Ball and Chain Grill

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Review

1,896 reviews

#36 of 613 Restaurants in Hobart$$ - $$$, Steakhouse, Australian, Gluten Free Options

+61 3 6223 2655+ Add website

Hours

Sun

10:30 am - 3:00 pm5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Mon

10:30 am - 3:00 pm5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Tue

10:30 am - 3:00 pm5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Wed

10:30 am - 3:00 pm5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Thu

10:30 am - 3:00 pm5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Fri

10:30 am - 3:00 pm5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Sat

5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

1,896 reviews

#36 of 613 Restaurants in Hobart

Travellers' Choice 2023

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

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CUISINES

Steakhouse, Australian

Special Diets

Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, After-hours

features

Location and contact

87 Salamanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania 7000 Australia

+61 3 6223 2655

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Can a gluten free person get a good meal at this restaurant?

Yes

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Details

Manage this business?

CUISINES

Steakhouse, Australian

Special Diets

Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, After-hours

FEATURES

Reservations, Private Dining, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.0

1,896 reviews

Excellent

843

Very good

656

Average

231

Poor

108

Terrible

Paul G

Mansfield60 contributions

Steak house.

Feb 2020 • couples

Came highly recommended and have been previously with a really good experience. However today only one of the four of us enjoyed our meal. Two had the meat platter. The sausages were like cardboard and the steak kebab was very well done (at best). The rib and wing meal was also a disappointment- well overcooked Spoke with owner very responsive to my issues. Not sure now that I would ever go back

Written 29 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lillian_12

Sydney200 contributions

Great value,delicious food, friendly and efficient staff

Feb 2020 • none

We have eaten here on previous visits to Hobart and were so glad to find it still in full swing. Our meal was delicious. The steak was cooked to perfection and the vegetables and cauliflower gratin were exactly right. The wait staff were great. Friendly and helpful, without being intrusive or patronising. It was so pleasant sitting in the airy, bright conservatory area and we really enjoyed our meal here. Excellent value.

Written 7 February 2020

Karma181

Brisbane25 contributions

Great steak

Jan 2020 • solo

Really good service. Casual dining atmosphere Perfectly cooked rib eye on the bone. Self serve salad bar is a bit 1980s but salads were very good quality and fresh. Nice wine list both by the glass and bottle.

Written 31 January 2020

Steve

1 contribution

Stop! Don’t do it!

Apr 2021 • none

The worst steak and service I have experienced! These guys cannot cook anything except blue, rare or medium rare! The wait staff will pester you when you sit down, coming in wait staff after wait staff, relentless in their attack until you finally crack and order something, or when you finally want to order they have their buzzer on their belt and in mid order it goes off and they have to run off and deliver someone else’s food. The food comes and the waiter does not care and hands my medium steak to my partner who has to have her steak dead! Both steaks are under cooked and inedible, they cover the steaks with sauce to try to fool you into thinking you are getting what you have paid for! Most of our steaks were left on the plate, the wait staff asked us how the meal was and were told! (and I’m sure this is not the first time she has heard this) and the bill was out on the table in a flash. So many other good establishments in the area, avoid this if you want to have a good meal sadly.

Written 21 April 2021

419fionao

Canberra22 contributions

Disappointed

June 2021 • family

Went here for dinner after seeing some pretty good reviews. Maybe they just had a bad night in the kitchen but for what we paid, poor value for money. On the upside, staff were very friendly and attentive. The food came out reasonably quickly and my steak was cooked as ordered. Unfortunately I had to send my oysters back - the first 3 were lovely, the others did not smell good at all when I went to eat them. The restaurant did replace them but I was a bit nervous then. The vegetables were not nice at all - and serving of them was tiny. The pepper sauce was so hot I couldn’t eat it (& I love pepper and spice). Unfortunately I’d poured it on my steak before tasting it, which overpowered what would have been a nice steak otherwise. My partners lamb was tasty but very tough. I wasn’t expecting a 5 star meal - I would have gone next door otherwise and I’m generally pretty generous with my reviews. But when you pay over $100 for 2 drinks and dinner for 2 (our kid had nuggets and chips) you do expect better quality than this. Wouldn’t recommend

Written 30 June 2021

Alan Potter

Brisbane6 contributions

Best Steaks - Ever

May 2021 • none

The Ball and Chain offers the best quality steaks anywhere. The service is amazing and one of the owners personally cooks all of the steaks. The wine list is extensive and you can get a quality bottle at a very reasonable price with Your meal.

Written 10 July 2021

Kristy D

Launceston13 contributions

A bit on the disappointing side

Sept 2020 • couples

Ball and Chain came recommended to us as the perfect restaurant to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary at. We were very excited about having a lovely steak dinner. Unfortunately, the seasonal vegetables were only available and no other sides. Those vegetables were 2 baby carrots, a baked potato, a tablespoon of cabbage and a slice of grilled zucchini... Not the most appetising. My steak was ok though my husbands was passed well done considering he asked for medium well. He ate probably 1/4 of it and half the veggies. There was a redemption with the desserts, which were delicious (pavlova and sticky date pudding). When I was fixing up the bill, the server did ask about my husbands steak as they noted most of it was still on the plate. I did start to tell him what the issue was but another couple came in the door and he seemed to of lost interest. Hopefully next time the quality will be more impressive.

