Gills Diner

5 Average

Food  3      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  5     

If you are a fan of Journal Canteen and Melbourne Supper Club, then no doubt Gills Diner is also on your wish list of places to eat. It definitely was on mine as so far I have thoroughly enjoyed all the places that owner Con Christopoulos has opened. All except for one, this one. The food was not great, some of it was not even good. Quite pricey for a meal we didn't even finish.

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Jul 21, 2011 

1 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

Went in late for a coffee and dessert. Were told the dessert menu ordered churros and coffees. Coffees took over 10 minutes to arrive then twenty minutes later churros still no show. When we asked told there was an error and order was not placed, he told us it's ok you don't owe us anything? I beg your pardon but we didn't have anything as the strong bitter tasting coffee was left in the cup. Btw restaurant looks try hard. Not retro but daggy.

Apr 23, 2011 

4.8 Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  4      Value  4     

Entrees excellent main course sat in the kitchen as we were last to order and requested space between entree and main. Manager displayed very poor service ethic, we left after spending $100 per head extremely dissatisfied. Gill's Diner is convinced that they are cool enough not to care about their customers.

Nov 15, 2010 

2.5 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  5      Service  2      Value  1     

Nice location, nice entrance, nice space. What a shame the food was tasteless and the portions are babysize. From a main for 30$ your stomach should be at least half full, not to mention a salad made of parsley for 19$ with a bit of goat cheese. On top of it we fell ill. We got offered free water but not a great service.

Aug 12, 2010 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

This place is always an easy recommendation. People maybe taken back by the ‘school house’ look, but if you accept that fabulous food and excellent staff do not have to have linen table cloths, then you are in for a real treat. I suggest you leave your preconceived ideas at the door (hard for spoilt Melbournians I know) and sit back and enjoy the experience.

Apr 14, 2010 

4.5 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  3      Service  7      Value  3     

Food was good, but not great, which is required when mains cost $30 - $40. I had the steak special ($38). The meat was an excellent cut and cooked to perfection as ordered (MR), however, the bed of sir fried vegetables it was served on was overcooked, soggy, bland and uninspiring.

My partner had marinara together with another member of our table. The serves were inconsistent, one being about 50% bigger than the other with about twice the amount of seafood. She describes the meal as good but not great, too much pasta with very little fish on her serve, a little dry, maybe needed more olive oil.

The ambient lounge music played from the turntable in the corner suited the atmosphere, however, with no soft furnishings, hard roof, walls and floor and relatively tight seating, it was difficult to hold a conversation with anyone other than those very close.

Service was efficient and attentive at the start of the meal, but did not offer more drinks or refill the table water until well after the need had passed. Good range of boutique ales and wine.

Jan 17, 2010 

4 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  2     

I had no idea what to expect so thought it was worth a go. Overall, I thought the food was mediocre and vastly overpriced. Left the restaurant still hungry and wishing that I hadn't bothered.

Nov 26, 2009 

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  4     

We dined there last week and the food was a bit hit and miss. The best dish of the night was the gravadlax, which was the best version I ever had, perfect balance of herby, salty and sweet. The accompanying mustard sauce was too overwhelming for the delicate taste of the salmon and some of the salad leaves were gritty. The saffron gnocchetti with kid ragu looked wonderful, the gnocchetti and the sauce were both excellent with great texture but the sauce (which seemed tomato based) was again somewhat overwhelming for the pasta, I couldn't taste the saffron.

Also some pieces of the gnocchetti were meant to be caramelised but turned up burnt (The waitress offered to send it back but I declined). The special of rabbit pastilla was a work of art, beautifully cooked and fragrant with cinnamon and dried fruit, and the labna with black sesame seeds was delicious. The pork chop was also a winner, very juicy and flavoursome but the portion didn't quite justify the $36 price tag.

The restaurant has great ambience, the service was adequate, although it could have been a bit more attentive for the price we were paying. Some very good food but it seems a bit overrated. Also (this is not only at this restaurant, by the way), I wish waiting staff would not say 'just tap water?' when offering water options.

Nov 16, 2009 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

I've eaten here several times and we've never had a bad meal, it's always been delicious, interesting (the menu changes all the time), the service has been great and the ambience lovely. We've never booked either, but I've only been there during the week so I don't know what the weekends are like.

The only complaint I've had (or rather my father had) was that he'd ordered too much food and couldn't fit in dessert. But that was his fault because the waitress warned him that the entree and main he'd ordered were both large (he managed to finish them though!). They definitely don't scrimp on serving size, but it's all quality. Really. And no, I don't work for them!

Oct 22, 2009 

4.5 Below Average

Food  2      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  3     

Yeah, well, that’s right. Gills Diner has some excellent qualities, yes. An amazing room, good looking staff and a whole lot of interesting booze, but damn, the food. A little bit shabby folks. Decent bread is brought out followed by “my worst dish of the year”, veal shank with gremolata and potatoes and blah blah blah. I’ll tell you what it came with alright. No bloody flavour! The most boring dish of my life, akin to going to a friends high school, diner party.

Dud, I say. Perfectly cooked mind you, but not an ounce of flavour. Uneatable. I dosed it with salt and pepper which made it worse. My partner passed over rabbit as to prevent my fury from rising to breaking point. It was adequate. I washed the flavour out of my mouth with some churos which were decent and some gelato that was ok aside from the raspberry.

Sep 11, 2009