Grandview Hotel Fairfield: Sama Restaurant Menu & Reviews

The Grandview Hotel at 429 Heidelberg Road in Fairfield, Victoria, has introduced Sama, a Lebanese restaurant that replaces the former bistro with modern Middle Eastern dishes. Drawing on the hotel’s official website, OpenTable reviews, and several editorial features, this story covers Sama’s menu, early reviews, and practical tips for visiting.

Last checked: 2026-10-25

Address: 429 Heidelberg Road, Fairfield, VIC 3078 · Phone: 03 9489 8061 · Current restaurant: Sama (Lebanese cuisine) · Operating hours: Monday–Thursday: 11:00 AM–10:00 PM; Friday–Saturday: 11:00 AM–11:00 PM; Sunday: 11:00 AM–9:00 PM

What is on the Grandview Hotel Fairfield menu?

Sama’s menu is built around modern Lebanese share plates and larger mains. OpenTable listing shows starters such as house pickles at A$12, labne with za’atar and extra-virgin olive oil at A$15, and baba ghanoush (eggplant, black garlic, flaxseed crunch) at A$19 (OpenTable menu). Hummus comes with topping choices: lamb awarma with pine nuts and Aleppo chilli, spicy capsicum chickpeas with sumac, or lemon-caper butter.

Raw-lamb enthusiasts can try lamb naye (A$22), a raw dish mixed with spices, pistachio, white sesame, and rose petals. Charcoal-grilled options include chicken shish (A$25), lamb kafta shish (A$28), half chicken (A$40), and grilled fish (A$40). Larger plates feature Moghrabieh beef cheek (A$43) and eggplant mou’ssaka (A$30). Sides like saffron rice (A$17) and seasonal fattoush (A$20) round out the à la carte selection (Koalahotel.org menu summary).

“Fantastic food and service”

– Kirsten, OpenTable diner

Two banquet formats are listed: El Tashkila at A$65 per person and El Soufra at A$80 per person. Both typically start with bread, pickles, olives, labne, baba ghanoush, and cheese rkakat (Koalahotel.org citing Time Out Melbourne). The lower-priced banquet offers a four-course set menu.

The takeaway: Sama’s menu spans a wide price range and offers both small shared plates and filling mains, while the pub side covers classic Australian fare at moderate prices.

Grandview Hotel Fairfield reviews: what do guests say?

Sama opened in November 2025, according to a Sydney Morning Herald Good Food coverage summarized by Koalahotel.org. Early coverage praised the kitchen’s use of spice and the contrast of Lebanese food within a suburban pub. On OpenTable, the restaurant has garnered 33 reviews with an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5. Component scores are 4.8 for food, 4.8 for service, 4.6 for ambience, and 4.7 for value (OpenTable feedback).

Diners frequently compliment the presentation and flavour. One OpenTable guest wrote, “The restaurant kindly accommodated a pescatarian dietary requirement in the banquet.” Another called the food “fantastic”. A separate independent reviewer described the food as “vibrant and excellent”, calling Sama “a hidden gem in a faded suburban pub” (Koalahotel.org).

By contrast, the broader Grandview Hotel listing on Tripadvisor is reported at approximately 3.8 out of 5 from roughly 21 to 22 reviews (Koalahotel.org comparison). The gap suggests that Sama’s separate identity and kitchen may be drawing a different audience from the hotel’s general bar and bistro patrons.

One reviewer noted that while the venue was comfortable and quiet, the meat portions felt small. The feedback is very positive, with food and service ratings leading the scores.

The pattern: Sama enjoys strong early ratings and enthusiastic diner comments, while the broader hotel property draws more mixed feedback. The difference highlights the advantage of a dedicated restaurant concept.

Grandview Hotel Fairfield restaurant: Sama Lebanese dining

Sama Menu Highlights

The kitchen’s emphasis is on modern Middle Eastern cooking. Beyond the à la carte items, the menu changes seasonally according to available produce. Signature elements include the house-made bread, labne, and baba ghanoush, as well as charcoal-grilled proteins. The lamb naye dish, with its raw preparation, stands out for adventurous diners. The two banquet formats allow groups to sample a wider range of dishes without ordering individually.

Atmosphere and Service

Sama occupies part of the Grandview Hotel’s ground floor, seating about 50 guests. The dining room is described as comfortable and relatively quiet, with low ambient noise compared to the adjoining pub. On OpenTable, the ambience score of 4.6 lags slightly behind the food and service marks (4.8 each). Service is widely praised as attentive and accommodating, including for dietary requests. The restaurant’s setting inside a heritage hotel gives it an informal feel, leaning more towards a relaxed dinner than a formal fine-dining experience.

What to watch: If you value a lively pub atmosphere, Sama’s relatively quiet room may be a plus or a minus. The service receives top marks, while the ambience is rated slightly lower.

Alternatives to Sama at the Grandview Hotel

Within the same building, the Grandview’s pub bistro offers a complete contrast to Sama’s Lebanese menu. Diners who prefer a classic Australian pub meal can choose from schnitzel, steak, fish and chips, or a burger. Prices are moderate: mains from about A$28 to A$47.

For Lebanese cuisine specifically, several other restaurants in Melbourne’s north-east offer comparable dishes. However, Sama is unique in the area for operating inside a hotel property, giving it a hybrid pub–restaurant character. If you’re seeking a more traditional Lebanese setting, you may prefer standalone restaurants in nearby suburbs like Thornbury or Preston, though these are not covered in this review.