Scarborough Hotel

4 Below Average

Food  4      Drinks  4      Ambience  9      Service  1      Value  2     

It is now under new management and they claim to make it more appealing to "the locals". Could not be any further away from the truth.

Arrived on a Sunday afternoon for a late bite to eat and a couple of lazy drinks. Found the food to be extremely ordinary, dull and flavourless. Ordered a few dishes and to their credit they were the same quality. Yes they were voted "best beer garden" but food is well below par. Staff were not rude but not by no means friendly.

Good beer selection yet wine list very limited and once again ordinary. It is very obviously the new senior staffs look at it as a large cafe servicing the drive through traffic and really do not care if you are happy or return. Such a shame!

May 08, 2012 

5 Average

Food  2      Drinks  8      Ambience  8      Service  5      Value  2     

Dropped in for a lunch yesterday (Saturday). We actually had a look at the food prices and decided to just have a drink instead and find someplace else to eat. After finding a table in a great spot right near the cliff edge we thought maybe the pricing reasonable considering the location, so decided to have lunch after all.

The food was overall disappointing. The mediterranean salad was very oily and the lettuce was not the freshest. The grilled eggplant appeared to be and tasted like the variety you can buy in tubs from Coles (3 for $6 at the moment). Same with the semi-dried tomatoes and red peppers, all appearing to be the jar variety...therefore, all heavily soaked in oil. Combined with the oil drizzled on top, the salad, especially the croutons, ended up a soggy mess.

The salad was returned and the polite girl behind the counter offered a refund or a replacement. We asked for a replacement and she kindly brought it down to our table. It was better, however, the above-mentioned ingredients were still oily themselves. For $20 we expected better, yet shortcuts were made.

The other meal ordered was the salt and pepper squid. Also pricey, however, portion size was good and the squid was very well cooked. Only complaint here was the pepper being quite strong.

The service at the Scarborough was quite good, especially from the young lady behind the food counter, however, our review marks were lower because of the state of the ladies toilets....disgraceful.

Jan 29, 2012 

3.2 Below Average

Food  2      Drinks  3      Ambience  5      Service  4      Value  2     

Substandard. As a long term customer, who hadn't been back for a while, they appear to be relying on the fantastic view and their reputation rather than their product and service.

The menu is extremely limited, without a decent steak or chicken meal, and a poor seafood selection. The wait time on service, even on an overcast cool day was 45 minutes and the bistro service was tepid at best. The food quality was poor, with the pasta cold, the caesear salad terrible, and only the lamb tagine up to scratch.

Check the website, there is a reason they don't show the menu! The service was mixed, with some staff happy to help, but others looking down their noses, very irritating when they don't accept credit or eftpos, and their only ATM is broken! They obviously don't expect to make their money from tips. Prices are unrealistic, at Sydney levels for the poor a low grade delivery.

Overall, I would recommend it as a stopover for a quick beer if you are passing, but not a destination.

Jan 16, 2012 

6.2 Average

Food  3      Drinks  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  2     

I live local and just had a seafood dinner for 2, $120. The salmon and prawns, Balmain bugs were nice, every muscle was over cooked and dry. Value for money I would give it 2/10... not much food. Bar staff and champagne and tap beers are very good.

Jan 07, 2012 

6 Average

Food  6      Drinks  6      Ambience  8      Service  5      Value  5     

Extremely over priced, $28 for fish and chips, $35 for Surf and Turf (touch veal minute steak and 4 small prawns). A bit over the top when there is no table service, these prices are more than you pay for good Sydney pub food. Fabulous view but we certainly won't be rushing back.

Jan 05, 2012 

4.8 Average

Food  2      Drinks  7      Ambience  8      Service  5      Value  2     

What a beautiful pub and view spoilt only by the extremely poor food! We had the "chefs" dips and caesar salads. The "chefs" dips had no sign of a chef being anywhere near the food. One dip was chopped tinned beetroot with parsley on top the other dip was some indescribable French onion, the supermarket Kraft version is Foie Gras compared to it! Both minuscule portions served with stale baked pita bread and grisini - all for $15.

It's hard to get caesar wrong but these guys ruined it. The promised garlic croutons were crumbled grisini, the homemade dressing a low quality mass produced goop, the Parmesan was we think Romano, the bacon pieces some reconstituted bacon bits, the egg (also promised) was not in any of the 3 $20 salads ordered! None of us could finish such lousy food and we've left hungry, suggest a great spot for a drink but avoid the food until they actually hire a chef.

Jan 05, 2012 

6.2 Average

Food  6      Drinks  7      Ambience  8      Service  4      Value  6     

Absolute killer views here, brilliant beer garden to relax on a sunny day and Sunday just gone by was exactly that. We were even lucky enough to see a whale frolicking around in the water also. Could easily have set up camp and stayed for the day. Shame I was driving.

Also a shame about the food and service. The menu certainly reads well and trumps those of most pubs. The two specials were South Indian Pork belly curry and lamb ragu with pappardelle and crispy sweet potato. I thought we were in for a cracker of a dish but they really lacked flavour I thought, I was surprised at the rather blandness of the meals especially the curry dish. No kick at all.

Queues are long for food and drinks, they looked understaffed and you can't separate your meals ie if you want a starter to come out first you are going to have to order it first and then come back and order your main later on.

Still I'm not going to forget this pub for the views and beer garden (effectively a park at the back of the hotel) and will be back for sure. Next time I might just grab the basic bangers and mash or steak and then throw the sunnies on, whack on some sunscreen and take in the afternoon with a few drinks.

Aug 01, 2011 

2.6 Not Recommended

Food  1      Drinks  2      Ambience  6      Service  1      Value  3     

View is beautiful, but the food was reasonably expensive and bad. Worst pasta we've had in a very long time. Take a special effort to make gluggy pasta. Wine very average as well. Would not go back, even for the view. Indifferent service as well.

Jul 16, 2011 

7.2 Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  6     

We went here last Saturday for lunch. I had not been here for a few years and we wanted to try it again as the location is just beautiful. The food was nice but nothing to rave about really. We all had the fish of the day which was Bream.

There were two things that annoyed me. As another reviewer has stated, they will not alter the meals at all which is a little disappointing if you don't like one of the ingredients being used. It is a shame as if it was a cheap place to eat, then one can take the fact that they are inflexible, but when you are paying over $20 for your meal, then you expect a little flexibility. I don't think swapping salad for chips is too much to ask.

The other disturbing thing was the ladies bathrooms downstairs. They were on the outside of the building (so I don't know if there are others inside) were absolutely disgusting. The smell in there was that horrendous that it was just nauseating. I cannot believe that they haven't had any complaints about them.

May 24, 2011 

8.2 Recommended

Food  10      Drinks  7      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  7     

What a pleasant surprise dropping into this oasis of culinary delights. With a new Head Chef, the menu was varied and creative and the food was superb. The meals were prepared with fresh seafood and salads without the usual fillers of deep fried batter and chips. The view from the balcony and manicured gardens was fantastic on a late summer’s afternoon and the whole dining experience was a delight. We dined at other landmark establishments in the Wollongong area on the same weekend and found the offerings a distant second to what we experienced at the Scarborough. If you love great seafood and a beautiful view, well worth the travel.

Mar 04, 2011