Oh I really tried to like this place, especially with the cool Moe's Tavern theme going on…read more The night started well with great company and a fun walk through the park to arrive at the hotel. Out the front, there was a long queue with some dressed in Duff print shirts, so I was getting into the excitement of it all, especially seeing the Duff logo above the entrance with the cartoon vinyl sticker doors. I just couldn't wait to enter the Simpson's world. As I entered the bar upstairs, people were taking photos with kegs of Duff beer, sitting around eating their burgers, and enjoying their beer. AWESOME vibe already. Ordered 4 pints of Duff beer which had all the characteristics of a pale lager; crisp, clean, and refreshing. After downing my beer with my friends, we all hoped that there would be a Flaming Moe on the menu. Unfortunately the bartender shook her head and just pointed at the Duff beer, so more beer it was for the night. Okay, this is where the night turned into a stock market crash, we ordered pink donuts with rainbow sprinkles. These were acceptable not stale but were really tiny. Next on the food hit list was what they were marketing as the Krusty Burger but on the menu it was called the all American burger and a porkwich, essentially a pulled pork sandwich. Burger and pulled pork sandwich were meh!...the meat and the size of the buns just weren't in proportion, so there was more bread than filling...Come on McDonald's get it right when I order a quarter pounder. So another thumbs down. I thought I would give it another chance and ordered Duffalo wings. Beer + Wings = Awesome right? Beer + baked wings = let's call it a night! The wings just didn't have the crispy skin I expected and just drizzling BBQ sauce didn't allow the flavours to penetrate the meat and made it soggy. Oh well, I guess I was expecting fried buffalo wings with the spicy, vinegary, and buttery flavours. Anyway, I had a great time because I was with great company, few Duff beers, cool bar vibe with friendly staff and the Simpson's theme. However, the food was its downfall but there is always Harry's Cafe de Wheels across the road for a tiger pie. This place definitely has potential.

Our company recently had a fundraising event here, and it really was the ideal place! It didn't…read morehurt that it was a beautiful balmy evening and the view of the calm water was perfect, but still it was a great evening, and the staff there were very pleasant. But the location really is a winner, for the upstairs function area anyway. The balcony looks straight onto Finger Wharf but it slightly to the left so you get an ideal combination of harbour and Finger. Downstairs the outdoor area still has a bit of a view, just not as good because you're at ground level. However, on this occasion, I'm basing my review solely on our function experience, which was great! So if you're looking for a function area, you may want to check it out!

If someone asked me if I'd go back. That would be a definite yes!!…read moreTried this pub for dinner and I'm certainly glad I brought an appetite. Aside from the food being well presented the serving size was impressive. I ordered the half size ribs and still could have fed the two of us. Nice chilled atmosphere and I liked the venue. I'm sure there is more to explore here.

This is our "go to" restaurant now, since we live very close by. When our dinner plan fell through,…read morewe just walk over here. Good menu selections from soup, salad to steak and risotto. Beer selections are pretty good as well- usually 8-10 beer on the tap. TVs around to watch games, or you can go upstairs for more quieter dining experience.

Ah, free oysters & massages between 5pm & 6pm on Friday - AWESOME! We were regulars for about 6…read moremonths here on Friday nights, but then they started remembering who we were and it's never a good sign in life when staff at a pub know who you are. Other pluses: friendly staff, reasonable pub food, friendly security, window seats, reasonably priced drinks. We go here often when we're in the CBD (rather than Surry Hills), particularly Friday nights...

Well, the bar it's self it's not too bad, I like of its location in corner of Thai town on Campbell…read morestreet. Beer is cheap and they do have food too. My friends told me the Thai bistro is not bad, however in my opinion is just average Thai food that you can find better quality on the area surrounding. Had this crispy barramundi with basil sauce, just plain average, nothing special with that dish, snake bean that come with side dish is just blanch, no seasoning what so ever. Plain boring. Well, you never try you never know, right?

Terrible service Meals ordered at same time using app on table but served separately over 45…read moreminutes after first order received. Staff too busy talking to each other to care about customers Don't recommend for meals

When I was in Sydney recently I decided to check out a random suburb (as I usually do) and Double…read moreBay drew the short straw. Anyway, this was a nice little pub a short walk from the ferry terminal (which I knew about beforehand, so was one of the reasons that I went to Double Bay) and it wasn't what I expected. When I think of the Eastern Suburbs, especially near the habour, I tend to think rich and exclusive, however this pub was nothing of the sort. It was nicer than your typical suburban pub, but it was pretty relaxed. There was a nice beer garden out the back, and the staff were pretty friendly as well. Definitely a pub that I would visit again.

A lovely local with friendly service, fabulous food and reasonable prices. It's location makes it a…read morelovely local to visit away from the hustle and bustle of Darling street. Menu is good with gastro pub food menu. You order drinks and food at the counter and they bring it out for you. Plenty of indoor seating in different parts of the pub and also a good amount of outdoor seating too. I absolutely loved my Wagyu Cheeseburger in a brioche and I did wolf it down ;-) fabulous well done fries and nice brown sauce made it a fantastic meal. I would come here for a burger any day. It's high quality beef and cooked medium. Happily come here any day. Good food and friendly service and dog friendly.

