Graze Restaurant & Bistro - WILLOW TREE

I'd been trying to time car journeys through Willow Tree to coincide with lunch and finally managed to. I'd heard great things about the meat and steaks at Graze and was looking forward to a carnivorous feast. We were a party of six and of all the steaks ordered, every one felt the steak was average at best. My steak was tough and, to my senses, no better quality than an average supermarket steak. Needless to say the price was very different to a supermarket steak. Really expensive for a poor quality experience. The place looks great and has a cosy atmosphere but I was let down by the much hyped 'meat'. May have been a bad day in the kitchen but I'm not spending my money there again.

Following many road trips from Sydney to Glen Innes, via the New England highway, over countless years, passing straight through Willow Tree was quite easy to do. Over time I witnessed the village slowly dying, but in recent times following what was an obvious refurbishment to the Willow Tree Inn, the village has been somewhat rekindled.The attraction ? The Graze award winning restaurant (AHA Best Country restaurant in NSW 2015; 2016) together with the remarkable alterations to the hotel.My wife & I decided to take a train trip to Willow Tree, book in to the Inn for 2 nights (Friday & Saturday) & enjoy the local fare.The train trip was great (only 4 1/2 hours) & the restaurant outstanding. An extensive menu, focusing on local beef, but also plenty of other choices available.The meal was cooked perfectly & the mainly young staff were quite exceptional.Thoroughly recommend a visit. A most enjoyable weekend.

Had a very pleasant dining experience this weekend at Willow Tree.The Willow Tree Inn has won awards but I was not prepared for the excellent cuisine that it offers its residents and visitors. The new chef Heath and his sous chef Tim have put together a new menu which is outstanding.The food was so good and the staff were so pleasant that we ended up dining there the two evenings we were in the area. We tried the oysters, King Prawns and chorizo entree as well as the Colly Creek carpaccio. For mains we had the Confit duck leg which was a wonderfully modern take on the traditional, the slow cooked lamb shoulder, the rump steak and the 12 hour cooked pork scotch fillet, as well as the Graze chopped salad.The meals were delicious and I could not recommend them more. For dessert we tried the deconstructed lemon meringue pie and the sticky date pudding. Both delicious. Overall a wonderfull experience. We will be back!

We drive from Sydney to Glen innes and this place is so good we always stop for lunch . There is a restaurant and a bistro or you can sit outside and order from both menus. The pub is very well done and would happily fit into Woolahra. The food is interesting and generous and the service is always friendly. They even let us sit with our dogs on the outside table . It is the best lunch spot on the New England highway.

We attended the NYE 2016 set menu. The food was absolutely amazing - well presented, cooked perfectly, served in a very professional setting. The staff were obviously chosen well - they were very friendly, attentive and knew what they were talking about.