Fabulous bar with excellent service. The cocktails here are amazing and the food is nice too. Our…read moredog was so happy to be allowed in and Hemant the owner is a lovely guy and very welcoming. Definitely one of my favourites in Balmain. The ambience is fabulous with old European style interiors and a fireplace for cold winter days. There are a few tables outside and the menu is mainly sharing plates. Vegetarian choice is limited and I wish there were a few more options for food. The owner does allow you to get pizza from Tipo 00 if you don't like the menu they have. Cocktail list is extensive and there is a good selection of single malts and other spirits. Would happily come here any day. It's a great spot for a chilled evening with friends sipping cocktails and grazing :-)

I have never been here before & was invited there…read more Ordered the beef rib and broccoli - AMAZING!! Ive never seen a broccoli served this way, nor have i ever said my broccoli was absolutely incredible, but it was!! And the beef rib - superb. I broke my diabetic diet to indulge in the pavalova afterwards and fantastic, not too sweet. Will be back if in the area..

This place is fantastic…read more It's a teeny tiny wine bar with a spectacular retro feel. It's all sumptuous vintage, plush antique chairs upstairs, a book case and vinyl records you can play. And of course great wine, and also friendly staff and patrons. Perfection.

I dont know why I havent come in, as a very very local person, to The Temperance society until now,…read moreon a whim as a really half arsed attempt by the husband and I at doing the whole valentines thing. Booze brings us together. Wow. This place is very cool. The staff are rather boisterous which brings down to earth, what could easily be a very snobby little locale ( only because of the the high class booze and all those chesterfields and floor to ceiling bookshelves - sploosh) Not having a good sample to go by, this place seems a go to for girls nights, and the night I visited there was a medium sized group of ladies cutting loose and not caring who heard their hollerin. Wine is a gal's best friend and I watched as they palmed off a would be suitor with nothing more than a glance. Heros. Wine by the glass in big bowled wine glasses with a great selection, and Elvis who I presume is the owner, knows his tipples. My pick of the eve was the Alto Monte - $14 a glass but by George that wine is as delightful as a magical miniature new born fawn prancing across your tongue on a rainbow. Food is basically nibbles. Sharing platters: a cheese one, a meat and cheese one and a Vego one with Cashew cheese. Toasties including one with Brie, cranberry and Rabbit terrine. Delicious. Anyone can google the origin of the name of this place, and I think it does every justice to the moniker. I think this may become my regular hangout.

I'm really not sure why I went for a walk around Drummoyne when I was last in Sydney - it's not…read morelike there was anything there that is worth seeing - however that was what I did. Anyway, on my trek I came across this pub and I have to say that it was pretty cool. Okay, it was around noon so it was pretty quiet but that generally suits me pretty well (especially when it comes to suburban pubs). Well, the first thing I checked out was the beer garden and it was pretty impressive. The main bar itself was also pretty nice, especially all the wooden panelling - it still had the charm of the old style pub. Okay, it had your typical sports bar and VIP lounge, but that is generally expected. Oh, there was also a room called the library which, as is expected, was a library, but it also contained a pool table - which was pretty cool in itself.

I used to love it here and go for dinner frequently but it does seem to have been going gradually…read moredownhill since new ownership. The staff are always friendly and welcoming but our recent dinner was far from good. It was flavourless. We asked for everything to come at once as we were only having an entree and side salad. Instead the side salads came out after the entree. It was a very odd eating experience. The salt and pepper squid had no spice what so ever, it was bland and the coating was doughy so all i could taste was raw flour. It was presented on a large, over dressed salad with the aioli over it making it soggy and to top it off, it was cold. The bread was hard and had only the merest whiff of garlic. Very disappointing..thank goodness the wine and company saved the evening. Quick update - having been through my receipts from the weekend, I have just noticed that we were not charged a handling fee when in the restaurant but when we went downstairs to the bar, I was charged 1%. Both payments were made with paypass / debit card and I absolutely was not told there was a surcharge for using my card in the bar. While I do not agree with businesses passing on merchant fees generally, at the very least, I expect if they do that they advise their patrons so they can make an informed decision on whether to use their card or use cash.....3 days on from my visit and even less happy. might be my local, but will not be returning (reduced rating from 2 to 1 star as a result of this)

Great Staff, Ambiance and Drinks. There is an Elevator to…read morethe 4th Floor and a rooftop area with a retractable roof so all weather catered for.It also have a fantastic Cousin Bar in the Basement called "Old Loves". Both are well worth spending time.

