Hunters Hill Hotel

It's hard to miss the Hotel Hunters Hill as you exit

Burns Bay Rd

It’s a Tuesday night, so it is unlikely that we are going to be dining with swathes of people, but the Hunters Hill Hotel has the kind of atmosphere that makes us wonder why more people aren’t dining around us. The weather could have something to do with this. The bistro menu seems to be squarely aimed at the very hungry types who frequent the hotel which include, builders, laborers and various other trades people who take their veg with three meat. The dining room backs onto a large beer garden with seating for 50 and room for 100 standing guests making it a great space for largish functions.

It is just as nice to find a pub that has maintained it’s beers and battered anything offering as it is to discover a hatted restaurant adjacent to a loud drinking hall. Sometimes we need to let pubs be pubs because when we need a greasy feed on a Sunday they are always there with the fryer working overtime and beer taps at the ready. The Hunter is this no frills variety that most of us can remember from our childhoods. No table services, order at the counter, get your own cutlery and let the kids go free range.

The classic Fish 'n' Chips was one of the more light

options on the menu

We order at the counter and get drinks from the bar. I decided on the chicken schnitzel burger with seasoned wedges and my friends order the half ribs, fish and chips and grilled chicken burger. I don’t think my rib friend had seen the portion size or the safety equipment involved in this particular dish. It seemed to require quite a sizeable serrated knife, a bib and a sauce-coated-face style of enthusiasm, but even that may fail to face up to the challenge of these ribs, which like all pub food also come with a decent serving of chips.

An easy choice when it comes to pub food,

but not so easy to get through.

Our meals arrive and there is very little to say in terms of presentation. ‘Food on a plate’ may be sufficient description enough, but the serving portions are generous verging on ridiculous. The chips are crunchy, salad crisp and the burger tastes very fresh and not too greasy. I can already tell that there is too much here for my tiny frame to accommodate, so the chips and the burger get split equally into a have and have not pile. I glance at my friend who has now received her half portion of ribs. If the look on her face is anything to go by then she is definitely not up to the challenge. Smothered in sauce and barely fitting on the 35cm dinner plate these ribs could silence the hunger of the most ravenous of hungry trades-persons.

Good luck with this beast of a meal!

Overall the meals were nice, but nothing to write home about. If you need a decent feed at a reasonable price then the Hunter’s Hill Hotel certainly foots the bill, just don’t expect anything fancy. The hotel is accessible from the Inner West coming off the Gladesville Bridge and taking the first exit on Burns Bay Rd or the Hunters Hill exit if you are coming from Lane Cove. There is ample parking in the rear and easy access for strollers, prams and wheelchairs.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Good on a weeknight, better on a weekend!