The Richmond Arms Hotel

We had dinner on a Tuesday, and there was a decent crowd enjoying the evening. It’s a historic pub with a full bar, and it also sells takeaway alcohol over the public bar. You can eat in the bar, saloon or garden, all of which had people in them. The menu had a reasonable range, with Schnittys around $30. My steak sandwich came with lots of chips and an unusual side salad, and the steak was tender and juicy. The chicken fettuccine was good too. There’s street parking out front, and I believe there’s accommodation upstairs.

The venue looks historic and wonderful, but that’s where the positives end. Drinks were wet and refreshing, though the prices weren’t. The food is extremely overpriced. Portion sizes are about right, but the quality is terrible. Between us, we tried nine different menu items over three visits, and not one was worth the cost. Never again.

We went for lunch just before 2pm on Saturday and weren’t greeted while we looked around for a table. Service was practically nonexistent. It took almost 40 minutes for two burgers to arrive, and they were awful: dry, chewy buns, plastic cheese, and completely flavourless chicken and chips. I’ve never had food so plain. The plastic cheese was ironically the most flavourful part. We also had to fetch our own cutlery, napkins, salt and pepper. The cutlery station inside was empty, so we had to ask staff and wait again. It was a huge disappointment for a big venue in the heart of Richmond, especially at $30 a burger. I should’ve looked at the reviews instead of assuming a 4 star rating was enough. Lots of customers have described similar experiences. We’re locals and won’t be back, and I feel sorry for tourists passing through.

The pub is nice enough, family friendly and has a good sized outdoor area. On our Sunday lunch visit, they told us meals would take an hour. There was already a pre-made sign on the bar, so this seems to happen regularly. We ended up waiting an hour and a half for very average food. We’ll probably give it a miss next time we’re in town.