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- The Criterion Hotel
The Criterion Hotel
- +61249267212
- 81 Bourke Street, Carrington, New South Wales 2294, Australia
Published:
June 29, 2024
About The Criterion Hotel
Dine in
Takeout
Delivery
Service Options
Highlights
Great cocktails
Live music
Live performances
Sports
Trivia night
Offerings
Alcohol
Beer
Cocktails
Food
Food at bar
Hard liquor
Wine
Atmosphere
Casual
Cozy
Planning
Accepts reservations
Parking
Free parking lot
Free street parking
Accessibility
Wheelchair accessible entrance
Wheelchair accessible parking lot
Wheelchair accessible restroom
Dining_options
Seating
Crowd
Groups
Payments
Credit cards
Debit cards
NFC mobile payments
Map
The Criterion Hotel Reviews
Worst pub in Australia
My first beer and it took 3 goes and 2 glasses to get a totally flat beer@$8. Second beer attempt was a full glass of froth at first so I said forget it I will have a stubby.
We had dinner, it was decent.
We asked for the birthday cake that we supplied, it came out, all good.
We waited for her to come back with plates and spoons as any establishment would provide, nothing, so we helped our selves to plates from the coffee area.
Never again
- Greg L
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
What's happened to this place. Probably the worst meal I have had in years. I'm hoping the cook was having an off night, but the Brazilian pork was nothing Brazilian and I'm not sure what was up with it but haven't been feeling great since. Also kids grilled chicken looked poached and was rather tasteless. Definitely not the normal standard
- owen ashton
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Was pleasantly surprised when me and my husband stopped over for the night, nice to find a hotel that’s dog friendly as well. The food was delicious and all the staff were super friendly and accommodating.
- BlackiesGirl
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Visited this place on Thursday for a farewell lunch there was a bit of a mix up and we ended up here, a pub I haven’t been in for 30years since my grandfather use to take my girls there for a lemonade as a treat whilst he and my nan were babysitting their great grand childre, brought back beaut memories it did. There were 8 of us and everything was amazing, every meal was just so nice, Barramundi, Pie of the day, Burgers big tasty meals. I cannot recommend this lovely little place enough we all will definitely be going back. Thanks for a great lunch keep up the good work.
- Go255070
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
To the team at the Criterion Hotel thank you for an enjoyable time/stay at your pub. Loved the atmosphere, the drink selection met our needs (esp the margaritas!), the food delicious and our stay upstairs capped off a great weekend at Newcastle. Have recommend it to others, looking forward to visiting again. Zac was fabulous - friendly and attentive - much appreciated.
- Ian Cameron
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
This is a cracker place. Good choice of beers, wind and food. Staff super helpful and friendly. Amaaazing ‘feel’ to the place. Wish I lived next door!!! Thanks so much guys. The photo of PK above the bar says it all 👏👏👏
- Simon Cartan
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
The food was rather good, and the service quick. Nice quiet street and outside tables.
- Rob Stevens
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
The food was exceptional...tbh, the best buffalo wings I have ever had (and I have had them all over the world). Great spicey margaritas as well. Cool relaxed atmosphere - recommend
- Derek Jenkins
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
The Criterion is our go-to dog-friendly pub in Carrington. All of the staff are incredibly friendly and super-professional. Chilled family vibe during the day makes it perfect for a weekend lunch. Good variety of dishes on the menu and the meals are great quality but they can be a bit stingy on serving sizes (eg my fish and chips which was mostly chips alongside three cocktail fish pieces).
- PS2290
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Recommended by my son. What would he know? Plenty apparently!| A party of 8 of us went on a Tuesday night for a birthday dinner. Glad we booked a table because I can’t recall there being a spare table. |It’s a small cozy pub which is full of character with friendly and appreciative staff. |It was trivia night and while not partaking it seemed like a lot of fun. |Our meals were great. Most had schnitties and rated them. Salads were fresh and tasty. |I can’t wait to go back and take some friends who love a good pub. |I might go now actually.
- Breeza Graham
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Really cute pub off the main road, went on the Saturday $12 Margaritas and got pretty busy but food was awesome and beer garden is really nice👌
- PRINCEDOG
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Pub is in need of a good reno. Food and service was ok but their drink selection is very limited and only craft beer was available on tap.
- Kyle Mulholland
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
One of the best tucked away pubs in Newcastle. Happy hour every day, 4 to 6pm, it's open, Wednesday to Sunday,
Great meals, with specials every evening. 99c wings Fridays is a treat, and can't go past the 5 dollar kids burgers and chips, and free pool and $12 margaritas 🍹 on Saturdays.
Friendly staff, the little darling, serving food, and cleaning tables, was a delight and well-spoken lass, bar staff are so pleasant too.
