$12 lunch deals. Good find! Presented well and tasted good…read more I'll come back. Loved the outside seating and relaxed atmosphere.

This pub wasn't all that bad, particularly since it had a huge beer garden out the back. In fact,…read moreit was the beer garden that really grabbed my attention with regards to this place. Not only was it quite large, but it was also rather pleasant. Well, they didn't have a great range of beers, which was a little disappointing, but as a pub, it really wasn't all that bad.

I was sent to The Junction for a business trip. My employers had booked me a room for a 2 night…read morestay at The Junction Hotel. My first reaction after hearing the arrangement they had made was "You've got to be kidding me! They booked a room for me at the top of a pub?" (thinking that The Junction Hotel would be another one of those filthy pubs with a bunch of drunkards). Colleagues who stayed at this hotel tried hard to convince me that The Junction Hotel is no ordinary pub - but I still had to see it to believe it (you wouldn't blame me for being cynical too if you saw most of the pubs within the area I live in). But to my surprise...it was a nice hotel! 1. My hotel room was clean. 2. Modern. 3. Complete with necessities (like most commercial hotels): * Towels and hand towels * Shampoo - conditioner - body wash gel * Complimentary bottles of mineral water (and chocolates!) inside the refrigerator * Hair dryer * Iron and ironing board * Lots of toilet paper and tissues (no need for the housekeeper to stack them up on a daily basis * Coat hangers 4. There is a bar and a nice restaurant right downstairs: there's no need to get out of the building just to get food and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Their menu was great and has quiet a variety of things to choose from. The meal prices (depending on what you order) can be a bit costly. But the quality of the food served at the hotel are well worth it. You just need to taste it and refer to the food presentation! 5. The restaurant and bar staff would be willing to bring food and drinks to your room (although you will have to order by the bar downstairs due to the fact that there are no telephones inside the rooms). But hey...it's a few walks down the stairs and you're there. Unless you are ridiculously lazy... 6. Less expensive than other hotels (I forgot the exact price but it was definitely less than $150 per night). 7. Oh! Did I mention how super comfortable the bed was? I definitely wouldn't bother paying to stay at the Crown Plaza Hotel (not far away) when I could get myself a hotel room that is equally decent - and that cost less. The guests - mostly locals - were also nice. I felt that I was able to just randomly start conversations with strangers.

Great pub food. Really enjoyed my Cajun Barramundi . It was surprisingly moist. But the highlight…read morewas the wait staff. Attentive friendly but not intrusive to a sole diner here for business.

Accomodation spotless, comfortable bed clean tidy bathroom. Staff were friendly and helpful. Had…read moredinner at the restaurant and it was exceptional. Seriously could not fault this hotel for the price and presentation it is one of the best.

Came in for lunch. Had the special Crispy Pig Burger. It was in the top ten of my burger eats of…read moreall time. Outstanding.the venue is modern and clean, staff friendly and beer cold.

We only went in for a drink , but they had decent quality craft beers on tap and great wines…read more The food being delivered to the other tables looked good though and the menu was interesting for me. Service at the bar was friendly and quick.

The food looks great. Tastes OK…read more We were here a year ago and I couldn't find my review. I suspect I saved it as draft and never posted it but the fact I couldn't remember if the food was good, bad or indifferent should have made me think twice. :) As I said the food LOOKED great. We were impressed with the kids meals and the fact they had salad with the chips which doesn't always happen. My burger also looked quite nice. When it can be to eating it though, the kids steak was a tad chewy and charred, the kids chicken nuggets' batter was oily and thick and the burger was nothing you'd write home about. The service was friendly and the meal wasn't expensive ($59 fit two adult and two child meals plus a soft drink) but this is not a place I'd recommend. It's the second time we stop here because it's on our way to/from home and next time we decide convenience rule, we'll go to the nearest maccas.

Disappointing. We ordered 4 burgers with our group. They were all burnt to a crisp. No taste and…read moredry as a bone. Should have sent them back but we didn't want to make a scene. There were very few parties in the place when we arrived and others who arrived after us got their meals first. It was almost as if they put the burgers on and just forgot. The chips were tasty. It is a huge pub with a nice bar.

In the Hunter Valley for a wedding with a buddy, we drive into downtown Cessnock for a pub feed…read more Typical country town. All the women are pregnant. Even the kids look pregnant. There are four pubs. Peden's looks like the one where we'll lose the least teeth. I'm wearing a singlet. It doesn't help. They know we're city folk. I may as well be wearing a tux. The bistro-style restaurant is an unexpected winner. My pork schnitty is rough-chopped with a home-made herb crumbing that blows my tiny city mind. It's served on a pizza tray with roast salted chat potatoes and a tidy little green salad with just the right amount of dressing. I'm a dressing Nazi -not too little, perish forbid too much -but they nailed it. They freaking nailed it man. My mate gets the lamb shanks on a bed of mash and red wine jus. Also a winner. Chimmichurri-style gremolata on top, decent lashings of. And the lamb is redonk. Tender. Falls off the bone like a nightie off a blonde. So much more than just a shitty schnitty and chips style joint, this food is really good, bordering on really, really good. We leave before being beaten up. It's the right call.

Ok stay for a w/end, not sure i would want to stay longer…read more Apartments all a bit tired, beds reasonably comfortable. No servicing at w/ends which was a let down. Lovedale bar and restaurant was more like a canteen and needs cleaning and updating!

Meeting place for Beyond Ballooning hot air balloon experiences…read more I did not stay here and can only comment on the breakfast that came included with my balloon flight. Buffet breakfast with a pancake making gadget and an omelette station where the Chef makes to order. Hot selection of scrambled eggs, bacon (normal or crispy), beans, sausages, tomato and mushrooms. Cold selection of fruit, cereal, pastries and juices. Whilst never one to turn down an all-you-can-eat breakfast, I'd heard great reviews and unfortunately it fell short of my expectations. It just didn't taste like the real thing. The sausages and meatballs in particular were bland and the eggs and bacon were nothing like you could make from home. The egg station is probably your best bet as it's made fresh and any way you want them. The pancake machine was slow to make just two. I'd much rather a chef made them fresh or just had them pre made in the hot selection range.

This is easily one of my favourite Newcastle pubs. It's recently been renovated and restored in…read morekeeping with its heritage. Drinks are reasonably priced the bar staff are friendly. The restaurant food ranges from reliable to amazing. It's always good. There are always different specials and you can get a schnitzel for $10. Tuesday night jazz at The Underground ($10-$15 entry) is of an exceptional standard and definitely worth doing at least once.

Pros: Nice staff and cleanly renovated…read more Cons: Meals took 30 minutes, came out in a staggered way (when there are only two eating, this is awkward), chips were undercooked and from fish tasting oil, schnitzel was flavourless, beef salad was very light on the beef, couldn't order alcohol at the bistro, bar required minimum $10 spend for EFTPOS (no sign). The drinks menu only had half the drinks, so not only awkward to see selection, had to order double, then had to ask prices too. Overall: has potential, but needs to pay attention to these details to make things a smoother process for the customer. It felt like work.

It's a different story, It was a party of 7 and with…read morereservations. They sat us down in no man's land. The whole place was for us. Had to order the food by scanning a code. It was stupid the experience of ordering and getting recommendations was gone with the wind. The food arrived to the table fast. The food looks great and the potion size was perfect. The food tastes good.

Harrigan's is a place I go to every time I come up to the Hunter Valley. The good range there is…read moreexcellent, staff is nice, the atmosphere is amazing, nights where there is trivia or events and also a very nice Irish-looking restaurant. Price is a bit on the high end but you're paying for high quality! Would definitely recommend