Aster — Restaurant in Sydney

I am writing to express my deep dissatisfaction with the experience we had at your rooftop bar during our recent stay at the hotel. We had chosen to celebrate a birthday there, expecting a pleasant and memorable evening. Unfortunately, what we encountered was far from acceptable.

To begin with, the level of customer service was extremely poor. On Thursday, 7th August 2025, we enquired with the hotel concierge about availability at the rooftop bar. Although we had no booking, the concierge kindly informed us that there were plenty of tables available and advised us to head up. However, upon arrival, we were abruptly told by a very unwelcoming staff member that there was no availability. She rolled her eyes and remarked that the concierge had no idea what was happening upstairs. When we asked whether we could be contacted if a table became available later, she curtly responded that she couldn’t call an international mobile number. Further questions were met with impatience and a dismissive attitude—completely unacceptable behaviour in any hospitality setting.

We then decided to make a reservation for the following evening on Friday, 8th August at 8:30 pm. Despite the bar being relatively empty upon our arrival, we were seated at what was clearly the worst table in the venue. We attempted to order oysters, only to be told by an indifferent staff member that they were unavailable. To make matters worse, one of the cocktails we ordered was not only poorly made and watered down, but inexplicably served in a plastic toadstool—hardly the quality or presentation expected from a venue charging premium prices.

Overall, the experience fell well below reasonable expectations. We left feeling not only disappointed but also frustrated at the waste of both our time and money.

I hope you will take this feedback seriously and investigate the issues raised. At a minimum, I would appreciate a response outlining how you intend to address...

Wow… I have never been to a better bar in my life! If you are looking for pure class, luxury, good looking and attentive staff, delicious and dynamic drinks, tasty and non greasy bar food then definitely go to Aster. IT IS A HIDDEN GEM. It literally has the best view of the harbour, no matter where you sit or what time of the day you go it’s gorgeous (but especially at sunset). Don’t get me started on the staff though, they are all so hot, it must be a pre requisite to be extremely hot and have an amazing personality to work there. The host… I think her name is Ana? Is so petit and cute, she made me feel so welcome and left a great first impression for the bar. I think the manager is this guy called Matteo, you will smell him before you see him and my god he smells divine, he has a beautiful well groomed beard and carries a little brush for it in his blazer, you should ask to see it if you get the opportunity to meet him. All of the bar tenders are sexy and funny, even if they made me the worst drink of my life I would tip them just because of how hot they are. I went on a quiet day so I asked if they could make up a cocktail for me and my god they are talented. There was one bar tender Elia, that also made me his favourite drink, “Chambord sour”, ask him to make this for you his cute little face will light up with joy. It was the perfect sweet cocktail. Also I think one of the waiters is a body builder?? This guy from Uruguay had the biggest muscles I’ve ever seen in my life, I was in shock. My waiter was named Igor though and he was amazing, perfectly attentive, hard working, polite and anticipated all my needs as a customer, someone give that man a raise. Overall I give this bar a 5/5 and you should definitely...

We had made a reservation for this place 1-2 months in advance. Since our time in Sydney was limited, we wanted to avoid any issues. However, it felt like we hadn't made a reservation at all, as if we just walked in from the street. They tried to seat us in a ridiculous spot in the back corner. When we objected, they checked our reservation date and then moved us to an available table in the front. The first impression was already off to a bad start.

The view from the venue was truly amazing – probably the only good thing about the place. There’s a per-person spending limit and a 2-hour time restriction. With just two cocktails, you already hit the limit, as cocktails start at 30 AUD. They don’t serve proper meals, only starter-style dishes, and the portions are ridiculously small for the prices.

I ordered two cocktails, “Opera House” and “Earth.” The "Earth" cocktail was the worst I’ve ever had in my life. The presentation was unique, but the taste didn’t match at all – even though the ingredients were typically ones I’d prefer.

On top of that, one of the staff members (a blonde woman) was incredibly rude. She didn’t even look at us while serving, practically tossing the plates and glasses onto the corner of the table. We had to arrange everything ourselves. I’ve never felt this uncomfortable in a place before.

Oh, and I had read reviews saying they pay attention to dress codes and don’t allow people wearing flip-flops. However, there was a man sitting at the table next to us wearing flip-flops and very casual clothing. It seems like they just pick and choose who to let in or how to treat people, perhaps based on...