Review Racecourse Hotel - Malvern

Great service, great food, great restaurant, great bar. Pints are cold, food is hot. Would go again. Pricing reflects on quality, you will not be disappointed and can appreciate the professional service throughout the venue. Will be back to try the rest of the menu.

Had a lovely meal here with our group. The sticky date was so good! Unfortunately the seafood that was with the pasta was a little raw/undercooked, even my friend who I gave the calamari to told me after we left that the calamari was raw for her too

Good parmas and beers. The waitress (yasmyn) was helpful and friendly. Would definitely return as our new local.

When my partner and I moved in down the road from here, it was our local pub. Weeknight dinners were always amazing, service is always great. We have since moved 30 mins away, and yet still, last night we travelled so we could spend our anniversary dinner here, like we did the year before. We come here for our special occasions because it just feels so homely, and we know we are going to have a great time. We always feel welcomed, especially by Matilda, who always remembers us and treats us like old friends every time we go Highly recommend to anyone looking for a quality, classic pub meal. TIP: always get the sticky date pudding for desert.

My friends local bistro is always outstanding. Great service, quality food and reasonably priced. Had the lamb shanks from the specials. Succulent and flavoursome. Excellent selection of tap beers as well.

We celebrated a big birthday here with a dinner for 20 people. The staff were all excellent and went out of their way to ensure the night was a great success. The food was very good and all our guests were very impressed.

Love the Racecourse. Have been coming for 18 months now, and every time the food and service are great. Matilda is always an amazing host who goes above and beyond for their guests. Can’t wait to come back for our next visit!

It's got nice food, the beer is good with a decent selection (inc little creatures on tap), the sports bar is nice BUT, and it's a big but, the shampoo they use on the carpets or the air freshener...it's way too strong. Way too strong. I can't go here anymore because of it.

I've taken several friends and family to the Racecourse Hotel since November when I moved to this area. The food is exceptional, the staff are friendly, professional and very helpful on every occasion I've dined there. I would recommend this venue to everyone it's well worth trying the extensive drinks menu and the diverse food menu. It's also family friendly, we've had great times with our little 3 year old Grandson who was so happy to be given colouring pencils as well as pictures to colour. Keep up the good work everyone it's a pleasure dining any day or night of the week, can't wait until next time.

Took a friend for birthday lunch. Food was great and service fantastic.Thanks Anna for being such a good hostess. She went out of her way to get the chef to write happy birthday in chocolate sauce on a plate with a candle in a strawberry. All her idea. Highly recommend the bistro

What a delightful dining experience the Racecourse hotel has to offer. The staff really seem to enjoy there job and greet you with a big smile, lovely conversation and great customer care. From the moment you walk through the doors at the racecourse you feel a sense of warmth and welcomeness. The Menu is exquisite and has something for everyone, my personal favourite is the seafood linguine but it's hard to go past a classic like the chicken parmigiana, which has been voted the 3rd best in Melbourne although I am yet to find one better. If you enjoy a glass of wine with your meal, just ask the staff and they will pair the perfect bottle to compliment your meal. Being right near Caulfield racecourse there is no better place to get some pre/post race food and drink All in all the racecourse hotel has everything you could possibly want from a small local yet fancy restaurant, the management and staff are there to make your time there as enjoyable as they possibly can, so head on in and see for yourself, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Could not have been more supportive of our fund raiser. Great manager, great staff, great food... thank you. #fightmnd

This is my second dinner event at this hotel , the staff are generous with their time and my request for a slight change to my meal was well received, everyone's meal was reviewed at the table as delicious and well priced .I will definitely be returning .

Amazing service beautiful food great wine list recommend

Super friendly and helpful service on top of great reasonably priced pub food.

Thank you so much to the staff at the Racecourse for another beautiful meal. Absolutely loved the evening, the staff are so welcoming and warm. Service was outstanding and I'll be dreaming about my seafood linguine all week! Thanks all for the phenomenal work you do in making our Saturday night relaxing xxx

Great meals and fabulous service by friendly staff. Totally recommend

The food is Devine, this little pub is an Oasis in our busy world.