Written 8 September 2020

Diane M

Greater Hobart22 contributions

Frustrating

Apr 2021 • friends

On arrival at the restaurant we were led to our table and given menus. One minute later we were asked if we would like drinks - no chance to look at drinks menu yet! To view our menus we needed to use the torches on our mobile phones as it was so dark. The waitress could not be heard over the noise the restaurant and it was not that full at that time. Pre-dinner drinks were ordered & served by 2 different people. Yet another waitress came to take our food order which we had to yell at her. One of our party asked if the potato, sauerkraut & vegetables wrapped in bacon could be substituted with chips (offered on the sides menu). No, we can't do that! No discussion! Meanwhile, the noise level increased markedly when a group of men was seated at the table behind us. Meals arrived in a timely manner and we think they looked nice. Difficult to tell in the gloom! The fish served to one of our group was served with chips! Directly opposite the person who requested the substitute... The fish eater also received a 'Greek' salad which was sadly lacking olives and had a miniscule amount of fetta cheese. We finished main course and wished to order dessert. Out came the torches again! I might add, patrons on the next table and on the other side of the room were also using this technique. At this point, another large group of men, and one woman, very loudly announced their arrival in smaller groups, each one adding to the volume. How their wait staff heard any orders is a mystery. One of our group left the restaurant at this stage as the noise was physically painful to his ears and those of us having dessert bolted it down rather than enjoying it. It was obvious the new group had been lubricating their vocal chords at another establishment before geting stuck into more alcohol whilst they waited for their food. And, by the way, a water jug & glasses was brought to the table once the wine had been finished! Is not water usually offered as soon as you are seated in a restaurant? The food was, as usual, excellent but the experience has left us not wanting to return if this is the new 'normal'

Written 29 April 2021

Hbt83

26 contributions

Steak cooked well but not great value for money

Jan 2021 • none

Steak cooked to perfection and very tender with nice char however let down by the sides. A teeny unseasoned veg skewer and a couple of halved small potatoes and a tablespoon of pickled cabbage is an odd choice. This plus we ordered a side of chips which was $8 and the bowl was only half full left me feeling ripped off and hungry and I'm a 50kg woman so if you're a bloke I'd suggest ordering one of the large steaks if you want a full belly. Service pleasant and meals came out relatively quickly.

Written 26 January 2021

John H

Sudbury374 contributions

The place for meat lovers

Jan 2020 • couples

Great restaurant, great service and steaks cooked on charcoal are excellent. The restaurant is at one end of the Salamanca row of buildings and is easily missed if you don’t know it. The menu was a little pricey but the food was well worth the money.

Written 24 January 2020

ozfamilyexplorer

381 contributions

Great steak

Dec 2020 • family

Whilst a little on the high side price-wise, the steaks were pretty damn good. We grabbed a large rump and a couple of eye fillets, but the bargain feed is the ribs and wings - melt in your mouth meat. The oysters for entree didn't last long (so nice).

Written 20 December 2020

Ginges_revenge

Brisbane5859 contributions

Good steaks and friendly service

July 2021 • none

I was looking for a good steak restaurant and in looking at the reviews, these guys came up on this list. It was also a 5 minute from walk from our hotel which was good. We didn't make a booking as due to the Covid restrictions, Hobart was fairly quiet. We got straight in and were seated. As we were a couple, we were seated at a two seater table which was ok, but ours was fight by the kitchen doors, which was a bit of a bummer, the only low point of the meal. The wait staff was friendly and prompt with there service. We didn't have a starter and due to this, and the place being a little quiet, the meals came out very quickly, just after our drinks got to the table. The steak was melt in your mouth, cooked as I'd asked, medium. The Redcurrant & thyme jus that I'd ordered with the steak was sensational. The spatchcock special my wife had was amazingly tasty as well. The pricing was not to bad for having 2 main meals and 2 glasses of wine, under $100. We really enjoyed our meal.

Written 7 August 2021

James W

London3 contributions

Great experience

Mar 2021 • couples

Loved this place. I am gluten and dairy free amongst other constraints. Chef came out to the table, talked me through menu and then adjusted some of the dishes to match what I could eat. Had some great char grilled prawns, eel, steak and quail. Fantastic service to boot and alround great experience.

Written 16 March 2021

BigWayneD

Sydney354 contributions

What a fantastic restaurant

Apr 2021 • couples

We ended up having dinner here on two nights of our Tasmanian holiday The restaurant is built in a 190 -year-old convict built building. All the meat is cooked on a charcoal grill that they fire up every morning The service was excellent . The meals on both visits was also excellent and very well presented. We enjoyed oysters both times for an entrée , my partner had the quail and I ordered steak. We shared a dessert as we were struggling. Everything was delicious. There was a great selection of wines with a few lower cost ones that were still very good quality that we employed. Congratulations to the management & staff for running one of the best restaurants with a great atmosphere and feel to it I’ve been to for quite a while. I would recommend this restaurant 100%

Written 18 April 2021

NickBaker68

Cairns49 contributions

Avoid

Jan 2021 • friends

Desultory, under flavoured and expensive. I had a crayfish thermidore which was overcooked and tasteless. It came with soggy mesclun, a cherry tomato and 2 olives, plus a handful of chips. Unfortunately the whole of Salamanca seems to consist of restaurants that are tourist rip offs. There are far better restaurants in Hobart IMHO.

Written 31 January 2021

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