Harbord Hotel — Restaurant in Sydney

This place was once really good, now however, really average. Great ideas, poor execution. The dining room and the wine/drinks selection continues to be above average but the food items on the menu just fell short when delivered. The Tuna tostada is still good. They now have an App ordering system which means unless you order in batches, everything (starters, mains etc) gets slammed onto your table all at once. We ate lunch for four on New Year’s Day. The dining room was only half full and the wait staff didn’t seem particularly run off their feet and a normal team compliment was visible in the kitchen. All the food came out at the same time when it was obvious some of it was starter portions, some mains. Despite us having little room to fit all the plates and the diners having to rearrange things to fit the table. Wine no longer topped up by wait staff, well not in our case. Plates not cleared the entire meal-once the food was dropped, we didn’t see the wait staff again until I requested the manager to give feedback. Left to us to stack the plates at the side of table and empty glasses and wine bucket on the floor. The deep fried food was overdone in all cases- fish, zucchini flowers, chicken fillet. Literally hard and crispy. The fish was overcooked and barely visible among the rock hard batter. Burger, over cooked and rubbery. When we gave feedback we were assured by a very empathetic Nathan: “we’ll take it up with senior management”. Thanks. We will vote with our feet...

We came to this hotel restaurant for lunch. The atmosphere was nice, but some parts of the experience were a bit disappointing. No one brought water to our table, and the sink on our table, which had some dry leaves and hair in it, was a bit unpleasant.

We happily asked one of the waiters to take a quick birthday photo for us, but he refused, saying he was busy, even though it would have only taken a few seconds. This felt a bit off and gave us a bad feeling for a moment, although it didn’t spoil the overall vibe. However, other staff members were polite (not friendly)which helped.

The food was good, but overall, the service wasn’t as welcoming as we had expected.

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New comment:

This hotel restaurant typically responds to reviews with phrases like “we’re sorry for your experience” and asks guests to email a specific address with details for further investigation. However, based on my personal experience, this process doesn’t seem very genuine or sincere. I sent an email, but unfortunately, I didn’t receive any response.

It seems that these replies are more about creating a positive image rather than showing real concern for customer feedback. I regret the time I spent on this, as it led to...

Edited 16/07 As requested, I sent feedback to the email provided on 28/6 — no response received. Doesn’t seem like there was genuine interest in resolving anything.

Amazing food, but the service needs improvement. If I were rating this place on food alone, it would easily get 5 stars. The meals and drinks are always fantastic—I’ve been here several times and the quality has never disappointed.

However, the service really lets the experience down. Some of the staff come across as disengaged and not particularly welcoming, which makes the atmosphere feel a bit off.

On our most recent visit, we were told at 6pm that the table was needed again by 7pm. While I completely understand that tables are booked for specific time slots, being told this during our meal felt abrupt and uninviting this should either be mentioned at the start betore sitting down or closer to the time needed. It made the experience feel rushed, almost like a conveyor belt restaurant!

For the price point, which isn’t necessarily cheap, the level of service just doesn’t match the quality of the food.

Hats off...