Generally the food and service is good but tonight was a disappointment. I ordered the seafood linguini. The menu said it came with chilli BUT there was so much chilli in it I couldn't eat it. There was about 1 tablespoon of fresh red chilli. My husband, who likes hot food, said that it was very hot. I then ordered the Belgium waffles. The waffles were soft and rubbery - like they had been microwaved. They were pretty much inedible. I will think twice about going back.

Every time I have been to this hotel the staff have been great. It is always a pleasure to visit to the Racecourse Hotel.

Enjoyed a beautiful meal in relaxed setting, staff absolutely lovely. Highly recommend.

Staff and food are amazing. Love the whole experience. ���

I went there tonight had the pie of the day was quite nice, a chunky tasty pie with flakey puff pastry served with peas, mash and gravy. I have been there before for a shared lamb plate that was a special ages ago(last year) and for the beef burger. I don't go there often but is my local so maybe will go more in future.

Went here for my mothers 70th birthday and had a great veal parma. Mother had the fish and chips and loved it. Great food at bistro prices. Plus the staff are great.

This is my go to Parma pub. Weather or not it’s for a birthday or out with mates for a cheeky Parma and bev. $25 for a Parma is standard these days if you like your $10 pot and parmas do not come here. The ambiance decor adds a charm to the venue. Parking can be a pain but the service outweighs any hassle.

Friendly staff, easy to book and a delicious Parma! What's better is it was local..menu had loads of variety and food was quick. Will be back soon for another Parma!

Had their pie of the day and the soup of the day which was good, but the last time I came here at night was a lot better.. maybe the chef is different ? The Peking duck spring roll was a disappointment to the whole meal. Below is the picture. 3 little frozen-food looking spring rolls for 18AUD. Could not taste any Peking duck, looks like noodles in this thing. Please learn to make good Peking duck because this is such a disgrace to all Peking ducks makers 😣 please take it off the menu if u are going to cheat people on their money on this. Chef, I'm sure as hell you can do better than this.

We booked for Sunday lunch. The waitress's were friendly and couldn't help us enough with our orders for food and drinks.<br/>The meals we had were large servings. I had the good old chicken schnitzel with gravy. The gravy was YUM! The chips were crispy and seasoned well. Others had the seafood crepes and were pleasantly surprised at the amount of seafood in the meal. <br/>We didn't think the mains were overly expensive but the desserts were rather high in price $11-15.<br/>Pleasant surroundings and comfortable.<br/>Parking is not the best in the area<br/><br/>2nd visit today (12/05/18) and again, good service, good food and good company <br/>Will definitely visit again!!

We came here on Mothers day for lunch with a baby and have to say the staff and food were both terrific. Our bubba was a bit messy with her food and the staff took it all in their stride. I would recommend.

Surprisingly good fare for a pub, they have all the classics which are done well, and the gravy is ace! The selections cater for most people (gluten free, vegetarian etc) and had a nice atmosphere at lunch on Mother's Day which is s credit to the staff there for making it so friendly and inviting. Not a place I'd go out my way to visit but quite happy to dine there when in the area.

Pretty standard run of the mill sports pub. The staff seemed friendly enough, but food was pretty poor and only the standard beers available, but it is what it is.

Went here for lunch with my family and had such an amazing meal! Highly recommend! The waiter was very attentive and knew what she was talking about and made the lunch an enjoyable experience. The menu is great a bit of something for everyone, although they had run out of chicken for the dish I wanted but the penne I got was just as good :) will be back here very soon!

Measly and expensive. I ordered fish and got a sardine. Very expensive and poor service. Overall a bad experience. Never ever again. Thanks for nothing.

Tried something new and went for the scallops in a lettuce bowl. Received a couple of scallops with a mushy salad. My fault for thinking a pub could do something other than pub food. Service was extremely slow, waited over 45 minutes for our meal.

Nice looking pub with a long menu and plenty of beers on tap. The parma was one of the best I've had, with great chips and salad. The staff were all very friendly. Only complaint was that some of the prices seem pretty steep for what is a pub. No sign of any happy hours or daily specials either.

