To begin, we called up to book a table and the man on the phone was very blunt and uninviting. When we arrived, we ordered 2 soft drinks that were flat. The bartender was very rude and had no bar etiquette by which I mean...he put his fingers all around the glass rim and told people off for not wearing their mask when his nose was exposed - hypocritical? We ordered dinner which was fish&chips and a Chicken Caesar salad that took almost an hour to arrive even with the bistro barely half full. Our salad and veg came after 45 minutes and it looked like it had been sitting for days. When the food came out, the chips looked like they had come from the freezer and the chicken caesar was rubbery and runny. The staff seemed like they were working in slow motion, no one had any sense of work ethic. I have worked in hospitality for years, but never have I seen such pathetic business. FYI this was our only dinner option due to power outage. Would have been happier with 2 minute noodles.More

I recently visited the Barmera Hotel for tea while visiting & staying in the Riverland. This review is not focused on the food we received at the restaurant which putting it nicely was sub-standard, rather than to bring attention to some highly disturbing and completely...inappropriate behaviour from one of their staff members. Myself along with my family were seated in the dining room finishing up tea. From our table we could see through to the bar area where one of the 'older' male staff members working behind the bar made eye contact with my daughter and proceeded to make vulgar, sexualised actions at her using his tongue. I'll let you join the dots on that. My daughter turned to me in shock and alerted me to this behaviour. I immediately got up from my seat and entered the bar area where the staff member realising he had been caught, quickly exited to the front bar area. I alerted another staff member behind the bar what had just happened. My husband then realising what had happened confronted the male staff member. The staff member initially lied however soon admitted his guilt using the excuse he was 'bored'. Yes, I typed that correctly he was 'bored'. Does being 'bored' makes it okay to make vulgar, sexualised actions at my 14yr old daughter? When I say my husband used every bit of strength and control to not physically attack this man, as any protective father would do I am not exaggerating. After some heated words we removed ourselves from the venue before the situation escalated further. I might also mention at this point that my daughter was mid panic attack, in tears and an emotional wreck. The next day I contacted the venue to speak with the manager and was told that the manager was unavailable and I probably should not expect a call back till Monday (3 days after) as they were booked out all weekend! To say that I am angry, appalled, discusted, concerned and utterly shocked by the lack of care this demonstrates is an understatement. You claim to be a 'family friendly' establishment, yet seem to have a brazen predator working in your 'family friendly' venue. How this incident does not register as a high priority to management is completely inexcusable and quite frankly pretty damn scary. I am sharing our experience as a warning to all parents & families who ever contemplate visiting this establishment. The staff member in question had every opportunity to claim his innocence, tell us it was a mistake or at the very least apologise. Instead he admitted to his actions (infront of another staff member I might also add) and put it down to being bored. Visit their website and read "The Family Friendly Hotel", what a joke. The Barmera Hotel management should be ashamed.More

Well, what an absolute disaster. You would think that when you book a large table, a month in advance, the staff would not look so surprised and rattled when the large group walks in. Customers are pointed to a sign saying that steaks and chicken...breast, would take 25-30 minutes. So, in an effort to avoid the long wait time, one simply orders a simple chicken schntizel to speed things up. Cue 1.5 hours later…. After losing your appetite after you watch a hundred meals come out, you quickly realise that you should have taken the chance on the steak, and simply ask for your money back. When this is denied by the server, ‘because the chef said no’, you ask to talk to the manager. Then, you are greeted by, ‘Pete’, who when confronted with the same dilemma, straight out refuses to refund your money. Pete’s staunch refusal is also coupled with a degree of disdain that could only possibly be a by-product, of having to oversee this utter garbage, for the last fifty years. The Barmera Hotel is literally, one of the most horrid dining experiences I have had. To top it off, they aptly match the customer service, with their food, which was frankly, awful. The chef must be a dual amputee, blind, deaf and have no sense of smell. There’s no other way to explain the garbage that was slopped on the plate tonight (if you were lucky enough to be fed). The staff are abrupt, rude, miserable, sad, discombobulated, tiresome and lacking any sense of pride, or care. If you absolutely need to eat at this establishment, maybe wait until you catch covid and lose your sense of taste and smell.More

Salad and veg bar Yay! Well the waitresses ask if you would like salad or veg. No description unless you ask and no enquires regarding dietary requirements. Meal ordered - salad and veg (lukewarm) brought to the table almost 10 minutes before the meals arrived...so lukewarm veg was now cold and rather mushy. One waitress was lovely and the rest of the staff were not candidates for the friendly staff award. Most of us didn’t finish our meals as the quality was lacklustre to say the least. The roast was served in an Olympic pool sized serve of gluey gravy. Fisherman’s basket was cold in the middle and tasted like it had come from the supermarket freezer not marine caught fresh seafood. Cheezy bread was left on the plate after one stodgy bite. Such a shame the chef wasn’t working tonight. High school home economics kids can do better.More

Accommodation side fantastic. Bar fantastic. Dining Room - Unless you are prepared to wait an hour and half both nights for your meal go elsewhere. 2 years in a row. By the time our meal arrived on the bbn first the vegetables and salad had...run out. They proudly announce (sign) that they can cater for 164 people but just can't meet the demand. Staff lovely but need more.More

Local returning for lunch after a little while away, usually the go to for schnitties, Happily surprised they had a lunch special of $14.90 which is great for schnitzel and chips but not when I looked at the reciept. we were charged $3 for each...salad, $4.50 for 90ml of mushroom gravy each and even $1 for the takeaway containers each.So now my chicken schnitzel with chips, salad and mushroom gravy is worth $23.40. Granted this is probably at the higher end of a normal bistro meal price its pretty deceptive to say its a lunchtime deal, Won't be back!More

Party of 5, 2 adults and 3 children. The servicing staff were extremely rude and we were made to feel as though our patronage was not wanted. After making a complaint to the supervisor the staff became defensive and attacking. Will never return as definately...not family friendly nor welcoming. Compliments to the chef however the food was great 👍More