Restaurant and casino room · Leongatha
Waratah Terrace: long-table suppers, then a casino room
Supper at Waratah Terrace tastes of South Gippsland: cheddar from down the road, cream in a jug, slow-roasted beef and lamb, fish when the boats are in. Afterwards, if you fancy it, there's a casino room round the back with roulette, blackjack and poker, all played on plain chips, in person, by adults only. There's no betting, no stake and no prizes, nothing online, and not one pokie or gaming machine in the building. A table for dinner and a seat in the card room are booked separately, so tell us which you're after, and we'll look after the rest.
- 17:30
- Doors
- 6
- Tables
- 18+
- Entry
- 23:00
- Closing
Rule one
A long table and a short rule
Rule one at Waratah Terrace: nobody leaves hungry. I'm Tegan Brennan, I opened this place, and that rule came straight from my mum's kitchen on a dairy farm outside Leongatha, where supper was at six sharp because the cows don't wait and neither does the evening milking. Everything else in the house, from the menu to the cards, has grown out of that one line.
So dinner comes first. The kitchen sends out food that tastes of South Gippsland: cheddar from down the road, cream that actually arrives in a jug, beef and lamb from farms we can name, fish when the boats are in. You'll sit at a long table or a small one, whichever suits, and nobody will hurry you.
Then, if you fancy it, there's the casino room out the back. It's got roulette, blackjack and poker, all played on chips that are worth nothing outside the door. No betting, no stake, no prizes, nothing online, and not a pokie or a gaming machine in the building. Just cards, a wheel, good light and decent company.
Come on your own, bring your whole footy team or turn up with the in-laws. Dinner's booked separately from a seat in the card room, so tell us which you're after. The rest of this page covers how the nights run, what's on the menu, and what we ask of you in return.
- Supper from half five
- Cheese, cream, beef and lamb from the district
- The card room
- Roulette, blackjack and poker on plain chips
- Adults only
- Eighteen and over for the cards, ID at the door
- Nothing online
- Every game is played here, in person, at a table
From the kitchen
Cheese, cream and a good roast
Heather Blake grew up in a cheesemaking family, so cheese turns up where you least expect it and most want it: baked through a gratin, melted over a pie, on the board at the end. She cooks the way a farm kitchen cooks, with big flavours, generous plates and very little fuss.
The menu runs on the seasons and the district. Gippsland beef is slow-roasted until it falls apart, flathead arrives crisp and golden, and the puddings are all things you'd be happy to be handed at your nan's. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, milkshakes and lemonade are the only drinks we pour.
- Cheese on the table
- Local cheddar baked, melted and served on the board
- Slow-roasted
- Beef, lamb and pork cooked for hours until tender
- Farm-kitchen puddings
- Apple pie, rice pudding and a berry pavlova
The card room
The casino room, round the back
The casino room is the old store at the back of the building, with a high iron roof, brick walls and warm lamps over six tables: two for poker, two for blackjack, one roulette wheel and a spare for whichever game the night asks for. We deal Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw.
It's quiet without being hushed, and it's friendly rather than serious. Chips are plain, worth nothing and counted back in at the end. Nobody stakes anything, nobody wins anything except a bit of bragging, and a tournament ends with a name on the board and a cheer from the room.
- Roulette
- One wheel, spun by Megan McKenzie most nights
- Blackjack
- Two tables, with lessons on quiet evenings
- Poker
- Two tables, four games, one friendly rule book
A look in
Bair Street after dark
Through the year
How the seasons change the nights
Autumn17:30 – 23:00
Pumpkin, cheese and apples on the menu, with a Hold'em evening that settles into a regular routine.
Winter17:30 – 23:00
Roasts, pies and puddings, early suppers by the fire and long, slow blackjack nights.
Early spring17:30 – 23:00
Green peas, young lamb and a lighter menu, with the wheel spinning a little faster.
Late spring17:30 – 23:00
Berries, cream and the first long evenings, with tournaments that end well after dark.
Summer17:30 – 23:00
Cold plates, fish and salads, with the doors propped open and the card room kept cool.
Holiday weeks17:30 – 23:00
Family sittings from the first minute, a quiet card room and a children's pudding plate at the table.
Find us
Bair Street, Leongatha
Address
62 Bair Street, Leongatha VIC 3953
Phone and e-mail
+61 3 5662 4129 · tables@waratahterrace.com
Open
Tuesday to Sunday, 17:30 – 23:00
First visit
What to know before you walk in
- What should I bring?
- Just yourself, and some photo ID if you'd like to try the card room. You don't need cash for the tables because nothing is played for money, and dinner is settled at the end by card or cash, whichever you prefer.
- Where do I sit?
- The host will show you to a table when you arrive. If you're booked for dinner, you'll have one waiting; if you only want the card room, she'll take your name and find you a seat. Our long table is for anyone who's happy to share.
- How do I book?
- Use the form on the Save a spot page, ring us on the number below or just walk in. We hold each table for fifteen minutes past the time you give, and we're happy to hear from you if you're running late.
- Do I have to know the games?
- Not at all. Megan McKenzie and the other dealers will walk you through blackjack or roulette before the first hand, and there are printed guides on every poker table. Plenty of regulars started as complete beginners.
- Is any money involved?
- No. There's no betting and no stake, chips have no cash value, and we hand out no prizes. We have no pokies and no gaming machines either, and nothing is played online. The only thing a tournament winner gets is their name on the board.
The house way
Eight things we ask
Nobody leaves hungry, so if you're still peckish, say so and the kitchen will sort you out.
Eighteen and over for the card room, and we'll ask to see photo ID at the door.
Chips are plain discs worth nothing at all, handed out and counted back in each night.
Dinner and a card-room seat are booked separately, so tell us which one you're after.
Phones stay in pockets at the tables; the front verandah is the place for calls.
Dealers explain the rules but they don't coach your hand, however nicely you ask.
Be good to each other and to the staff, because a bad hand isn't anybody's fault.
Nothing is played online, so the cards, the wheel and the company are here or nowhere.
House lightSeen from Bair Street
The house light
Read the light before you knock
Our lamp tells you where the evening has got to. Count the flashes from the corner, and you'll know what's happening inside.
- One flashdoors open, tables set
- Two flashessupper is being served
- Three flashesthe card tables are open
- Steady lightlast hands, then the house winds down
Tonight?
Save a spot at the table
Tell us how many of you there are and whether it's dinner, the card room or both. We'll hold the table for fifteen minutes past the time you give us.