- up four flights of a dusty stairwell of a random office building…read more no elevator the trek is worth it - this speakeasy was a amazing - you would never know what await behind those doors - great steak sandwiches - get there early, its not as spacious - drinks are tasty - I love the dark environment - friendly service - hip hop soundtrack

Excellent service and staff, great craft beers made fresh onsite (ask for tastings of each one…read morebefore you commit!), also dope outdoor seating area that's undercover

Came here with some friends and tried the Scotch Fillet weekday special. Premium Tasmanian Cape…read moreGrim Angus cooked perfectly medium rare. I savoured every last bite of the steak including the chips and salad. The mushroom sauce was also a wonderful accompaniment to the steak. Simple pub style seating next to a beer brewery. Next time I'll be back to try the beer.

One of the prettiest bars I've ever seen. Very "Newtown-esque" hahaha. Friendly, great staff too…read more Their jalapeño margarita was a bit too chilli for me but the bartender was wonderful and offered to make me a new one just because of that (I didn't take it of course!). However, I'd recommend the Lime Bramble cocktail for anyone looking for something nice and fresh.

I arrived 90 minutes early for a show at The Enmore and needed somewhere to pass the time. Secret…read moreGarden was the first place I passed that happened to have a liquor licence, so I went on in. This place boasts 3 rotating taps and a Newtown-worthy selection of about a dozen or so bottles. I grabbed a Sierra Nevada and settled in to wait for my date. The smell of pulled pork filled the room and I couldn't resist ordering a couple of sliders (pork or beef $5/each, $12/3). Both were pretty tasty. I'd happily return to Secret Garden next time I'm early for a gig at the Enmore.

Well, I accidentally stumbled across the bar as I was wandering through Balmain. Mind you, I had…read morebeen exploring the other pubs that were scattered about but had no idea that this place existed, so I decided to go and check it out since it was in the way that I was heading. Well, it certainly stands out from the other pubs in the area, namely because it is basically a bar, and a pretty unpretentious one at that. It has a pretty nice laid back atmosphere and a great place for a quiet drink. Mind you, there wasn't a huge amount of options in the way of beers, and the outdoor seats are actually quite narrow, however I still liked the place.

My friend loves this place so we decided to meet here for a catch up. The place was intimate and…read morefunky with seating outside as well as inside. The staff were warm and welcoming. They were French so you could listen to all night long! We each had a glass of red wine which was lovely. The beers were craft and the wine list was quite impressive We shared chat potatoes then I had the pork sliders which were nice. Chips were good! The dessert tasting plate consisted of chocolate mousse with a good topping of cream, passion fruit creme brulee, chocolate brownie and raspberry sorbet. It was a great little place for a chilled catch up with a friend!

Another one of the great bars in the Newtown Area. I actually spotted this one quite by accident,…read moreand decided to simply go and check it out while wandering around the area. Well, it certainly turned out to be worth it because the atmosphere was great. The staff were really friendly and welcoming, which is something that always grabs my attention, and there were also some pretty nice beers on tap as well. This is another one of those bars I'd have no problems returning to in the future.

A great little bar in Newtown, perfect location for any post meal drinks and for a little bit of a…read morechill out. They have occasional Live music, although the venue is small it isn't overly loud and your friends are still somewhat audible during. I love the changing selection of beers on offer (Had a watermelon pilsner I'll never forget) and a pretty mean cocktail menu for the brave. I haven't had the food here as of yet since Newtown is bursting full of new places but no matter what I tend to come back to this little bar.

Outside covered eating area, quiet music, cane furniture, clean and spacious. Then there are the…read moremeals...wow..large servings. We went out with two very elderly neighbours and they shared a meal as it was so large. The fish chips was just perfect and so tasty. The chips were large and chunky a little like wedges but lightly fried. The salad was very fresh. The wine and beer was at hotel prices so quite reasonable. There was definitely different areas of the hotel for intimate couples, for the gambling rollers , lunchtime eaters and the bar flies. The service was excellent. The waitress kept checking if she could help with anything. She was most attentive. Parking can be found within the block as there is a large council parking area nearby. Overall a very pleasant and quiet lunch.

I just had lunch at the Bayview and it was disappointing. We orders burgers and they both were…read moreburned. The $25 burger comes with roughly ten chips, too. A pub without good pub food? Don't bother!