Cuckoo Restaurant

Expensive for what you get as the food was disappointingly average and I was so looking forward to it. If you stay for several hours maybe you’d get your money’s worth. On the plus side you pay not just for the food but the entertainment too, the singers have fabulous voices even if the whole place is daggy and cliched.

This place has been around since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I believe they claim to have introduced the whole smorgasboard thing to Australia. It’s a little kitsch and a bit daggy for sure, but you do really feel transported to another time and part of the world when you sit down in this German themed restaurant in the Dandenongs. It’s looking a little frayed at the edges, and the buffet’s not quite as special as I remember it as a saucer-​eyed kid, but at its heart it’s still a fun place to have a meal and be entertained while you do. It’s not all piped music here. Real people with real instruments, really yodelling. Oh, and lots of ‘dad jokes’. You just don’t get that on Chapel St. It suits all ages as well somewhere to take people from out of town that can let their hair down. If you can’t find something to eat here you’re really not trying. Unless they really drop the ball completely, I’ll always have a soft spot for the Cuckoo.

Think of every single German thing you can and put them all in one place, somewhere far away from the world, up in the mountains, self-​standing.
That is the Cuckoo Restaurant.
It can be cheesy, and corny; but hey, it goes with it. German signs, German costumes, German food, drinks, décor, architecture. Everywhere you look, it’s German inspired. There is even a photo opt with the world’s largest cuckoo clock. Of course, it would be here.
So the food wasn’t to die for; but it wasn’t awful either. Average is probably the word I’d go with. Because it’s a buffet, I go in with a plan. A little bit of everything to try, and if I have room, then I make my way for seconds. I do wish if they had a bigger range of bratwurst, or if they had red cabbage, or maybe even potato pancakes, or crisp apple strudel… But the desserts were tasty, I really did like the chocolate mousse.
And kudos for the music, it transformed your dining experience into a bit of a show and audience interactive. Just brace yourself to meet the von Trapp family singers!
For all things German, as corny as it is, I thought it was a good experience and was happy that I came, I saw, and I ate.

We went on Christmas Eve, so I acknowledge they were flat out but I have to say I was disappointed. The quality has definitely gone down hill. The location is nice and of course it is a buffet but I’d go to Hofbrauhaus in the city for better German food.

preparation/​/​
tourist spot… so be prepared for busloads of random people
ambiance/​/​***
salad bar and buffet style… good for groups that can EAT!
the people here will come around *wave* the national flags of the visiting tourist and do a bit of song and dance
service/​/​***
pretty standard
food/​/​***
1 word: buffet… so the quality is as such
~*~
more for the entertainment experience than anything else… this place is bavarian. why does everyone refer to this as swedish?! o_​O

Yum yum yum is all I can say! This ‘theme’ restaurant was fantastic and great value for money. It’s a buffet dinner that caters for all tastes including veegtarians and those who eat gluten free.
A selection of roasts meats had my mouth watering along with roast potatoes and fresh salads. There is also a selection of fresh and cooked seafood and the dessert bar was to die for.
Settle in for the evening here. You get free potatoe and leek soup to start and if you want to have a bit of everything from the buffet you’ll need to stay a while.
They also do some great internation beers and cocktails!
Oh and they had live music which always makes for a great night out.
Service was really good too — the waitresses dressed in traditional German outfits.
Loved it and it is a great place to take out of town visitors. Pop up to Sky High lookout on your way for good views over Melbourne too.

Cuckoo is a buffet high in the Dandenong Mountains that has a strong Swedish theme and background.
As soon as you enter, you see the room is designed in traditional European furniture. Red and white picnic clothes cover the tables, with wooden chairs and small table decorations.
The food here is pretty average, personally I didn’t actually find the food appetizing… at all. The quality and tastes weren’t anything special, but you really come for the experience and show.
Towards the end of the night, a few staff members dressed in traditional Swedish wear, talk to the audience from the center stage. They sing and dance and invite guest up to the spot light. I was invited up along with a few other strangers; we were required to answer a few questions and yodel in front of everyone!
The staff/​performers are very entertaining; they are funny and interact with the crowd very well.
Aside from the average food here, I would probably still come again. It’s a great place that’s fun and different. Worth experiencing it.

Cuckoo is basically smorgies with a Swedish theme. The food is very ordinary, but you don’t come here for the food. You come here for the atmosphere.
The entertainment is pretty good. They get the customers involved, and it’s actually a pretty good place to go with a group. That is if you can get past the food.
There is plenty on offer, it’s just not all that appetizing. The desserts aren’t half bad though. I was to and from the dessert bar many a time.

A favourite for work Christmas parties and large family gatherings, The Cuckoo is a tourist driven restaurant situated on the tourist road in Olinda
.
You know what your in for just be looking at the Swedish styling’s and massive 450 seat restaurant. This place is all about having a European food fest.
The smorgasboard combines seafood, roast meats, German sausages, and salad bar all into one. Patrons are encouraged to follow up this gorging with a range of desserts, plus cakes, pastries and pancakes.
The staff are all dressed in traditional lederhosen and beer comes in steins to complete the German/​Swedish/​Belgian style Experience.
My favourite story about the Cuckoo hails from a few years back, when a couple decided to rob the Cuckoo. Local newspapers had a ball reporting on the burglary, as it wasn’t until the bandits made their getaway that they realised they’d grabbed a garbage bag full of… wait for it, not money, but bread rolls!