Taree, NSW – dinner from 5:30 pm
“Dinner first, then the cards” at Tallowwood House
Tallowwood House is a dining room with a casino room behind it, on Pulteney Street in Taree. Come for dinner from half past five; the roulette wheel, the blackjack tables and the poker tables in the long room open at seven. Everything happens in person: no app, nothing online, no pokies and no gaming machines of any kind. We play on chips that are worth nothing outside the room, so there are no bets and no winnings. A table for dinner and a seat at the tables are booked separately, and both are for guests aged 18 and over.
5:30 pmKitchen opens
6Tables in the long room
18+Adults only
10:30 pmLast deal
How an evening goes
“The casino room opens when the soup goes out”
“Lamp on at half past five, last cup of tea at eleven.” That's how Anthony Ellis, who opened the house, sums up a normal night, and it's also our whole plan. Tallowwood House exists so that an evening can run in one piece, from the first bowl of soup to the final hand of cards, without anyone leaving to find the next thing.
Rachel Georgiou, our host, lights the lamp on the verandah and turns the sign, and the first guests are shown to a set table with bread and a jug of water already on it. The kitchen sends out dinner until nine. At seven the croupiers open the long room, and around eight on Fridays and Saturdays the tournament begins with the call we like best: cards in the air.
When the last round is called at half past ten, the croupiers count the chips back into their racks, the tables are brushed down, and the final table gets a pot of tea on the house. Chips have no value outside the room and nothing is played for money, which is why the evening can end on a laugh instead of an argument. Colin Bailey, who manages the floor, locks the front door at eleven.
From the kitchen
“Soup, pies and a proper roast”
Lucy Barrett cooks the way the Manning Valley eats: pumpkin soup with a hot damper roll, meat pies in shortcrust pastry, roast lamb on Sundays and oysters shucked to order. The menu is short on purpose, so every plate gets her full attention at the pass.
Dessert is where the dairy country shows up. Pavlova with thick cream, sticky date pudding, lamingtons cut that afternoon. Tea comes in a pot, coffee is made behind the servery, and the lemonade is squeezed in the kitchen.
Soup and damper
Pumpkin soup with a hot damper roll, from the minute we open
Sunday roast
Lamb with rosemary, baked pumpkin and gravy, every Sunday evening
Sweets and tea
Pavlova, lamingtons or sticky date pudding, with tea in a pot
Look for the lamp
On Pulteney Street
Where
36 Pulteney Street, Taree NSW 2430
Ring or write
+61 2 6552 7391 · bookings@tallowwoodhouse.com
Open
Wednesday to Sunday, 5:30 pm – 11 pm
The long room
“Six tables, a croupier at each”
Behind the dining room, through a wide archway, the long room holds our casino floor: one roulette wheel, two blackjack tables and three poker tables, each under its own lamp. Poker means Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud or Five Card Draw, depending on the night. That's the lot. There are no pokies and no machines, and there never will be.
A croupier stands at every table and will explain whatever you ask, including the things people are shy about asking. Visitors and locals sit side by side, and on most nights somebody is learning. Everything is played on house chips that can't be swapped, saved or taken home, so the only thing at risk is your pride.
Roulette
One wheel with seven places and a croupier who talks you through it
Blackjack
Two tables of six seats, with a lesson table on Wednesdays
Poker
Three tables of nine, set up for tournaments on Friday and Saturday
House questions
What people ask at the door
What time does the casino floor open?
The long room opens at 7 pm, an hour and a half after the kitchen, and the last deal is called at 10:30 pm. Wednesday starts early with a blackjack lesson at 6:30 pm. The house is open Wednesday to Sunday, and the front door is locked at 11 pm.
Is it loud once the tables fill up?
Not really. The long room has a carpeted floor and felt on every table, and our croupiers keep the pace gentle. You'll hear chips, cards and some laughing, mostly at a tournament final. For a quieter night, Wednesday and Thursday are the calmest.
Who looks after the tables?
Claire Stevens is our head croupier and trains everyone who deals here. Each table keeps the same croupier all evening, so you always know who to ask. Colin Bailey manages the floor and sorts out any disagreement, which in practice means a quick, friendly chat.
Can I come just for dinner?
Sure can. Plenty of our guests never wander through the archway, and the dining room is a restaurant in its own right. Book a dinner table, mention that you're not playing, and Rachel will seat you away from the long room's doorway.
A look inside
The house, four pictures
The week
“Wednesday to Sunday, in short”
WednesdayA croupier teaches blackjack and roulette before the floor opens at seven.6:30 pm
ThursdayRoulette evening: one wheel, seven places and no hurry at all.7 pm
FridayTexas Hold'em tournament for up to 27 players, with cards in the air at eight.7:45 pm
SaturdayOmaha tournament, with a Seven Card Stud table running alongside it.7:45 pm
SundayRoast dinner from half past five, then Five Card Draw and a slow wheel.5:30 pm
House rules
Six habits that keep the room easy
- Eighteen and over only, with photo ID ready if the host asks, and no exceptions for anyone.
- Chips belong to the house and have no value outside it; they can't be swapped, saved or taken home.
- Phones stay on silent at the tables, and calls are taken out on the verandah.
- The croupier's call stands at the table, and any question goes to the croupier first, not to the next seat.
- Hats and caps come off at the tables, and bags go under the chair rather than onto the felt.
- Be kind to the croupiers: they'll explain any game as often as you need, and a thank-you costs nothing.
Pulteney Street
Dining roomstraight ahead, past the hat stand
Long roomthrough the archway, tables on your left
Tea and coffeethe servery at the far end
Cloakroomfirst door on the right, coats and umbrellas
Doors at 5:30 pm
Finding your way in
Four arrows inside the front door
Once you're through the front door, the signpost beside the hat stand points the way. Follow whichever arrow suits your evening.
Reserve
Come in for dinner
Tell us the evening, the number of guests and whether you would like the long room afterwards. We reply by email, usually within a day.