Review The Mill - Melbourne

We came here for dinner. Although the restaurant hadn't opened yet, they still brought us in and seated us at their window table. This slight gesture brought us relief after a tiring day. Everything else followed perfectly; the food was excellent as per the recommendation from their server. We started with olives and toast, then had slow-cooked pork and seafood basket as mains. We had better for these dishes, but this also does not mean these are no less delicious. With this, we bring our score to 4 out of 5. We would consider coming back to this place, not just for the food but for the overall experience.

Service was very adequate, the owner did great on his feet. The food was delicious especially the mains. Rib eye steak is a must and the Seafood Linguine with Chilli just devine.

Great atmosphere, fun service. Some selection of tap beers. Small plate dishes are great, big plates dishes are good. Had fun.

Size is reasonable for the price Beer tastes good Fries are tasty Mushrooms source is creamy Ribe eye steak has its flavour but overcooked to nearly well done this time Boss is nice and brings warmth to customers

Absolutely delicious and stunning. Seafood linguine was perfectly creamy, and the scallops were juicy. Will return again.

I don’t usually write reviews ever, but I have to… we were pressured into ordering quickly, as the kitchen was about to close for the afternoon. I wish we got there 5 minutes later. Only one beer on tap that was working for starters… then we realised how dirty everything was. I was scared to go to the toilets before eating, but I had to. I nearly threw up when I went in the men’s room- I reckon it hasn’t been cleaned in a long while. When our food came I couldn’t get the smell out of my nose, so I couldn’t eat the well overpriced, below average food. Avoid this place… there’s so many better bars/pubs/restaurants on our city to choose from. The owner seemed nice enough.. if you see this mate, please give the place a good clean and keep it clean and put a bit of love into the food please.

Went there for my daughters 18th earlier this month. We were visiting from interstate. David(owner), the German(waitress), & son (chef) were all great in their roles. Everyone in the group (ranging from 4yrs to 70) had a great time and commented how awesome the food was (& how entree was perfect for our group). At no stage were we rushed out the door. My daughter was made to feel special by making a cocktail. Yes, I did book ( but only about 3 days before), and we were given a limited menu option (but preferences were spoken about, and it suited our group). We had preordered 9 meals, to try and make it easier. David seemed very proud of his establishment and just wanted our group to enjoy their night. He wanted to please and ensure he had enough food etc. It’s impossible to stay fully stocked when you don’t know if you’ll be closed/locked down again next week (or with a few hours notice). Thanks David and crew for a great night.

Initial thoughts were positive but gut feeling was right should not have gone I would avoid at all cost. we ordered our starter and drinks which were disappointing for how much we paid but the best was yet to come, the "crispy" pork belly was certainly crispy it was also black from top to bottom the steak was paper thin and only cooled on one side we found hair on the plate and all in all put us off for for the night the worst part is we were the only ones in the restaurant and the owner was outside smoking with other guests while his "chef" was listing to music on his headphones while cooking our meals all in all we waited over an hour for our food and it was absolutely appualing and inedible. Not to mention the place was not cleaned from other patrons and the bar was extremely dirty

We came here on a whim as we wandered down hardware lane. Should have taken note of the number of people NOT here compared to the surrounding establishments. The good: Staff were friendly, tempranillo was good. The bad: $17 cheese platter consisted of supermarket tasty cheese slices, lavosh, a few dried apricots and three grapes that were past their best. Great for atmosphere, but wouldn't order food again.

We were attracted to the many restaurants and hustle bustle along Hardware Lane on a Friday night. We stopped by The Mill as no wait staff were pressing us to drop by, and were seated very promptly. We only stopped by for some drinks - had the 2 for 1 cocktail special for $22 which is pretty decent.

Big breakfast with all the trimmings after a night on the town.. and a good latte.<br/>Great service, and very reasonably priced.<br/>Definitely come here again.

The food here was expensive and in small portion. Spend $200 here at the restaurant and still ended up having Maccas afterwards.<br/>Don't waste your money here.<br/><br/>

P.S.  I would like to give them a 3.5 but unfortunately Zomato doesn't have a provision to do so. <br/>We had a beautiful Sunday lunch at The Mill. It was a nice sunny day so we wanted to make the most of it but dining outdoors on the Hardware lane. We ended The Mil because of their Chef's special that noon, which was Spaghetti Marinara. They were very welcoming and friendly. <br/><br/>For starters, we had Grilled Squid and Oysters. For the main course, we had Chilli Prawns (starter size) and Spaghetti Marinara. Loved the Squid, Oysters and Spaghetti Marinara but I felt the prawns lacked seasoning though they were cooked perfectly. We had a few beers on tap. They were very generous with the portions, we were struggling to finish what we ordered. What was surprising is the place was empty on such a beautiful day.

This place looks sophisticated and classy from the outset but once you get in its just a dingy substandard pub - not what you expect when you go into the city for dinner and drinks down a Melbourne laneway. The service was ok; the waitresses were friendly. The food was nothing special - nothing you couldnt get from La Porchetta! Or the Sporting Globe! We wouldve probably cut our bill in half if we had've eaten at either of those establishments. The servings were very small for the price you pay and just average in taste. Save your money and time...and the disappointment!

Very average. The food was below standard and price above average. Eggplant parmigiana was burnt at the bottom and lamb Greek salad was chewy (and for $24 rip off - was only bad meat, lettuce, feta and olives). The one decent meal was the BBQ chicken pizza. It was tasty and enjoyable. When told the manager/owner about our experience he was abrupt and ungracious. Do yourself a favour and pick any other restaurant on Hardware lane.

