Bar 83 at Sydney Tower — Restaurant in Sydney

I was born in Sydney and was excited to try this bar as I felt it would be an amazing experience, due to the location. Upon arriving, the security and staff downstairs are just rude. When I mean rude, you will grunted at led around like a school child. We sat down and our full names were called out like we were in college. Upon arriving, we were led to a table. Obviously, the view is nice. I sat down and felt 'lost'. No explanation of service, food, ordering. I felt like I was at a typical pub where I go to the bar to order drinks. A young female waiter I flagged down. I asked do we order with you, is there a menu etc. Waitress took our order for two drinks. One of the cocktails had strawberry juice, smeared over 70% of the glass, $25.00 and my beer was $13.00. It gets better. I actually asked the waitress to clean the table (picture attached) as it has red and brown drink stains all over the table. Reminded me of a maccas at 3am. I then found a small barcode, hidden under a battery powered lamp. I scanned and ordered food. We ordered the sliders $34.00 AUD odd and truffle infused chips/fries. Fries were nice, however the sliders well here we go. Wagu beef is fatty I understand. The burger buns were hard, not firm not soft, HARD. Cold patty that when consumed left a cold, fat taste on your mouth, A small amount of blue cheese which was again cold and fatty tasting. Was screaming out for seasoning and to be heated up. We ate one of the sliders and left the other. Equates to $17.00 for one very small slider. Presentation was non existent. The slider was one of the worst I have ever tasted and I am not just saying that as the chips were nice. We did eat the chips. I flagged down our waitress again and stated I was not happy with the meal. Cold, tasteless, no taste of cheese or seasoning. I returned the meal and stated I am not willing or feel I should be charged for that as I returned it. I returned one full slider with a minute nip taken out of it, to make sure it was just as bad as the other my partner had. The waitress told me I cannot get a refund. I asked why. The reasoning being, I used the bar code/scan system. She did say I can have the dish again. I stated no asked for a manager. Two managers on duty apparently but none would speak with me. I asked the waitress can I speak with the person higher than her. Long story short I was polite and respectful but some of the workers here do think they are above that. Whilst consuming our first drink, three male bar workers were laughing loudly and talking about their social lives, including swearing. I like banter but at this alleged level, the experience at a local pub is better. I am ringing the establishment and also writing in a formal complaint about the experience. DO NO USE THE TABLE SERVICE CODE TO ORDER AS THEY STATE YOU CANNOT GET A REFUND. I telephoned days ago, my details forwarded, still no return call in regards to issues. Update. A manager called and we spoke. Very professional, man. Will try again at an agreed...

Came in with my partner and another couple in the hopes of having a magical night out together. The second couple was arriving late so we decided to sit at the table and have some drinks while we waited. The waitress showed up 5 min later, took our drinks order, wrote it down on her notepad and left the table without looking at us at any moment or saying thank you or any type of reasonable confirmation upon hearing our order. Less than 5 minutes later, the SAME waitress came back to us and asked if we wanted to order any drinks. We said "we ordered already" and she replied "right, I'll get you some water". About 15 min later, we're still waiting for our drinks and, after seeing that tables that ordered after us already had their drinks, we decided to stop another waiter and ask him about the cocktails. He said "let me double check that for you" and proceeded to never come back to us. Another 10 min went by and so we stopped the original waitress and asked her if our cocktails were still coming. She replied "let me double check that for you". Came back right after and said "yes, they're coming" (then she took our friends order, who had been waiting with their choice ready for a while by then and no water to drink). 5 min or so after, drinks finally arrived. By this moment we had waited for around 25 minutes for our drinks and no apologies had been offered. Drinks were interesting and well presented. We then ordered some food (after chasing the waitress for quite a while because she only asked us once if we wanted to order food). The Camembert for 39$ was incredibly overpriced and it just came with 4 really small pieces of bread, which clearly were no match for the amount of cheese. At that price point I would've expected more. We then stopped the waitress (note that we always had to call for her attention even though the place had max 10 tables occupied) and I said "can we get some water for them please", because our friends hadn't been offered water at all, and she came back with a bottle and no glasses. Every interaction we had was energy draining and the wait and amount of mistakes/misunderstandings were just way above the expected. We all work in hospitality and also behind bars so we could've understood most things if it was busy or if she had ever apologized at all but that was definitely not the case. Service and food value for money were not matching all the security and protocols we had to undergo before coming in. Cool view and the general look of the place is really nice. Wish the lights had been a bit dimmer or windows had some antireflective coating because the reflections really spoiled the view but that's just a suggestion. Can't...

Bar 83 offers one of the most spectacular views of Sydney, and there is no denying that the scenery from the top is stunning. We had booked for a group of ten to enjoy some drinks and chat for an hour or so before attending a business conference. Sadly, the way the venue is managed leaves a lot to be desired and detracts from what could be an unforgettable experience.

The staff at the entrance, located beside the lift, checked our booking and sent us upstairs without mentioning any rules. Only once we reached the bar were we told that a maximum of eight guests could sit together. When we considered leaving for another café, the staff informed us that we would still be required to spend a minimum of $30 per person – a total of $300 – even though we were not allowed to sit together.

It felt as though, the moment the lift doors opened onto the bar level, we were not seen as guests at all—just ten walking $30 notes. This lack of communication caused unnecessary frustration. The bar was quiet with many empty tables, yet the team repeatedly insisted it was “policy” and refused to make any exception.

Most cocktails were priced around $27–$28, just below the minimum spend, which left us little choice but to order additional items. To be fair, the cocktails were well made and the truffle chips were crisp and flavourful, which were definite positives. However, these did not make up for the poor handling of our booking.

Bar 83 has the potential to be a truly memorable venue thanks to its incredible view and quality drinks. However, the strict and poorly explained policies, combined with unhelpful service, overshadow the experience. Anyone planning to visit with more than eight people should clarify all conditions in advance to avoid the same...