Stokehouse Cafe Review

Perfect, fine food, attentive staff & an oh wow view!

Absolutely fantastic. Great food. Loved the desserts. Fantastic service. We'll definately be back.

Views and service were incredible, definitely world class! The food was good, but I wouldn t rush back for it anytime soon. A little overpriced. Definitely worth a visit though!

Awesome fish, chips and beers on the sand from paper fish. Japanese style potato cakes a great twist on an old classic

Delicious and well presented meals, a superb wine list and a friendly non-intrusive professional service. Thank you for a fantastic night!

They have dropped the ball upstairs, uninspiring food and deserts.
Sauces, 3/10.
Presentation 5/10.
Taste 4/10.
Service 6/10.
Sadly disappointed, maybe downstairs is still fine.

Fancy, high end dining with great seafood and views of the bay from upstairs. Great for a special occasion.

Great view and location but food was not all up to par. Food was a let down.

Wow, what an amazing evening. The food incredible, the service amazing, the view stunning.

Outlook is amazing and service is impeccable. Food was ok. Had to send lamb back even though we asked for medium. Fish and chips were good. Entrees were all too cold to be able to taste that much.

Honestly one of the best meals I ve ever had the Steak my gosh

We came down from Brisbane and yes the cost is high
But you get what you pay for.
Waiters were genuine and friendly
Not pretentious at all Top up your glasses as soon as they are Low.
Loved it.
For those who winge about it must be the sort who complain about everything
Warren

Definitely a new experience to the old Stokehouse. Still a classy affair. Exceptional service. Make sure to arrive early for a drink in the bar upstairs

Beautiful beachfront viewing while enjoying excellent food. The service from staff was top class and we had a wonderful experience

A refined dinner experience. Attention to detail in food taste and presentation. Large markup on international wines. Waiter staff a little run off their feet on a Saturday night causing some delays and confusion. Great addition to the variety on the Melbourne coastline.

Gorgeous dining experience. Food was delish and the service great (thanks Matteo!)

Location and service amazing.
Food is average for top dollar prices - except for the really fresh oysters.
The menu needs to step it up to match the greatness of everything else. I wouldn t return on that basis as Donovan s has the complete package

Took my wife for a birthday lunch on a recommendation and was very disappointed. The table and staff were great but we expected more for the hype and the price. I would rate the meals as mediocre at best as the dishes we had just failed to excite. In the end we decided to skip dessert as we couldn t wait to leave. The only decent dish was from the raw menu. Will not be returning.

Bloody fantastic. Service e was amazing, food out of this.world. 5 stars.

For the price. - much better alternatives out there.
First we were all boxed in. The beautiful water views were missing. The blinds were closed. You could have been eating anywhere.
Excellent wine cellar. Pricey though with big mark ups. Check Vivino before buying.
Bread was very good (as were the sides - chips)
Entree seared tuna was superb. The highlight of the meal.
Main fish was just ok. Extremely bland. People on our table had steak but it was poorly received. One person sent it back for the fish.
Desert of cheese was utterly bland and tasteless. Two people had the ice cream. Both left it untouched after one mouthful. Not sure how you can get ice cream wrong but they did.
For $110 + drinks I would not come again.
The overall theme from the group is the food lacks real warmth and taste. Where is the soul ?

On 30 October 2020 I made a delivery order on Providoor for $150, which included a foccacia. Upon opening the aluminium foil which wrapped the focaccia, I found that the bread was severely burnt and smelt charred (see the attached photo).

Needless to say this was before the focaccia was placed in the oven.

It is insulting that a meal that costs $150.00 would be cooked by chefs who knew that the focaccia had been burnt but yet still decided to have it wrapped and delivered to me anyway.

On 2 November 2020 I emailed the restaurant and sought an explanation as to how this occured. After promising me that they take feedback very seriously I have not received the courtesy of a response to this day.

If you want quality fine dining food, take your money elsewhere because a restaurant that does not care about their quality and service does not deserve your business.

Beautiful location, friendly and helpful staff. Quick and efficient service.

One of Melbournes best restaurants! I was blown away with the food and service here, it truly is one of the best fine dining option in Melbourne.
From entrees to mains the food is an experience to have!

Popped into StokeBar upstairs to unwind and have a drink. Impressed with the location and drinks menu. There is table service and the staff were friendly. Limited seats available on the balcony but the decor and atmosphere is as pleasant inside as the views on the balcony overlooking the beach.

Great restaurant. It is costly, but it's certainly good venue. Excellent wine list and some of the desserts are next level. Awesome view too.

A Melbourne institution that is completely reliant on it s former reputation.
I was underwhelmed on review of the menu but still made my selections along with my guest. We selected items from all courses, ensuring we encompassed all fare.
For someone who loves to believe in hospitality dreams like that of Frank van Haandel, it was disheartening to find that there was no passion or flare in any of the food we were served. I have found far more exemplary menu items on offer for far less in many of Melbournes contemporary breakfast restaurants, our cafes.