Come on. 15 dollars for alarcart sounds ok. Till 15 dollars for dips and breads equals 3 teaspoons of dips and bread roll sliced in a ibch of its life ... 15 dollars for 3 finger sized pieces of calamari. ..<br/>Come on. Do you think you will get return service?<br/>I would have rathered 50 dollars for a platter i did not have brought for ten bucks at safeway. <br/>No one gets repeat business like this

Fabulous Pumpkin Vege Pizza with Creamy chili prawn. Surprise to see this bar's food is getting better and better. Service is awesome. Staff is very friendly and warmth. Oh forgot to say that chicken wings is brilliant as well.

A hidden gem in the heart of the city. <br/>Decided to have a quick lunch at the Mill on Hardware Lane. I like the atmosphere as you can sit inside and enjoy a meal far away from the hustle and bustle of the city noise and traffic. I like to use my imagination and pretend I'm looking out on the little streets of Venice, but that's just me. Ordered the Bruschetta as an entree and had it with the Chili Prawns, I think it went well together. Had a lemon, lime and bitters with it. The prawns were well cooked and tasty, the chili it came in was spicy and zesty and the bruschetta was nice and filling with a little salad on the side (because we all have to eat our greens). Great ambience and mood, I'd recommend the Mill as a place to take both mates or dates if you're in the city. <br/><br/>Very nice food, great service and staff who were warm, inviting and made me feel welcome. I feel as if the Mill have earned their five stars here (and also feel like others are being a bit overly critical).

First bit of advice: if you go anywhere for dinner, let your better half choose as she'll always be right. 😝<br/><br/>ToFeedTwo were let down by The Mill. Has a gorgeous setting (we sat outside looking over the Hardware Lane) but it is fair to say has a lot more potential. 2 for 1 cocktails is always nice! Winning deal there 👌🏼<br/>The Crispy Pork Belly was tender & the crispy skin was salted perfectly. You would need some extras with this dish. You get a great serving of the pork but little to no sauce & a very small serve of mash. However, the Char Grilled Eye Fillet was not cooked as requested, fed my right hand at best & was not worth the $38 price tag. <br/><br/>Lesson learnt! Nice setting; but there is better places in Hardware Lane!

Very slow service. The place is empty for good reason. Nice view of hardware lane but that's about it. Roast chicken was horrible, slimey skin, with two bits of broccoli past their best. Wished I'd read the other reviews first. Would not return or recommend.

I came here to use an Entertainment Book voucher for lunch - first worry was that I appeared to be the only person in the entire place, on a busy Thursday afternoon.  Ordered the fishermans Basket which came with some very tired seafood in a sauce that seemed to be reheated (it had cooled to solid in almost three minutes).  The battered fish was oily and the chips were salty and overcooked.  To make things worse it was still pretty expense. I can't in good conscience recommend this place to anyone.

Great waitress, attentive and friendly even took the time to write a list of bars to visit that night as we were only in Melbourne for the weekend and had no ideas about the nightlife, food was good prawns were amazing and went back the next day for dinner, salmon was good.

Service was average lady knew nothing about wine, didn't bring out the correct bottle ordered. However we should have stayed with the incorrect wine as the stump jump wine was offensive and acidic. Food very average and we had a discount voucher and felt ripped off.

Had dinner here with my inlaws. The place was empty which I though was unusual for a Saturday night in Hardware Lane. The food was quite average to be honest. We ordered the pumpkin risotto, the eye fillet, the chicken breast and I had the fish if the day. Nice flavours but food was not exceptional. For $40 I would have expected more quality and quantity from my fish. Service was ok. The bill came to $200 which included our meals, a bottle of red and two beers.

Nice waiter was good for a laugh. Risotto with pumpkin seeds was great, pork belly needs to be ordered with sides and the classic Mill burger is a tasty choice.

For a Sunday night in Hardware Lane, it appeared The Mill was the quietest venue on the lane. Not something we usually take as a sign of anything.<br/><br/>We ended up in Hardware Lane as all our other choices were closed for the weekend and decided on The Mill after reading their description of their eye fillet on the menu. It was empty inside. Staff were polite enough, but service was a under par. No offering of water.<br/><br/>We ordered the steaks and although it was eye fillet, we definitely could have done with some steak knives, had they been set at the table.<br/><br/>Eye fillets were generous, but not the best cuts, and the rest of the plate was lacklustre. Being the only order there, we watched as the pass bell was rung twice, and still the staff member was confused as to where to serve.<br/><br/>The meal overall sounded interesting in theory, but failed at execution.<br/><br/>The venue itself is tired and is in need of some work. We love the quaint as much as the next people, but with the bustling Hardware Lane ambience the only thing propping up the atmosphere, that's not really a great sign. <br/><br/>The staff were probably just counting down the hours. No check in, no follow up. Just nothing.<br/><br/>Sadly, cannot recommend. <br/><br/>There are just too many better choices in Melbourne on both sides of the scale, and poor experience at $83. Wouldn't have batted an eyelid at a higher price at it if the quality and service was there.<br/><br/>3.0 for the green beans. They were probably the highlight.

We came here for a date night and it didn't disapoint. We were seated in front of a window over looking harware lane. Food was great l. Service was great.

Four of us had lunch here, and the upstairs space is lovely. Strangely empty, and yet our meals took a considerable time to get to the table. Tasty enough, but menu lacked inspiration, and was fairly pricey for lunch.

$14 for Bombay sapphire. $14. I work in hospo and know that's crazy exspensive for a mid quality gin. 👎🏻.

Average food, but attentive service. In an urgent need for feed, I stumbled across The Mill in Hardware Ln. First disappointment was ordering and finding out after the wine had arrived thaf they had run out of the duck parfait, clearly the most appealing entrée on the menu... but the waiter quickly offered a remedy- a plate of cheeses and meats. Plate arrived lacking pizazz (perhaps i am simply used to a higher standard of dining). Average brie, average salami, average bread (were these supermarket bought??). Nice dressing on the salad. Had to ask for olive oil. Price- $24. Wine was good. Ahh what a shame - the food let this place down. 3 stars.

