‘We’ll see,’ I thought when I saw the blackboard, not entirely unreasonably, after all Patangata is a long way from the markets and there’s not a lot of competition nearby. Although it turns out bike clubs, car clubs, and even cyclists (keen ones, very keen ones) make the pub a destination and a quick google search shows that, like us, they’re putting it out there on the web. The Sunday we visited there were only a dozen or so patrons (some locals enjoying their Sunday lunch, two or three bikers, and us) which was apparently unusually quiet.

Our meals:

The steak got the thumbs up from the two men – one described it as simple fare, well done. The other was a little less enthusiastic – he likes his with plenty of blood. The hamburger met the resounding approval of the soon-to-be-uni-student member of our party. She’s a self-professed chip fan and although very good they were abandoned for the even better hamburger. As to the gurnard: yes, it was fresh!

The desserts were delicious, too.

General Ambience:

We spent the afternoon beneath one of the large umbrellas in the garden bar but inside there’s some high stools and tables perfectly positioned for watching the action in the paddock across the road or checking out those bikies, and their bikes! For the history buffs there’s some interesting photos from the old days including one of the removal of the second story of the hotel, which, we guessed, was no longer needed for accommodation.

The door to the men’s loo proved to be a talking point.

How did we rate our likely return?

Keen as
Good idea
Maybe
Could be talked in to it
Not if I’m paying

Patangata Tavern doesn’t have a website but you can find them on Facebook: Patangata Tavern on Facebook