Callao Barangaroo — Restaurant in Sydney

My lovely wife’s birthday dinner

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I had the most incredible dining experience at Callao restaurant, and I cannot help but share my enthusiasm through this glowing 5-star review! Callao truly exceeded all my expectations, thanks to its exceptional Nikkei cuisine, a delightful fusion of Japanese and Peruvian flavors.

From the moment we stepped inside, the ambiance at Callao was warm and inviting, creating the perfect setting for a memorable evening. The staff was incredibly attentive and knowledgeable, ensuring that every aspect of our dining experience was flawless.

Now, onto the highlight of the evening - the food! Callao's Nikkei cuisine is an absolute masterpiece. Each dish was a harmonious blend of Japanese precision and Peruvian vibrancy, resulting in an explosion of flavors that left our taste buds dancing with joy. The attention to detail and the quality of ingredients used truly showcased the culinary expertise of the chefs.

But what truly touched our hearts was the personalized touch that Callao added to our evening. It was my wife's birthday, and we were pleasantly surprised when the staff sang a heartfelt rendition of "Happy Birthday" to her. To make the moment even more special, they presented her with a dessert adorned with a flickering candle. The genuine care and thoughtfulness put into this gesture made it an unforgettable experience for both of us.

Callao restaurant not only excels in its culinary offerings but also in creating a warm and memorable atmosphere for its guests. The combination of impeccable service, extraordinary Nikkei cuisine, and the personal touches added to celebrate special occasions make Callao a true gem in the dining scene.

If you are looking for an extraordinary dining experience that will transport your taste buds to new heights and leave a lasting impression, I wholeheartedly recommend Callao restaurant. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

For more insights on top travel destinations, exceptional dining, and unique experiences, follow my account. I share detailed reviews and recommendations to help you discover your next perfect getaway and...

Callao, Sydney review - Expensive, well-executed but some dishes have weird balance of flavours... sort of almost there but missing something 🥲. Best dishes were the Salmon ceviche, Natural oysters, Beef tartare - pictured as empty dish on my post 😂 (skip if you don't like anchovies), Skull Island Prawns, and Wagyu Tri-tip skewers. I'd go back there for more Salmon ceviche as it's one of the few ceviches Australia that nailed the ceviche flavours I had in Peru. (And they have cancha in them!! 🌽 🎉). We went for a bit of an adventure feast by ordering lots of yummy sounding dishes but the dishes that ended up being good are the ones in their Chef's selection set (obviously 😅). We would steer clear of the ox tongue skewers even though we love ox tongue. There's a very strong smell that is very off-putting like a smell of offal that hasn't been cleaned properly.... which was a shame because I did quite enjoy the seasoning on it. The scallop crudo was lovely but I couldn't taste the scallops at all.. would've been nice to let it shine. Baby octopus was so lovely and tender but the sauce was just ok. The pisco granita oysters were a great idea but the taste of uncooked jalapeño was too strong for me...it's sort of too green / grassy and destroys the taste of the dish. I much prefer the lemon pepper granita oyster from Bennelong. So couldn't recommend these dishes.

Their drinks were delicious. Ambience was lovely for both romantic and catch up with friends. Music too loud for babies to sleep (not a complaint.. just pointing out in case someone with baby is wondering) so if you're bringing a baby, I'd recommend brining a pair of acoustic earmuffs. Having been to Inka in Canberra, it's natural for me to compare the two and I would say Inka is better by a mile. But Inka is also miles away from us, so we are grateful that a yummy Salmon ceviche is only a Metro...

The service at this restaurant, to be fair, was quite good. My partner accidentally chose bar seating, but the lady at the door was happy to help us switch to an indoor table. The server had a heavy accent, so it was a bit hard to understand him, but the service was still quite good.

The first dish, the scampi, was initially impressive at the first bite of the scampi itself, but the rice cake underneath was too sticky, ruining the overall texture and overpowering the dish. The second dish, the scallops, was the one I was most satisfied with. The scallops were sweet and fresh, and the dish was overall very refreshing.

Next came the three worst dishes: the wagyu, oxtongue, and potatoes. Starting with the potatoes, they were cute in appearance, but the sauce underneath had an indescribable odd taste. It looked like harmless pumpkin puree, but it was incredibly sour and salty, with a cheesy funk but none of the good cheesy flavor. I took one bite of the sauce on its own, and it almost made me gag. As for the wagyu, I understand it was marinated with a sweet flavor, but due to the charcoal grilling, the meat was bitter. Combined with the overall greasiness, the taste became oily, sweet, and bitter all at once – it was really bad. But if the wagyu was at least tolerable, the ox tongue was simply inedible. It was way too greasy! I also really disliked the texture – I know the chef wanted to make it tender, but to me, it felt like chewing on some intestinal tissue. It was incredibly disgusting, I couldn’t even finish it.

On another note, the mocktail I ordered was also disappointing. It was basically condensed lemon juice – nothing but sourness. The last dish, the octopus, was just okay, not particularly amazing but not terrible either. However, for a restaurant with this rating, I was still very disappointed with the overall quality...