BARTIGA — Restaurant in Sydney

We visited Bartiga for the first time tonight for a birthday dinner. The evening started very well, we received great recommendations on the starters and mains. The restaurant manager (a guy in a blue shirt) recommended one of the starter specials which was a grilled calamari with a delicious nam jim dipping sauce. The pippies pasta came with a generous serving of fresh and succulent pippies - winner! In total we ordered 8 dishes and 2 desserts to share between the 3 of us.

Unfortunately what started out as celebratory and joyous ended up with a sour aftertaste for us. We were having such a good time that we clearly overstayed our welcome - we were told off by the restaurant manager that "good restaurants" have 2 seatings especially on Saturdays, when the booking was made and that we would have been reminded 3x that we would have 1 hr 45 mins to dine. Although we had exceeded our allocated time, there was really no reason to be spoken to so rudely. We were first told that the restaurant needed the table back by a non-Caucasian waiter in an off-white shirt. One of my guests asked nicely if the second seating was at 8:30pm (our booking was at 6pm). The next thing we knew, the restaurant manager returned to our table and told us off for exceeding our dine-in time. I would have apologised for going over our allocated dine-in period if not for the fact that I was taken aback by what felt like a rebuke. I do not appreciate being spoken to in this manner.

If the restaurant was concerned that we would run over, they should have spoken up when we ordered dessert. They had ample opportunity to remind us that they needed the table back by a certain time. Why let us order dessert if that was the case? For a restaurant in its 5th week of opening, this is a good example of how you would drive (would-be) returning customers away. To be in such a competitive industry, Bartiga must be beaming with confidence that staff can exhibit the right to behave rudely to customers and get away with it.

While we had a lovely time chatting to one of the bosses on the floor, the ill treatment by staff was a let-down. Overall the food was delicious, maybe the tacos weren't to our liking, but everything else was nicely cooked. As for service, suffice to say, I left Bartiga feeling angry and...

Went here for a friend’s 40th birthday and had a fantastic experience! The restaurant offers an interesting Asian fusion menu.

• Hainan Focaccia (6/10) – The bread itself was quite basic, and I actually prefer my own focaccia. But the sambal butter was incredible! such a unique and flavorful touch! Definitely the highlight of this dish.

• Bug Sandwich (7/10) – Tasted like an elevated Macca’s Filet-O-Fish in the best way possible. Enjoyable but not mind-blowing.

• Rendang Spring Roll (5/10) – This was a miss for me. The pastry was nice and crispy, but the filling was too dry and didn’t really capture the rich, saucy flavors of a good rendang. Luckily, this dish was complimentary from the chef, so I appreciated the gesture.

• Kingfish (9/10) – Absolutely delicious. The sauce was incredible, and honestly, this place does sauces so well!

• Butcher’s Cut (10/10) – Hands down, the best dish of the night. We asked for medium-rare, and it was cooked perfectly. The sauce was phenomenal, and we wished we had more!

• Tom Yum Pasta (10/10) – A must-try! I’d never had a fusion like this before, and I was obsessed. The creamy sauce with the tom yum flavors worked so well together. I loved it so much that I went home and immediately searched for recipes to recreate it!

• Roast Chicken (8.5/10) – Another great dish, with a unique twist. It had a slightly duck-like taste, which was a surprise but worked well with the sauce.

Service was amazing—our waitress (a lovely half-Filipino lady) was super friendly and attentive. The entire team was on top of refilling our water before we even had to ask.

They also surprised our friend with a complimentary birthday cake, which was a really nice touch!

We loved our experience here! The mains definitely stood out more than the entrées, and while the rendang spring roll was a letdown, it was a minor hiccup in an otherwise...

We had an early dinner at Bartiga on a weeknight, so we didn’t make a reservation. It started to get busy about an hour later, so you might want to book ahead just in case.

FOOD The food was superb.

Entrées (Not in any particular order — everything was delicious.) Appellation Oysters Betel Leaf Prawn Toast Sando

Special mention to the oysters — they were incredibly fresh. The prawn toast sando could easily be the perfect snack if you’re after something a bit more filling. I like dipping it in the sauce it comes with since it adds a nice touch of acidity.

Mains Chili Crab Pasta Japanese Niçoise

Bartiga’s mains are generous and great for sharing. The chili crab pasta was flavorful and loaded with prawns and crab — not too spicy, so don’t be afraid of the heat. The Niçoise salad was so refreshing! The tuna was really fresh and went so well with everything else. It’s light but still filling, probably because of the potatoes and avocado.

We unintentionally went for a seafood theme this time, so next visit we’ll definitely try the meat-based mains.

Dessert Pandan Crème Brûlée

Perfect level of sweetness — like a leveled-up version of the Filipino dessert Buko Pandan.

AMBIANCE & SERVICE The ambiance and interiors are lovely — perfect for date nights or casual catch-ups. Definitely Instagrammable.

Service was impeccable. The staff were friendly, welcoming, and even pointed out the happy hour rates right away (lol).

Definitely...