Very good Bistro. Nice menu, the Benedict & black mushroom was really well made.
The desserts are

The quality and precision of the food was beyond impressive. Rib eye cooked to perfection and side dishes were amazing. The views are 10/10. I was most impressed by the professionalism and knowledge of the staff.

Tries to be upmarket but doesn t delivered to match the price tag. Service was pretentious yet inaccurate. Spectacular view and designed venue.

But

THE NEW, REBUILT STOKEHOUSE IS NOTHING LIKE THE ONE in 2017. WAY WAY BETTER THANKFULLY.

The menu rises to its price tag and the options are varied and to most patrons tastes. The staff are super courteous and attentive.

It was hard to hear in there though. It was crowded, to many tables and a standing bar crowd that spills into the restaurant space way too easily. It would be kind to call the bar crowd as just that. In fact they are excited squawkers who conversation was easier to hear than the one at my table. The racket devalues the experience. With time the older folk with the midweek money will stop coming for fear of the bar crowd.

Grandma would have to be a lip reading master but even the able-eared give up trying after a while. Whereas the tables are spacious and would be perfect in a place where quiet conversation is the vibe this place if it wants noise and tables in the same space needs cheek to cheek seating not dining tables.

Have to make a choice guys. Are you for the young only or do you want the discriminating dining out crowd?

Had an amazing lunch on Sunday. The food and wine was absolutely beautiful and you could not fault the service. As a first timer to Stokehouse I will definitely be a return customer

Absolutely stunning. Service and food absolutely spot on. Order the king george whiting, got it grilled instead of battered, and was sublime.

Ok. Posh and pricey. Bit of a destination restaurant for Melbourne. Ugly building, reasonable food.

Overpriced and dissapointing. Not much of a Melbourne icon anymore.

Went downstairs. Food was pretty good, but not great..just ..if it didn't have such a well known name, it would be forgettable. Nice location right on the beach. And friendly staff..

No proper food available between 15:00 and 18:00 Sunday. Disappointing.

Visited as recommended by locals, on holidays from London. I would rate the place as very basic. Maybe the owners should visit some best know restaurants around the world to see what good service and outstanding food is. Food is basic and way too pricey for what's on offer. Staff is not dressed luxury and unique, many dirty and unwashed black trousers which you see they are not provided by restaurant. Dont get me wrong you just expect to have top of the top for the price. Would definitely not return.

The location is spectacular for Melbourne a real point of difference.

I hate to say that overall my experience was VERY disappointing.

It was our 13 anniversary and maybe if I was superstitious I d be more understanding.

I sent back my wagu steak twice after being recommended it. The second time it came out was a revised portion sze (third of the size) I m confident they replated the dish. Then after going without a main. I was presented the bill with it still on there.

I can t believe the service and experience could be so bad compared to the first time I went here. Showcasing Melbourne to some interstate investors.

I WILL NOT BE COMNG BACK!!!!!

I really love this place, very good service, reasonable price and superb views

Fantastic view and atmosphere. Dishes well seasoned, great wine list and service. Well worth the visit

They've missed the mark. Three stars only because the expectations are so high, but basically this place isn't finished even three months after opening. The service is really good, the food is ok, but for the price it should be amazeballs and it's not.

Very pleasant venue! Service and food enjoyable too.

From the moment I walked in I was immediately impressed, staff were so friendly and professional. The food was AMAZING and hard to compare to other restaurants. A must visit!

The service staff were all lovely, doing their best in particular in such a loud venue. There's a part of me that wants to be as positive as possible & give encouraging, constructive criticism so I'll say there were good intentions in every dish. I really do think the potential is there for the cuisine to be exquisite & memorable, but tonight most of our dishes came out warm at best if not cold, & flavours I suspect intended to be nuanced & complimentary ended up overpowering the feature ingredient. My espresso also arrived cold & was an unfortunate end to a disappointing evening.

I feel as though Stokehouse deserves another chance, & perhaps you'll give it to them. Everyone there certainly works very hard, & maybe it was an off night, but in Melbourne we're spoilt for choice across the full spectrum of pricing, from great value meals to degustations. Unfortunately for us, the volume alone will likely prevent us from coming again. I don't want to deter you, though, I certainly think it's worth finding out for yourself.

Great two hours, excellent food, wonderful service and a very relaxing venue / experience.

1st time at the STOKEHOUSE & absolutely loved it. Very delicious seafood platter & sides.

Terrible service. Had a $500+ meal for wife, myself and three young boys. Fish and chips was third rate and sent it back and substituted it for a more expensive dish. They insisted that we pay for the fish and chips regardless.. I explained that the rest of the meal was great except the fish and chips which was worse than the corner shop. They finally relented but only after they created such a fuss that it completely ruined my son's birthday celebration. No Class!

