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Cafe Sydney Reviews
Our main waiter Zac was brilliant! Zac engaged with us
Our main waiter Zac was brilliant! Zac engaged with us throughout the nearly 3hrs my partner & I were at your venue, Zac kept his communication professional, his contact with us prompt, however, did not smother us, Zac explained wines & meals perfectly which made our experience wonderful. My partner celebrated her birthday in style at a classy venue and serviced by your exceptional staff. Well Done Cafe Sydney!!! Phil & Sienna
The service was prompt and efficient.
The food scrumptious AS ALWAYS! Ambience perfect, we got an amazing table. View of the harbour not compromised Drinks, on par with other restaurants
Thankyou Cafe Sydney ! Amazing evening with amazing food and staff!
This was my third time going to Cafe Sydney and it did not disappoint. Recently I had been diagnosed with a gut condition, where my doctor had put me on a very strict diet. I reached out to the resturant to see if they could accommodate and they went above and beyond. Beginning with Hana via email from the wait staff and the chiefs . The food was exceptional, service and attention to detail. Thankyou so much for taking my diet seriously and for anyone else that has allergies or intolerances I couldn’t recommend it more highly!
Beautiful view
We really enjoyed our dinner at Sydney Cafe! This is a great date night spot with efficient service and good food (my favorite was the potato gnocchi for dinner and the lemon cheesecake for dessert). The dining room is quite busy and loud, but conversation is still easy. Overall, a great spot for a dinner in the city!
A lovely Saturday afternoon
Dined with friends. The octopus was delicious, Berkshire pork was fantastic. My friends had swordfish was a winner, and my publicist had beef tartar. & apple treacle cake both were exceptional. The downfall was the cheesecake, the presentation was half a small cheesecake. Looked cheap.
Perfect for a long lunch
Perfect venue to celebrate something special. The food is fresh, wine list extensive and the terrace has to be the best place in Sydney to spend a long lunch!
We were looking for a good restaurant a short walk from our
We were looking for a good restaurant a short walk from our Intercontinental Hotel since it was rainy, and Yelpers raved about this place. We have to agree, five star dining with upscale professional service, a great wine list and an eclectic menu with innovative offerings. Located on the 5th floor of the customs house, now the city library, on a clear day the views of the bridge from the outside seats would be stunning. On a rainy day with everyone seated inside noise level was high due to the locals and business people filling the place, obviously very popular rain or shine. We arrived just before noon and were lucky to get a table. Reservations are a good idea. My allergy issues were handled well, with a quick check on the items I ordered to make sure they were okay, rather than trying to list items I could eat. I started with twice cooked Gruyere souffle, quince, watermelon radish, pomegranate, burnt apple puree, all fresh ingredients with a wonderful blend of flavors. Their dutch cream potato gnocchi, stracciatella, cavolo nero, zucchini, basil, lemon butter sauce came in a large portion, and was very rich and tasty. Their appertifs are reasonably priced, service great, and we will definitely eat here again.
Cafe Sydney was definately one of my finest dining
Cafe Sydney was definately one of my finest dining experiences in Sydney. We stopped by for lunch, and it was fabulous! Service was impeccable, the view of the harbor incredible, the drinks/wine menu extensive, and the food imaginative and delicious. Located on the 5th floor of the old Customs House (now a library) Cafe Sydney overlooks Sydney Bay and the Bridge. Reservations recommended, we managed to get a table at lunch. It filled up quickly, and is obviously very popular with the business crowd. My wife has food allergies, and the wait staff made sure the cook staff could accomadate them. Everything we tried was wonderfully prepared and presented...and delicious! Prices were surprisingly reasonable for the quality and craftsmanship of the dishes.
