Alchemy Polish Cafe Restaurant — Restaurant in Sydney

Over ambitious prices for underwhelming service and average food! Went here on Mothers Day with my Polish family of 7. First impressions were that it was very cramped and noisy and on top of that there was some loud french music playing in the background. We were seated and greeted by the owner and all mums were given a gift consisting of a ceramic mug and chocolate. Nice start but then everything went downhill from there. We ordered a few servings of various pierogi to start with. They were nice but we've had better. The prices are were we had the issue. Normally pierogi are served standard with sour cream, fried onion and bacon and thats included in the price. Here, not only were they overpriced at $24.50 for 9 pierogi they charge an additional $2.50 for each item. So for 9 pierogi I paid $32 which is ALOT more then Ive ever paid anywhere else. For mains we ordered the Golonka (pork knuckle), Pork Schnitzel, Chicken Schnitzel, Goulash and Zurek along with a side of mizeria, czwikla, and polish gherkins. We also ordered 3 servings of fried Kopytka for the table only to be told they didnt have any. As they were also an accompianment to the pork knuckle we changed it to roast potatoes instead. As soon as the pork knuckle came out we noticed the skin was boiled not crispy and crunchy how you would expect a pork knuckle to be. It was soggy, chewy and hard to swallow. We asked the waiter if they could crisp it up for us. We were then approached by the lady chef who we are assuming is the wife of the owner and she said 'this is how it comes because our ovens dont crisp up the skin much'. We asked if we could have it fried on a fry pan and her response was 'no you are not the only ones here'. We were all shocked by her response and found it to be extremely rude. Soon after this the owner approached us and asked what happend and when we told him he apologised, laughed it off and bought my husband a shot of alcohol hoping that would make the situation better. We have never been spoken to so rudely before nor have we ever had a pork knuckle or golonka without crsipy skin...its the best bit!! Followed by an average goulash, the roast potatoes were inedible due to the herbs used and we love our potatoes. The chicken schnitzel was severly overpriced at $32. It was probably the smallest Ive ever had. Dont go expecting bistro size serving with a few sliced roasted potatoes which were not pleasant...didnt even come with a side salad. The plate was of average size and you could still see alot of the plate even with the schnitzel and potatoes were on the plate. The zurek was ok, most found it was too spicy with too many herbs compared to how we are used to eating it and the pork schnitzel was also just ok. $10 for a side of cucumbers and cream or for a few slices of pickles is also a joke. Or $6.50 for a side of czwikla which I would pay for a jar is highway robbery. Desserts which were all cakes were $11 a pop, I took some home and again very small serving and they were average. For the prices we were expecting large portions and really tasty food. To top it off we found their eftpos was apparently not working and was forced to pay cash, I was planning to use my credit card. However after reading past reviews it seems like they are always conveniently experiencing some kind of technical gliche where they have to accept cash. At the end of the day we are happy to pay a premium if we get good quality service and food. Here it seems they dont rely on repeat customers because we certainly wont be back or telling our friends. Nor do they take pride in what they do, it seems like they just want to squeeze in as many people into their tiny establishment as possible and overcharge for small portions and extras just to make a buck. Not what we Poles are about, normally you leave feeling full and satisfied and cant wait to go back. Not on this occasion. Please dont waste your time or money, there are other polish restaraunts/ clubs that serve better more resonably...

Edit: It is not the responsibility of the customer to find and see all information at every new and unfamiliar establishment, especially when it can be hard to find. Surcharges aren't mentioned on your website or online menu, and signage was NOT obvious in the restaurant. Instead of getting defensive, please learn some humility and take in the feedback for at least future customers before they doubtlessly start to have the same problems. Otherwise you're only reinforcing my original point. Also, the expensiveness in general was a separate issue to the above (not part of the same, as your reply seems to indicate). That said, it is still a valid impression to have, especially after experiencing the dishes. I understand taking pride in what you serve, but please don't call customers' opinions 'inaccurate' just because it's not something you want to hear. (Visit date: 19/10/2024)

The food was good quality, fresh, well-cooked, and overall quite nice; no doubt about it. The restaurant is clean and comfortable, the staff at least nice and friendly at first. Still, these things aren't enough to justify the exorbitant prices. Alchemy is EXPENSIVE for what they serve; let that be clear. But that's not the main gripe I had or the reason why I had to post.