A bit noisy with the DJ only 0.5m from the closest tables downstairs. Totally crawling with skinny white denim and three-undone shirt buttons on lads, but plenty of tanned curves to avoid staring at in front of you lady friend. Good pizzas, and ample bizzare public entertainment from the local wackos out the back.

Unfriendly and unhelpful front of house at upstairs bar area. Visitor from Sydney here for the day. Very empty clearly, but he insisted that there was no table for us. Perhaps they were all in 'chill mode'. Owners may not be aware, but will be costing them. Was hoping to have dinner here at some stage but lots of great food in Melbourne without the attitude. Visit at your peril.

Great service from all staff members. When I booked online I made a request for a table with an ocean view to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. On arrival, we were received warmly, congratulated and kindly informed that we had our table booked for two sittings back-to-back so that we didn t have rush and we had the best seat in the house!
The cocktails were incredible (highly recommend the Little Birdy). The oysters were some of the best we ve ever had. And the steak was amazing.
Thanks Stokehouse team!

Just as good as the original was if not better. We ll be back.

It is a great restaurant on the waterfront of Melbourne, whose premises are located in a raised floor that offers a beautiful view of the ocean.

The menu offers several alternatives to meat and fish, very elaborate and sophisticated. Among the appetizers there are also raw fish.

Personally I tasted some good oysters, and kingfish. As a first I took a very good home-made pasta and to finish a good dessert that does not make a miracle cry. Among the drinks there is a great choice of wines, both red and white, a lot (perhaps too) expensive.

Considering the price and size of the flows do not think I would stay here. For a full dinner will spend about 50 per person and it is said that you get up in full.

Booked table upstairs 40 degrees with no air conditioner. Cancelled table, went downstairs still no air con and dirty seats with no table service. Don't recommend.

Good place to hangout beer& beach what not to like
Pizza a little bit salty tho

Gorgeous venue overlooking St Kilda beach, try and get a table with a view and we were put next to the wall that had restricted views. The service was great and they had extensive knowledge of the wine list. Most of our food was excellent, the appetisers and starters were great however I ordered eggplant for main which was pretty flavourless which was a shame. Overall though, it was a good dining experience.

Exceptionally good restaurant, we had an amazing Saturday night dinner with faultless modern food and seemless service. One of the best restaurants we have eaten at over the last few years.

Great location right on the beach. Loved the old Stokehouse where they had a separate bar and place to order food which made it simply, fast and effective. The new Stokehouse needs to sort out it's points of sale. Seems very discombobulated.

Pleasant dining experience with very good customer service. Food was quite uninspiring and a little bland. Definitely not bad at all but for this price point you expect better.

Furthermore, the architecture of the rebuild after the fire hasn't utilised the seaview and location to its fullest.

Having lived in Melbourne for over 20 years I had never eaten at the Stokehouse upstairs until tonight. We came to celebrate a friends birthday after the original birthday dinner had been cancelled due to one of Melbournes pop up covid lockdowns.

Tonight we were impressed by the service at Stokehouse from woe to go. We arrived just as the golden hour was settling in and witnessed a spectacular sunset while having cocktails in the bar area. We were in for a late sitting and were hungry by the time we sat down so some decisive decision marking was made. The menu was quite short with 4 starters options, 5 entrees and 5 mains but the covers most bases. We ordered spanner crab dogs and potato cakes for starters and asked that they come at the same time as our calamari entree.

I found the spanner crab dogs quite generous for the price and the entree really was wonderful. I am generally not a fan of cooked tomatoes but in this instance the accompanying cherry toms were exceptional.

Mains for me was always going to be the wagyu sirloin which was cooked medium rear to my liking and came with a fresh salsa verde and bone marrow creme fraiche. Not the most tender cuts I have had in recent time though but certainly had excellent flavour and was perfect accompanied by their potato s and beans. Others in the group had the Murray cod which came with a mussel escabeche sauce.

The service really shone tonight. Since covid Melbourne service at the high end has been quite average from our experience so it was wonderful that the team at Stokehouse did such a great job of keeping things together and cohesive.

Delicious food, wonderful service and unbeatable location. We are local but coming to Stokehouse always feels special. Their food is always perfect, they manage to make something special from everyday ingredients! Thanks to the team at Stokehouse and special callout to our waitress, Julia for the lovely time.

Very disappointed experience. Restaurant was pretty quiet but service was extraordinary slow. Food came to the table too late and cold. Unfriendly staff. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Expensive for what you get.

Fabulous about says it all. A wonderful menu, beautifully presented and a comprehensive and well thought out wine list. The staff were very friendly and the views sensational.

Great ambience, efficient staff. Menu is not vegetarian friendly, only one mains, portion was appalling. Fish and chips can be recommended. Desserts not hearty.

Great food ... great service ... noisy atmosphere ... costly

Was very noisy the service was very good. I had the Beef medium rare it was very sinurey had problem digesting it some of my friends had the Beef medium and it was ok very inconsistent