Extremely Disappointing
We visited Cafe Sydney with friends who were visiting from USA. The view was stunning but the food and service were disappointing. The entrees were excellent especially the soufflé. Three of us ordered the pork belly. On being served my two pieces of pork belly were 95% fat. The tiniest piece if pork on both of the pieces. It was disgusting! I politely complained to the waiter and he sent the supervisor over. Her curt comment was “pork belly is fatty”. Sorry, the other two served were quite meaty and nothing like the one of was served. This fatty excuse for pork belly should never have been served and I should not have had to justify my worthy complaint by referring her to look at the other two pork belly meals served. My meal was replaced with an alternative menu item.
Brough 3 overseas friends as a highlight of their day with
Brough 3 overseas friends as a highlight of their day with me and their visit overall. They were totally blown away by the setting on the balcony overlooking the Quay and the bridge. The experience was well supported by excellent food and attentive service. Definitely a place to come for a special occasion.
Sydney restaurants
The food is good. However the management treat you like a second class citizen. As a guest you treated with an arrogance of “ you are lucky to be here”. Most restaurants in Sydney I’m sure will treat you more like a human being.
Cafe Sydney, 6Head, Bennelong, & Maybe Sammy (for drinks)
Cafe Sydney, 6Head, Bennelong, & Maybe Sammy (for drinks) have to be the 4 places you must go in Sydney if you are even remotely a foodie. I absolutely loved me some Cafe Sydney. The view is impeccable. The restaurant is beautiful. I love the view of Circular Quay. Up first, the $23 espresso martini! Perfect! Get yourself one if you like espresso martinis! Up next, $17 broccolini probably the worst of the items we tried, but still an 8/10. Then, the $18 brussel sprouts. They were amazing. Had a really different taste to them, nothing like I've ever had anywhere. 9.5/10. Only wish they were slightly more charred. For main courses, $56 beef tenderloin, roasted oyster mushroom, peppercorn sauce. Freaking amazing. 10/10. There is a Happy Hour here on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5pm-7pm. $2 Sydney rock oysters, $14 classic cocktails, $10 local wines.
First class in every way
Having toured around Perth, Noosa, Brisbane & Melbourne this was our stand out best dinner. Leami reminded us what service is all about. Great service is really hard to find but Leami looked after us perfectly which added hugely to the experience. Food & location all first class. Well done to the Cafe Sydney team 👏👏👏
Brilliant views, food to match
Absolutely delicious lunch (barramundi and corn, fabulous bread and lovely salad) and stunning views. I intend to come back next time I’m in Sydney.
This is our favorite restaurant in Sydney! We loved the
This is our favorite restaurant in Sydney! We loved the terrace dining and the views are gorgeous! The service was excellent. The food was divine! We were also given blankets to use while dining on a cooler winter night. The experience was very memorable and we cannot wait to return. Thank you for a lovely evening. The Larsons
Fantastic evening with knowledgeable and highly attentive
Fantastic evening with knowledgeable and highly attentive staff, great food and fantastic warm environment. Could not find any fault with the dining experience at Cafe Sydney
Came here for our first ever night in Sydney, which
Came here for our first ever night in Sydney, which happened to be our 20th Anniversary. The Terrace View was stunning. Sit on the Terrace...it's a must and one of the best views in Sydney. The food was spectacular. My wife ordered the Snapper and I ordered the filet. We shared them so we both had "Surf N Turf". Both were great. Instead of a "side" we ordered a main dish of the Gnocchi in a cheese/cream sauce. Good thing we skipped the starters...we ate 3 mains shared between the two of us for our meal. The wine selection was extensive, but the wine team made sure we got the perfect bottle for our meal. Ben our waiter was simply the best. The whole team was beyond Top Notch and here, the whole team works seamlessly to insure the best possible experience. They took care of everything to make sure our 20th anniversary dinner was incredible and memorable. If I could give the service 6 Stars out of 5, I would. From the moment we walked off the elevator into the restaurant until the moment we left...everything was as good as it gets.
Amazing Food, Amazing Staff and Amazing View...what more could you ask for?
