Review The Swan Hotel - Richmond

We frequently have our Friday night work drinks at the Swan and they never disappoint! The staff are lovely and very accommodating. It's such a good atmosphere, we love it here!

Great food with big servings... Nice people with all welcoming smiles

Steak sanga was good. It's getting hard to see a screen, the floor plan isn't open any more. It's like walking back in time in the main bar...I miss sticky carpet. Queues haven't changed. Good crowd, even better these days. Hotter. Not as young, as in jail bait.

Don’t recommend eating a meal here. Tables and floor were all sticky as if never been cleaned. Food was average. Ordered a steak to come with mash and beans charged me an extra $3 for this and then brought meal out without it and refused to refund me my $3 nor provide the mash and veg. Also ordered a chicken schnitzel and received a chicken Parma. The staff member was really rude when we questioned him about this and had no interest in fixing the issue. Overcharged and unhappy with our dining experience.

Their pineapple and strawberry mocktail is AMAZING! A group of us went for their Thursday steak night and it was great! Very friendly staff they got there!

Qld school Melbourne pub. Friendly vibe with well priced good and drinks. Don't expect any special decor or modern gastro pub look, this is an old school pub meant as a catch up place to have a few drinks and a reasonably priced feed.

Full compliments to the Swan Hotel and in particular a server called Lachie. We were running late for a music concert and we were awaiting our food. After telling Lachie this he went the extra mile and told his manager, of which then they refunded our meals for us so we could make the concert in time. What a legend

Booked the Swan for a birthday function two years in a row now, they're very accommodating and will reserve multiple tables at no charge. Had to cancel this year due to covid 3 hours before the booking and they had no issues and no charge. Great establishment.

No frills, fun pub. Super busy over the weekend, lots of meal deals and a feel good vibe.

3.5<br/>Swan has certainly tidied its image since I used to hang out here in my youth. Didn’t venture very far from the tram stop before taking advantage of the happy hour beer and sinking a pint of Colonial draft to ease me out of a shocking week at work. Tasteful courtyard and a bar area at the front. $8 Ausi beer pints on happy hour and they even had quite a few gins available for the Mrs. we sat alfresco on the street away from the smokers.

Nothing against people who work here but the choice of beer is meh; same boring Furphy/150-Lashes/Kosciusko/S&W-PacificAle/Panhead/Guinness (majority of these are owned by Lion Holdings, which acquired 50% of craft beer makers in recent years). Next door Public House and Harlow (previously known as GB, which was well-stocked) serves the same crap (you’ll be scratching your head wondering if these joints really care about differentiating themselves from their competitors!!). <br/><br/>ToBeHonest nothing satisfying can be found nearby and if you are a good-beer aficionado (in other words if you like beverages offered in the inner-northern suburbs), then make your way towards Richmond station to Holliava (right opposite the station), which serves 4-Pines/Goose-Island-IPA/Kaiju with decent happy-hour discounts. Moreover, they encourage you to get UberEats from anywhere, giving you a wider choice instead of getting stuck with the expensive-yet-tasteless dishes offered by pubs.

Had my 21st here and the food was really good. The people were super helpful and everything went so smoothly. Good place for a chill night out

The swan is always the last place of think of for food, mainly because it has always been a venue we are in post 9pm! But recently we dined here and the food was really good. Stick with the burger, parma or the steak sanga and you can't go wrong!

Craaazy busy on a Saturday night! Popped in at about 11.00pm to grab a cider with a friend. Great atmosphere but absolutely packed full of people. The dance area was fun, the dj was playing a good mix of old school pop/rnb but we left after about 40mins in desperate need of some fresh air.