I'm so glad I stumbled across this place on Zomato while trying to find a place to dine today. Everything about our experience tonight was spot-on! The service was impeccable, and I've no doubt it would be the same even if it were busier- our waiter was absolutely lovely and so hospitable, making sure we were enjoying our meals and even bringing us a plateful of extra crackers to mop up our delicious duck liver parfait. It really would have been a shame to let that go to waste! The food was delicious without being pretentious- something that is a refreshing change in Melbourne's dining scene. This place definitely deserves an A+ and I'd urge you all to try The Mill at least once!

I didn't find it overpriced at all. The meal was very well cooked and presented, the service was friendly and efficient and the drinks good value. It's not a five star restaurant but it's not pretending to be, just a good place to eat in a major city centre.<br/>

I have been here a few times. It's usually not full with people. The waiters are friendly the menu... If you are watching your figure not a good place to go. <br/><br/>The food is good but over priced, there is technique here & they get it. The food is cooked beautifully but it lacks that something special making it unfortunately forgettable

We ordered a Seafood basket snd we got a piece of fish, some chips and a chowder with a couple of prawns, a couple of scallops, some mussels and some pippies. No where does it mention a chowder. Lactose intolerant people would not be happy with the lack of details.

Based on what my friend and I had, you don't come here expecting sensational flavours or cutting-edge techniques, but what appears to be on offer is decent-sized portions of pretty good food (it's not often I'm pretty much full after a single main and half of a side-dish).<br/><br/>I had the "pan roasted chicken"... it turned out to be two good-sized chicken breasts cooked very nicely (still moist all the way through, which is no mean feat) with some slices of baked peach (cold - which I wasn't expecting), some chunks of nicely baked potato, shredded bacon and some (underdone, for my mind) brocolli.  It was a big meal and all pretty tasty.<br/><br/>Friend had the lamb shank.  It came with a lot of sauce (a very tomatoey concoction with a strong taste of sage) and a decent supply of mashed potato.  Dish could have done with a bit more meat, but it was tasty, nicely cooked and a good-sized portion.<br/><br/>Side was the "cauliflower grattan" - perhaps the sauce was a little more runny than I'd have liked, but it was still nice (and very, very hot when it got to the table).<br/><br/>Yes, it may be a little pricey for the food provided, but that is probably down to location. Overall, no complaints.<br/><br/>If you're in the area and are looking for something roughly equivalent to a good pub-style meal, you probably won't go too far wrong here.

Terrible service, food average at best, we had a woman next to us return her steak as she asked for medium rare but it came out well done, instead of apologising they told her she was wrong! Our food was over priced, then they tried to add on 2.5% surcharge for paying by card! Not once did the waiter ask how our meal was... So disappointing!

The place was packed with people of all genres closing out the working week and was friendly, cosy and filled with lots of intimate

Rude staff. Was looking for a place to eat with friends, came across Charlie's Bar and I was verbally abused by one of their staff with satirical humor about my well being. Having chosen to not eat here but dine else where we were still being harassed by their sarcastic and rude behavior. As we got up to leave (the manager and one of their workers) mocked us verbally as well as through their actions. Will not be coming or recommending this place to anyone due to my negative experiences at this eatery.

Terribly overpriced, not good. We regret coming here, so many wonderful dining options around and unfortunately we ate here, tasteless poor quality food, the presentation is deceiving, the only flavour is salt and the drink options are limited. The service was not outstanding either, terribly overpriced for such tasteless low quality food.

RUINED CHRISTMAS!!!!!. My husband and i wandered in for relaxing christmas eve lunch.the menu looked great and the waiter promised great quality as this restaurant did not give any freebies like the other hardware lane restaurants.DO NOT BE DECEIVED!!!!!my husband fish of the day tasted microwaved and ridiculously salty for $40. my pork belly was dry inside and had a soggy skin that was $30.i agree with everyone else here, over priced s***.<br/>avoid.

After wandering down many a laneway, we decided to go against 'the big sell' in Hardware Lane, and were so pleasantly surprised. The food was absolutely lovely, decent portion size but not excessive and reasonably priced.<br/><br/>My mother had the lamb salad, perfectly cooked, with an equal share of lamb to salad. I had the grilled chicken with peach and bacon, with potatoes that I loved. Wonderful combination of flavours. <br/><br/>We liked not being pressured and bribed to eat there, if the food is good it will sell itself.

Bad, overpriced food - avoid!. There aren't words to describe how poor the food is here. I ordered the risotto with pumpkin, pine nuts and goats cheese. It was a meal comprising of 90% badly cooked rice, a few obligatory pieces of pumpkin thrown in, half a dozen pine nuts on the top and 2 little pieces of cheese. If I wanted to pay $22 for rice I would have made decent risotto at home! My partner got the $30 pork belly, so average, very bland. Avoid, this soul-less restaurant, there are so many nice eaterys in the area- I guess even Melbournian's can get caught in the tourist trap!

Two hours for raw chicken. I couldnt believe how bad can be a restaurant. My friend request on arrival chai late the guy went inside. After 30 min asked another waitress and we found out they dint make chai lates. Would you know your menu.<br/><br/>after wait two hour for our mels it was raw and very average.<br/>i wouldnt go there

Horrible. Overpriced. Avoid. There are no words to describe how bad the food is here.<br/><br/>Just don't.

