Esteban — Restaurant in Sydney

Prepare to uncover a true culinary treasure at Esteban—a hidden gem that’s an absolute must-visit! This exceptional spot deserves not one, but two hats: one for the visionary chef-owner and his extraordinary food, and another for the inimitable ~'Ollie', our maître d’ and waiter extraordinaire. The service here redefines excellence—imagine fine dining precision delivered with effortless efficiency, leaving you feeling utterly pampered.

We indulged in the Premium Chef’s Menu paired with the Premium Matching Drinks, and every moment was pure bliss. The experience kicked off with a margarita cocktail that set the tone for perfection, followed by a lineup of impeccably matched drinks that delighted from start to finish. Out of curiosity, I had a special tequila—the star ingredient in that margarita—and while I discovered tequila isn’t quite my personal favorite, the thrill of the adventure was undeniable. Tequila lovers, rejoice: you’ll be in paradise here. Cocktail aficionados and wine enthusiasts will be equally enchanted, as will anyone who craves ultra-fine cuisine served in generous, satisfying portions.

Every dish was a revelation—stunningly crafted and bursting with flavor—but what truly amazed me was how each course seemed to outshine the last. I’m still not sure how they pulled that off (and no, it wasn’t just the drinks talking!). In my well-seasoned opinion—and I’ve dined at some heavy hitters like Quay, Sails, Sixpenny, Flying Fish, Rockpool, and Bennelong (to name a few)—Esteban’s food surpasses them all. Yes, it’s that good.

At around $300 per person, it’s a splurge worth every single penny, though the beauty of Esteban is that you can also enjoy an equally memorable experience for far less if you’re watching your budget. I’ll admit, I used to dismiss Mexican cuisine as mere cheap street food—sure, a quick burrito was fine, but the mess? Not for me. Esteban has completely transformed my perspective. This isn’t just Mexican dining; it’s a culinary revelation.

Two hats proudly raised to Esteban—a keeper that’s set a new standard...

[Esteban] - CBD

4.7/5*

-The lads visited Esteban, a dimly lit, Mexican dining and bar. To start off, the lads ordered some salmon ceviche tacos. The Tasmanian salmon was fresh and delicate, mixed with a gorgeous salsa, fresh tastes of cilantro and the perfect amount of citrusy flavours. The hard-shell-corn-taco had a crunchy hit of toasted flavour. These salmon ceviche tacos were outstanding, the lads had to order more, and more. The taco al pastor, were made with adobo marinated pork, and were cooked to perfection. The pork was soft and juicy on the palate, and the salsa was fresh and delicious. The prawn tacos were pretty good, saucy and tender. The soft purple taco wasn’t as flavourful as the hard shells, but still good. The pink ling ceviche was the perfect composition of spice, citrus and freshness. The pink ling was extremely delicate and fresh. The Birria lamb shoulder was falling off the bone, melting in the mouth and cooked to perfection. The birria sauce was deliciously oily, filled with spice and scrumptious Mexican flavours, and the pickled chilli on the top was a great addition of crunch and vinegar. The market steak rump caps were sensational on the tongue, melting, fatty, full of rare delectable flavour. The broccolini was charred lightly, and was juicy and crunchy, topped with roasted almonds. The potatoes were soft roasted and drizzled with an interesting creamy like sauce. Now, not often do we mention drinks, but their monthly special, ‘Mezcal always in my mind’, included peanut butter infused Bacardi, carta Blanca, banana infused siete misterios doba yej, Massanez liqueur de Cacao, peanut crumbs and dried banana. This was the tastiest cocktail all the boys have ever tasted, to the point where we had to order several. Overall, it was an extremely impressive dining experience, beautiful food, intelligently crafted and presented. Thankyou...

We had high hopes for our Christmas party at Esteban and made our booking well in advance, back in August/September. Initially, we decided not to go with the private room due to the minimum spend of $4,000 for just two hours, which would’ve doubled to $8,000 if we wanted to stay longer. Instead, we called and spoke with Stefani, who suggested a double booking as a more suitable option for our party of 14. We followed that advice and secured the booking.

Three weeks before the event, Stefani called again and informed us that there would now be a $3,500 minimum spend. Although this wasn’t what we originally agreed to, we accepted the change. Two days later and less than three weeks from our event, we received another call informing us the minimum spend had jumped again to $6,000. At this point, it was simply unreasonable.

What’s most upsetting is not just the shifting price, but how dismissive and unhelpful the response was when we asked if there were any other options. We were told, quite bluntly, “no.” No attempt to offer a compromise, no apology, no effort to work with us despite planning this for months, especially being such a large spend. The tone and attitude on the phone made the experience even more disappointing.

We reluctantly had to cancel, not because we wouldn’t have spent that amount but because locking into a $6,000 minimum with no flexibility, and no real communication or care, felt wrong.

For contrast, we organise a fine dining-style Christmas event every year with a large group, and we’ve never experienced anything like this. Esteban, unfortunately, fell far short of that standard.

To now be searching for a new venue with less than three weeks to go is incredibly stressful for our group.

We expected better, both in communication and...