Newcastle’s first 100% gluten free restaurant - Meantime on Beaumont
Review Summary
Pros
The whole restaurant is gluten free - you can eat every last thing on the menu!
Tasty well-cooked pub style meals
Great vibe with bar and restaurant integrated into the one space but large enough to fit everyone and still hear yourself talk.
Upstairs area which is a bit quieter and can be booked for functions.
Cons
No separate check-in for the restaurant - diners have to line up at the bar to be seated, which is a bit chaotic when the bar is busy.
Full Review
In exciting news for the Hunter coeliac community, Meantime on Beaumont have switched their kitchen to 100% gluten free!
As a coeliac, after so many years of being wary when eating out - having to be ‘that person’, asking questions, drawing attention to yourself, trying to stay positive while worrying about cross-contamination - it might take you a hot minute to relax and realise that you can safely order anything from the menu. But once you relax, what a great experience it is.
Owner Sally, who is coeliac herself, made the decision to switch the whole restaurant to gluten free in July 2022 after a successful search for gf burger buns that tasted just like regular buns.
“ I really wanted to be able to provide the local coeliac community with a completely safe option for eating out, and we were almost there, we just couldn’t find a local supplier for the buns. I had almost given up, but my chef Tyson persisted, and eventually we found a distributor who could supply us. That was the moment I knew we could pull this off!”
Chef Tyson cooking up gluten free delicousness.
It was brave of Sally and her team to make the switch, because Meantime is a popular place for a drink and a meal, and there was the potential that some regular customers would be turned off by the idea of gluten free food. However it seems like the gamble has paid off.
“Non-coeliac customers have told me they honestly can’t tell the difference between our gf burgers and regular ones, so it’s a win-win for everybody.”
Sally has been bowled over by the response she has received, so she is advising everyone to book a table or booth before arrival, to avoid being turned away.
Food & Drink
There are no GF of GFO symbols on the menu - just a note on the bottom right that the kitchen is 100% gluten free.
A great compliment to the gluten free menu is the Two Bays lager on tap. A very tasty beer and what a treat to have a schooner of on-tap beer. It’s been a long time between drinks!
We ordered the Bacon & Brie burger and the Surf & Turf with garlic prawns.
The burger passed the taste test for my fussy non-coeliac daughter. It was crunchy on the outside and soft inside, with a slightly sweet, brioche-style taste.
The steak was tasty and beautifully cooked. The chips were deliciously crispy and nicely seasoned, and were especially tasty soaked up with the steak juices.
Coeliac kids and parents will love the gluten free kids meals and churros for dessert - yum!
We ate on a Saturday night and by the time we were leaving the middle bar area was lively, but being such a large space it didn’t feel claustrophobic or overly noisy. Next time we go I’ll be sure to book one of the cosy and private booths, they looked very welcoming.
There are all kinds of special deals on different days, like student night on Thursdays, boozy brunch on the weekends, and $12 cocktails on Sundays.
Overall Impression
Well done to Sally, Ty and the team for creating a fantastic resource for the Hunter coeliac community. We had a great experience and will be back very soon.
Meantime on Beaumont
104 Beaumont Street, Hamilton
meantime.com.au
