We had a fabulous dinner here tonight. Lovely helpful staff and very welcoming. We were a family…read moregroup of 9 with two children in high chairs. We started with delicious and reasonably priced cocktail. We recommend the metre or half a metre pizza; just perfect for our family. The pasta was very authentic and we loved the carbonara. We also really enjoyed the gnocchi. Lovely flavours. A little different to what we expected. Not a pineapple in sight. We'll be back.

Gluten Alert ! Items labelled Gluten Free in menu may not be Gluten Free…read more I have dined at North Beach Pavillion three times with the family - each time I have gone out of my way to request Gluten Free dishes from the menu (asking staff verbally for the gluten free options and then choosing only from items labelled Gluten Free on their printed menu - every time I have ended up having the GF Penne). While the food has been delicious to eat, each time I have been glutened with a noticeable inflammatory reaction shortly after eating there. On our latest visit today I asked 1) at the counter upon booking for only gluten free menu items 2) double checked with the waitress that I was ordering the Penne labelled GF in the menu and that it was in fact GF and 3) Queried another waitress upon finding small pieces of a white soft buttery tasting ingredient (looked like gnocchi) amongst the pasta each about the size of a five cent piece. I was assured it was just garlic so just ate it up. Shortly after leaving the restaurant the gluten response kicked in so I phoned them and spoke to the chef Dominic who apologised and told me that they should boil the pasta separately but they were busy and maybe it was pieces of gnocchi from another dish in amongst the pasta. He said that the gnocchi is potato based but it also includes WHEAT FLOUR ! This is a really nice restaurant otherwise I wouldn't have persevered but they are clearly negligent if they are so casual about misrepresenting their food as gluten free if in fact they don't have even basic processes in place to ensure that it is actually free from gluten - especially when a person requiring special dietary needs has gone out of their way to make them aware of this beforehand.

I have such mixed feelings about this place. Parts of my experience were fantastic, while others…read morewere underwhelming. The easiest way to explain may be a pros/cons situation. Pros: good location, beautiful views, friendly service. This is definitely the weirdest restaurant experience I've ever had in terms of service - you have to wait to be seated, but then you have to go back upstairs to order your food, bring a buzzer with you downstairs through the garden, and then when your buzzer goes off - back upstairs, gather your hot plates, and bring them to your table on your own. I feel like if you are eating on actual plates (not takeaway style dishware), and you have to wait to be seated... you should have a server. This situation seemed so weird to me. Either way, the people working here are very friendly. Cons: Food is expensive, which isn't a problem, but you are definitely paying for the view, not good food. However, even with a nice view, a $26 spaghetti with cherry tomatoes seems over the top to me. My boyfriend got the fish and chips, and we were both unimpressed with the food. It wasn't terrible, and we were hungry, so we have no regrets, but if you're coming here to chill and enjoy the view - eat before you come. For food and one drink each, my bf and I paid over $80. Bottom line: visit for a drink and a look at the view. Skip the food. Tables are nice and big, so it's a great place to meet up with friends.

Fish and chips for lunch. Great views and plenty of sunny corners. One piece of fish was…read morepractically raw but the batter nice and crispy. The meal was replaced immediately so they really do care. For $26 they should. A pint of Asahi for $16 was a bit over the top but did taste fantastic.

If you want to collapse onto a bench, out of the sun and eat a smoked hot dog, Dagwood, as the name…read moreimplies, is your place. The house dog is delicious - a bit of mayo, wasabi creme and fried shallots. The buffalo dog is eye-wateringly heavy on the sauce, but that's the Aussie way. The chips - thin, crunchy, and tossed in chilli salt are just as good and the servings are generous. The food is moist and flavoursome enough to not need copious alcohol to cut through the fat, but a cold one goes so well with the food. Good news - they now have an espresso machine!

One of those restaurants next to your hotel which you hope is edible and friendly when you are…read moretraveling. Food was VERY good but the service was fantastic. I sat at the bar and had a great evening due to the friendly nature of the bartenders. Highly recommend.

best atmosphere, nice warm inside, very cool little beer garden. food is good and staff are…read morefriendly. parking not difficult.