Terrible. Overpriced. Terrible service.. This is the worst meal I have had in Melbourne! $180 got us dinner for three people:<br/>1. soggy gloopy gnocchi drowning in oil. <br/>2. Fettuccini that was stone cold in the Centre with a bland ragu<br/>3. pumpkin and beetroot pizza on a pita bread base <br/><br/>The waitress forgot our drink order three times. we had to wait 45 minutes for the meals and there were only three tables in. <br/><br/>We were charged $24 for a martini even the though to board said happy hour $10 martinis ... it was the most overpriced, disgusting food and we then had a 20 minute wait to pay the bill ( wishing we had done a runner) <br/><br/>AVOID

Gnocci w seared beef & mushroom to die for and confit salmon was excellent all so. Lengthy wait time on food though

Crap service, ditzy staff that can't remember an order. Waiting times excessive. With no body else their. Forgivable if busy

Really disappointing. Roulade was dry. Pizza was overseasoned with pepper and Napoli sauce had chilli seeds in it- was all you could taste. Ragu on the menu said absolutely nothing about chilli- came out, had chilli seeds in the sauce, was all you could taste. When the waitress was questioned she lied and said it specified chilli on the menu when it didn't. After she took our complaint she went to tell the chef, however never got back to us about it. After this, the waitress avoided our table whilst we sat waiting for our plates to be cleared. It got to the point where I had to approach her. As I was paying I voiced my concerns, and the waitress was like oh yeah.. I checked with the chef he agreed the sauce was too hot. As a positive they refunded our meals.

Cocktails and food were great. But the waiter didn't speak loud enough so it was impossible to hear what he was saying.

Great position. With so much choice in the cbd it really is not worth trying. The service is slow and the food is average when you compare it to what is on offer in other parts of the city.

Stingy and incompetent. Smallest pasta main course i have ever seen .. Less than one third what you would get as an entree at any other restaurant .. They also forgot our order and we had to ask them after 2 hours where it was

Walk out. Went to The Mill last night, waited 45mins, still not even a drink so the 6 of us walked out and went accross to Pops and had beautiful Tapas, great friendly service and reasonable prices. Will never recommend The Mill, very poor.

Just rude.. Couldn't even finish making a booking this time without effeminate condescension from rude staff. Failed at the start line I'm afraid.

A little overpriced, however out whole dining experience was great! Staff very very friendly, polite and attentive. Pork belly was fantastic!!

A shocker!. I dined at The Mill on a Sunday night with my partner. The service was terrible. Our waitress was rude, ignorant, clumsy and argumentative. Thank god for the chef who did a fine job with (overpriced) meals which we washed down with a 400% marked up shiraz. I gritted my teeth in silence until I watched the mouthy waitress and barman collaborate and collectively measure our $14 per glass dessert wine using a shot glass and then pour it into minature port glasses full to the brim. As other reviewers have indicated there is every reason other places on Hardware Lane have greater patronage and I suggest you try one of them instead.

Service was fair, food was alright, but it's way overpriced for what you get. The fact far more restaurants are populated in Hardware Lane tells you something.

Good service, great selection of food. Perfect for a light lunch and sharing tapas with friends. $50 tasting plate was shared amongst 4 adults comfortably. Recommend.

Disappointing in the extreme. Attended a luncheon for 20 in December. Summed up: we received poor food and very poor service. The meals took over 2 hours to arrive. When the staff were asked about the delay, they replied the problem was the 'small kitchen'. When I asked to speak to the manager about the delay in the meals, she asked me sarcastically 'would I like her to cook it herself'. When the meals finally came, they arrived in dribs and drabs. We were given dips that had not been ordered and the duck was I edible. Rarely have I eaten a worse meal in Melbourne.

AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. I attended the mill with 20 other work colleagues. We had booked weeks before, and the restaurant knew we were coming for a lunch meal.<br/><br/>We were seated, and offered water in copious amounts. We ordered, not long afterwards.<br/><br/>TWO HOURS LATER... We received our food, in dribs and drabs. <br/><br/>There was no apology, no explanation, no discount.....nothing. <br/><br/>An absolute disgrace, and a pathetic excuse for a restaurant. <br/>The waiter got some of the orders wrong, and tried to blame it on us.<br/><br/>I ordered fish and chips, in which time I could have caught my own fish, grown a potato and cooked it up my self. I got two pieces of fish, which were the size of fish fingers - yes, I'm being serious, and a pathetic handful of chips. The waiter kept filling up out water....but, we wanted food. Not more and more and more water. Please.<br/><br/>This cost me $26. <br/><br/>I will never, ever go back here again and I will tell everyone I know, to never ever go near this place.

Terrible. I don't usually write reviews but this place was so bad that I feel I have no choice. We attended The Mill for a xmas party. The experience started badly with poor service, it took some time for a drinks order to be taken, and it went down hill from there. The issues can be summarised as follows:<br/>1. There was no sparkling mineral water - which restaurant runs out of sparkling mineral water;<br/>2. Service was slow, and staff were not attentive. We also waited a long time for the food to come out;<br/>3. We had bread and dips, and the bread was stale, and only 1 table spoon of dip was provided of each flavour (the dips appeared processed not freshly made);<br/>4. A few of us had pizzas, it was apparent in my view that the base was frozen and hadn't been thawed out before cooking, making the base tough and hard to eat;<br/>5. The tasting plate that was bought out was full of pork and meat products, so the vegetarians and non pork eaters were left starving (as the bread and dips were terrible);<br/>6. To top it off we paid a fortune, when for the same price we could have gone to somewhere like Bistro Guillaume or a comparable quality restaurant.<br/>7. Some of our party were so disgusted they went down stairs to eat elsewhere and came back after lunch....<br/>8. No one asked us how our meals were or whether everything was ok.<br/><br/>I was bitterly disappointed on this visit, as were the rest of our team. I hope that the Mill team read this and address the issues, there are a lot of choices in Melbourne.

