Flavour Report with Derek Goforth: How well does Tarcoola Tavern do staples of pizza, burger and chips

As far as hidden gems go, Tarcoola Tavern would be right up there with the best of them, mostly because it seems so hard to actually find — well, it was for us. Tucked away behind the Geraldton Motor Inn and the drive-through bottle shop, the tavern is a pub/restaurant serving a diverse range of Aussie and international cuisine. Parking is ample but spread around the place, and you need to be careful about parking in assigned spaces. Seating was plentiful with various choices both inside and outside the main dining area. Upon walking in, we were serenaded by a wonderful musician, but sadly, we didn’t get a chance to learn her name. Having received a couple of recommendations, we opted for the pepperoni pizza, smoked brisket burger, and an extra portion of hot chips. The meal can be best described as a mix; firstly, the $60 bill for the three items seemed high, considering the tavern’s competition. On the flip side, the portions were reasonable (we couldn’t finish the extra chips, but the pizza could have had more toppings). I’ll start with the miss, though it didn’t miss by much. The smoked brisket burger just didn’t cut it for us. It wasn’t all bad, and the house smoky sauce was tasty, but the meat itself was not freshly cut and not of the highest quality, certainly not what I would expect in a $25 burger. The onion rings weren’t crispy either, but the salad was fresh and added some nice texture to the meal. On to the big hits — the pizza and hot chips. Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that are the hardest to get right, and pizza and chips are great examples. The tavern’s pizza base was perfect — thin, crispy, and tasty. Yes, we could have eaten more toppings, but what was there was flavourful and perfectly cooked. The chips themselves were some of the nicest we’ve had in Geraldton — crispy, fluffy, and the aioli dip was a great addition. The service was another hit, with friendly servers accommodating our weird pizza requests and other awkwardness with a smile. The food itself was out in a few minutes, and the place was very busy at the time. Would we recommend it? On the whole, yes. The next time we visit, I think we may stick to the pizzas. If this becomes our new go-to pizza joint, we shall be some happy flavour reporters.