Have been coming here a bit over the last few months always been pretty decent, don't like the new menu at all the old one was a lot better and I would appreciate being served coopers beer in the glasses I know you have as it's always a better pour that way.

Food average, service below average. Great location. I ordered a risotto, grabbed a drink at the bar and the buzzer went off as I got to my table. 90 seconds. Wow. Pre made risotto and tasted like it.

Great friendly service. Had a steak off the blackboard specials, cooked to perfection. Very reasonable prices. Wish I lived closer so I could enjoy it again and again.

Rude women in bistro.

It's a shame as this pub was a delight in every way except for the older I lady with glasses taking orders. We ordered buffelo wings and they had almost no sauce. I politely went to the counter to order some more and was told VERY condescendingly that there was none. She waved her hands in the air and said 'there is non in the vicinity' and 'that's all you can have' I had witnessed her be rude to someone on the phone so I assume she was feeling pretty proud of her attitude. I told her it would have been good for a warming because buffelo sauce without sauce is simply fried wings. To which I got zero response. Picture below for reference.

To be noted - the wings were cooked beautifully and bar staff were LOVELY.

Federal pub - choose who represents your widely.

We enquired after 30 minutes waiting for fish and chips and seeing people who ordered after us getting their food, only to be told we could go to work in the kitchen if we wanted our food faster! Apparently we also need to be told it was holidays so that was why we had to wait for food. Great looking place but staff can't cope when it is busy.

Good food. Been a customer since before it was done up. Its consistently made great food

Had a few good meals here.
Definitely worth stopping in for a beer and a feed if you're passing through Bellingen.

Enjoyed a fabulous lunch here in the cute town of Bellingen. The Federal Hotel has a delicious seasonal menu, wide bar selections and plenty of seating out on the large wrap around rear deck. A locals and tourists delight. We had the pork sirloin steak and barramundi salad, both were delicious and recommended.

Food was good, Lovely place to bring the family for lunch dog included. BUT I can say the Lady working behind the bar at the front was very unpleasant and not welcoming at all... Given this being the entry point if I was the business owner I'd be concerned having someone like this greeting people.

For $100 a night you couldn't ask for more
Every thing was clean and tidy, there was a heater in the room a fridge and stuff to make a tea or coffee
The food in the bistro was great
I had the parmigiana and it was moist and tasty
All of the staff we met were pleasant and friendly especially Tracey at the bar
We will definitely be back

Great music, nice food and restaurant but rooms are not fabulous if you are staying on the weekend. Understandably, noise is a big issue as rooms are upstairs from the band. Only one shower for men and one for women despite there being several rooms upstairs. Rooms were clean and beds were comfortable.

So our meals took a long time to come out, I expect it to take a little longer for Easter Monday but the place was not super busy as we were there after the lunch rush. I had the Burger and to be honest for the price I expected better, the bun was dry and crumbled apart before I was able to get into it, the meat was just OK, and the chips were not freshly cooked. My Wife had a Parma and it was dry. The Staff were great and the beer garden out back is a great area.

Day trip to Bellingen from Nambucca heads - impromptu visit to the pub. Lunch and few drinks. Fantastic old fashioned pub, friendly service, good value and incredibly tasty meals and great beer and wine choices. And dog friendly on the balcony. Sensational.

Have been going to the Federal Hotel on an annual basis with friends for years. The new staff are probably the most miserable people I have every come across in a hospitality venue. The young female bar attendant at the beer garden was not only rude but looked like she would turn you to stone if you asked for service! I appreciate the staff shortages that are occurring at the moment, but surely this can't be the new normal!

We came to this bistro/hotel for dinner. First of Bellingen is a beautiful and laid back place for a retreat style time away from the city life is shitney. Friday night has some local live music acts and the food we ate was amazing. Perfectly priced. Cocktails at 15bux. I highly recommend swinging past this joint if your in the area. I would come back again.

Great pub with friendly service and great meals. The crispy skinned salmon with risotto is always great. Expect to wait longer during holiday times but please be kind to the staff doing a great job

Stopped here for lunch, I had the Steak and Mushrooms pot pie which was very nice, the only problem was the pie was Steak and Onion not mushroom which could have been a problem, for some, but not me as I like onions.
Fran had the crusted Barramundi which was deep fried which completely ruined it

Stay for the beers, but go somewhere else for the food. The chips tasted second-hand, which was possibly and hopefully due to the dirty oil. The seafood starters made me a little crook, and the burgers were horrendous. The relish on the burgers I had was very cold and soggy, and the melted cheese on the plastic paddy looked like something out of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

We expected a little bit more effort in the food department. How hard is it to make a good burger?

The food was great. The wine reasonably priced. But the bartender was so unfriendly! She was cold, had a scowl on her face and unhelpful. I tried being cheery, but she was so unresponsive! Get a new bartender please!

We were four friends on holiday here in NSW and wanted to try your pub.
First of all the front lady were outright rude when I asked her about the food and didn't understand her answer ( I'm not Australian) and she made us feel dum and unwelcome, no smile , and felt like leaving, but we stayed and must say the food was delicious and all the other staff lovely.
The bathroom could probably do with a big

An old pub with a fresh face. The food was amazing. Great beer garden to chew the fat in the sun. Definitely would recommend and I'll be going back next time I'm in the vicinity. Thank you Federal Hotel

This place was run off their feet. The food was great, great prices and friendly service. PerfectðŸ'Œ

I could not praise Cassandra and the staff at the Federal Hotel more highly.
Cassandra put together a wedding reception for my daughter and son-in-law, in 4 days after the previous venue fell through! From the fabulous table settings, beautiful food, excellent beverages and fantastic service and swift delivery of the meals and starters, everyone present was so happy and awed by how well it was presented. Also it was toasty warm upstairs thanks to the excellent heating.
Thank you so much for everything!

The Federal Hotel saved the day!!!

My husband and I had our wedding reception here on 1 June 2021 and it was beautiful!

Cassandra put it together in just three days (after our original venue fell through) and it was better than what we'd originally planned. We had a huge table upstairs for our 38 guests, complete with flowers and personalised menus. Cassandra and the whole team were absolutely wonderful for the whole night.

I grew up in Bellingen and have spent more than half my life there, and this was the friendliness, support and community spirit I really wanted to share on my wedding day. The best part was that both me and my Mum (who collaborated with Cassandra) recognised Cassandra from years ago.

We also had a huge group there for dinner the night before the wedding - all the food was delicious, with generous portions, and there was a nice selection of wines, beers, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks. Plus coffees and cake the day after our wedding.

Words and even pictures don't do justice to how much the team did and how much it meant to me, my new husband and everyone there.

THANK YOU to Cassandra and the entire team at the Federal Hotel! You helped us have the wedding we wanted in my homeland.

We're looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

Decent pub food. Looked great, but the crab cakes were a little too salty and the tempura vegetables were quite oily. The noodle salad with the crab cakes was very nice.

Some very expensive very average meals had over 2 nights. Dogs got the $42 steaks, next night tasteless, cold food... perhaps we made the wrong choices