Nice array of beers on tap if you like light beers but no ambers or browns. Food menu is so good…read morethat we ate here two nights in a row and were still disappointed that we didn't get to try a few other dishes. Order food and drink inside then it's delivered to the table. The restaurant and bar in the hotel should be listed as a separate establishment as we and most patrons probably don't stay at the hotel.

Really disappointing. I had high hopes. They under delivered. Big time…read more Late with my order. Cashier didn't know what she was doing. Waiter spilt food off my plate and into my lap. One person in the party got his sardines delivered on a tin. Since when has this been stylish?

Fantastic place, absolutely loved coming here for quiz nights, really delicious food and drinks,…read morenice cocktail selection and steak cooked perfectly. Really fun atmosphere, friendly staff absolutely worth a visit

I'm writing this on behalf of a friend who is a pensioner & has been coming to the Avoca for years…read more We quiet often catch up for dinner, usually having the salmon which is nice. One night we tried the steak & they were both very tough, Lucy replaced them with the salmon which was very appreciated. Bev has been sick so she thought she would try the steak again thinking it would good for her. Patrick asked the chef for a nice tender piece of steak for Bev. Big mistake, it was tough again, with a big piece of Grissle and fat. the salad was mixed lettuce leaves, no dressing. The chips were nice. My salmon was nice as usual. Bev called Patrick over & told him the steak was tough & showed him the salad. The salad was meant to be Pear & parmesan cheese. We found the tiniest bit of parmesan but I think the pear was still in the tree.only sorry I didn't think to take a photo of Bev's plate. I am Patrick came & told us THE CHEF WASN'T HAPPY. Excuse me he didn't pay $24. for a hand full of chips. There was no refund, no offer of a complimentary coffee or drink. We are extremely disappointed with the service & food & wouldn't recommend The Avoca. Lucy was always lovely and looked after us & it is a shame she doesn't seam to be there anymore. Wake up, the food & service is what keeps people coming back. Sherrie Stehbens

This is another review that's hard to place for ratings - I've eaten here a few times and would…read morehappily give the restaurant four stars, (although word of mouth tells me it's not as good as it has been these days) but we put franchisee's up there not so long ago and the room and facilities definitely wouldn't have rated over two stars, I've seen so, so much better. So, yes, if you're going for food, three to four stars - I always found an exciting menu of vibrant offerings, and enjoyed the food, service, and a classy atmosphere without being over the top five star dining - but the accommodation itself has suffered greatly from age, cracks in the walls, the shower barely managed to flow, the bath was visibly worn - clean, but aged and suffering wear and tear, it just didn't make the level you'd expect for the price. Sad, because it had been the kind of place we'd planned to stay at for a break away from home.

Actually, this place wasn't bad at all, though of course it is basically the bar, or should I say…read morerestaurant, located in a rather large hotel complex. Anyway, since I don't need to stay in hotels when I come to Adelaide, we just basically remained in the bar. Well, they certainly do have a great selection of beers here, which certainly does make it stand out from many of the other suburban pubs that I have visited, and the service was okay. However, what I really did like about this place was the balcony that sits next to the lake, and gives you some magnificent views. In a way this place is pretty cool, especially with the beer selection.

We trotted in here to add to my list of pub dining rooms visited and assessed…read more The dining room at the West Lakes Hotel has a bit of an airport feel to it, only with a lake to look at rather than a lot of parked planes. The phrase 'airplane food' popped into my mind, but there was no need to worry. For a start, planes probably couldn't take off with the generous helpings dished up at this fancy pub. On top of the half-price carvery deal the night we attended was an offer of free soup - a choice of two soups, in fact. Cheapskate heaven. I won't go on about the consistently high quality of the traditional fare offered by the professional kitchens of most pubs in Adelaide. Suffice to say that our roasts were definitely up to scratch. My beef was tender and juicy, yet with a crunchy crust. My partner's pork was succulent with lashings of perfectly roasted crackling. The gravy in both instances was proper pan-juice gravy, not the glutinous powder sort. The vegetable selections in the Bain Marie were regularly topped up with fresh material and the salads were a cut above the usual noodle, spud or 'green' alternatives. What a delicious meal we each enjoyed. It may have been a bit warm had we been lunching next to the vast expanse of north facing plate glass at our elbows, but the view at dinner time across the lake was ideal. Turn up your nose at soup, roast and beer if you like, but sitting back, with a lake view and a well-filled belly at the West Lakes Hotel, I say, 'Suit yourself!'

I've had one of the best experiences of my life so far at this humble little venue, one of my…read morefavourite bands playing all of their albums. So yeah, I'm a little biased. It's given me a unique opportunity to to experience a week at a live music venue. Even after a full week I still think it's a great venue. I haven't given the pub part of the establishment too many visits, but the venue is yet to disappoint. Compared to other similar places, the drinks are reasonably priced and the bar staff are a pleasant mix of too cool for you and friendly. It could be my distinctive hair, but they've started to remember what I drink. (yeah, I feel just a little like a rock star) The space offers good viewing for all genres of music fan, with raised areas for short asses (which I occasionally count myself as) and bars at both sides of the stage. There's also a spacious (and oddly a little tropical) beer garden for tobacco enthusiasts. When bands visit Adelaide, I take the venue into consideration. If they play The Gov, chances are I'll be there.

