The Caringbah Hotel

We dropped into the Caringbah Hotel on a Monday around 2pm for a late lunch. Here's how it went.

The venue

The Caringbah Hotel is a big, classic older pub with ample seating spread across a pokie section, a drink lounge with a television, and the main pub area. The décor is showing its age — worn carpets, dated chairs, and a general feeling that not much has changed in about twenty years. That's not necessarily a bad thing for a pub you're drinking at, but it doesn't set high expectations for the kitchen.

One early wobble: our knife came out with small brown specks on it. To the staff's credit, it was replaced promptly.

The service

Ordering to the table via the QR code worked smoothly — no complaints there. Ordering at the bar was another story. The bartender made us feel like an inconvenience rather than a customer, which is never a great look on a quiet Monday afternoon.

The food

We ordered the chicken parmigiana with chips and salad, plus a Diane sauce ($34), and the chilli squid ($6).

The chilli squid was the highlight: a generous portion for the price, decently prepared, and genuinely good value. The chips were acceptable.

The parmy is where it fell apart. For a $34 plate, the schnitzel tasted like a low-quality frozen product, and the unpleasant taste was hard to get past. The side salad was old, soggy and unappealing — the kind of salad that's been sitting in a tub since the morning.

The wash-up

At 3 out of 10, the Caringbah Hotel is a fine place for a drink — there's plenty of space and the table ordering is convenient. But based on this visit, we'd steer clear of the kitchen. Avoid for food; visit for drinks only.