Big Poppa's — Restaurant in Sydney

Your staff are amazing but our experience at Big Poppas was... unique. I'm sure they will know exactly who we are after reading this!

We were accommodated on a table for two in a busy restaurant on super short notice and our entrees came very quickly. Try the burrata, you won't be disappointed!

We then moved on to waiting for our mains. And waiting. And waiting. After a 40 minute wait on 2 pastas, my partner asked what the hold up was an we were told with only one chef in the kitchen on a busy Friday, they were a little backed up and it'll likely be 10 minutes more. No probs, we own a company and we get it, (sh)it happens.

20 minutes later, staff came over to apologise that our food was accidentally given away to another table and that they needed another 6 minutes. Not cool but we'll move on. I was offered a beer as compensation for the hour wait. That aside, props to the young gentleman who barged the table and spilt my partners cocktail on their way out the door.

Starved when our food finally came, I dug my fork into one plate and my partner into the other. Unfortunately for her, the pappardelle pasta she hungrily stabbed at lifted in one big clumpy mess, completely stuck together. We received renewed apologies and we were offered a replacement but after an hours wait, we were done waiting for any more food. We shared the one good plate and were offered 2 more drinks.

Topping the night off was the 'lovely' drunk young lady who grabbed my partners wine glass off the table and took a big sip.

We were gobsmacked and so were the staff. Our table was cursed! We went downstairs and were offered 2 more drinks, leaving drunk and hungry shortly after.

Hey, makes for a good story! If we're ever back, please don't give us the...

I’ll share positives and negatives, unfortunately the negatives outweigh the positives. I would recommend this place for drinks and I will give them a second visit as it wasn’t a total write off.

Positives

Moody/Comfortable Lighting. Taste and Presentation of food is good. Music makes you feel good and was at an appropriate volume. Wine selections are good. Some of the staff are very bubbly

Negatives My waiter tried to tell me I had to buy a bottle of wine as contrary to the menu they don’t sell by the glass - I said I’ll order later when my guest arrives. Whilst waiting another waiter then asked me what I would like and said they absolutely sell wine by the glass. However it took 10mins to get the glass. Professionalism 1. We waited 15 or more minutes for a waiter to take a order… we actually had to go to the bar and interrupt their group chat to get a food order. Professionalism 2. The waiter who took our order sat down next to me which made me feel uncomfortable (could just be me) Professionalism 3. I watched multiple staff jump from the stairs onto the bar multiple times and then continue to walk on the bar… this is dangerous and disgusting, as well as disturbing. Professionalism 4. One of the four waiters that took our order throughout the evening actually took our entre before we finished. Pricing 1. We paid $16 for a tiny piece of Brie. Pricing 2. We ordered two plates of the prawn dish at $45 each… we only got one plate and it was legitimately three prawns cut in half. Outrageous/Offensive pricing. There wasn’t anything else on the plate to eat- we actually went and got dinner elsewhere as we were...

Went to Big Poppa's on Friday evening - awesome vibe, attentive staff, and good drinks (five stars for that experience). Went again yesterday evening where I was told by the super friendly host to head downstairs where my cousin (who I was excited to show the bar to after my experience on Friday) and I would be looked after for drinks.

There were two customers downstairs: one seated at the booth, another at the bar. The bartender was having a conversation with a customer seated at the bar, and after 10 minutes passed my cousin and I decided to get up and pick up drink menus ourselves. Another 10 minutes passed, the bartender was still talking to the customer at the bar, and we got up and left. We hadn't been greeted, or given menus, or been asked for our orders. I watched the customer in the booth do exactly the same - go and pick up a menu after a while, wait, and walk out.

It wouldn't have been a problem if we'd been told to order at the bar by the host working in the restaurant upstairs, but knowing there was table service set our expectations. Such a let down after my great experience on Friday night and the awesome attitude from the...