I hadn't heard good things about this place. I was happily surprised when we got there to see the venue has had a lovely renovation done and the bistro looked great. <br/>They have a varied menu, almost too many options. Everyone at the table enjoyed their meals.<br/>A lady looked after our table and she was very knowledgeable and friendly. Service for the most part was quick. We were there most of the afternoon and we never felt pressured to leave or order more food or drinks.

Generally content with the overall meal, the arancini balls where fairly nice, the parma was perfectly made, not too small but also not too overly large. The chips were of a nice texture and consistency. However was very disappointed that they did not have the french vanilla creme brulee which was the main reason we came to the hotel. However they did have a passionfruit pannacotta which wasn't great considering it was the house special. The pannacotta was warm with a odd texture on the mouth.

Had a late lunch here with some work pals, it's good the kitchen does not close between lunch and dinner. The variety on the menu I thought was good, got the classics there (eg Parma) plus some more interesting selections. Ordered the chicken with panko crumbs, it's was crispy on outside, moist and tasty on the inside. The rest of the meals looked good too, none of them remained unfinished. Staff friendly and attentive. Nice sun filled room, enjoyable 3hrs spent here. Will be back...

Back to its original glory and decent menu! Happy to return to an old favourite. Price is worth the spend! Food is delicious and in nice big servings!

7 of us went for dinner with children and grandparents for birthday celebration. It took over 30 minutes for children's meals to come out, then 1 hour for adults meals to come out. The meals for adults didn't come out together. 2 main meals came out and the rest still waiting another 15 minutes. Manager was not apologetic, quite arrogant. Meals were barely Luke warm and not appealing. She told us to be careful the plates are hot. they were actually barely Luke warm. Kids waiting again 30 minutes. for their icecream and one terrible sticky date pudding which was only dry cake. When we asked for more sauce for the pudding as only about 2 teaspoons of sauce were on the plate , the manager rolled her eyes and hesitated to get more. She was so rude. Now 2 out of 3 occasions she has been terribly rude . What a shame because we are local and the ambiance is so nice with it renovated. She is losing business for this restaurant. Even our parents who we treated out for the night would never go back and were appalled with her attitude. <br/>

Great pub food, will definitely return. Seafood tasting plate first class. Porterhouse great size with a delicious mushroom sauce. Service outstanding👍

Won by a length. Thanks to recent positive posts from reviewers with 10 or more reviews to their name, we decided to give this place a try last week. We found a dining room that was clean and comfortable and a menu with an appropriate selection of pub staples with a few extras to keep things interesting.<br/><br/>Service was very good, the only thing stopping me calling it excellent was that it was bordering on over attentive. Food was great, all the meals delivered to our table were of high quality in taste and presentation. I think we've found our new 1st choice in the area for a casual family meal.

Happy Easter everyone! Now you’re all most likely out enjoying the long weekend and not reading about chicken parmas, but this is just a quick update on what we got up to last night. A few weeks back I heard that both The Racecourse Hotel and The Rosstown hotel were putting on a special event – $25 for a parma and pot from 12 – 9 on Thursday April 2nd, with 100% of the profits going directly to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal. This is an idea I was more than happy to throw my full support behind – I wouldn’t be alive without The Royal Children’s, so I know first hand of all the good they do. So last night we loaded up the parma bus and headed out to Malvern East, to the Racecourse Hotel. Now I’m not listing this as an official attempt as it was a one-day thing, so if anything this is more to raise awareness and give some props to a couple of pubs that did a really cool thing. We sat down at the table and were greeted by our first Easter surprise … Such a cool little touch. The pub was packed with hungry parma lovers, which gave me the warm & fuzzies. Full details of the event were attached to the front of t

