Camelia Grove Hotel — Restaurant in Sydney

A new 'go-to' place for us. We love the venue and the staff are friendly. We'll definitely be back, and this will become one of our locals regardless.

However, there are a number of improvements that could easily be made and highly recommended to encourage higher traffic and more repeat customers, especially given the economy.

Food Menu - options are too limited. i.e 3 of the mains were all basically $50 steaks.

It's too expensive for this type of venue and area, especially if you're just going there for lunch.

A dedicated brunch and/or at least a lunch menu should be introduced and priced more accordingly. i.e sandwiches and burgers vs. the $35 pastas offered.

Specials and/or happy hour could also be introduced to encourage customer retention on various days. E.g a $20 Sunday Roast or $15 burgers on a Tuesday etc.

The venue is dog-friendly, which is great, but there are no food options for dogs, and they don't really cater for them in anyway (no offer of water etc) unlike many surrounding venues who offer dedicated dog menus.

I say this because it's a great place, but perhaps needs a little fine tuning by mgmt. It was surprising to see so many cafes and restaurants in close proximity packed to the brim with customers, but this venue was almost empty at lunchtime on a weekend, and yet it's so nice inside.

Would love to see them attract more of a midday crowd, so theres a greater vibe.

Recommend as a really nice spot for a drink with mates in the...

The food was excellent, but the service was shocking. When we arrived there were only a few other customers around (and looking at the bookings online earlier it looked like it wouldn't be too busy, which was why we chose to go there that night).

It took around 20-25 minutes for us to get seated and order our food, when there were only 3-4 other tables occupied.

One waitress seemed more interested in chatting with customers than serving us. When we tried to order, she brusquely told us "just a minute!" before having a lengthy social chat with another group of customers who had already stood up and were leaving. And then continued to ignore us as she bustled around serving drinks to another table that has already received their food. Another was too busy setting up cutlery and filling water carafes at the serving station (despite the nearly empty dining room) to notice that there were customers waiting to be served, although we managed to get her attention to take our order in the end.

The food, which arrived reasonably quickly, was excellent. And the courtyard was lovely.

Overall we would have loved to come back (as locals) but the poor service has really left a bad taste...

This place is great! Atmosphere is chill and cool but the staff are so fun and really friendly. They are always efficient, happy and polite. They know what they’re doing and what they’re talking about, and you can tell making the customers happy is their main priority. Food is amazing, beautiful Italian classics and some twists, and for their prices it’s 100% worth it. The meats, cheeses, pizza's and pastas are a must do - never had a meal I haven't enjoyed here. The décor really transport you to the Mediterranean. Perfect for afternoon casual drinks in the sun!

I have now had 4 large group events at Camelia and the staff never cease to go above and beyond to accommodate. Whether we sit in the restuarant or either of the outdoor areas, the birthdays have been special times thanks to the treatment from the team here. Everyone has always walked away with a smile and look forward to coming back.

Can’t wait to return and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for a homely Italian style bistro meal and a spritz in the...