Imperial Hotel @ Mount Victoria

9 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

Great Food and Great Service. Awesome building!

Nov 15, 2010 

2 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  1     

The meal was disgusting and over priced. The wait staff were really rude, and the way that you order at the bar and receive a number on a stick and hope that your meal arrives is really crazy. I recommend giving it a miss and head down the street to a cafe!

Sep 21, 2010 

7.4 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  7      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

Someone's listening! I stopped in at the Imperial for the first time in while. I'd read some of these reviews and was a little apprehensive about how it would be. But I was pleasantly surprised. A new manager has just taken over (in the last few days, good timing for me) and things are looking up.

Staff were attentive and the food and service was great (cheaper than I remember it too). Although it's an old place, it seems to have had a good clean which makes a difference. The new publican even shouted the bar whilst I was there! Can't fault that. I'll be stopping again next time I pass through.

Jan 30, 2010 

8.4 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  9     

We had the "special steak" on a friday night, sitting in front of a roaring coal fire. The steak was very good and served very fast, the service good and friendly. Great live music in the bar. It is a traditional, old pub and good to see has not been subjected to the "yuppy renovation". Good traditional country hospitality. We shall visit again.

Aug 05, 2009 

1.4 Not Recommended

Food  1      Drinks  1      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  1     

Maybe I am being unfair, we waited an hour for three hamburgers and a wrap. We waited longer. We finally left. I was short changed on my refund (okay only a $1) and ordered off the premises by a waitress who on the one hand 'only delivered the meals' and on the other insisted there was nothing wrong with the service. Just an awful, awful, Faulty Towers type experience. Give this place a huge miss.

Aug 02, 2009 

2.2 Not Recommended

Food  2      Drinks  2      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  1     

We stayed one night and will probably never stay again. The only positive thing was that we were refunded our money. Unfortunately, that wasn't our aim~the night stay was a disaster due to everyones meal being disgusting, the wait staff unorganised and our 10 year old ate alone as his meal was brought out 15 minutes prior to ours ~the rooms were overpriced and the breakfast was a disaster.

The breakfast bar was not replenished from 7-10 am, and we drank coffee from glasses as there were no clean cups, the coffee was stewed and we would have had a cup of tea but alas no hot water. We shared cereal bowls as these were scarce as well. They were very surprised at our disasterous stay, as though it was a first. But after reading the web site their surprise is well rehearsed. I would not recommend staying there.

I was quite embarrassed at the outcome mainly due to me organizing the event, there are better places to stay.

Jul 28, 2009 

1.6 Not Recommended

Food  1      Drinks  1      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  1     

Yulefest Package - $275pp Includes: Accommodation of choice (incl Imperial room ensuite/spa), Mulled wine and Hors d’Oeuvres on arrival, 3 Course Yulefest Meal, Christmas sing-along and Karaoke till late, Visit from Santa, Games and prizes given away. Full country hot breakfast in the morning. Beer, wine and soft drink package* included

Room was ok for a pub room, food was edible at dinner, but was only to a standard that my dear old mum would serve, certainly not restaurant quality. Mulled wine was not served, rather some sickly-sweet, pink, sparkling vinegar and no explanation offered as to why there was no mulled wine, as advertised.

Hors d’Ouvres - a plate of cheese, cabanossi, dip, crackers and some olives. Entrée - Very thick pumpkin soup was nice, but the cheesy toasted floating bread thingy was quite hard and impossible to eat with a spoon. Mains were edible, but carrots were truly overcooked (just like my mum used to – ewwies). Dessert was an individual Christmas pud served nicely on a plate with a piped chocolate Christmas tree surrounded by custard. Red wine a-plenty was the order of the night. Entertainment was ok and overall not too bad a night.

Breakfast was a pure shambles. We arrived at 9 am and had to seek out the waitress, who said she’d bring the cooked breakfast out. This arrived within 1 minute and was clearly pre-cooked but certainly not the advertised “Full country hot breakfast” The only “hot” was the plate. Cold bacon, 2 halves of cold tomato and cold scrambled eggs smothered in chives. So “Full” clearly didn’t enter into it either – no sausage, no mushrooms, no anything else.

A couple of loaves of bread on a table laden with numerous cereals and a selection of single serve spreads. Cereal bowls and toast plates placed to the rear of the table made it hard for anyone under about 5’5” to reach. Coffee machine was empty, but was refilled when requested, only to blow the over-ride switch in the power-board when the toasters were switched on. The waitress had to keep unplugging and swapping plugs, eventually 20 minutes passed before we had hot toast and tepid coffee.

Of course the “hot” meal was sent back immediately on the basis that it was actually cold. It was returned within minutes, and yes it was the same meal that was sent back, you could see where I’d taken the forkful of egg. I took a forkful of egg from the centre again (where you could see that I’d taken the previous one), and I immediately spat it back out on the plate, still cold!

Approach waitress again and explain that I wasn’t being funny, but someone in the kitchen was clearly having a laugh as the meal was still cold. It comes out again, within minutes, tomatoes were steaming so it had clearly been microwaved. Same plate of food still as the mouthful of egg I had spat out was still in the same spot on the plate. I claimed to my wife that this was a (expletive) joke and there was no way I could eat rubbery, microwaved eggs.

The waitress immediately took offence, claiming there was no need for swearing (which hadn’t been directed at her) and that we’d had two fresh cooked meals and she’d reheated it herself. So which is it? Was it fresh or reheated?

When I got home I cooked scrambled eggs for my wife and I and served it immediately. Funnily enough, the egg was hot, as was the toast and coffee I’d also made fresh. This was 100 times better than the pitiful offering served up, purporting to be a “Full country hot breakfast”. Needless to say, we ate our toast and nothing else. The coffee was barely drinkable, but we managed a half-cup each along with a glass of juice.

Raised the issues at checkout and suggested that someone in the kitchen was “obtaining benefit by deceit” and masquerading as a cook. This was met with “Wouldn’t surprise me” and a promise to inform management. No offer of a reduction in fees, even a 5% off or a “We’ll not charge you for breakfast”.

As far as I can see it the 3.5 stars is not warranted and they are merely trading on the name of the Blue Mountains. A 1 night package cost us $550. I have spent less in other places and had Michelin Star quality food and better accommodation. I didn’t expect much as far as “Yulefest” type things go, and this didn’t even meet those expectations.

At $275 per person, the price is indeed a rip-off. Advertising 3.5 star quality, but not even getting a half star.

Jun 22, 2009 

5.4 Average

Food  6      Drinks  6      Ambience  9      Service  2      Value  4     

Beautiful old hotel, we loved the old photos and stained glass windows. We might have stayed for dinner but the prices were a little steep for a pub and there was nobody behind the counter for ages and ages. It took us 20 minutes to get a drink!

Dec 30, 2008 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

We recently spent a night at The Imperial Hotel. Although it is 130 yrs old we found it adoreable. There is a real country feel about it and the staff were fanstastic. I will be back for sure!

Feb 06, 2008 

9.6 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Drinks  10      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  10     

We had a superb meal here that really exceeded expectations of the usual pub meal - this was quality fare! The place is a little run down but it has loads of character and the staff were attentive, polite and helpful.

May 04, 2007