Co ordinator. Booked for Christmas for large numbers. lunch was almost 2 hours late and one of my colleague did not even get her order because the waiter had taken the wrong order after all that waiting.<br/>no communication from Manager why it was late. no apology and did not even give discount, really poor management. colleagues ordered duck and they were hard as a rock therefore they were returned to the kitchen. meal average. would not recommend this place to anyone.

Disappointing. Slow service. Flat water served in San Pellegrino bottles. Champagne not opened at the table. The service was slow.<br/>Tip: insist they open any bottle you order (including mineral water) at your table in front of you.

Bittersweet... Came here for a company dinner and was quite happy with my entree and main but not so much the dessert. For entree, I had the scallop and chorizo dish which was mouthwatering (would be even better if it had come in main size), for main I had the eye fillet steak which was cooked very well but unfortunately dessert was a miss for me. Had the orange flavoured tart which was sickeningly sweet served with 'delice' ice cream which was the biggest let down. Part of it was my fault for not asking what the 'delice' ice cream was but it's rare to be disappointed with ice cream. The first spoonful was enough to ruin what was a pleasant night to a not so pleasant night. The so called 'delice' flavour was of goat's curd- it's an acquired taste, I know but I gave my work colleague (a cheese eater) to try and even she'd agreed that it was foul- I'm sorry guys but I hope you get the ice cream right next time!

Wonderful wonderful food!!! I had the salmon with sweet potato purée and asparagus. Can I just say I have never had such crispy skinned salmon?! It was perfect!

Unsatisfied. I was very disappointed. I ordered Tempura with chips and salad. Hardly any fish and all batter and oily, chips were saturated with salt, and salad never came with dish, we had to ask for it, and when it did come out we had to share it between 2 of us, size of salad bowl was the size of a peanut dish, not worth $26. Had to wait over half hour for our meal.<br/>My friends had Margarita's and they were dry and tasteless.<br/>Will not be going back. Don't know how people have given good reviews.... I am shocked. Ive got better meals as in quality and quantity in a pub and pay half the price.

Really nice restaurant, the salmon and duck were incredible! Friendly staff and nice atmosphere. Would dine here again.

I have never written a review before but wanted to say how underwhelmed I was by this restaurant on hardware lane.<br/> I met a friend for dinner and did not mind a quiet spot on a Thursday night... 2 for 1 cocktails sold us.. But way too sweet and flavours artificial and I'm happy I did not pay full price for them!!<br/>The biggest issue was that mains took over 80 mins to come out and we had to ask for them thinking we were forgotten. The staff were apologetic but for a quiet restaurant the staf were few and far between their visits! When mains did arrive we were given a complimentary rocket salad to apologise.. We needed it.. We were starving. All in all the lack of attention in the restaurant, massive wait when it was not busy and underwhelming food made for a disappointing dinner.. Sad for the fact it was hardware lane where the variety and competition for business is large!

Worst prawn linguini I have ever had! I'm sure it was tomato base straight out of a can. Whilst hardware lane has its appeal, I get put off the moment every restaurant doorman tries to drag u into their restaurant. Lyon st revisited. <br/>Never again for me

Sour faced front of house. Nice atmosphere sitting out on the lane under the heaters. Food was slightly expensive but nice enough. However, the atmosphere was spoilt somewhat by the sour-faced front of house girl that was lurking around putting us off our food. She was really rude and had a bored look / scowl on her face for the entire evening. Nice to see the staff enjoying their jobs!!

Glorious. Sunday lunch on hardware lane, always a delight, but especially when dining here. we enjoyed the trio of dips and the burger and chicken mains. everything was great, staff are nice and helpful, funny too. Would highly recommend a visit.

Went for dinner with a party of four and had a fantastic experience. Very surprised by the bad reviews on here... Had fantastic service, a free glass of house wine each and bread and the mains we had were divine, lamb rack and chicken were a highlight. Would go again for sure, very reasonable price. Better quality food than others on Hardware Lane

Don't do eat here. Being.... Don't do eat here. <br/><br/>Being a big fan of hardware and it's charming atmosphere we had to check this place out. <br/><br/>It is by far the WORST restaurant I have possibly ever been to in my life. <br/><br/>Staff are extremely rude and un attentive, food was served cold and the wine list is terrible. <br/><br/>Enjoy a real dining experience elsewhere in the lane. We won't be returning again. <br/><br/>Extremely disappointed.

Brilliant!. My girlfriend and I visited Melbourne this week, and went to the Mill for a romantic dinner. The atmosphere was sensational, the service was delightful - made us feel really special! The food was fantastic, we had a small bite, a main each and dessert and couldnt possibly eat another bite! Very fantastic night out!

Atmosphere. Second time I have eaten here and this place does good standard food in a fun atmosphere. Hardware Lane has a great feel about it and this place is in the middle of all the action. The menu is modern and well priced and the food is generally of a good standard - not fine dining but definaiely a notch above most modern Australian restaurants. <br/><br/>Wine list is Ok, you will find something that suits. If you can catch an outside table for lunch on a sunny day you will really enjoy the experience.

Very Disappointed. It was my boyfriends birthday and I booked at The Mill with more than a months notice for 25 people. On arrival, staff were completely rude to us and also to our guests claiming we were apparently late (maybe 5 minutes). We were being seated when I discovered our party wasn't seated together at one table but over two. Given that I had booked so far in advance and there was another table next to ours that wasn't being used, I asked if this could be fixed. Apparently it couldn't. The food was mostly nice but one of our table's food came a long time before the others so we had half the people finished their meal whilst the other half were still waiting for theirs.<br/>Definitely would not recommend for a large group!