Are you an Aussie thinking of travelling to Mexico for the cuisine? Well don’t. I just spent Melbourne Cup day in the arms of the Swan Hotel and to line my stomach I purchased some Nachos. Expecting some soft tortilla chips and some vinegary salsa topped with cheap cheese I was pleasantly shocked when a white bowl, sent from Adonis, graced my table. Piping hot to the touch, this bowl housed the most delicious arrangement of beef, cheese and chips, I’ve ever had the delight to devour. My friends and I discussed the matureness of the cheddar, the seasoning of the beef, the freshness of the coriander-infused guacamole and the crispness of the tacos that before we’d even touched on the salsa, the bowl was finished. A better shared plate you could not wish for.

While the swan is great for a night out, it was also surprisingly good for a feed too. Our most recent visit was on Parma night, and we also ordered some squid. The salad dressing for the squid was absolutely delicious; the sesame oil added a great flavour. I ordered the Mexican Parma, which was a good choice, only critique would be that there was too little salsa with the amount of guacamole and sour cream. And my bf ordered the BBQ Meatlovers one, which he enjoyed.

Good consistent pub food. I have had the Chicken Parma and Steak Sandwich and both came with chips and salad. Enjoyed both meals. Service was quick and friendly 😀

Lovely staff and Lovely Ambiance. RELAXED place...nice posh community here..<br/><br/>Not a pocket friendly Menu. Cliched dishes sounds good but Other than cooked junk food for sides which is available in most of the pubs..They can amend..Peanuts, cashews, popcorn etc in their menu from Kettle brand...<br/><br/>Nothing pocket friendly. Richmond is expensive..<br/><br/>Score for staff ,red wines and ambiance.FREE WIFI would be nice....Young and Jackson has free WIFI...<br/><br/>Just give a try mates if you can afford.Thank you.

This one? The Swan! It'd be a sin to not pop by this South Yarra institution after its long hiatus from the Southside Pub scene. <br/><br/>Pop by on a Sunday afternoon and you'll be sure to find this spot buzzing with those who made the uniquely Toorak transition from brunch to drunch (you guys can figure this one out..). That's not to say it's not to my taste though.<br/><br/>The pub was closed but now it's open it really doesn't get more simple than that. Readers, if this was your local feel free to come back as I am sure you will love this new type of pub. If you haven't been to this pub, give it a shot if you're in the area and don't want the bustle of Chapel Street but still need a kiss of atmosphere.

We go here somewhat regularly for the Tuesday night trivia which is guaranteed fun. We've tried the Parma, HSP and chicken burger here before all of which are tasty and meet expectations for a decent pub meal, and the beer and cider are good. Can't comment too much on service or wait times on food because we're usually distracted by the trivia but we've certainly never had any issues.

Serves a delicious parma with delicious chips. Relaxed environment. Also serve great steaks, rare. Average pub in Richmond. Busy on weekends.

Bartender at the outside bar is a rudest of pr*cks. Will not be coming back for the reason of having to interact with him alone. Thursday 1/6/17

First time coming here. Tonight was $14 Parma night. Was looking forward to it. The parma was big. Flavours tasted great but it was so dry, over cooked which let the meal down :( was a struggle to swallow the chicken without water. The chips and salad was good.

Woke up today and felt like some good pub food, decided to venture down to the Swan as I had been planning to for quite some time. <br/><br/>Couldnt of been happier with my decision! Fantastic food, chilled out atmosphere and accompanying service. Will most definitely be coming back next Sunday!

A rather slow service, I visited this place twice and I had to wait a considerable amount of time before I got the meal on my table. That aside, the food was actually pretty good for a pub standard. I had burger today and had Parma the other time. The burger was slightly better in my opinion. So yeah, if you are not n a rush, do give this place a try.

Went on a Tuesday hoping for a pub special, but it was trivia night instead! People involved in trivia sounded like they were having a great time. Service was fine, meal was tasty- but it was quite expensive for the small serving size. My meal of fish and chips was quite small yet cost $20. If I came here again, I'd come on a day when there are pub specials.

The food here is great! We had the chicken parmigiana and the salt and pepper squid. The squid had amazing flavours. We will be back for sure.

