5 Sawyers — Restaurant in Newcastle-Maitland

We walked in at 5.15pm, attracted by the aesthetics of this establishment on a Thursday and were told because we didn’t have a booking “as long as you get out by 7 you’ll be fine.”

We ordered at 5.20pm. The menu, a hodgepodge, was the first red flag. The first of our group to receive their food was the last who ordered and then the last part of our food arrived at 6.13pm. One of our group ate their margarita pizza in isolation and the final plate arrived almost an hour after ordering…and none of the tapas arrived together - they were drip fed over 5-7 minute intervals. With our final plate arriving at 6.13pm

All of this might not seem all that bad until you know that we were 1 of only 4 tables occupied, max 20 people at the time. My friend eventually got up and asked after our food at one point to which she was handed part of a Tapas order that was just sitting on the counter.

They do seem to do basic bowls of hot chips well and these came out together at the start so we flapped our jowls over those like a pack of hungry seagulls.

The food was so over priced, I paid $46 for 3 child’s palm sized Mexican tapas, a bowl of charred beyond recognition Brussels sprouts cooked by Hades himself and 5 x 1.5 inch cubed polenta chips…flavors were owing only to any sauce that accompanied them.

They seem to have a good cocktail menu so if you’re wanting to catch up with friends for some snacks, have a few drinks and you’re absolutely not fussed about how long it takes or how much you pay because you’re too wasted to care, this might be your place.

But if you’re wanting a substantial meal try the kebab shop right across the road.

5...

Last night I took some friends here who hadn’t been before. I’ve been coming here for years and always rave about the place but unfortunately last night was an uncomfortable experience. We were at the bar and the owner was getting up the younger guy working saying he was wasting $180 worth of product when it was just 2 drinks and didn’t give him the chance to explain why and could feel the tension between them the whole time we were there so we moved on to somewhere else after only being there for 40min. We went back at 9pm as we wanted to give it another chance and got the door shut in our face and was told it’s last drinks even though there was another hour until close time.

I now see why there is such a high staff turnover! Take the conversations to staff out the back and probably don’t do 2 for 1 deals if you can’t afford it. I’ll be back when there is new ownership.

We wanted to thank the young guy for his quick service and yummy cocktails, so 1 star was for him and the other star was for the...

Massive shoutout to the amazing staff who took such great care of us last night and made my daughters 21st celebration even better! We had booked some seats but ended up with a few over and the staff were kind enough to get us all sorted with additional tables. Staff personally came over to the little kids and challenged them to have a drawing competition and provider supplies for it. Which they loved! They even provided a candle, turned the music down AND sang her happy birthday which was above and beyond what we expected! So kind and thoughtful. The bar staff were busy but still so fast, kind and friendly. Drinks were lovely and everyone really enjoyed the beautiful space. 🥰❤️ Thank you all so much, after years of working in hospitality, I truly appreciate the wonderful...