Harry's Café de Wheels - Woolloomooloo — Restaurant in Sydney

My experience on Friday 2/2/2018, sometime after 12 noon...

I explained to my relatives from overseas about this famous place, especially the Tiger Pies, and they were keen to try. I was served by a young female staffer of Asian appearance. I ordered 2 Tigers (1 Tiger Beef & 1 Tiger Curry Beef), followed by 1 standard Beef pie, 1 standard Curry Beef Pie, 1 standard Seafood pie, & 1 standard Steak & Mushroom pie.

I double-checked with her if that was 6 pies, just in case I missed something. For some reason, her expression was one of annoyance, as she confirmed the number with me. She NEVER asked if I was eating it there or taking it away. Then she proceeded to get the pies, placing them in an open paper box on the counter beside her, which was too high for me to see (this will come into relevance later). She told me the amount was AUD$38.70. As I proceeded to pay with credit card, I asked if I could have a bag. Then she asked if I was having it there or taking it away, to which I replied I was taking it away. Once again, she had an expression of annoyance written all over her face as she went & placed my order into a paper bag.

As she handed me my card back, I did not receive a receipt. So I patiently waited for her to provide me one. But instead, she proceeded to call for the next customer to place an order. She NEVER asked if I needed a receipt, said 'Thank You', nor did she pass my bag of pies to me.

Not wanting to 'annoy' the staffer, I took my bag of pies & drove to my relative's place to share & enjoy the pies. When we opened the paper bag, there was 1 standard Beef pie, 1 standard Curry Beef Pie, 1 standard Seafood pie, & 1 standard Steak & Mushroom pie. The Tiger Beef & Tiger Curry Beef pies were missing. I would have clearly seen this if the counter was not above my line of sight, before she placed my order into the paper bag.

Throughout the whole time when I placed my order, I was always courteous, smiling or cheery, & said multiple 'Thank Yous' & 'Pleases'. I was absolutely in no way shape or form, rude, offensive, or arrogant. However, not only was this staff member rather rude & lacking basic hospitality skills, she lacked basic common courtesy, could not even get the order right, yet somehow managed to charge me for items she did not give me.

It is bad enough to be treated so rudely, but when I pay for items that I did not receive, well, this is where I draw the line. Needless to say, I will not be returning.

BTW, the 4 pies I had were...

This place was ok, I’ve heard a lot of great reviews about it and never got the chance to actually visit the little truck in Woolloomooloo until last week, as the food goes i got the tiger which is there signature dish, basically pie, mash, mushy peas and gravy. The pie itself didn’t give me the ‘wow’ factor, it was a standard pie that actually tasted like something I would take out of my freezer and stick in the oven for 20 mins. The filling looked very factory made, every veggie was the exact same size and tasted the same (imagine the bag of mixed veg you get from the freezer in the supermarket that’s what it reminded me of) like they just poured that into a premade pastry dish and stuck it in the oven.

The mushy peas were good, I’m actually not usually a fan of mushy peas but these ones were nice, and the mash was also good, but you can’t really go wrong with mashed potatoe it’s a pretty staple side that’s made every day all around the world and doesn’t take to much time, effort or skill.

And last but not least the gravy.. it was good but tasted like any other gravy from any takeaway shop. All in all I probably return to get another tiger pie but what’s not to say there other things on the menu may be better and actually...

Iconic location, great food, I've been coming here for over twenty years and it's as good as the first time I did. Whenever I have visitors from overseas I'm sure to bring them here for a taste of Sydney subculture.

The Hot-Dogs are world class, the pies are excellent. Harry's never disappoints!

My go to Hot Dog here is the signature 'Hot Dog de Wheels' (Hot dog topped with chilli con carne, mushy peas, garlic onions, chilli & cheese sauce). Note: the chilli sauce is actually spicy, ...not for sissies!

If I'm in the mood for a Meat Pie I usually get the "Tiger" (Pie topped with mashed potato, mushy peas and gravy). I recommend ordering the "Beef Pie" with mushy peas and gravy, the standard "Mince Pie" is good (if that is your thing) but nothing special, however it's the toppings that make them marvellous here. The signature "Mushy Peas" and "Harry's Original" Gravy make the perfect combination and great for a hunger-buster or a late night feast! The "Beef Pie" has chunks of beef in it which I always find more satisfying than a standard "mince" pie which you can get pretty much anywhere.

Worth going out of your way for the authentic...