Fish & chips and southern fried chicken burgers at the Swan Hotel in Richmond was fab!<br/>The fact they do flathead tails is so good for I believe they make the best fish & chip combo. Went for the grilled option which was delicious and seasoned well, a change up from traditional battered and fried.<br/><br/>The chips were amazing! Beer battered, golden and crunchy with a hot, fluffy potato centre is what you want from a chip & boy did these guys deliver!<br/><br/>Everything on the burger was cooked perfectly and bursted with flavour. The chicken was juicy with a nice crunch of the crispy outside coating.<br/>The addition of avocado was awesome and that chipotle mayo brought it all home!<br/><br/>And all at a good price! Affordable, tasty and reasonably accommodating. I would come back again.

Truly the best parma i've ever had! Nice and thick, crispy on the edges, great tasting red sauce and the cheese topped it off perfectly (no pun intended). Great service too. I might check out their parma night on Wednesday night.

I love the food here. It's all so tasty and excatly what you're looking for in pub food. I've recently jumped on the sunday roast band wagon and I am a HUGE fun of the swans roast. Best roast pork I've had in a while. The crackling is spot on and the flavour of the jus is beautiful with a hint of sweetness. Im also a big fan of the wings, the parma and pork schnitzel. Recommend the food here!

Went on Monday night, was half price meals on selected bar menu food. Ordered the Parma and flathead, total for the lot $21. Parma was think and moist, very nice 5/5. Flat head was ok around 3/5, I had it grilled. Might have taken a bit of the flavor out. Was still pleasant though. Will defiantly be back for another Parma!

For a pub meal the Swan is ok. We tried the cheese burgers, which were pretty good. Beef patty was cooked medium, salad was fresh and cheese n pickles were tasty. Chips were great, tomato sauce not so great. Good selection of beers on tap. It's the decor of the Swan that lets it down, not the...

I recently went to the Tuesday trivia night with friends. We all ordered dinner beforehand, it's pretty standard pub meals. I ordered the grilled squid salad, it was okay but there wasn't much of it and the squid was a little tough. I'll be back for the trivia but not necessarily the food.

Known more as a late night drinking venue,  The Swan actually does a decent job on your basic pub classics. Attending the Swan's weekly trivia night last night with some friends, we all decided to order some dinner before the quizzing began. I ordered the spinach salad with chickpeas, feta, sun dried tomatoes, roasted capsicum and balsamic dressing and opted to add grilled chicken. The salad wasnt anything mind blowing but it was tasty and a generous portion. Certainly nothing to complain about. The trivia was also brilliant fun.

Despite some mixed opinions on this parma I walked out satisfied, and I think pretty much everyone else did – The argument was by no means between “Good” or “Bad”, it was more between “Good” or “Great”. By no means the best parma we’ve had – but the best we’ve had in Swan Street? I think so (so far, at least)

They do a cracking steak night here on Thursday for only $12. Delicious steak, well cooked and okay sides. Obviously its not the nicest pub but it was nice to pop in for a cheap meal.

Prefer this pub to see band rather than grab a meal. My friends and I tend to get some grub on Swan street. Then we come to the Swan for a drink and see some live music. Food is OK but better options just outside.

Came on a Friday night for live music and drinks. Pretty standard pub, however everything went downhill after a bouncer basically assaulted a friend. <br/><br/>We were all dancing when a friend decided to pretend to sing into a nearby microphone on stage. This was not allowed, and my friend was motioned by the bouncer to stop, which he did. <br/><br/>The bouncer then preceded to march him outside, become abusive and started trying to punch him. The bouncer clearly had anger management problems and other staff had to hold him back from what was one of the pettiest arguments I've seen in my life. When talking to them they all seemed to know the bouncer was a troublemaker.<br/><br/>I would absolutely never visit this bar again, and would advise everyone I know to steer clear. Disgusting behaviour and completely unacceptable by any standards.

Dont let the look of this place fool you. The food here is amazing! I went to the swan with a group of friends and had a really good time. Service was fast, beers were cold and the food was great! I highly recommend the nasi goreng!