$ to$$
- Suella Smith
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
No great food, don’t bother, bar staff not great had to ask for ice & tray, no idea, music blaring outside at 11:30amwhen having family lunch, when we were the only ones sitting there
- David B
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
New owners and early days but food choice very limited. Good size serves, probably too big but not consistent from visit to visit. Live music very ordinary and extremely loud to the point where you can't have conversations sitting around a table. Staff really great people. Hoping it can improve in the coming weeks.
- Billy M
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
My wife and I, with our 2 mini sausage dogs, went here on an early warm Sunday evening, and sat outside in a lovely cool breeze and had $8 Aperol Spritzes which were great as we're the meals here, my wife had spiced sweet potato salad and I had the chicken parma, both very good. Very friendly staff and great service. And live music playing as well. Great pub.
- chris s
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
My son and I went to the "Cri" for dinner on a weekday night. We both had the Chicken Parmi which was bloody great. The pub has a nice Local feel to it. A bit of a buzz but in a cool way. There was pub trivia on the night we were there and I stunk. Our performance at Trivia did not match the quality of the meal. |As usual would I go back? Yes I would
- Cass Bogdanyi
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Myself and a few friends would come to the criterion every week to catch up and enjoy beer and food.. Unfortunately this is the second time we have been here since the change of management and you can tell the difference. It seems that there has been a cut in costs, which as any one in business can understand and appreciate.. but this has come at a huge loss.. the quality of services had dropped as well as the quality and quantity of the food.
We gave them the benefit of the doubt with the change but was unfortunately we were disappointed. It will no longer be our weekly catch up place.. thanks for everything and all the best for the future.
- AlMichelle Sauer
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Had our chrissie work lunch here. Food was excellent, great value and a good selection of beers.
However the staff were the mainstay, so lovely & accommodating to us from pre-booking days prior right through to bidding us farewell.
Thanks to all, we'll be back for sure.
- Thomas Kilian
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Had an event here on Sunday night. Can't speak highly enough about the venue and the staff. They were so easy to deal with and super accommodating. The beer garden is so amazing and eclectic. Such a chill vibe throughout the whole place. And I got have beers with my dog which is legit the best. Thanks to The Cri fam for making my birthday the best!!
- Shevy Nova
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Had a great stay at The Criterion. We were arriving late and Beau and staff stayed after the pub had shut to give us a warm welcome and a drink on arrival.
The room was spacious, clean and comfy. The shared bathrooms were basic, well-maintained, and exactly what you want for the price.
Would love to visit again and arrive while the pub is open. Thanks very much.
- Nathan Velu
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Great service here, nice quaint little outdoor area, pleasant to have a drink and a meal (although could use with a bit of a tidy up). The Korean fried chicken burger I had was delicious! I wouldve loved a bit more spice but that's a personal taste.
- Ioan Chidgey
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Great place! Stayed for the night after booking last minute. Zak had a good chat with us and made sure we were all sorted with everything and gave us a 1 free drink voucher for the bar after we were settled.
Friendly staff, good live music, tasty beer, live sport, and a pool table.
Will be making my list for coming back if I'm around this way again!
- Mark Perlowski
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Great bbq great Aussie Newcastle pub
Happy to support local
Great establishment that’s what aussies pubs are all about
Will be back for sure
Tick it off your list
- Linda Baer
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Firstly they forgot our booking, then we we were seated in the courtyard that was filled with smoke from the outside cooker, we moved as we could hardly breath from the smoke and sat outside near our car as there were no suitable tables for my elderly parents inside. Since we were one of the first to arrive at lunch time, we ordered our meals as we heard, there was a large party booking and did not want to wait. We ended up waiting for over an hour for our meals and when they finally arrived they were cold. So not an enjoyable experience.
- Arie Aroha
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Came here with our little ones after we found out they had a new Chef and we were pleasantly surprised. Our waitress was very accommodating and the food was delicious. The loaded fries were an hit. All the staff were very friendly. We enjoyed the beer garden as the kids played. We were also told by staff that they will getting a new playground soon. Will definitely be our new local. Thank you to the chef and lovely waitress who was serving us.
- Joshua Oliver
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
A trendy little bar located at the heart of Carrington. The service is perfect, the beers are cold and reasonably priced.
Located right near the harbour which gives you a relaxing, cool sea breeze.
The food was delicious and affordable.
I can't wait to go back.
- Chanay Mullen
5 Fri 2024 at 11.59 pm
Amazing food by the chef Rowan. I believe Rowan has taken over in the kitchen 6weeks ago. Can definitely see a very big positive change. He has done wonders with the menu. The burgers were delicious! Can’t wait to come back. Definitely our new local. The kids playground was a great bonus
- Cee Gee