Central Hotel Bowen

We have visited this restaurant twice for the lunch special of 200g rump steak for $18, and both times they have failed to cook it properly. If the cooks cannot grill a steak correctly, they should invest in a thermometer or simply remove it from the menu. Perhaps hiring a qualified chef would help improve the situation. It is frustrating to see such basic mistakes being made, especially when the restaurant is not busy. Even the waitress acknowledged that the steak was not cooked rare as requested. There was no replacement offered, just a casual "enjoy" comment. Both times, my steak was cooked medium instead of rare, and my wife's was medium well. While we can tolerate a slight error, this level of cooking quality is unacceptable. Additionally, it would be helpful if staff prioritize customers at the keno machine, as we were taught to do in our training. A refresher course for the bar staff and some cooking shows for the kitchen staff may be beneficial.

We stopped by the Central Hotel for lunch while on vacation. The staff was excellent, the service was great, the food was delicious, and the prices were reasonable. The atmosphere was also nice. We would definitely recommend this place and will be back again.

We had dinner tonight at The Central Hotel Bowen and were very impressed with the food and service. My husband tried the macadamia-crusted fish and thought it was one of the best fish dishes he has ever had. I opted for the coconut prawns with salad and also found it delicious. We highly recommend this hotel for a great meal at a reasonable price. We stayed at Harbour Lights Caravan Park, which is conveniently located within walking distance to the hotel.

As a first timer to Bowen I was told “the hotel” to go was….. we went and it was lovely, great for the tourists. I didn’t want that, I wanted local, character and charm with friendly atmosphere and great food. That’s what I got at this pub. Laughing, friendly barmaids joking with the locals, prices aimed at locals not tourists, and great down to earth meals locally made, locally resourced. I can personally recommend the beef Guinness pie! Wow. Definitely homemade and thank you to the beautiful Amanda in the kitchen for my dinner. Just like Grandma used to make. The beef curry and lamb shanks I was assured were also amazing. If you need a feed in Bowen, check out the Central Hotel.

No Corona, No fish, No chicken dishes at all, no Atlantic salmon, No curry, No Lamb shanks and no Pork Belly. From a very limited menu to start with this is pathetic. Don't bother even coming here. The people who own this hotel need to have a good look at themselves. Busiest time of year and can't cater forimited customers.