The garlic butter that comes with the steak is orange and tastes weird. <br/><br/>Steak was otherwise good, but there's no alternative to garlic butter.

Your average pub. Drinks are quick but staff can be quite impolite. Gets really crowded to enjoy a conversation. Live band is enjoyable though.

A 4 for the food in the front bar. Was not expecting too much to be honest but went on a Monday when some bar menu items were half price and ordered the fish and chips (grilled, not battered for being gluten free). It was really nice! Very tender and juicy fish which to be honest can be very hard to find when you ask to alter battered fish to be grilled instead! A 3 however (if that) for the bar out the back. Horrible place on the weekend though - don't do it.

Thursday's steak deal is very good! First time I went there I got amazing crispy chips with my steak and the second time I got some kind of potatoes which were also good but to be honest, those chips were the reason why I went back. I might need to ask them next time ;)

It was okay. Chicken parm tasted a little different but was a decent portion with chips and salad. Just a basic pub, nothing too special but I would return to get a second feeling for the place

Much better elsewhere in the Area. I went into a empty Swan Hotel for the first time in yonks because I was hoping to get a meal in before doing Trivia and hoping for the Pub Standard of Steak and Veggies to be greeted by a Menu that offered only "Steak and Chips" but also as another menu option a "Side of Beans".<br/><br/>When asking the Manager (Acting Manager I am guessing) if I could pay extra to have the beans alongside my Steak and no Chips (Which I was not going to eat - As I was dieting) I was told in a rude and uncompromising manner that I would have to order the steak with the chips and then the beans separately and that was strictly how things were going to go down.<br/><br/>Needless to say I wont be back... in fact I was reminded of why so many PPL (Like myself for a good five years) refuse to go to The Swan in the first place as this places location might be great but its service is often hit and miss beyond poor.

Excellent food! Eaten here 4 times now and great every time :)

Location 425 Church St, Richmond Burger Order Beef burger with chips $17 - A great looking burger and very satisfying. Everything was cooked to perfection with a perfectly cooked egg that oozed on first bite. The burger did lack a little bit on the meat factor which I gave a 6.5 although if I came here again I would order the same meal. A good old fashioned pub burger, if your in the area, give this burger a try.

The beef burger at The Swan Hotel in Richmond was one of the most frustrating burgers that I have ever ordered. This is because it had some of the better elements that I have tasted in a burger, but also some of the most unforgivably appalling. I will start with the negatives. Within two bites, the patty has completely crumbled and fallen to pieces all over the plate. A number of us at the same table ordered the burger, so unless the kitchen was just having a REALLY bad night, they need to review their recipe. Image source: http://www.urbanspoon.com Because of this, it was absolutely impossible to eat the burger properly. You had to de-construct it like a Masterchef tosser on your plate and then smush it all up on the back of your fork if you had a prayer of tasting any of it. This was more disappointing than ever due to the fact the flavour of the patty was actually BLOODY BRILLIANT! It was really well seasoned, juicy, tasty meat. If it were bland and chewy, my life would have been so

The Swan is not really a gastro pub but in a sense our expectations were met.

The Swan Hotel has ramped up its look and its culinary mojo! Being a quintessential Victorian Hotel which has created many stories over the years as a great live music pub and stalwart in Richmond, it now has stepped it up with a renovation and a great menu.

The thing I love about The Swan is that it’s casual and low key.

The meals were generously proportioned – I don’t think one of us managed to clear our plates and we all left happ with the evenings outing.

Totally love the Steak night deal on Thurs. We were there on the 1st Jan and still happy to have their steak for the second times. Steak is served with garlic butter on top and slowly melting on the steak produced a very sensational scent which urging you to have it without any hesitation. Accompany with simple rocket salad and scalloped buttery potatoes. One of the best steak we have ever had .

Went to the swan on Thursday night for steak night after a friends recommendation. Didn't book which was a rookie error as the place was packed and booked out. Bar staff were really good about it and managed to find us a spot after about 15 mins. My friend and I both had steaks and they were awesome, perfectly cooked and great value. Staff were energetic and friendly, we'll definitely be back

Following the removal of my last post.. Inhospitable hospitality staff. Nuff said.

