a great location deserves much better food and service!

I used to love this place but they have dropped the ball big time over the past 2 years. Had a booking for 20 people for my brother's 30th family lunch (we booked to be in the dining room but were placed in the bistro with no explanation), two ordered the Salmon and weren't happy, the Chicken Parma was so dry I had a sore jaw from chewing and one ordered the Lambs fry and it was extremely undercooked (as in, completely put her off her food).. Not to mention the waiter just offered to reheat it for her? Weird. <br/>The last finishing touch was having to wait for an HOUR and a HALF to have our table cleared and birthday cake brought out after telling the waiting staff three times that our guests were getting eager to head off. Then! Didn't clear the tables before bringing the cake out so I ended up quickly clearing the tables when I saw that they had lit the candles and started bringing the cake out. Really effing disappointed especially considering he flew down from Sydney for it. Sigh. <br/>Oh! And they charge $7.60 for a pint of SOFT DRINK?!

It's basically an RSL ... with better quality food at the higher price tag. The big bonus is the Help yourself bun rolls and special sauces

Don't go for Christmas lunch. Bar prices were over the top. Staff were inexperienced. Our table had 4 dishes wrong, and it took over an hour for 2 people to receive their mains, after the rest of the table had finished dessert. After asking a half dozen times, we couldn't get a straight answer and only after having to track down the manager, did anything get fixed. Nice way to kill Christmas lunch for a family. Never, ever again. I've given this place the benefit of the doubt a few times now but this was the last straw. Previous issues were fish being served the stunk of ammonia, a dish called "half a chicken" turned out to be a drumstick and a wing. No breast. I won't be back.

Average. Had dinner with friends and was impressed by the setup atmosphere and service in particular. Was let down by my steak, was not cooked to my order and lacked taste when it arrived. I expect more from a $30 steak that claims to be charcoal grilled aged porterhouse. I am very picky so the steak may be ok for others.

Had a very nice steak sandwich in the bar havn't been there for a long time because last time I went it was disgusting it seems to improved

Been there previously and was really nice BUT they have just renovated, obviously to stick more tables in and have to say was not impressed, they can't keep up with demand, kids meals came out quickly but we had to wait over an hour for food and that was after asking where ours was, and by this time kids were bored, and ours come out with fries and kids meals chunky chips!! Surely should be the other way round andalusite expensive

Good Food, Terrible service. Went with a number of families on a busy Saturday night. Food was excellent with a nice menu selection. Waiters need to be more attentive when clearing tables and dealing with the public. Terrible, comical service with us complaining to the manager.He did repair the damage, but not sure that we will go back again in a hurry.

After visiting a couple of times on a Friday night to E Bar only to be told I have to leave as there is a private function on in half an hour. Very frustrating. Are you a bar or a function room????? The menu at the OE is boring, bland and uninspiring! no wonder there are so many negative reviews. The owner of this establishment needs to take a long hard look at its management and their management style.<br/>Like the reviewer below I have had the chip argument there as well. If I don't want a bloody bowl to eat them out of why argue with me that I must have one.. Customer service is rubbish here. the only tick they get is the ambiance of the lounge and dining room

Disaterous Xmas July. I attended Xmas In July for my birthday with friends in 2012 and enjoyed it so much decided to attend again this year.What A diference<br/>In spite of specifically booking the Xmas menu I week before hand when we came to order was informed they had run out of that menu with a couldnt care less attitude<br/>There were several other patrons in the same situation and frankly this was an appalling breach of any service standards expected from a venue which advertises the kudos received in previous years.<br/>I do not think they will be getting others in future and I for one will not be recommending this venue to any of my friends or attending myself. The manager/organiser should be sacked and told to find employment in an industry where service to clients is not an issue

Took my aunt there last night we ordered the christmas in july meal the would have been alright only it wasnt very hot asked for some gravy thinking it would heat our meal up only the gravy was luke warm then had coffee which was just warm when i took it back and told the guy who made it he said YOU DONT HAVE COFFEE HOT !! Its supposed to be 65 degrees temperature ! Well i dont now what planet he comes from but on ours we like our coffee hot when i complained to management he said he likes his coffe warm he must come from the same planet as the coffee maker ive been going to the old england for over twenty years and its one of my favorite pubs but they need to change there coffee maker and tell the chef there meals need to come out hot and maybe get rid of the manager as he didnt seem to be to interested in my complaint it would have been a nice evening if our meals and coffee had of been hot!!