Came here for our first ever night in Sydney, which happened to be our 20th Anniversary. The Terrace View was stunning. Sit on the Terrace...it's a must and one of the best views in Sydney. The food was spectacular. My wife ordered the Snapper and I ordered the filet. We shared them so we both had "Surf N Turf". Both were great. Instead of a "side" we ordered a main dish of the Gnocchi in a cheese/cream sauce. Good thing we skipped the starters...we ate 3 mains shared between the two of us for our meal. The wine choices mind boggling, but the wine team made sure we got the perfect bottle for our meal. Ben our waiter was simply the best. The whole team was beyond Top Notch and here, the whole team works seamlessly to insure the best possible experience. They took care of everything to make sure our 20th anniversary dinner was incredible and memorable. If I could give the service 6 Stars our of 5, I would. From the moment we walked off the elevator into the restaurant until the moment we left...everything was as good as it gets.
Spectacular view, nice food, good with food intolerances
Spectacular view, funny setup with booking (2 hour slot), pleasant food, very good lemon drizzle cake dessert (sweet, sour, subtle), handled food intolerances carefully and well.
We had lunch at Cafe Sydney this past Wednesday after
We had lunch at Cafe Sydney this past Wednesday after arriving on a 15-hour flight from the U.S. Food, service and ambiance were all outstanding. My wife has many food allergies, but the restaurant easily accommodated every one of them. In fact, we loved Cafe Sydney so much that we ate there again on Friday!
Fantastic dining experience in Sydney
Had an amazing time here. Cannot fault anyone or anything, everyone knows what they are doing and they all do it extremely well. If you want a special dining experience with great food, service and views this is it!!
Exceptional Birthday Dinner
My first experience at Cafe Sydney after hearing incredible reviews so booked this months out for a birthday. Café Sydney did not disappoint with fantastic service, incredibly good food and a great view. I would highly recommend anyone to experience the restaurant.
Cafe Sydney two star at best
Over the years I go to cafe sydney once a year and over the last five years it has deteriorated into what the name says “a cafe” it has a great location but food and feel to the restaurant is exceptionally poor and a waste of money. The Bloody Mary drinks are the worlds worst and as above food is similar in any cafe during the day but several times more expensive. I should have know as we got a booking a few days before for Saturday night where a few years ago it too a few weeks Sad not worth the visit
Very disappointing - not what it used to be
Sad to see an “icon” / great Sydney restaurant gone. Booked for a birthday dinner months ahead for family visiting from overseas. We were placed next to the toilets! The once great restaurant feels and looks like a canteen with a view filled with tours and groups that for some reason get the best tables. It is overcrowded with tables and no more table cloths but waiters with earphones communicating with each other rather than focus on the guests. The once excellent cuisine has become very average - clearly the kitchen does not cope with the amount of people coming through. Someone has bought this place to make money - not to give the great Sydney dining experience that it used to be. Very sad - don’t waist your money !!
Overpriced and underwhelming
Booked well in advance. Received worst table . The staff have the sleep sorted though advising you have to book not one month in advance but at least 3 to ensure a good table! Food was served cold. Kingfish entree served thickly cut not finely sliced and tasteless. We were there in a Friday night and the place turned into what only could be surprised as a nightclub. Music very loud. Despite slow service we were told with 15 minutes spare we had to vacate the table and they could serve us in the bar! Another bad table near the toilet was given to us. I was given a substantial gift voucher for a meal here in another Occassion and sadly I do t think I’ll use it! Such a shame prior to this I have used this restaurant for business purposes.
Great service and view
The view is epic and the service is great but I have been visiting this restaurant for over 7 years and the food has progressively got more bland. It’s not bad just not as good as it used to be. Would try and book in advance and if weather is good, get a table outdoors on balcony/terrace.
good
Good spot and beautiful view and outlook. The food is good but vegetarian options limited. Could be better for that. More options please
Fabulous food and views
Lucky enough to get a last minute booking during our trip from the UK and were fortunate enough to get a table at the front of the terrace with stunning views towards the Harbour Bridge. The food was amazing and service fantastic. Highly recommend.
