Doyles on the Beach Restaurant — Restaurant in Sydney

I'm really sad to give this place a low score seeing as it's a multiple generation establishment but this review should be taken as an honest piece of feedback that I hope the management will take onboard seriously. I would love to see this place continue to be a food destination for the future but if our experience is anything to go by I really don't think they'll survive.

So we arrived in the evening and therefore couldn't really take advantage of the fabulous location. My review is therefore soley based on the merits of the food, service and the value that represented. The service was good. I would have given a higher score, however we asked if we could substitute the smoked salmon on our sharing platter with crab (which was only found on the larger sharing option) - The larger sharing option would have been way too much food. The management said no, this wasn't possible. They didn't even suggest a surcharge which we would have been happy to pay. I think this is a bit strange because it meant that THE ONLY WAY to taste their crab was to buy it as part of a huge combo meal. It doesn't exist anywhere else on the menu... Whilst I appreciate that there are limitations I think that being reasonably flexible for your clientele is part of delivering good service.

Anyhow, the food came and it was okay... everything turned up as ordered but it certainly didn't wow. The scallops were very small, the oysters had a strange astringent after taste (although thankfully none of us got ill!), the slipper lobsters were nice enough but lacked flavour and tasted like they'd been re-heated. All in all it was okay - perfectly edible but...

The issue is that it shouldn't be just okay... at the prices that are being charged, the fact that you have to make an effort to get out to the venue in the first place AND the fact that they slap an extra 10% weekend fee on top? I'm sad to say that Doyles represents truly terrible value for money. We ate out several times in Sydney and this was by far our worst value experience.

I just don't think that you can operate like this... it was a Saturday evening and the place was pretty dead. The few people eating were probably tourists like us... tourists lured into a tourist trap.

If you really don't care about value for money food wise then fine, visit Doyles but do it during the day when you can enjoy the views of the harbour etc...

Otherwise - I'd steer clear - plenty of better places to put your hard...

I recently dined at your restaurant, and unfortunately, it was one of the most disappointing experiences I have had in a long time.

Upon arrival, we were seated outside and informed it was self-service for outdoor seating, which we understood. We were instructed to order and pay at the bar, yet the experience there was baffling. The waiter seemed to expect me to know the total amount for my order, as he struggled to find my selection on the menu. His attitude was unprofessional, making an already unusual situation feel uncomfortable.

We were also asked to pick up our own cutlery from the bar, which we managed without issue, but our table was left unwiped even after it was cleared. This made our dining area less than sanitary. We had to request basic items such as napkins twice before receiving any, and when we asked for wet wipes, we were directed to use the restroom instead.

Additionally:

• We asked for Tabasco but received an empty bottle. • The water we ordered finally arrived midway through our meal, after we were reminded by the hostess that we needed to order it at the bar—which we already had. • The glasses were placed upside down on the dirty table, and we had to ask for clean ones. • Ice eventually came in a bucket without a scoop or spoon to transfer it.

Overall, the service felt chaotic and unorganized, and the staff showed little effort to ensure a positive dining experience.

The food, unfortunately, didn’t redeem the experience. We ordered fish tacos and pasta, which were average at best. The quality didn’t match the cost, and while the restaurant appears cozy and inviting from the outside, our experience didn’t live up to expectations.

I hope this feedback encourages you to re-evaluate the service and quality offered, as the current standards are not reflective of a customer-focused establishment. I left disappointed and, in good conscience, could not recommend the restaurant to others unless...

Five stars for the atmosphere and the fish and chips and the sweet bartenders. Here are some tips for your visit, especially for those complaining of slow service.

This was a delightful stop. So many sweet rooms await, but the gem here is the outside porch looking at the water.

We earned our meal by hiking to the lighthouse. ;)

Some tips: If you wish to order, you may either scan the barcode or you can go straight to the bar. Just go to the bar If you are nearby and sitting outside. The bar was excellent at being able to quickly and efficiently deliver our Limoncello spritzes (We waited while they made them) and they delivered fish and chips to the table. Although the sauce that was served with the fish and chips was good, I’m going to be silly-American here and suggest that you also ask for some tartar sauce. And we asked for ketchup for the fries; again we’re totally American, and we asked for malt vinegar. They were so sweet about that. We had a Variety of things to dip our fish and chips in, and, frankly, the tartar sauce was excellent! And we make our own tartar sauce. You should take the ferry here. There was absolutely zero parking anywhere. As we were watching people trying to navigate parks, we felt so sorry for them. Ferry. Ferry. Ferry. Lots of fabulous rooms. Inside and outside. The place is much larger than it looks! If you can’t get a seat on the outside porch, there are upstairs tables inside that afford beautiful views as well. Lots of glass to really take advantage of those views!

More on our experience. The minute we entered the port from the ferry we could smell the fish and chips and see Doyle’s, and I was delighted with all of these wonderful smells and the vibe of the place, and decided we must go back here. So after spending a day exploring, we capped the afternoon with a trip to Doyle. Two Limoncellos each and two orders of fish and chips later, and we were very...