Firehouse Hotel — Restaurant in Sydney

Service The two pretty Spanish or South American ladies tending the bar counter and taking food orders, were super nice, friendly and efficient. Despite it being a Sat night, everything ran smoothly for us. We first ordered drinks, then meals, all at the bar counter. Food came out pretty quickly with no delay.

Food Three of us dined and we ordered barramundi and steaks. My steak was well cooked just the way I like it, with no red or undercooked bits, but no compromise on taste or tenderness. It was accompanied by a generous portion of fresh salad, crunchy chips and a creamy pepper sauce. The steak was a decent size, just right for what I wanted. My companion though was a bit disappointed with her barramundi, as it was a tad dry and salty.

Ambience The interior is smartly decorated with polished timber floors, brick walls, fancy chandeliers and comfy wooden chairs and tables with the choice of regular tables, high tables and bar stools or booth type seating, ideal for three people and that’s what we choose.

Toilets The toilets are clean and well maintained and easy to find at the rear of the venue.

Vibe Though we hadn’t made a booking, we were still able to get a table at around 6.45pm on a Saturday night, but it did fill up quite considerably after that, and as it filled up, it became pretty noisy. The problem is that it’s all wood, steel, brick and glass with no carpets or noise absorbers. Our neighbours at the next table, a group of four young women, got louder and louder, the drunker they got, so what started off as a pleasant and relaxed evening sadly went downhill after their arrival.

Cost I paid 40 pesos for a schooner of VB ale and the steak, (which included an extra 2 peso charge for "sauce" which was unexpected), but I guess this is what we have come to expect from Australia in 2023, staggering under the weight of crazy hyperinflation.

Summary Overall, I was impressed with this place. The food was decent enough, service was outstanding and until it filled up, I found the atmosphere to be quite casual and laid back. Also great to see this old historic building, formerly the North Syd fire station, so beautifully preserved, and transformed into a fab pub for everyone to enjoy. However, parking could be a bit tricky, and the prices were average, but it’s definitely worth a return visit, preferably on a midweek day to avoid the...

I am writing to express my outrage regarding how I was treated by your staff on Friday evening. I suddently had a drop in my blood pressure resulting in me being very unwell while being there with 2 friends. My friends did immediately advised your staff and politely asked for a glass of water. While feeling unwell, I was not met with even an ounce of compassion or basic human decency. Instead, I was abruptly asked to leave in a manner that was both humiliating and completely devoid of empathy.

I fully appreciate that businesses must maintain a comfortable environment for all patrons but it is appalling to show such a complete lack of empathy and hospitality. A simple offer of assistance, concern for my well-being, or even the most basic courtesy would have gone a long way—but instead, I was treated as an inconvenience, a nuisance! Had I tried to leave when I was rudely told so, I would most probably have fallen unconscious on my way and got badly hurt. Thank God my 2 friends stayed by my side pleading with your staff to let me at least recover! I was not there for hours refusing to leave! The whole ordeal did not even last 30 minutes.

To the rude middle age security man who obviously has no notion of customer service or any emotional intelligence, I would like to ask him to view the camera footage and imagine if this was a member of his familyor a friend instead...

No one should be made to feel the way I was at your...

Pretty disappointing experience here. Went here with my girlfriend as she works just down the road and says it is usually pretty good. Was buzzed to collect both our orders, but only find mine. "Oh, they must have forgotten, we'll buzz you when the other order is ready". Half an hour later, my food is somewhere between 'cold' and 'lukewarm' as I've politely waited for my girlfriend's steak (after following up with the front-end staff after about ~15 minutes, who seemed supremely unconcerned). My fries were nice (albeit, cold) as was the pretty tasty sauce, but the burger was mediocre (again, the temp didn't help - I've never worked at a restaurant, but don't you wait til ALL orders are ready for collection before you set off the buzzer?). My girlfriend's steak was apparently decent, but the salad was so oily the plate could have been invaded by a first-world country.

This kind of service is pretty poor but I could have forgiven it on a busy day - apparently it does indeed get hectic, and I can't judge this happening when it's really busy - but we beat the lunch rush and were one of only two tables! Really, really...