We waited over an hour for our meals, the Entrees were served after the main courses which were all lacklustre in flavour. We ordered two of the pea and mint risotto's which were both dry, along with two seared chicken breasts with kipflers and a rocket salad, I had to send my back as everything on the plate was cold, the flavour of the reduction burnt and ghastly. Prices defiantly do not match value, with very small portions being served. The staff however were very attentive and apologetic. We will not be returning and would highly not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

First impressions. So, here's what gets my goat, not just about the Mill. I've heard this in other establishments too....<br/> <br/>We sat down and my companion had thoughtfully brought some wine with him. The waitress seated us and almost the first words out of her mouth were “I’m sorry but we’re not licenced for BYO”. <br/> <br/>Now, I don’t mind if a venue has a no byo policy – they are entirely within their rights to do so and I’m happy to comply with their house rules. <br/> <br/>What I do object to is being bs'd to the second I walk in the door. Especially hiding house rules by pretending its law when it’s not. Not the best way to greet customers. <br/> <br/>It’s the same licence. If you’re covered to sell and serve then you’re covered for BYO as well as on site sales for consumption on site.<br/> <br/>Very happy to buy your booze if that’s your policy. If that’s your policy, just say so. Not happy with the fibbing or the assumption that we wouldn't spot the fib.<br/><br/>I should mention I don't think this was the waitress' fault. Most likely she had been told to say this by management. <br/><br/>Otherwise an average meal. Pork belly and strawberry sling cocktails were great, as was our waiter for the rest of the evening, but the other courses were a bit lacklustre (carpaccio and sticky date pudding).

Rude and unhelpful management. Went to visit a friend during happy hour after work. We confirmed with the staff that happy hour, 2 for 1 cocktails was still on. We then ordered some G&Ts with lime without even looking at the menu. When the bill came we questioned it as we thought it was happy hour. They said G&Ts weren't cocktails like beer isn't a cocktail and it wasn't their job to warn us that G&Ts aren't part of happy hour. When I asked them what a cocktail is, they said "It's not my job to tell you what a cocktail is!". Unbelievable. If you're going to be strict with your definitions, then maybe you should know what you're talking about.<br/><br/>A cocktail now means almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol, an older definition is a drink with 3 or more ingredients, one of which is a spirit. (A G&T with lime fits either definition.) <br/><br/>We gave up and paid and they slammed the change down in front of us.<br/><br/>A management that cared about future business would have explained that we had misunderstood, explained why a G&T with lime isn't a cocktail and then let us have the 2 for 1 deal anyway. But they didn't see it that way and we won't be going back.

Staff friendly and helpful, my wife had the burger with fat chips she said it was sensational, I had the duck soo soo I have had better. A bit expensive BUT nice area to eat.

Husband and I had a fabulous meal at the mill tonight. Chose a lovely bottle of wine and then shared 4 different snack items. Our favorite was the duck liver parfait..... Absolutely stunning. The staff were attentive without being in your face.... Especially Ellen. She knew her stuff, was able to tell us the specials for the night in great detail. Only disappointing thing was Charlie's bar was closed......lucky we are in town for a few nights. Charlie here we come!!

I was taken here by a friend for my birthday. We had the haloumi cheese and cinnamon calamari for entree. The haloumi was very tough but the calami tasted great. The only let down was that the portion size was extremely small, even for an entree , for 15/16 dollars it realy wasn't worth it. For mains we had the grilled salmon and roasted pork belly. The salmon was cooked perfectly and and the dressing was fantastic. The pork belly was also a good meal overall but lacked seasoning and was a bit bland, especially the mash.<br/>Service was okay. It was sometimes hard to get a waiters attention, even though there was sometimes three of them standing at the front podium where guests enter. I can see why other reviewers commented on the service, for that standard of restaurant, you expect the waiting staff to be more attentive rather than be talking and joking with other hosts from the opposite restaurants. <br/>Overall a good meal, but definately do not get the standard of dinning experience you expect for the price you pay. For the meals above and a couple of cocktails, we paid over $160. Not too bad for two entrees and mains but the portion sizes were quite small so felt ripped off. We were hungry again after about an hour and ate down china town.

I will never come back here and strongly disliked this venue. The air conditioning didnt work, the food was tasteless and bland and worst of all the staff were rude and unhelpful!

THE RUDEST MANAGEMENT AND WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!<br/>Went for dinner with 8 others New Year's Eve and waited over an hour for food!!! Such a disgrace to be a restaurant in Hardware Lane, get better customer service at McDonalds!!!<br/>People like this should not be supported

Lovely dinner - offered free bottle of wine as we entered and had fabulous duck dish, great atmosphere and attentive staff. Overall great dinner would go back.

Good food & service, recommended. Really enjoying mid week birthday meal, the waitress was lovely and attentive and everyone enjoyed their 2 courses. A little bit expensive for the portions but overall I would recommend. Request an indoor table by the window to get the hardware lane action with a little bit of space.

Had friends visiting & a group of 8 of us tried The Mill. Everyone enjoyed their food but the general feeling was that it was overpriced. There was also a DJ in the bar below which was good for pre dinner drinks, this however became irritating when we were eAting upstairs & the music (mainly commercial dance) was blaring.

Nice meal, nice atmosphere, not big serves but quite tasty food enjoyed.

Worst experience ever, never go back!. My friends and I ordered from the Tapas Menu, we spent over $100 on 4 Tapas dish, and they all came with tiny serves... the worst was the mini burger, it came with 1 tiny burger... Tapas is meant to be shared, how do 4 people share a tiny burger? an absolute ripoff! we left hungry after spending over $100, had to find somewhere else to eat! I will not recommend this place to anyone!

