The Advocate Balwyn

Advocate in balwyn is an absolute gem of an ortes! they were several times for eating and drinks here. has always exceeded expectations! the team under the leadership of jane made me very welcome. the kitchen offers all nutritional needs and there are some unique cocktails that I have enjoyed very much, especially the krakatoa! would highly recommend as there is nothing like this place in the environment. some nights also have live music. I will be here with my friends.

I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all the staff at The Advocate for making our evening so much fun! The food and service was divine…not to mention the cocktails and music later into the night! Thanks again, we all enjoyed ourselves immensely and The Advocate was the perfect surrounds to enjoy an evening with colleagues, new and old.

Just had a wonderful night at this place.The food was great. classy fitting.Maybe the only place to go at night around this area? And it doesn't disappoint.Will return to try more.

Booked for 4 on a Saturday 8pm. Easy enough to find, easy to park with street, Maccas, and Woolies parking around.As soon as you walk in the ambience is amazing. Very upscale vibe throughout the whole restaurant. I opted to sit in the library area which was lit up with fairy lights and flowers. There were heaters in the back which was nice given it was a chilly Melbourne evening. In this area some of the chairs are raised so just an FYI in case high tables and chairs aren’t as accessible for you. I’m sure you could make a request for lower seating as there were some tables with lower seats.Staff and service was great they were pleasant to speak to, and really friendly. They spoke about the restaurant’s layout and design, and also discussed the recent introduction of live music on (most Thursday evenings. They offer to collect your email address at the end of the dinner so you can sign up for entertainment updates. Thought it was a nice touch to connect with their community and a smart way of marketing.We were seated near the entrance of the library which was also near the bathrooms. When it was quiet it was easy to hear one another speak, but the moment the hand dryers went off it was near impossible to hear. Other than this, easy to catch up with mates over dinner.Food wise very brief, curated list of meals, but all of the ones we ordered were nothing short of amazing. We had the chicken bites to start, and for mains we had the crispy skin barramundi, lamb rump steak, and beef sirloin steak. I was able to taste all of them each so well cooked, so well seasoned and their respective condiments went great with the protein too. Pictured is the barramundi and lamb. As a side we had the truffle and Parmesan fries it was good. You will like it if you like a subtle truffle taste as it was just the right hint of truffle. Often it can be overpowering. For drinks I had the Belleof the Knox mocktail good mix of citrus and sweet flavours. More sour than sweet as I was expecting a stronger raspberry taste but it was great nonetheless.4 meals, 2 sides, 4 drinks came to about 225 which is what we’d usually spend going out as a foursome so it was well worth the price. Overall a really great night in terms of atmosphere, service, and food/drinks. I just wish they had more dessert options! I’d definitely come back if there was a menu change (given it was a limited selection still great though!

Lovely place in Balwyn with lovely food. The waitress whipped us up a couple of cocktails that were not in the menu and they were absolutely delish. Went back the following Thursday as there was live music and the atmosphere was on point. Highly recommend.