Extremely rude service all round, incompetent staff, order mixups and waited 1hour+ for food on as Monday. Made to feel very unwelcome as soon as we walked in, bar manager looked me up and down and glared at me whilst I ordered an overpriced beer. Then after waiting an an hour they began bringing out orders and despite the clear table numbers indicating where to bring the food the waiter had no idea where to go. My lb curry when it finally came had clearly been reheated and had no sides with it even though those sides were clearly included on the menu, it was bland and I could only manage a few bites. Do not give this establisent your hard earned dollars, they do not deserve it.

Avoid at all costs.. Crap service, crap attitude. Just crap all 'round.<br/><br/>All tables 'reserved' at 6PM on a Thursday in an empty public bar. WTF!<br/><br/>After waiting ten minutes to be served a simple (overpriced) beer by the barely interested and chronologically & linguistically challenged 'bar' staff, enquiries were made as to where the now finally poured beverage could be consumed?<br/><br/>"In the beer garden outside" came the response echoing around the empty room.<br/><br/>Seriously, no wonder this place was dead.<br/><br/>Your staff are an embarrassment to the service industry. The management of this establishment deserve to fail if this is their customer service ethic.<br/><br/>This is a place to avoid at all costs unless you are some masochistic hipster nobody who enjoys being ignored like a red-headed step child.<br/><br/>No attempt was made to acknowledge the service priority order in which customers approached the bar; drawn out and tedious food orders were taken at the same location as thirsty punters, who only came for a quick pot, but were forced to wait for some recalcitrant reformed vegan to decide on the cooking time of his steak and the accompanying sauce.<br/><br/>The Swan Hotel is a place only the severely swamp stupid could tolerate...and that's being generous. <br/><br/>Plenty of other places to spend your money around these parts folks. i suggest you seek them out.

A surprise.. Going to the Swan Hotel for a pre-footy meal and drink, I wasn't expecting such a high quality meal.<br/>I had the tortellini which was great (small serving though) and was really classy upon presentation. My mates Parma was also great, fresh thick chicken breast, good chips and salad as well (only problem was missing some ham).<br/>Service was slightly lacking though, it took well over 30 mins for our meals to arrive and I wouldn't say they were overly busy. But the waiters and bar staff were very accommodating. I had booked a table although they didn't know where our table was so they just sat us on one where the people had not arrived at their requested time, which was a bit strange. Overall though I would recommend it for a good pub meal and beer.

Tacky and expensive. Dropped in for a glass of wine at the end of the day.<br/><br/>Asked for the house red -offered a Shiraz as house red out-$18.00 later with two sickly shiraz (don'y know what they were -were not advised) -sitting in a dirty cold bar (walls and carpet putrid ) dirty table and hardly any patrons -no wonder. barlady said to someone had been too busy to light the fire....??? <br/><br/>Went down the road for the second drink to the Vaucluse -cheap cheerful and packed to the rafters . <br/><br/>What a waste of a a potentially beautiful space -pick your game up folks , not good enough.

Don't go here. Bad service. Bar manager was very arrogant. Expensive food for what you get.

Absolutely shocking staff and service. The food (consisting of just a couple of sides) took over half an hour to arrive. And when it did arrive, it wasn't worth the wait, totally under seasoned. Really disappointing for the price. Was hoping the food would make up for the abhorrent service, but it didn't. Don't waste your time, or money.

Good for Bands. Good for bands but food is very average pub fare with high prices.

Poor service from behind the bar resulted in the smile on my face quickly diminishing. <br/><br/>All bar and wait staff seen texting in priority over serving myself and other customers (had to wait til text was sent).<br/><br/>Had the Beef Burger. Very well cooked and delicious, yet put together poorly, resulting in a messy time. Good price on Monday 1⁄2 price bar menu, $9.50.<br/><br/>Can't say I'll be rushing back.