Run of the mill...with a few misses.. Work lunch for 6 guests on a cold and wet day meant we had pretty much the place to ourselves - first failure was to seat us next to the French windows with a draught. After a bit of fussing when requested for us to be moved, the table was re-set elsewhere. Warm bread with oil was a nice touch and warmed us up a bit too.<br/><br/>The menu is a bit ho-hum with the occasional highlight, a lot of stock standard dishes like the salmon, but it was cooked well and presented on a moreish avocado mix, in the high $20s. Mini burger was quite good with a fat and juicy patty, tasty cheese, piquant sauce and crunchy salad leaves and capsicum. It came with a small side of chips, and was very good value for around $10.<br/><br/>In the same price category was the rare beef and noodle salad. Beef was chewy, not rare, and the sauce was heavy and cloying. Coriander was fresh and crisp but the Thai basil was wilted with age. Butter sautéed mushroom were the standout dish, a side that was better than some of the mains.<br/><br/>Duck was very disappointing - both serves ordered by the table were presented with burned skin, and with a strange vegetable steamed pudding that looked stodgy. When the burned food was brought up with the waiter, he said he'd mention it to the chef, and although the dishes weren't replaced, we were offered free tea or coffee in recognition of the problem. I wondered if that was the right response - 4 guests took up the offer, instead of the $30+ main being removed from the bill. What l want to know is why the kitchen sent out food like that in the first place.<br/><br/>Service was acceptable but not great. Having to ask the waiters twice to turn down the sound system suggested they were more interested in the quality and volume of Australian music (Sia, in case you were wondering) than the experience of their guests. <br/><br/>Might consider coming back for drinks to Charlie's bar and for the music selection but not for the food.

Discovered my fav Pinot Gris here.. We started off with some drinks and munchies down at the Charlie's bar, we had the entire table for ourselves as we were close to 12 people, the bar houses a wide variety of drinks to suit almost everyone. <br/><br/>The food (Wagyu Beef and Salmon) and wine (Holly's Garden Pinot Gris) were the highlight of the evening! The restaurant overall has a bar like feel but dishes out fine dining restaurant like food. It does get a little noisy on a Friday night because of its proximity to other restaurants in the lane. The place is quite reasonably priced and I'd definitely revisit when I get an opportunity.<br/><br/>Ambience - 1/3 <br/>Service 3/5 <br/>Food - 7/10<br/>Visit Again - 1/2<br/>12/20

Steer clear. Despite promoting itself as the sole 'fine-dining' experience on Hardware Lane (and hence the only place where touts DON'T vie for your business, I'd recommend eating at other fine-dining establishments that are actually worthy of the name.<br/><br/>The roasted pork belly was very fatty and despite being rolled in a mixture of apple, cinnamon and chestnut, still managed to retain an unwanted porky, meaty smell. The garlic mash was almost non-evident. Salmon was passable, but the chai-crusted duck was the only highlight of the meal.<br/><br/>Service was slightly too snooty for our tastes, prices didn't match the quality nor quantity.; I'd say this restaurant would be better placed on Collins St. where the surrounding competition would inevitably force 'The Mill' to straighten up its act and start behaving like the restaurant that it claims to be.

Very nice dining experience. 4 different mains at the table all a cracker. Cocktails also a hit with the girls.

Simple, tasty food hit the spot after a long day at work. Menu did lack some imagination,had the pork belly which was solid without being spectacular. Would go back!!

Well, what can I say?! What a divine experience. My life long partner and I ventured out into hardware lane this evening and were greeted rather overwhelmingly by spruiker after spruiker, until we came across this small, confident yet humble Asian girl that softly and welcomingly introduced us the Mill retaurant's thoroughly enticing menu. We were neither forced or coaxed, but simply informed about the menu and why it was special, which, after taking a seat at a lovely table outside, we soon enough found out why and how. We were delicately presented with a drinks menu, offered water and allowed sufficient time to just settle in until our waiter presented us promptly with the food menu. The service throughout the evening was superb and not overbearing. The waiter was present when necessary. Our food arrived on time, it was quite exceptional considering how busy the restaurant was and previous reviews I had read. I love it, as did my partner. I had the fantastic pork belly, whic was perfectly complemented with the pear, whilst my partner had the lamb rack, another excellent dish. All in all, definitely a restaurant I would recommend to anybody. Utterly exceptional.

After the numerous amount of people trying to force me and my boyfriend to eat at their restaurant, we came across the Mill where we were greeted so kindly by the host, explained the menu to a necessary extent. We were then lead to a table and instantly felt so welcomed, i just felt so comfortable. We were then greeted by our server, a random but very funny tall man. <br/><br/>The food was absolutely beautiful! We started,with their tasting plate which was generously filled for 40 dollars, it was a mixture of their tapas menu. For mains, I had the lamb rack that seemed to have just melted in my mouth with glory. My man had the rolled pork belly which apparently was also wonderful along with its sauce and mashed potato! <br/><br/>Overall, the environment was wonderful all cozy and warm not just because of the heaters but also the warmth from all the kind staff. I will definitely come back and have this wonderful experience again!