Finally a Pub with great food. Went to this pub because it is not part of the chain that owns all the pubs in our area and all serve the same frozen reheated meals.<br/>What a find, the place is smaller than the chains yet seems to have more staff, who were all very attentive and really lovely. My wine was not only brought to my table but poured at the table, nice touch. The feel is relaxed local pub but a little more refined.<br/>Now the food, we ordered the twice cooked pork and calamari for entree, the calamari (which is gluten free yay) was so tender and tasty, one of the best I've had and I've had a lot. The pork was nice but then when you had a mouthful with the accompanying pear salad WOW really good.<br/>For mains my husband although tempted by many dishes decided he would try the chicken Parma as he hasn't had a good one in years, he was not disappointed , no heart shaped frozen patty here. It was real chicken and a good thickness. He was full but kept on eating as it was so good and the chips were really good too.<br/>I went for the beef short ribs, (another of their many gluten free options). These were accompanied by potato skins with pesto. My first rib was falling off the bone and the sauce was really tasty, my other 2 were maybe a little dry around the edge for me but that's probably just me and I was so full after one that I couldn't eat the other 2 anyway.<br/>The atmosphere was so nice and we would have had dessert as the ones we saw go past looked nice but there is only 1 gluten free option and it wasn't to my taste and hubby doesn't do desserts.<br/><br/>Price was good too, 2 entrees, 2 mains, 2 beers and a wine $100. Great value <br/><br/>We will definitely be back on a regular basis and if more GF desserts come on the menu I'll be trying them too.

Visited the Racecourse for dinner. The dining area is quite nice, it's somewhere between your old school pub and a bistro. Super friendly staff but the stand out is the food. The chicken Parma ($24) had a quality slab of chicken about 3cm thick, really well cooked, it was generous in size and came with a pretty good salad and crunchy chips. Probably one of the better Parmas I've had and well worth the outlay. Our group all loved their meals. Reasonable wine list, and about 5 or 6 beers on tap including Fat Yak and Guiness. Could probably be a bit more adventurous with the wine list and tap beers, but overall, a surprisingly good experience. We'll all definitely be back!

Great food at a local pub.. Malvern East is no longer "the barren land". For so long we've looked for a pub serving good food, and then the Racecourse renovated and their bistro is serving delicious, consistently good food from a varied menu.<br/>Hubby loves the saltimbocca, so much so that he has it every time. I've tried the fish and chips, the juicy steaks, tasty chicken pasta, the fried chicken and coleslaw..the list goes on. Service is friendly, food comes quickly and we leave happy every time. This is not trendy food, it's well cooked, fresh and a welcome addition to a suburb sadly lacking in options.

Close but not close enough. Been there twice and both times I've been served cold steak. The last time we went there the one staff member was delightful and the other one was really bad.

A Very Pleasant Lunch. Decided on the spur of the moment today to have a pub lunch and chose the Racecourse Hotel as it's been recently renovated. What a pleasant experience! Arriving just before us was a group of older gentlemen, one of whom required assistance to get to his table and be seated. While the waitress was occupied with them, the manager made a point of welcoming us and taking our drink orders. He informed us that there was a new menu today and came to our table to take food orders. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience. The ambiance has been much improved by the recent renovations and the food was fresh, delicious and reasonably priced. I was most impressed, though, by staff and management who were professional, friendly and helpful. They were, in short, hospitable, which is a quality sadly lacking in much of the hospitality industry. I will definitely be back and would recommend the Racecourse Hotel to others in search of a quality pub meal in pleasant surrounds.

Fantastic Food!!!. Food was EXCELLENT!! best pub meal I've had in a long time. Quality produce, fresh, delicious and decent serving size. Recent renovations provide for a much friendlier atmosphere with soft background music and a few TV's for Live sport action. Very friendly and attentive staff including the manger who personally took our orders, whilst a waitress was occupied helping a disabled patron. Will definitely be coming back!

Love the "new" local. Love the new restaurant and menu. Food is really good. The refurbishment has done that place wonders. Its nice to have a decent local pub in the area now.

Just being at the racecourse hotel like the new renovation but found the food very expensive & small in size had fish and chip, fish was 2 pieces that was very small and chips where just cooked

Since reopening the place has taken a new lease on life! The staff are welcoming and friendly! Whilst I haven't had a lot on the menu the Parma and chicken schnitzel are good quality eating.

What can I say. Went here for dinner tonight with the family, was great to see this place back open again!! The food was wonderful, so fresh and tasty and the staff were lovely. We will be back.