Views!
Great views of the harbour! Decent menu, food was good. Not cheap, but we didn't expect it to be. Service was fine. Very hopping!
Always great! Thank you for the superb food, service and
Always great! Thank you for the superb food, service and atmosphere. Our UK family absolute loved the evening. Thank you
My favorite restaurant in Sydney.
Charming service, killer bridge views from the terrace, great food and drinks. Not inexpensive but not overpriced for what you get. Loud inside, I absolutely recommend eating on the terrace. Make reservations well in advance.
Location Location Location
What an amazing location. Great cocktails attentive staff and delicious food. Will definitely eat here again when back in Sydney.
So it was later in the evening(9:25pm) and not many places
So it was later in the evening(9:25pm) and not many places were open but we found them to be open until 11pm. We asked if we could order food and the bartender said yes if we ordered immediately. She was annoyed that we walked up for service. Mind you there wasn't a soul in the place! We got our order in and sat down . Upon sitting we realized she made my husbands drink wrong. He ordered a double Bullet on the rocks. She mixed it with coke- what a way to ruin a good bourbon! My husband took it back to her immediately without even taking a sip and said he didn't order his drink with coke. She was completely annoyed that she would have to remake it , because of her mistake! We received our dinner pretty quick as we only ordered two ceasar salads and a bread basket. The young woman that brought it to us was very pleasant. The salads were very large. So that was a pleasant surprise. Plenty of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, and the chicken was actually a cooked chicken( as we had bones!) Didn't much care for the dressing , as it was very anchovy forward. Too fishy . Bread was amazing. Glad we were able to get some food, but wouldn't return for the poor service.
4.5/5 - Delicious, just missed in a few areas
It was a lovely lunch and although we chose to sit away from the window/terrace as such a hot day it was still a nice view. Food was delicious. Service also good although felt a little disingenuous sometimes, friendly but a little ‘here we go again another customer’ feel. May be a little harsh as they were helpful etc just gave that vibe. The only reason I have given a 4 not a 5 (4.5 if I could) is the bar area and dark furniture and colours felt quite dated in the daytime. I can tell at night it could look lovely with the lighting but it was a bit lack lustre in daylight. Feel it needs elevation as felt a bit 90’s, to then give the same elegant feel for lunch. However the terrace did look lovely.
The best service I have ever received anywhere in the
The best service I have ever received anywhere in the world! the food was excellent and beautiful views of the Sydney harbor and bridge.
It is how you imagined.
What a superb experience this was. It doesn't market itself very aggressively at all - you have to look for it. It's in the perfect location. When you imagine your view of Sydney harbour well, this is it! From the bustle of Circular Quay, ascend in a lift from Customs house entrance, and you emerge into luxury surroundings which are modern and gleaming. Step out on to the balcony for the view and then - excellent food and wine with service to match (your reviewer does not often say that). Let this be a measure of how we enjoyed it. Ate here late February, and while at the table booked for our last night in Australia in the middle of April.
Not my best meal or restaurant experience.
Basically, you should expect to be served your meal as the Chef likes it. I asked for my main entre to be cooked medium; it was not medium based on my opinion and taste. I sent my meal back for more heat, and what came back was a new entre undercooked, the same as the first. I complained and was told this is how the Chef servers it. I was offered to try a third time or have a different meal served. but at this point, my seven friends at the table were finished with their meals and I declined the offer to try again. The charge for the dinner was removed and I left the restaurant hungry. I understand the cultural differences in cooking food and how it is served; however, as a paying customer, I don't understand why I can't get the meal cooked with a little more heat; I am the one that is going to consume the food. My rating is I am submitting is 2 out of 5 because the seven other people at the table seemed to enjoy their food. For me alone, I would submit a rating of 1 out of 5, Just trying to write a fair and acurate review of my experience.
