GPO Bendigo - Bendigo, Victoria

Toonzie

We visited GPO Bendigo for a family dinner to celebrate a birthday. The restaurant itself looked inviting, and the service was excellent, the staff were friendly and professional. Unfortunately, our experience was spoiled by a loud and rude group seated next to us. Their behaviour made the atmosphere uncomfortable and detracted from our celebration.

The noise also affected our order: one starter was missed entirely, and two of the steaks we ordered were undercooked. Portions were small, with very limited vegetables, just a few pieces of potato with the steaks, which didn’t feel like good value for money.

Additionally, we were surprised to find that the restrooms lacked soap and sanitary bins. This felt unhygienic and disappointing, especially in a restaurant setting where cleanliness is expected.

Overall, despite the good service, we were left dissatisfied and wouldn’t return or recommend GPO Bendigo to friends or family.

Karen P.

We had Tapas and a pear and prosciutto pizza, we loved every bite. Service was amazing but the food was the star.

Allison W.

We had dinner here and it was fabulous. The food was really good, and the staff were so nice too. I would definitely go back next time I’m in Bendigo

Fip

ATMOSPHERE.
We were there just at opening time for lunch which was very pleasant but I'm sure it would be a great place to hang with friends for an evening meal or event. A good size bar too.

FOOD.
The meals we had were well cooked, presented and tasted delicious.

DRINKS.
I had an Old Fashioned which the waitress had never made before and she ended up making a really good drink. Others had a craft beer and water.

SERVICE.
We were welcomed by the lovely waitress before being shown to our table. Sadly some of the tables and a chair were still sticky from the night before but the waitress was apologetic and cleaned it quickly.
The food and drinks came in reasonable time.

4 Stars due to the sticky tables and chair.

Andra T.

My husband and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary tonight at GPO.
The food was very tasty and generous portions. I particularly enjoyed my Passionfruit Mojito! Gemma our waitress was super friendly, knowledgeable and efficient - she made our dining experience all the more enjoyable. Highly recommend GPO and will definitely go again.

Patrick O.

I have been to GPO a few times now over the past 5 years and I have to say the food has certainly changed, but not for the better. Firstly, the good things; service was extremely good. We had a very good waitress who was training up a new staff member and she knew her stuff, knew how to look after customers and had an instinct for knowing when something wasn't quite right. She is a great asset to the venue. The atmosphere was nice, not too noisy but still a good buzz about the place. We were there for dinner at 6pm and once seated and checking out the menu we went for the $79 feast option which is very good value. But......the food here used to be sublime, of amazing quality and, probably because of that, more expensive yet worth every penny. My steak came out overcooked, it was patently obvious even just looking at it that it wasn't rare to medium, it was medium going on well done. The quality of the meat was average, not the best and not the worst but there was no care or love given to the meat and it was quite boring to eat. My wife had the seafood paella, the seafood in the dish was well cooked, tasted nice and had a good variety, but, the rice was very stodgy and obviously was from a larger pan which was then portioned up as the night went on. The meals came out so quick, seriously, that is never a good sign. Usually that means each dish is pre-cooked or part cooked and then finished off when the orders come in. My wife had lamb ribs which were ok, but they came out within 2 minutes of ordering. As soon as they were finished our main course came out very quick again. We had been advised by a barman at a local pub that 'their food does come out very quick', but we didn't think it would be so quick as it was. So, based on my previous experiences at GPO and this one, the food needs to be better, rather than going for a quick in/eat/get out approach the restaurant should consider going back to the quality standards it a few years back.

Lena H.

Wonderful service, lovely staff all round. Food was delicious, drinks spot on and not left waiting for service. Special mention to Amour, incredible service, polite and attentive to everyone.

BEN S.

The cosy fire was welcome on a wet winter’s Sunday evening and the reasonably-priced menu was interesting and varied enough for all ages and tastes. We really enjoyed our food and drink, with only a minor quibble that the staff seemed a bit tense and should relax and smile more; it’s a good restaurant!