Exceptional service, vintage decor, spacious and delicious food. We went for Mother's Day and…read moretables were reserved everywhere. We tried our luck and went there without a reservation. The guy that greeted us and the staff were all amazing! They found us a free table and managed to make an extra table for a family coming in behind us. Will be back.

My relationship with the Happy Wombat began when I stayed at the Quest for a work trip in…read moreNewcastle. I began with the "Daddy Wombat" - a 400g grass fed rib eye. The steak was tender and the polenta chips and beans matched perfectly. After leaving dinner, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Quest Hotel provides a chargeback service with the Wombat, and breakfast would be served in this pub. I woke up the next morning without the highest expectations. Steak was a safe bet at a pub, but gormet breakfast at a pub is more unusual than seeing a real wombat in the streets of Newcastle. Breakfast at this "pub" was fantastic. In the morning you're greeted by friendly staff, fantastic coffee and a good breakfast selection. My only annoyance was that breakfast is not served until 7:30AM, which is late for an early-morning person. After leaving the Quest, I have not left The Wombat. I'm in the 8th week of my "short" visit to Newcastle, and I buy a coffee from the Wombat daily. I tend to have dinner at least once a week, and my office has had 2 small functions in this restaurant since the first day of my visit. I leave Newcastle this week, and it only seemed fitting that I had my going away dinner at The Wombat.

Expectation is only ever going to land you in trouble. We'd been meaning to try The Hop Factory…read moreduring our last two visits to Newcastle and on the hottest day in November for the past five years, we figured it was as good a time as any. But oh expectation. Having crushed on Hop's typography and branding for so long the actual experience left me firmly sitting on the fence. If craft beer floats your boat you'll probably find a few drops to indulge with here. The selection was quite great for a beginner. The menu is US-influenced diner food with a dash of Aussie casual aires and graces. Our lunch time special cheese burgers on a brioche bun were a tidy $12 ($3 extra for the one gluten free burger). This is a burger easily held and consumed in one hand. No spillage. Let's call it the compact cheeseburger. It was all a little pedestrian for my liking and could have been something special with the addition of pickles. Maybe I've got to stop holding all burgers against the cheeseburger at Gerard's Bar in Brisbane. In any case, should you be wanting a place to eat suitable for all budgets, for all the family from your meat-and-three-veg loving Uncle Reg to somewhere for a lads night out then take a gander at Hops Factory on Darby St.

Amazing Thai beef salad and rump steak, but prob not the key reason to visit. With 16 taps that…read morerotate, it's a beer lover's awesomeness. Good priced drinks and enough selection for anyone (even if you're not a beer lover) this is a cool venue to just chill in. No pretension, great service... would love to come again!!

It looks as if the further out from the city you go the better the pub accomodation becomes. Well,…read moreI can only describe it based upon this one particular pub, but I have to say that I was really impressed. The rooms were comfortable, and I got a really good nights sleep. Okay, checkin was a bit annoying, but that was because I ended up here pretty early, and they don't do check-in until the afternoon. Still, the pub was pretty nice, the service excellent, and the rooms really comfortable.

The best cheesy sweet chilli bread, my steak was great and cooked perfectly, staff are very…read morefriendly, have been back again already. Dining area was very good with the green roof (jasmines etc)

This summer what'll you have?A tumeric latte, iced coffee, cold pressed juice? Decked out in…read morerecycled wood with style, lounge in the funky courtyard amongst the garden with your four legged friends & explore the delicious & nourishing plant based menu.Let the awesome team at P&P prepare for you the cauliflower & hazelnut salad, fresh & nutty and the mushroom pesto extravaganza dish which was delectable.But make sure you have room for dessert, the pancakes with berries & Chai/coconut whipped cream were fluffy perfection and we even snuck in a sneaky caramel slice too!

I've been here a few times now. The staff are always so friendly and efficient. The food has that…read morehome made look and taste that I love. Vegan and vegetarian options are a welcome change to other cafes. Coffee is really smooth. Would highly recommend it.