3/1/2008 First to Review I like Alison's review. There were…read morecertain points she made that definitely hit the nail when it comes to describing the Gov. It really depends what music you're into, who you're with, who you know, and what you want to do there. I've been here several times before with close friends. Some people go to The Gov to socialise and have a few drinks. But not me. I dance! I even completed the advanced salsa lessons. I'm a male dancer. Well, I used to be, anyway. And I must say - if you want Latin American flavour in a local setting, this can clearly be witnessed and felt at The Gov...the location is easy to get to and once you step in, there is a good chance you will know quite a few people there or meet new high quality people. Then, of course, you get parts of the crowd who are just there to watch. Here are some of my favourite observations from my last night there: 1. By the end of the night, I was sweating like a pig, and lost a lot of calories from hours of non-stop salsa dancing. I was in it, to win it. 2. The venue can get packed, but there's not much of a line out the door around 10pm, unlike a lot of dance clubs in the city, so you'll get in straight away (most people are already inside gathering!) 3. Several women will want to dance with you...La Bomba anyone? How about some sexy salsa? I couldn't say no. 4. There is a large dance space. 5. You will see many women prancing around in sexy ballroom dresses or Rio Festival costumes...but I didn't complain, at all. The only suggestion I can make if this is going to be super awesome in the future is probably a wider range of salsa music and perhaps better song choices (geez, I never thought I'd sound like an American Idol judge)...but overall a clean, no-smoking, dance hall with cool bar staff. Not so sure about the odd sleazebags who do nothing all night except stand by the back wall and just stare...but ignoring them, this is one of the best spots for dancing in Adelaide because I still remember how fun it was to shake my bootay back then. I will definitely go back if I find myself a new dance partner! My old one left the State!

This certainly has an urban air about it. The decision to eat here came almost organically, in that…read moretwo of us were walking past saying 'what should we do for dinner?' as we passed the door. Map merging about it caught our eye. It seems split between a bar side and a restaurant side though it bleeds across. A good wine selection and a number of cocktail options was supported by their flexibility. Though there was no specific mention of spirits and mixers, on asking for a G&T I was given an option of 3 (possibly more, I stopped them when they named my preferred) gins. We took the shared plate option. Two days later (on writing the review) I can't remember the details, but what I can remember is that non of them were standard versions of tapas, they all had a unique twist, particularly the pork and prawn. Desert was chocolate bliss, that's all I can remember. The bliss. Serving time was not memorable one way or another. Though they were informed, and cheerful. A glass of wine, a G&T, 3 or 4 share plates, 1 desert and a cocktail came to $125. We were there quite early in the evening (7pm) and it was rather quiet. (1 trio and a couple besides us) Will we be back? Not sure. But we certainly won't avoid it. If we lived nearby, I could imagine slowly becoming recognised by the staff.

So La Bonne Table had been on my 'to visit' list for quite some time. I will admit i had mixed…read morefeelings as all the reviews/ blogs I have read were either negative or just OK. First up I will let you know that I was not at all disappointed! The place looks cool inside, quite trendy and the staff are all very friendly. We ordered about 4 little plates to share which all came out rather quickly and were all so yummy! Some of these included grilled prawns with a mango salsa, quails and croquettes with winter vegetables. Each plate had been carefully thought of and each ingredient had deserved its place. We then had mains after this, yes we were a little full as they had even brought us bread with olive oil ( olive oil was from Marino Meat & Food Store in the Central Markets). Mains were also nice but I think we used up most of our appetite on the share plates! I will definitely be back to La Bonne Table , do yourself a favour and check it out. Do it right and get yourself some share plates!

Stayed here in a Ocean View room with balcony. I found that it was more suited for one person. As…read morethere was one robe. Snacks for one and so on. The water pressure was amazing in the shower. We ordered room service that was actually really nice very filling. The bed was amazing. Very comfortable. The spa was great but would be better suited if the pool was heated more. And the roof was covered was cold sitting in a hot spa. We did how ever find a hair on the towels in the bathroom but aside from that our stay was nice and was nice to get away.

So many times have I been here for wedding receptions so it was a nice change for a bride-to-be to…read morehave her hens night starting off with an Afternoon High Tea. A glass of sparkling white was served to everyone at our table and the delicious trio plate of delectables were soon eaten. There was plenty of food to go around.

If you are looking to grab a beer without the bullshit this is the place to be…read more The Crown & Anchor (or The Cranker as we like to call it) is without a doubt, my favourite pub in Adelaide. I frequent this pretentious free zone most nights I'm out to get my Sparkling Ale on tap (and I want to fuckin marry it). Live bands play in the side room most weekends with DJs is the front bar during the week. This bar attracts a lot of loyal regulars, and is also a great venue for local music There's no dress code here, and no reason to feel judged (It's the only place I feel comfortable rocking out in a dress without the fear of getting beaten up). I must also note that I've only ever been kicked out of this venue once. Come in during the day if you get bored, shoot some pool and take the piss out of Boundy.

The Crown & Anchor is a pub with history, an old favourite of the Adelaide East End. I remember…read morebeing a little intimated when I was a kid coming past this place, as the crowd hanging about outside consisted of some pretty heavily tattooed folk and industrial Goths. Now that I'm older I can laugh at that, as they are undoubtedly harmless. There's nothing all that special about the Cranker when it comes to decor or seating arrangements, but it's a cool place to grab a drink or catch a gig if you're on the Rundle Street end of town. Their drinks are cheap, and if you manage to secure a table on a busy weekend then you'll be set up for the evening. The staff is friendly, but make sure you bring some bravado when you order your drink. I was a told a story by an ex-employee where a hipster came in and asked for a "vodka liiiiiime", to which the bar staff all sniggered under their breaths. Don't be a pussy - order a beer!