Very disappointing customer service.<br/>Didn't get our desert - waited 45 min after main and when advising the staff we had to leave and letting them know, manager was aggressive?? No apology or offer of no payment for desert.

Asked for a table for 4 at 6pm, was told they were very booked and to wait in the lounge, 'should be 30mins' they said. It's now 6:54, there have been empty tables the whole time in plain view... Are they hoping I play pokies while I wait? Won't be coming back!

Appalling Customer Service .... Appalling Customer Service<br/>Just popped in for a drink at 4pm & walked up to first bar I saw. Girl asked me what I wanted to drink. She told me the bar was closed but she would serve me anyway this once. No closed signs and she's behind the bar. Silly me for assuming its open! It gets worse...<br/><br/>Went to front bar & bought a bag of chips. The guy who served me was excellent & customer focussed. He asked me if I wanted a bowl & I said no to save washing up. I then sit down and another guy comes up and accuses me of purchasing the chips outside. When I explained I'd bought them from the bar he said the Manager says I have to have a bowl. I told him the guy in the front bar did his job well & offered a bowl but I declined. He insisted the manager says I should have a bowl to which I said I am the customer and I say it's unnecessary.<br/><br/>So, out of 4 staff members, only one was customer focussed & the other 3, including the manager are rude & clueless.<br/><br/><br/>I finished my drink & chips, told the guy behind the front bar that his customer focus is excellent, and left never to return.

Exceeded expectations. A regular diner with Seniors group ar different venues. Eighteen here today today on 2 tables. Expected pub food but my table all remarked at excellent quality, prompt and pleasant service. Restaurant quality in Dining room but assured Bistro is same food. We all had different choices and meals came close together. Pork roast was great with crackling, yum! Thursday lunch, not busy, will come again for Dinner to check how they handle crowd. Try it !

Upon walking in I thought I was in for a nice traditional meal. Unfortunately the tastiest thing I ate was the bread roll which was lovely. The food was very bland, I was embarrassed putting so much salt to try and add some flavor. I had an entree satay chicken (which had no peanut at all) with a Thai salad (only flavor was vinegar). My friend was also disappointed with his pork pie ($23) which was basically an extreme amount of pastry with very little filling.

Starting to slip. Used to be a huge fan of this venue but their recent efforts (last three months) have not been great.<br/><br/>This place has never really appealed to the hipster crowd, slowly I am starting to agree.

Get the eye fillet steak. It's probably the best dish there. Everything else is just standard pub food.

Had the premium parma. Was okay nothing special. The dining room is a lot nicer than the food. I give this place a 6/10 overall.

Will not return. Have eaten here a few times, always thought it was an 'ok' pub meal. Ordered the steak tonight about $34. I was really disappointed. Steak was really fatty, I did my best to eat what meat there was on the plate. Complained to a floor staff member who was really unsure what to do with my feedback and she just walked off without saying anything. 5 minutes later a ?manager came over to the table, she was very rude and had an attitude as though she couldn't be bothered to talk to us. Stated that she had shown the chef and they didn't see a problem with the steak and it looked like I'd done a 'good job'. She made us at the table feel very embarrassed and we will never eat here again.

Old England -was once very good. We have eaten there regularly over the years and the food and service was once excellent, but has gradually gone downhill. <br/>Last night was the last time we’ll eat there. Paid $32.90 for overcooked tough eye fillet with a clump of tasteless spinach, huge chunky chips and ordinary mushroom sauce. <br/>I think others have got the message of their fall from grace as there were lots of empty tables, and they are usually busy. <br/>They say they are renovating. Hopefully to better value innovative food and good service.

So disappointing. Dinner on a Tuesday night, four different meals ordered. <br/>Waited 15 mins in a line to order meals.<br/>Food arrived 55mins after ordering. My risotto was a slimy, creamy mess. Rarey if ever do I leave food on my plate but this meal was. Tried the Noodle salad and the chicken parmigana, even though I was still hungry they too were of a very poor standard. <br/>Drinks overpriced ($8 for a beer in a pub?) and meals were not honest to their $20+ price tag.<br/>Service staff were friendly enough and the dining area was clean.<br/><br/>Definitely no reason to go back :(

Rude staff. Have been here a few times in the past and always enjoyed the experience. Phoned to book for my husband's birthday but the person I spoke to on the phone was so rude that I decided to go elswhere. I would never go back to the O.E. and would certainly not recomend it to anyone.