Delicious. Fantastic. Superb…read more Maybe a little overpriced, but good LORD the FOOD! It's just so GOOD! The Cubano was the best Cuban sandwich I've had outside of Florida. Take it from someone who lived in Tampa & ate Cuban sandwiches at LEAST once a week -- this place does them proper justice. The jalapeños are an inauthentic but totally welcome addition. The cheese is melted just right, the sandwich is pressed beautifully, & the mustard - it's just right; not too much or too little. My partner's chimmichurri steak was to die for. The thick slab of meat that any lesser cook would have undercooked or burnt was a PERFECT medium. & the relish... Delectable. I was torn between wanting to trade because it was that good, & not wanting to let him near my blissfully delicious sandwich. Well worth the price. Next time I find myself in Newcastle I know where I'm getting lunch.

The menu is a little arty, but the food is quite good. I love the coffee here and the service is…read morereally friendly. Sit by the window on a nice day and watch life walk by. I've spent hours here before reading the news and relishing life.

Oh my, huge servings! Believe the staff when they say a meal is for sharing. Pricing is good for…read morewhat you get. Karage chicken is definitely worth a try.

Great variety of drinks (a bit pricey) and some really interesting small plates (a bit salty). We…read morehad buffalo wings and they weren't quite right. A little soft and undercooked. A bit of a shame really. I hope to go back and give it another shot though because I like the concept and the cocktail list is always changing.

I've tried Oma's, Una's and Das Hund Haus but after last nights meal I'm putting Doppleganger…read morefirmly at the top. Located on arguably Newcastle's best eat out street, Darby Street and great to see it adding another dimension to the variety of restaurants already on offer. Tastefully Austrian with beer flags and music, but not at all in your face. We ordered 4 different beers and I absolutely loved the different glasses for each. Pretzels to start that were warm; perfectly browned and salted on the outside and soft on the inside. My friend also got the pretzel stick served with a Camembert spread. Menu wasn't too foreign with my friend opting for the schnitzel, my partner the farmers plate and pork knuckle for me. My partner didn't like the amount of fat in his meal but for better or worse I ate every last piece of fat and meat I could scavenge from the knuckle. It was amazing! Ending the night with apple schnapps that were too strong for me but friend loved them. Both of us going traditional with the apple strudel and the Viennese iced coffee for my partner. He said the coffee was very strong with my friend swooping in again to finish it off. We are a good team like that! The bill was expensive at over $200 but I feel it was worth it. Made another booking already to take my Dad for Father's Day.

On a whim my partner and I tried this place for breakfast. It's about 6months old, had an Austrian…read moretwist and was very quiet for a Saturday morning. Although it's quite new, the decor feels a little tired. Some furniture might have be inherited from the old restaurant (Long bench). BUT, don't let this put you off. The food was delicious. We shared our meals and the waffles with ricotta and fresh fruit was one of the best breakfasts I've ever had in Newy. It was incredible! Service was good. Friendly, useful and sweet. Maybe a bit young and nervous but I'm sure after another few months she'll be great. The dinner menu looks well priced and delicious and so we'll definitely be back. A sophisticated take on lots of pork dishes. The back courtyard would be a nice place for an afternoon German beer, it looked like they had a selection on tap. Give this place a try next time you're on Darby St.

There really wasn't all that much when it comes to this pub. Sure, it is somewhat out of the way,…read morehidden in the suburban back streets, but that really isn't the pub's problem. However, it is basically one of those pubs that probably suit the suburban back streets, namely because it really doesn't have much in the way of great beers, just the standard selection that you would generally find in a place like this. Sure, it does have an outdoor area, and it is even set aside from diners, as opposed to smokers as is the case with most places, but still, this place really wasn't all that great.

I'm not familiar with the Maryville area but was surprised to find this tavern set amongst the…read morecottage style homes of Newcastle's past. Out of place for sure but plenty of old areas had to have their drinking hole, right? Didn't appear to have a private car park but there was plenty of on-street parking. Indoor and outdoor seating for the restaurant. Can't say the toilets were inviting. Mostly clean but stank of sewerage. Now to the food. We were a massive group. 2 large tables booked so probably at least 24 people. I'm happy with the speed of service and that the meals came out together. The garlic and chilli corn breads smelt terrific, however I chose the Peking duck spring rolls for entree. 4 well sized pieces served with nam jim dipping sauce. They were very hot to touch and nearly burnt my mouth but I'll take that over cold fried food any day. Very tasty! I didn't hear a complaint about the other meals and think I got the show stopper of the bunch. Slow braised pork belly atop a bed of asparagus risotto with airy crackling and a new for me; lotus root chips. Kind of like home made chips (crisps). The staff were friendly and it perhaps was a quieter night but they handled our large group very well.