Worst Parma I have ever had!! The chicken had been frozen, it was then over cooked... Hard as a rock... Cold...obviously been sitting there and reheated! Wasn't worth $20 ate 4 bites then gave up! Also, since when can't you get a pot of gravy on the side!?! Go to the rising sun hotel if you want the best Parma in Richmond!!! Will never eat at the Swan again!!!

Thursday night steak nite... Great meal however could only get seated in the garden bar... Freezing outside and wouldn't close the doors.. Food was cold before I finished!

Great Burger. Went here last night for the trivia on a Tuesday. They had a $10 burger special going on, 7 out of our group ordered that and it was a winner for taste and price. One of the group ordered the pork belly which he was pretty damn happy about also. Will be back next Tuesday.

Went for an after footy meal with two friends, and the place was nearly empty. But 3 meals took near 45 minutes to be sent out, and when they were my schnitzel was dry. Naturally we went to ask where our food was, and when we did the bar tender was rude and didn't even offer an apology. Won't be going back.

Great value on a Monday!. Great service and an amazing Seafood Curry! Great value on a Monday night with half price meals!

Unimpressive. Steak & lamb.... Unimpressive. <br/>Steak & lamb were both blue not medium-rare. Over an hours wait at lunch when there were only 10 people in the whole bar, less of whom were eating. Got a refund for one meal only and no fix offered for the second. Lucky the third & fourth meals ordered were ok. <br/>It's just a pub so low expectations are needed to eat here.

Loveliest bartender lindy poors the best beer in Melbourne!

Quite good despite crowding. The Swan was flat out and full when we were there on a friday night - ordered a couple of steaks on special, not expecting too much - surprise, the steaks although taking a while to come were very good and the plate well presented - a great effort from the kitchen

Sticky floor and tables but $15 jugs good value. I usually only end up at the 'dirty swan' after a day/night of drinking to dance the night away. this it what the swan is good for. not much else. went there for a sunday sesh and was getting stuck to the floor andthe table... wipe them down please.... nothing worse than feeling sticky and gross when trying to enjoy a sunday cider. must say though - $15 jugs of cider - good value!

Horrible waste of money. Staff were rude and unfriendly. A parma on a slow lunchtime was HORRIBLE, soggy, nearly no sauce and no ham...was not worth even finishing and it was expensive.

Amazing Value and Staff !. I recently had a meal at the swan with some girlfriends and absolutely loved it. We came in on a Monday completely unaware that it was half price menu, and had delicious burgers and fries. I was delighted to find out that my meal was inexpensive, but would have most definitely paid full price. The staff were all extremely friendly and gave great service. I am from out of town and really appreciated the warm and welcoming environment The Swan Hotel had to offer. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a quick bite or a place where you can just relax with friends.

Great burgers! And I don't even eat burgers :)!

We went on half price Monday. My friends calimari looked like battered deep fried onion rings. My burger was just ok. Trying to get tomato sauce for burger was impossible. Staff don't care.<br/>Drinks pricey for a pub of this<br/>Quality. On the night we went there the pub was full of a large group of drunk<br/> guys. The half price is about right for the quality. I wouldn't want to be paying full price for this quality!

1/2 Price Mondays. Tasty food for 1/2 price but the drinks are a little on the expensive side.

Parmageddon!. I revisited the Swan last night after two years... I was never really impressed with the food and the place was a bit tired. However, my arm was twisted after I was told there's a new chef and I noticed Wednesday night is $10 Parmageddon.... about 6 or so different varieties. All 3 parmas our group tried were delicious, I had Hawaiian and was not disappointed. Fresh, tasty REAL chicken, decent serve of crispy chips and a great salad. The beer garden has been re-vamped and looks fantastic. All is definitely forgiven, I'll be back on a Monday night for half price bar menu!

Good to see the swan is starting to clean up - renovations look good and we had some great food here last weekend.

Must be a new chef cos the food it fantastic. Love the place