Drove passed tonight as we hadn't been in for a while and decided to pop in for tea... Needless to say I was shocked! The venue was fully refurbished and renovated, the layout has changed the gambling and the bistro are fully separated and the food was incredible! All really fresh and high quality and for what you get the price is absolutely worth it! Will definitely be coming here more often!

Massive improvement - Hidden GEM!!. This place has turned a massive corner since the new chefs got a hold of it, the quality of the food is a very pleasant surprise after you get past the pub feel. I went with a group of mates and we shared just about everything, Duck Spring Rolls were a stand out but all was sensational. Disregard old reviews as they might as well be for a different place, restaurant quality food, get around this place while the prices are still good!

Never Again!. Racecourse was a good cheap and cheerful pub - good service, good pub food but NO more. Service is so bad, prices are now restaurant prices and food is ordinary. Currently waiting for a meal - been at least 50 mins and there are only 6 tables of 2 so hardly a large crowd. We will be going elsewhere from now on! Don't go to the Racecourse. Try somewhere else!

Not a fan.... For a local, it's not a bad place however it's not one that entices me to visit again. The food is pretty ordinary and it appears that quantity is their aim, not quality. I would much prefer a delicious smaller meal than an overloaded plate of "here you go".<br/>Acknowledgement from staff would be nice, but then it only takes one or two visits until you realize there are better pubs in the area.

Went for dinner sat night, hugely over priced & disappointed, i had the salmon with pea's, hollandaise & jamon crumbs, not nice at all the crumbs were stale & fish over cooked.

Small things make a big difference. Dinner tonight after the races we headed to the racecourse, I had small expectations, however I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Obviously a new kitchen is involved - smart menu with share dishes, grill selection and interesting mains. For once my rib eye was perfectly cooked, chips were hand cut and triple cooked, and the jus tasted like a jus as opposed to gravox. A solid pub doing solid house made food. Spot on.

Great Sunday Lunch. Went down to the RCH on Sunday for a bite to eat after watching the Stanley Cup Finals. Had the Steak pie and my fianc'e had the Porterhouse steak .Wasn't disappointed pie was delicious and the steak was done to perfection. The prices are reasonable to. Service was good although it has just been taken over by new ownership.

Can it get any worse?. The food at the Racecourse is embarrassing. After being seated at a table close to the kitchen and seeing the microwave in full swing, I wasn't at all surprised to receive a parma within 3 minutes of placing the order. It was horrible and soggy. Clearly manufactured, too many breadcrumbs and not enough "chicken". My friends ordered steak (medium rare, it arrived 20 mins after mine and was well done), and fish and chips. After asking what sort of fish it was, she was told "it's just fish out of a packet". no wonder it was bland and chewy.<br/>Will never go back, the staff weren't even interested in our complaints. They had a like it or lump it attitude. Absolutely disgusting!

A step back in time!. This is one of those rare pubs that has not had a super makeover and price increase!<br/>1990's decor, menu and prices!<br/>Have had some good meals with drinks at bar prices.<br/>Can often get the 'Shopadocket' voucher....buy one meal and get the 2nd meal for $3. Great value!<br/>I will return.

For the price, with or without the vouchers readily available. They Make very nice, affordable steaks, fish an chicken dishes. All served.quite quickly as well. There is a well stocked bar as well. I recommend the porterhouse steak with extra garlic butter and the shrimp starters. We've become regulars here for good reason.

Par for the Course. It was a wintery Melbourne evening when I visited the Racecourse Hotel, in search of some 'no frills', hearty food to satisfy my hunger.<br/><br/>There's nothing overly sophisticated about the food served here, however perhaps it's the honest simplicity, the generous servings and the great value that makes it worth a visit.<br/><br/>In any event, I certainly enjoyed my Porterhouse Steak ($25), which was accompanied by chips & vegies, and a side of mushroom sauce. I don't deny eating more tender steaks in my lifetime, but this was still an enjoyable, tasty piece of meat and everything else on the plate went down a treat.

Established in 1858, The Racecourse Hotel has a long and rich history with the locals in Malvern East.