I feel like I have to warn everyone about their hidden charges and costs, which I wish I saw in reviews myself before visiting.

Both staff members who interacted with us, the waiter and an older gentleman we believed may have been the owner, engaged in some deceptive behaviour: Not informing us of their Saturday surcharge until it was literally time to pay, when unlike Sundays and public holidays it's definitely not common practice Asking us if we wanted certain sides between dishes without mentioning any prices, giving the impression that they're complementary/free (e.g. the pickles. They turned out to be $13.50 -- for what turned out to be just 2 whole ones! And they were the cheapest item on our bill!) To top it off, when we expressed surprise at the final bill and everything that contributed to it (we were polite, not even angry), seeing how quickly the staff dropped their veneer of friendliness was chilling and unforgettable.

I'd originally wanted to come back to explore more Polish cuisine here, especially when the food seemed promising, but I wouldn't be comfortable doing so anymore. The Polish friend I came with doesn't want to return either. 10% surcharges may not seem like much, but when each item costs so much, they really add up. Also, such dishonesty shouldn't be encouraged anyway. I wouldn't recommend supporting their business unless they change. Food-wise--

Recommended: Zurek/sour rye soup (best dish we had) (Fried) Sauerkraut & mushroom pierogi (delicious, the flavour surprisingly deep)

Decent: (Fried) Potato & cheese pierogi Golabki/cabbage rolls

Not recommended: Gonzo Pork Schnitzel (says 'cheese' in the description but is actually a blue cheese sauce, which didn't suit the schnitzel. Also didn't work with the pears; overall it tasted funky and disharmonic) (Fried) Duck & apricot pierogi (apricot couldn't be tasted at all, the main flavour actually an alcoholic tang, which practically covered all of the duck. We wondered if the batch we had was...

We contacted the restaurant the day before to let them know we had a coeliac guest attending and asked if they could cater for gluten-free. They confirmed they could.

We arrived for my dad’s birthday and were told the barramundi and duck dishes were gluten-free. My brother went up to the counter and very clearly said, “My sister is coeliac — please make sure there’s no cross-contamination, and that her fish is cooked with separate utensils.” The owner reassured him everything would be fine.

When the mains came out, my mum double-checked with a younger staff member (possibly the owner’s son) and he replied with, “What, you don’t believe me?” His tone was defensive and unnecessary.

I started eating the fish and avoided the vegetables — they were really hard, and I had actually asked if they could make them soft, which they didn’t. About 20 minutes later, I noticed something coating the veggies. I asked my family if they thought it looked like breadcrumbs. My brother tasted one and said it might be flour.

When I asked the waiter, he casually said the vegetables were cooked in butter and flour.

I was shocked. I said, “I’m coeliac. We confirmed this dish was gluten-free multiple times.” And instead of showing concern or taking responsibility, the owner immediately deflected, saying “Your brother only asked about the fish.”

What followed was a frustrating back-and-forth. I reminded him that coeliac disease is serious, and we had made it clear the meal needed to be completely gluten-free. He refused to acknowledge any fault, showed zero accountability, and kept pushing the blame back onto us — as if it were our job to check each individual component of the plate after he had already confirmed it was safe.

There was no apology, no empathy — just defensiveness. I left feeling disrespected and upset, and questioning whether any of the food was actually gluten-free.

Thank God I didn’t eat the vegetables, but it easily could’ve been much worse. I’ve since filed a food safety report with NSW Health, because this level of negligence is dangerous — not just for coeliacs, but for anyone with allergies or...