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Cross Keys, Essendon, AU-VIC

Cross Keys

4.3
4.3
242 Reviews
$40 and under
Australian

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2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 7 times today
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Good for groups
  • Good for special occasions
A local favourite for over 150 years, The Cross Keys Hotel is the perfect spot to bring the family. The Cross Keys boasts an impressive bistro serving up tasty meals Monday through Sunday, a fun kids room, a lively sports bar showing all the must see games on the big screens, a modern TAB facility and two spacious event rooms. With weekly specials and all your favourite pub classics, what isn't too love? See you at The Keys !



Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $40 and under
  • Cuisines
    Australian, Pub
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Daily 11:30 am–3:00 pm Dinner Daily 5:30 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (03) 9379 7477
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Matthew Lawdorn
  • Catering
    Call (03) 9379 7477 to book a tour or email functions@crosskeyshotel.com.au
  • Private party facilities
    With two spacious and modern function rooms available for hire, The Cross Keys take the hassle out of party planning. Whatever the event, we are here to help ! Call (03) 9379 7477 to book a tour or email functions@crosskeyshotel.com.au
  • Area
    Essendon
  • Cross Street
    Situated on Pascoe Vale Road.
  • Parking details
    Hotel Parking
  • Public transit
    Conveniently located directly across the road from Strathmore Train Station.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Outdoor Smoking Area, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 242 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.3
4.3 based on recent ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.2Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseEnergetic

Loved For

  • Inner City North

    Great for brunch

  • Inner City North

    Gluten-free-friendly

  • Inner City North

    Healthy

  • Inner City North

    Neighbourhood gem

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Cross Keys offers a delightful dining experience with "great tasting food" and "attentive and professional" service. The extensive menu caters to all, including seniors and kids. Guests adore the "great ambiance" and speedy service, making it a perfect spot for groups. Value for money shines here.

242 Reviews
  1. Ami

    Victoria

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Food was good. Service - majority of staff were lovely and helpful. Eve however was rude and condescending. Not what a hospitality employee should be when asked a simple question. We got seated next to a large group, when most of dining area was empty which made it quite noisy. Otherwise it was a lovely night.

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  2. Darlene

    Melbourne

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    The Asian beef salad was meant to be rump steak came out black was so over cooked and so salty could not eat very disappointing 😌

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  3. Ian

    Melbourne

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Pity we couldn’t sit a bit longer but we adjourned to the sports bar so ok

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  4. Giorgia

    Melbourne

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on 8 November 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    Nice ambiance but unfortunately the food wasn’t so great. Went with a group & had a few different dishes aswell as entrees. Untoasted bruschetta was like eating stale bread with minimal topping. Over cooked beef schnitzel like cardboard, the mushroom risotto was ordered by a vegetarian at the table & they had added chicken to the dish had to be sent back not sure if that was the lady who took the order fault or the chef. Watered down lime bitters was like drinking plain soda water had to return drinks a couple of times. The only thing that was value for money was the roast of the day.

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  5. Jane

    Melbourne

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 19 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Love the Cross keys. Food is delicious. Service is goes magnificent!!! Highly recommend this place on a lazy weekend or weekdays. The staff are wonderful. Thankyou!!!!

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  6. ALF

    Melbourne

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 9 October 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was great, staff friendly and service relatively quick. Maybe a little expensive.

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  7. Roxanne

    Melbourne

    12 reviews

    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on 28 September 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    you have the best seniors menu around Thanks service and staff are great . very friendly

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  8. Gary

    Melbourne

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 24 September 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Hi there were 8 people on our table, 7 got our meals around the same time, but my wife waited about 10 minutes longer to get her roast lamb. Also is it really a roast when you have roast potatoes only, no roast pumpkin or peas but with other vegetables, carrot and cauliflower which were half cooked.

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  9. Luke

    Melbourne

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 8 September 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    An unpleasant experience overall. Booked a table for our family to celebrate a birthday. Significant effort involved in getting my disabled mother (uses a walker) and terminally ill father to the restaurant. A car was parked in an unmarked area blocking the entrance from the car park which made getting my mother’s walker difficult, but we arrived in and were feeling grateful to be all together to share a meal. Table was booked for 5:45pm, we arrived on time. Upon entering (slowly) we were directed to a table on a platformed seating area (2 steps up). Not significant to most but very difficult for those with mobility issues. We immediately asked whether we could switch to a table on a non-platformed area (all tables were unoccupied at this time, being do early) to be told that “we can’t change the table”. I enquired again and pointed out it will be very risky for my mother to try and negotiate the steps but was again flatly told “no”. I felt like leaving sg that point but given the effort involved in getting my mother to premises, we were able to help my mother up the steps (required two of us). No help forthcoming from staff. Some of our party were happy with their meals, but others sadly not. The staff require more training as to their responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act. There was no mention of the platforms area when booking on open table. I wonder what their response to our request would have been if mum brought her wheelchair? In summary: best avoided.
    Cross KeysResponded on 11 September 2024
    Hi Luke, Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding your recent visit. We sincerely apologize for the challenges you faced during your time with us. We understand the importance of accessibility and want to clarify that our hostess did offer you a larger, more convenient table that did not require any steps in the room to the right of the entry way. It seems there might have been a misunderstanding about what was being offered. We regret that you chose not to accept this option and that this contributed to your frustration. We’ll use this experience as a learning opportunity to better assist future guests. Our goal is to ensure every guest has a pleasant and comfortable experience, and we are very sorry that we fell short in meeting your expectations.

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  10. Sherry

    Melbourne

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 7 September 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    I like that they had the Vegan option. We moved into the Sports bar after our meal which was very comfortable.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Cross Keys is rated 4.3 stars by 242 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 7 times today
Google Map for Cross Keys

350 Pascoe Vale Rd, Essendon, AU-VIC 3040

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Situated on Pascoe Vale Road.
  • Area
    Essendon
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Daily 11:30 am–3:00 pm Dinner Daily 5:30 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $40 and under
  • Cuisines
    Australian, Pub
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Hotel Parking
  • Public transit
    Conveniently located directly across the road from Strathmore Train Station.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Matthew Lawdorn
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Outdoor Smoking Area, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (03) 9379 7477
  • Catering
    Call (03) 9379 7477 to book a tour or email functions@crosskeyshotel.com.au
  • Private party facilities
    With two spacious and modern function rooms available for hire, The Cross Keys take the hassle out of party planning. Whatever the event, we are here to help ! Call (03) 9379 7477 to book a tour or email functions@crosskeyshotel.com.au
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