Nice Night Out. Great place for a typical ''pub meal", prices are not too bad and love the free bread. Ordered a parma, wasn't that big but sure was tasty! free bread is also a plus!

A great local venue very generous servings of your traditional pub meals plus more. Would recommend to anyone as we have not had a bad meal yet.

Standards are dropping. I use to really like Old England Hotel but for some reason their meals are shrinking exponentially whilst prices are increasing. The food doesn't taste as nice either. Their free bread rolls is the only pro that they have maintained.

Not Happy!!. My mum booked the Old England for her birthday celebration. Six of us on Sunday evening. We ordered, four of our six meals arrived aver 30 or so minutes. Mum and dad's meals arrived 50 minutes after they werre ordered. We had fiished our meals by this time. We had spoken to at least 3 separate staff members in that time and asked for the manager twice. He arrived after one of the meals had arrived. They arrived 5 minutes apart. <br/><br/>The manager was a little unapologetic, a little abrupt and his suggestion that it may be our fault for not bringing it to their attention quickly enough was bizzare however, he did offer a refund of their meals. Good call as they had ordered a seafood platter each. The chips were cold on the first plate, the oil was dripping off the overcooked seafood, the fresh prawns were not cold, an ugly medium warm and the lettuce/salad was limp and hardly dressed. Overall they were terribly disappointed in the quality of the meal and have vowed not to return. Shame really as they have enjoyed a meal at the Old England for 20 or so years.<br/><br/>Other meals we had were,Fish and Chips-ok, Parma-ok, Salmon-obscure overpowering sauce that would have gone better with a steak, Muscles-menu said included chilly, it was extremely hot!<br/><br/>Overall quite disappointing!

Busy place. Great meals. Pays to book. I'd say fine dining in a pub. Warm cost atmosphere. Lots of comfort foods. Very impressed.

Love coming here for dinner, consistent quality, it does help to book a table though, some meals can take a while but it's always worth the wait. Great steak, paella and Greek lamb salad.

Kasimo. Arrived on Thursday 8/12/11 @ approximately 7.30pm. Were told half hour wait for a table.. okay .. we waited. Table became available within the half hour.. not too bad.. long long queue for the bistro.. ah well we thought that isn't too bad considering they won accolades for "Best Bistro" 2011... wow got there and placed our order... great we thought only to be told that it would be another half hour wait for the food coz of all the orders in front. So what did we order?... two medium rare Black Angus steaks one with creamy pepper sauce and one with forest mushroom sauce.. waited approximately 15 minutes before the food arrived... so much aniticipation and the food was such a massive let down. The steak was TOUGH...and the sauce was horrible. We paid $28 each for a steak and it could at least have been tender... massive epic fail to this one. The mushroom sauce tasted like they just dumped 2 litres of Worcestershire sauce into it and the "creamy pepper sauce" was not creamy or peppery. So it was a waste of time waiting for this meal. It was my very first visit there and I can tell you that I won't be going back to spend my hard earned on this rubbish.

Sometime hard to get a table, but love the food. I've been here a couple of times and the most memorable thing I have here is the coleslaw. LOL. It comes as a side to most of their mains but I did enjoy their beef ribs. They were mouth watering. Atmosphere is nice - a lot of old people. But a great family dinner place IMO.

Good food but pricey. We have been to OE twice now...both times the food was good pub quality food...but not suburban pub prices...fish for $30 is a bit rich. It's a good venue though with dining room, bistro, couple of bars even though you should be able to order the nice restaurant wine which is by the glass at the other bars.

You may as well Crowe the road to 7-11 for a better dining experience. Fish was nice, strake was bland an the veggies were obviously sitting in the bain marine for too long.. Soggy. All the bar staff were teenagers more interested in each other tha me standing at the bar for a few minutes without anyone in front of or around me. I always drove past this place wanting to eat here. Doubt I ever will again :/

Massive steaks. The food is delicious. Today I still love it because I have been there heaps of times already because the food is excellent and the service is great but I found their prices really expensive and I can't afford to keep paying that much either can anybody else for that matter