The Advocate Balwyn - Balwyn, Victoria

Paula G.

My first night at The Advocate was such a great experience for a girls night out celebrating our business achievements- it was the absolute perfect environment to feel good in and celebrate an occasion in or for a nice relaxed night in having a cocktail or something to eat. We had some cocktails which are served with cafe and presentation and the arancini’s that we had were beautiful. Very good experience. Great venue to go on a date to or even to go with a friend. I loved the different sections of the restaurant/bar and the different feel that each brought.
A beautiful piano on display upon entry and a dim atmosphere and ambience overall with gorgeous interior designed walls and furniture made it such a pleasant experiences. Loved the candles along the walls where we were seated. Cutlery is gold and fancy and just couldn’t fault this place!
The owner is very relaxed and lovely x we will definitely be returning back to this gorgeous spot! Do yourself a favour and book yourself in to either one of their rooms for a perfect cosy night out! You will be delighted.

Anna M.

Thanks so much for such an enjoyable night to celebrate our anniversary. You brought back our faith in great food and service. Everything tasted amazing. A culinary delight. Great atmosphere and great local gem. 🙂

Alexandra M.

Gorgeous treat of an evening. Advocate is fitted out with velvet curtains, hundreds of candles, low lighting and abstract art. We got the 9 plate tasting menu, which was absolutely delicious. Best gnocchi I have ever had- cloudlike. The chef trained in northern Italy. Cocktails and coffee were top notch. Service was quick and friendly.

Esther M.

the food was amazing, but the staff was quite rude. there were only two tables to serve, neither groups were loud, & our group was told we had to sit at a table that we weren’t even facing each other at, despite the neither back of the restaurant being empty. my older family members who have gone here have never had this issue though, so maybe she just isn’t fond of the 20s crowd, which is fine. but it felt very expensive for such poor service. cannot recommend the food more though.

Linda M.

Hi

We had such a lovely night last night. We found the restaurant via google so had no real expectations but it was just wonderful.
Our waitress was kind, knowledgeable and attentive. We ordered steak done 2 different ways and both of us were so impressed.
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and cannot express enough how people need to get out and give this local restaurant a try!
Thank you for a great night.

Roman S.

Pretty average overall and overpriced for what was delivered.

Pros:
+ Friendly greeting/ demeanour
+ Nice interior decor

Cons:
- inconsistent ambiance
- at times ignorant or apathetic service

Who came here to celebrate her birthday. The person who sat us didn't seem interested in finding out what brought us to the restaurant. After taking our food and drinks order, we had the first dishes arrive from the nine course set menu. The first five dishes that arrived were introduced by name only. The last four dishes weren't even introduced by name, the food runner simply said "Here you go" and left. There was a steak dish in our courses, nobody bothered to ask what temperature we preferred. The bottle of beer that I ordered was poured at the counter, usually you present the bottle and pour it at the table. I also overheard that the coffee machine was not ready 45min after opening?

While the decor and music in the restaurant were very nice, it was ruined by a few events. There was a buzzer or a phone sitting on either a table or a bench top, this item kept going off very loudly several times throughout the night. There also seemed to be music coming from the kitchen which could be heard clashing against the music in the restaurant. The menu pages were all laminated and poorly hole-punched (with holes through words and headings) which were very tacky.

Overall the food was pretty good. The steak course and potatoes side dish are nothing special, and can be done by any home cook. My standout dishes were the salmon crudo and the gnocchi.

Eddy J. S.

Fantastic food and atmosphere. The seafood linguine is amazing, the char-grilled steak fantastic, the duck fat potatoes have a nice zest on top of the aromatics. The wagyu lasagne is good but pales compared to the seafood linguine

David L.

First time experience at The Advocate. Had read great things about this restaurant and it didn’t disappoint. Accommodated a late reservation, 9 course tasting menu was amazing (and well priced) and the fit out had great ambience. Would definitely re-visit.