Visiting the area from the US, we were looking for a nice dinner for myself, my wife, my…read more10-year-old twins and my 75 year old mother. After looking at the menu on their website, we decided to try the Balgownie over a couple of other local eateries. At 6:30 on a Friday night, the place was busy which is always a good sign for a locals place. They had already sold out of the lamb shanks (a disappointment but that's how it goes) so I couldn't get that. My wife and mother split the $25 Schnitzel Boscaiola and had some left over. It was delicious and the sauce was fantastic. 1 daughter had the kid's spaghetti bolognese and the other had the kid's steak. Both are still raving about how good their meals were. I ordered the salt and pepper squid, which was the tastiest and freshest calamari I've had in years. I also had quite a bit of the salad and chips/fries left over. The food took a bit of time to come out, but that is likely a function of how busy the place was, and not necessarily a bad thing. Everything was super fresh and prepared perfectly. We spent AU$65 for dinner for 5, plus drinks that were ordered at the bar. There's a good chance we'll be back to the Balgownie.

I heart the Gong! Came here to watch the Tahs final while on vacation. Called ahead to make sure…read morethey were showing it which they were, and glad we chose this place on a whim because there were screens everywhere. They had multiple games on, at least a dozen beers and a few ciders on tap at slightly below average prices. All the standard fare for a hotel, although food came out slowly that's understandable given the place was packed to the rafters. They have deals during the week on food and drinks, but it was still affordable for a weekend night out. After the Tahs won they passed out free chips, which I think were just leftover from the bistro but still a nice gesture. All the staff were really friendly and attentive - they appeared to offer table service for some of the larger group tables, were quick to pick up empties, and made pleasant conversation while filling orders at the bar. It looks like a great place to have group events, and there's a dance floor/dj upstairs if you want to hire it for a private party. One was on the night we were there and it didn't interfere too much with the downstairs shenanigans. Poker room to the back and a beer garden with pool table outside added to the mix of customers. Overall, there's something for everyone here.

Went there for lunch. Had the ultimate schnitzel with mushroom sauce. Their soft drinks at $5 is…read morepricey. Food is well priced so that makes up for the drinks.

Cool little bar hidden away behind Crust with a throwback prohibition-inspired theme. Although the…read morelive music is excellent, when combined with a full night of patrons, it gets a little bit too much regarding noise in my ears. The Darkes Forest howler cider is pretty interesting and keeping with the wolf theme .

Truly excellent food. Massive range of whiskys. Great cocktails. Good live music. Well worth a…read morevisit.

Only visiting Wollongong for the weekend. Ended up at Steelers around 1am. Thought I'd have a bit…read moreof a slap. I was asked by a man who worked there if I wanted a coffee or cold drink. The coffee was not out of a machine but made properly - barista style - and it was delicious. Like a high end Sydney city cafe coffee. This same man was super polite and had a kind face. I feel he deserves a special mention as I could see him working hard all night to keep the place clean and make sure people were well hydrated. There are pokies in the main area and a sectioned off smoking area with machines also. Smokers will understand just how amazing this is. Honestly, I'm unsure if this is the norm here as I live in Qld but I was tickled pink. Aside from that the layout is what you would expect from a club of this kind but it was pleasantly clean. If I could give any feedback I would suggest upgrading the hand dryers in the unisex bathroom as it takes a long time to dry your hands. As everything is in the one room - toilet, basin and dryer - it makes me feel as though I'm in the toilet for a suspicious length of time... Don't want people thinking your doing a number two.. *cough, cough* All in all, a great venue. Kudos Steelers. I tip my hat to you.

Seriously the best steaks ever!!!!!!…read more Been there twice and every time I come to Wollongong for work I try to go.

Massive but great feed. Highly recommend the Mexican Parmi! Best parmi ive ever had!!!!!!read more