Once again we had a wonderful time.
The food and wine were great, a fabulous venue with great views but it is the wonderful professionalism of the team that make it such a great experience. A special shout out to Matt who was absolutely fantastic.
Phenomenal
Food, presentation, service & ambience - seldom does a restaurant excel in all four, but Cafe Sydney does. This is that rare restaurant where 5 Stars just isn’t enough. We dined on the patio overlooking the harbour. Service was excellent. From the cocktails to the homemade ice cream, the food & presentation was superb. And the price was very reasonable considering the value we received.
This timed seating ridiculousness has to end.
The pandemic is over so there's no excuse any more. Been told, politely, that if we wanted desert we would have to eat it in the lounge less then 2hrs into our meal is unacceptable. Food and ambience is still amazing, service is still good but the fact that there are a "lot of double bookings tonight" (their words) isn't the patrons problem. Patrons btw paying $200 to $300 per head. Maybe they need to speed up their service and stop mucking around with changing forks, moving glasses about and otherwise chasing their tails. So they lost 4 deserts and another $180 bottle of wine from us. Won't be back until this times seating stupidity is gone.
Amazing food and equally amazing staff!
We had a splendid evening at Café Sydney. Food was delicious with lots of taste and interesting flavor combinations. The sommelier advised us a great wine. But what struck us on top of all this, was the thoughtfulness of the staff. Next to us was a rather loud table. Without us asking, the staff looked proactively for a quieter spot. We thought this was simply magnificent! Thanks for this great evening.
Not really worth the substantial price tag
Had lunch with my partner here recently. We were looking for something more upmarket and came here for lunch, attracted by the decent view that appeared to be on offer. PROS * Service was decent and staff were quite friendly. * The quality of the meals was of a high standard. * Cocktails were high quality. * Its located in the customs building adjacent to circular quay so its fairly central. CONS * The quantity of meal was quite small. We had three courses and I wouldn't have described myself as being full at departure. You need to order sides in addition to the mains to give enough volume. * The pricing was high. I acknowledge that this is to be expected at higher end restaurants but even still we ended up paying around $370 for three courses, a bottle of wine and a couple of cocktails at lunch. Some of the charges were quite petty such as $14.20 for tap water. We were also hustled for a tip which created an awkward experience at the time of payment. This is not an Australian custom. * I felt the restaurant was quite crowded and noisy. This is partially because of the density of tables on the terrace but also was contributed to by the construction work occurring in the neighbouring building (sound of jackhammers). * Although the cover picture makes the view look stunning, when sitting at table level it is really only unobstructed for those sitting on the outside of the terrace, which is the minority of tables. For most of the terrace tables you have to look through other tables and passing wait staff to try to get a look. Overall I felt like it had too many cons to justify its hefty price tag.
Just an awful experience.
Prepaid for Valentines dinner (should have known) and left before eating. The venue is set up for chaos and speed. If you're looking for a nice dinner out, look elsewhere.
Not worth your time.
An awful experience from the start. This is a night club run with ear mics and slow service. We prepaid for Valentines Night and left before eating. I’m 50 and a DJ, this is not how a restaurant should be run. Ouch. Ate ~$300 in expense.
A Sydney classic! You really do pay for the view and the
A Sydney classic! You really do pay for the view and the name. The food is good- very small servings for what you're paying if you aren't ordering appetizers and starters, which I would absolutely recommend. Service was great, booking and communication also great
Wonderful evening as the sun was setting g
The location with a fabulous view was a great start to the evening. The food was wonderful, service relaxed and attentive.
Never disappoints!! View is amazing and the food service
Never disappoints!! View is amazing and the food service and ambiance even better!!! We visit Sydney often from NY and Cafe Sydney is always on the trip agenda!
COCKROACHES.