This is one of my favourite pubs in Balmain, standing like a sentinel on the corner of College and…read moreCurtis, it exudes old world charm. It's missed by many because it isn't on the main Darling Street drag. This is a good thing. Whilst those other pubs take care of the general riff raff, the Royal Oak has a more subdued, and classy clientele. The locals and peeps in the know, who can skip the pretension of those other places. When I lived in Drummoyne this was a regular for the Trivia Night where the guy used, a chalkboard of all things, to tally up the scores. We also loved this place because it has Murray's Whale Ale on tap. The main area, right after you walk in the pub, has loads of seating, and towards the back of this area is the real gem of the pub, the open fireplace and super-comfy weathered lounge chairs. On a cold dreary day full of wind and rain, I can often imagine myself sitting in front of that fire, twirling a brandy balloon and reminiscing about my days at sea. Let's not dull that by the reality of a friend and I grabbing some Zumbarons from Zumbo up on Darling Street and wandering down here in the rain to consume them at the pub with a bourbon in front of the fire. The Royal Oak has a strong nautical theme. The walls are adorned with sailing imagery of all kinds; boats in bottles; a ships wheel; they even have sea creatures hanging from the rafters in the dining section; not to mention the whale ale on tap. I'm pretty sure they used to have a mast in the main bar, but I can't remember if I saw it there last time. All in all I really love the coziness of this place, and the fact that you feel warm and welcome when you sit down. One of these days I will bring a big group and try out the full dining experience.

Came in for a Thursday burger special snack, which turned out to be OK. Probably wasn't worth all…read morethe effort, but glad we tried to do something spontaneous. There are times when a billboard is very effective, and this was one instance when it was for us. My brother and I were visiting Sydney, and were walking to a 13:30 lunch reservation...we happened to see a sign for AU$8 Thursday Special of Burger of the Week (with drink) at the Agincourt sports bar. Since it was only 11:00 and we knew were going to be early, we figured we could spend a little time here. The bartender let us know that the kitchen wasn't going to open until 11:30, so we decided to hang around until then. Since the burger required a drink, we got a draft pint of Toohey's Old Ale (AU$12.69) while waiting. It was quite good...very dark, but not strong at all, with a very smooth malty flavor. So at exactly 11:30, we ordered and was notified that the burger needed to be purchased WITH a drink to get the special pricing. So this time we got a schooner of Cooper's Original Pale Ale (AU$8.50). The burger was delivered soon after, and we found out that if the word 'ham' or 'cheese' is not included in description, it can be anything. In this case, it was a grilled chicken breast. The bun was excellent, and the shredded lettuce dressed with Italian dressing, worked really well with the chicken. You pay as you order, so it was an easy couple of bites and we were on our way.

Okay, I initially gave this pub points purely for its name, but otherwise it really wasn't all that…read moregreat, that is until I discovered that it happens to be well known for being a live music venue, and any pub that happens to be a live music venue is going to impress me, as it has done here. Unfortunately, I haven't had an opportunity to actually come here for the live music, but I am certainly going to rectify that if I ever end up back in Sydney.

Any pub with the name of the Bard is going to grab my attention, and I made an effort to come here…read more Unfortunately it wasn't as great as I expected, though it was still a nice place where I could grab a drink. In fact I found it rather quite and peaceful, which is also a good thing when it comes to a pub, especially when I don't want too much noise. They even had some nice beers on tap, which was a bonus.

I am not really the pub crawl type so it is not that surprising that I had never been to the…read moreShakespeare Hotel. A friend of mine Nathan wanted to go for the $12.50 steaks (they actually serve a wide range of meals all for $12.50) When I went inside I was not impressed at all, it was a pretty daggy looking place. However upon going upstairs my first impression evaporated. It is fantastic up there. It is like a smoky 1930's saloon with big, old furniture much of which is falling apart, it is dim and is pure atmosphere. I loved it. Suddenly the name Shakespeare's made sense as it really was like entering some kind of time warp, has anyone seen my Tardis? The food was very ordinary but for $12.50 who really cares, I would definitely go back, the atmosphere makes it entirely worthwhile.

I was in Sydney for business, and Circular Quay had been my cocoon. It's a bit hard for me to get…read moreout of this comfort zone unless there are solid reasons or motivation. This time, my old friend, who is a local, invited me to The Vic On The Park for dinner. Through the street filled with lots of Mom 'n Pops shops on Enmore Rd, I arrived at the destination. It looks like an ordinary pub, but it has a patio in the back and even a basketball court! Wasting no time, I ordered the Chicken Schnitzel and a pint of beer. They had a pretty extensive list of craft beer. The chicken schnitzel was a bit different from what I usually eat. It was covered with ham and smothered with tomato sauce, somewhat leaning toward Chicken Parmesan. I guess the breading makes it more Chicken Schnitzel than others? But besides this little fuss, it tasted as good as it looked. Juicy-Inside-Crispy-Outside was perfect despite being endangered of getting soggy by the tomato sauce. A bit of a stretch from where I usually stay, but it's definitely a great place to be with locals instead of tourists.

Woah! This pub was awesome. It doesn't look like much from the front, but wander out into the…read morecarpark and you will discover that they have converted it into a basketball court, and they have plenty of outdoor seating as well. But that wasn't the only thing that made this pub awesome, particularly since I don't play basketball. There was a good selection of craft beers, it wasn't all that crowded, and even better, there was some great works of art decorating the walls. It is a little hard to find, being in the backstreets, but it is an awesome pub nonetheless.