Central Hotel Shellharbour

Unfortunately the bistro has taken a big nose dive. I was a regular patron however my last few visits have brought me to this review. Prior to reviewing I lodged a complaint however have not heard back. The tables are often dirty or sticky, the chair upholstery is nasty, as are the bits of food swept onto them & the dirty carpet. The salt & pepper grinders are filthy beyond belief. Food - battered fish or schnitzel is about 4 to 1 ratio of batter/crumb to fish/meat. Really disappointing.

We had such a fantastic experience at the Central Hotel. The food was absolutely amazing. My husband is gluten free, and Lani, the chef, went above and beyond with his gluten-free burger it far exceeded our expectations. It’s not always easy finding great gluten-free options, but this was hands down one of the best he’s had. All of the other meals were full of flavour and incredibly satisfying as well. We left feeling completely happy and impressed with the care and attention put into our food. We’ll definitely be back, especially knowing Lani is the one cooking. She is truly an asset to the business. Highly recommend.

The wings and the squid is just amazing 🤩 Rump was somewhat grissly and the sticky date pud barely had sauce, dry. Great environment. Really like coming here. Had really good schnitty with chips, salad and pepper sauce. Hubby had the Central burger and he said it was excellent. 🍻 Were great. They regrettably didn't have any of the new zero carb 🍻 for keto eaters. Maybe that will still come. The chips had their skins on and it really tasted wonderful, authentic/organic, whatever you want to call it. The burger bun was well toasted on the inside 😋 It was a quiet afternoon, but the feel was good and the food was great and the service was very friendly and excellent. I have only one suggestion, I think it was the manager, grey hair, (nice guy) was listening to his mobile phone while having his meal, maybe put earphones in so it doesn't spoil the great music playing in the dining area. But a great place. And again, really loved the chips. Thanks for a good evening 😎

Kids Eat Free is a good deal. Mushrooms Risotto was very yummy. Salt and pepper squid was nice as well. The minus one point was the plates were not warm enough and the dishes cooled quick. The Risotto was totally cold after 15 minutes. Since we're visiting with children, a dish that could stay warm longer would be perfect.

We came for the $15 Monday night schnitzel and we got the biggest snitty I have ever seen! It was also juicy and delicious on top of being absolutely massive. Great value for money! Also shoutout to the staff for being super friendly and helpful! Will definitely be back!