I have to start with that because we saw no less than 5 while we were there which was less than an hour. And those were just the ones we saw. This was among the worst dining experiences I've ever had from start to finish. When we arrived, the host berated my wife for not checking her email (while on vacation - which they knew) so we hadnt confirmed the reservation. They made her confirm her email address after we were already at the restaurant.. Super weird but whatever. When we sat down, there was an identical table next to ours that was empty and we asked to switch but were told that table was taken. About 10 minutes later, a kid and his date sat down there and after ordering drinks, the kid bragged about getting away with ordering alcohol underage - so I guess you can feel comfortable coming here if you're 17! We ordered bread to start and were getting concerned that it wasn't coming. After they dropped off the food, we saw the bread was coming but we no longer wanted it because the main course was there. The server said he was confused because he thought we wanted the bread WITH dinner. What kind of restaurant serves bread with dinner? It's ok to mess up but that was such a ridiculous lie that my intelligence was insulted. Don't try to gaslight me to cover up your mistake. Thankfully, they comped the bread that we didn't eat (by the way, this is the first place we've been in Australia that charged for bread). The waiter convinced me to try the wagyu special. Yes, the term wagyu is overused, but this could not have been further from wagyu. Normally, imitation wagyu is still pretty good but this was actually disgusting. I took two bites and couldn't stomach any further. A hamburger has higher quality beef than this sirloin. The other reason I couldn't stomach it was the cockroaches. We were on a 5th floor patio and they were all. Over. The walls. Look, I get it. We're outside and bugs exist. But cockroaches that are multiple inches long cannot be tolerated and when they keep coming from the same place and you have to be asked multiple times to get rid of them, maybe you should investigate where they're coming from and try to get rid of them instead of just getting rid of the one?? But that's too much to ask of this service staff. Just the worst dining experience I can ever remember having, from the food to the service (and the consistently poor service from everyone we interacted with) to the ambiance. Go to McDonald's downstairs and you'll not only have a cleaner eating experience but it'll taste better and cost 10% of the price.
It's been a while since we've dined at Cafe Sydney and we
It's been a while since we've dined at Cafe Sydney and we were pleasantly surprised. I always thought CS was a tourist spot but it's proven to be a legitimate, quality dining. destination. Looking forward to our next visit.
Came for Christmas lunch - amazing service, food and
Came for Christmas lunch - amazing service, food and ambience. Couldn't have asked for more. Thank you for a wonderful Christmas celebration!
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Let's say Peter has a great morning and decides to take his three friends to Cafe Sydney at 6 PM the same day.
He checks the restaurant's website and sees that no reservations are available. He then looks at the Cafe Sydney page on AppointmentTrader, but finds that there are no user postings either.
That's where the community-driven bid process comes in.
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1.) Setting a Reward (Bid)
* AppointmentTrader uses historical data to recommend a reasonable reward amount for securing a reservation - let's say $100.
* Peter really wants to go, so he increases the bid (or reward) to $200.
* At this stage, the reservation does not exist yet.
2.) A Community User Picks Up the Bid
* FamousStation67, an experienced AT user, has a strong track record of successfully securing reservations and low refund requests, they receive a notification about Peter's bid.
* FamousStation67 picks up the bid, meaning they will now work on securing the reservation.
* Peter can now talk to FamousStation67 for any questions Peter may have as FamousStation67 user fills the bid.
3.) Finding the Reservation
* FamousStation67 now uses their connections at Cafe Sydney to secure the table.
* If they successfully get the 6 PM table for four, Peter receives a confirmation that the reservation has been secured.
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* Once the reservation is secured, FamousStation67 receives the $200 reward which is credited to FamousStation67's AT balance, where users manage their own funds and can withdraw via available payout options such as bank transfer, PayPal, or Zelle.
* Peter can now enjoy the dinner with his friends at Cafe Sydney!
* As with all transactions on AT, disputes and no-show fees are handled through the platform's community-driven resolution system. Users with a strong track record are incentivized to fulfill bids successfully, and community members can report issues to maintain trust in the marketplace.