OVERPRICED + EXTREMELY RUDE MANAGEMENT. Not only their foods are extremely overpriced, they are the ABSOLUTE WORTH restaurant with the RUDEST MANAGEMENT I've ever been to in my life. PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT restaurants like this as this would DROP THE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP STANDARDS in Australia. Read more to find out why.<br/><br/>I was originally there to have dinner with 2 friends. So I told them we are looking for a table for 3 for drinks and dinner. We started with drinks, but then our plan changed and we decided just to stay for drinks and go somewhere else for dinner later. When I told the girl (apparently the manager) about the change in the plan, she looked at me in a very serious way and said "Ok I need the table back then", literally kicking us out because we decided not to have dinner there!! We could just stay and have more drinks and I believe this is not how customers should be treated. <br/><br/>She brought the bill and threw it on the table in a very rude way and charged us $4 extra (my friend got the same drink half an hour before for $8 but this time she charged me $12). I signed the bill and then gave it to her with a smile and politely said: "Ok here you go, but your attitude was very inappropriate". She started acting very rude and talking fast and loud not giving me a chance to talk. I said I've never been kicked out of a restaurant in Australia just because we decided not to have dinner there! She argued that they changed the table for us, but there were quite a few empty tables there, so it wasn't like we were taking the space for others who were queuing up to have dinner! I politely said: "With your attitude, I'd never come back here and the first thing I'm gonna do right now is to submit a review on Google." She replied in a very rude way: "Go do whatever you want!". I asked: "Do you wanna get your manager for me?". She said: "I am the manager!!" and the pointed me to the exit, literally kicking me out. <br/><br/>This has been the rudest behaviour I've ever seen/heard in my life. I read other reviews for this restaurant and others complained the service was too slow and prices were too high. Please do not support restaurants like this. The food they provide may cost them 10 times cheaper than what we pay and yet they don't even know how to treat their customers,

My first time eating here. After being bugged by many other restaurants on Hardware lane we decided to dine at the Mill for lunch. Our lovely waitress recommended the $18 wagyu steak with fries and a glass of red to match it. Steaks were cooked to perfection. Followed by a delicious cappuccino. I would highly recommend going to the Mill for lunch and the outstanding service from our english waitress.

A few of us dropped in for lunch and were squeezed on to a table. I was surprised that a venue with a pricey menu would have inexperienced junior wait staff. We ordered from the specials board and the meals were average. Two of us ordered wagyu beef with fries and if they'd been served with a side of salad, I would have been satisfied and called it a great pub meal. Sadly the waiting service ended after our meals had been served and we had to look for staff to get the bill (found inside, changed into casual clothing, having a chat).

Very ordinary. The website enticed us, the menu excited us, the wait for food didn't bother us, the food itself was dry and just "felt" like it was made without care or attention, kind of like bulk food at bad wedding reception might taste like.<br/><br/>For bulk made food, I'd go to a nice bistro and pay less any day. Won't go back.

Disappointing. Service is below average and it's a struggle to get the attention of the staff. Food is overpriced. I ordered the worst bowl of chips for $8 and they forgot my actual order. They were flavourless and dripping with oil. And whilst I appreciate their commitment to having the nice salt on the table, a pinch of salt isn't enough for a table of six. Service is pitifully slow and it takes in excess of 40 minutes to get a meal out at lunch time. Additionally, we were told at 12.50pm that they had only one steak left, but there's a whole extra lunch hour there! How do they not have enough?

Service Please. All in all; a nice place for lunch with it's vibrant surroundings and other restaurants in close proximity. It's a lane, full of live and chatter with a constant traffic of people walking past.<br/><br/>A nice variety on the menu, with lunch specials at $15. On the other hand, the main menu was a bit pricey in my opinion.<br/><br/>The only thing that I feel that was lackluster was the service.

Half Decent. The service was really slow - waitress walked away in the midst of taking our order !!! The food was nice but definitely overpriced. The $15 lunch option sounded promising but the serving size was tiny.

What a joke!!!. I have been to The Mill for dinner numerous times and have also recommended them to many friends and colleagues who have also dined there. I recently purchase a dinner voucher and received the WORST customer service EVER!!! When trying to redeem my voucher, I basically could not get in, although my brother managed to make a booking within 30mins after I was told they were FULLY BOOKED. When I spoke to them on the phone, I received nothing but attitude and rudeness. I will not be dining there again and wikll be telling my friends of this experience which has left a bad taste in my mouth!!

Uninspiring.. Had a work lunch today at the Mill Restaurant.<br/>I love the concept of Hardware Lane. I had never tried The Mill in the past, but having had dined in other Hardware Lane restaurants, I went to The Mill not expecting much.<br/>Unfortunately, I wasn't disappointed.<br/>The ingredients were of low quality. Whilst the waiters were fantastic (honestly, I'd rate it higher just because of their attentiveness and care for clients), the food was uninspiring.<br/>I ordered the quail for entree, which came out on a board on top of some leaves with a bit of what appeared to be tomato chutney. No idea why I didn't get a plate - the tomato was too runny for it to come out on a dry board, and I fought through most of the entree trying to not spill any sauce on the table. The quail itself (or, half a quail) was too dry.<br/>My main (salmon) was overcooked, and the "smashed" potatoes were not only not smashed (they were served whole), but they were undercooked.<br/>Not pleasant.<br/>For dessert, I had a twice cooked pear, which came on the same board that my quail was served on. Again, not exactly the best idea, as the pear was poached - hence, the first time I tried cutting it with a spoon, it resulted in pear juice running all over the table.<br/>The hazelnut mascarpone with drunken strawberries didn't have any strawberries; they came, sliced, as a garnish next to the pear.<br/>The concoction was nice though, and the crunchiness of the hazelnut was pleasant.<br/>Overall, not pleasant enough to warrant liking the rest of the meal.<br/><br/>My opinion? Try getting a table at Campari House or Pop.

Waited 45 mins for our table as it was double booked. Starter off with haloumi entree and and mixed dips. Ok. Steak was nice, salmon was cooked well done when ordered medium rare. The service was ok.

Bad bad bad. The worst eating experience I have ever had. I ordered the wagu beef steak during a quiet lunch session. It ended up taking one hour to come out. When it did eventually come out, it was a rump steak about the size of a golf ball. I actually thought they were having a laugh. I ended up sending it back in disgust, I flipped the table and left. All round bad times...