Harts Pub — Restaurant in Sydney

Located in an original 1899 Heritage building in the middle of the Rocks. Harts Pub, has been serving the thirsty working-class of Sydney for over 30 years.

In 2018 Harts owner Mark Fethers parted ways with the company he founded (Rocks Brewing Company) and launched the Pickled Monkey Brewing Company - with Harts serving as its new spiritual home.

Inside the venue, you'll find a cozy intimate space. With timber tables & chairs, and plenty of space to hide away. There's also several larger rooms/spaces for functions or bigger groups. Upstairs and out the back there’s a beer garden, where you can relax in the sun over a few cleansing ales.

Foodwise, you can expect standard pub grub - burgers, nacho's, steaks, salads, and vego/vegan options.

Beer-wise, as this is primarily a craft beer venue, you won't find any mainstream macro beers on tap. You can expect a variety of styles, from Sours, IPA's, NEIPA's, Stouts, Pale Ales, Lagers & Pilsners flowing from one of the 12 x specialty taps. Wine & Spirits are also offered for those not into beer.

My only minor (negative) feedback on Harts is the overall cleanliness of the venue. I often find the tables a bit grotty/sticky, and the bathrooms in need of a good clean (overflowing bins, smelly, messy floors, etc). I've also, from time-to-time, had pause to ponder the cleanliness of the beer lines. Which, given the freshness and quality of the beers being served, is not ideal.

That aside, Harts Pub is still a craft beer oasis in an otherwise desolate...

My family and I visited this evening as a group of 10. It was moderately busy, so we expected a bit of a wait for food, which we were fine with. Surprisingly, the food arrived fairly quickly and was quite tasty and well-cooked. Unfortunately, most of our meals were cold by the time they reached the table, which was disappointing.

I was keen to try the burger challenge—something the menu suggests is preferred to be booked in advance, not required. When I tried to order it, the particularly sullen, rude lady bar staff screwed her face up and said, “What, now you want to order this?” It was off-putting, so I decided to go with the platter for two instead. Like it’s 5 burger patties and some fries, just put the order in?

We also ordered the hummus, which came out with a halved burger bun instead of pita or Turkish bread. I assume they ran out, but that wasn’t communicated to us. Had we known, we wouldn’t have ordered it.

Overall, while the food itself had potential, the service and execution left a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend it based on...

The Missus and I got into Sydney in the late afternoon, and by the time we got checked in and started thinking about dinner, we discovered that pretty much everywhere was booked out.

But Harts Pub saved the night! Tanya secured a table for us over the phone and we walked over from the hotel. Harts is a fine pub in a historical building, and had a great time there.

The beer selection is fantastic (all micro-brews, yum!) -- The Missus went with the mid-strength lager from Milton Common brewery and I opted for the Moon Dust Stout from Mountain Culture Beer Co.

Food-wise, we went with the prawn spring rolls for our starter, very tasty. She ordered the firecracker chicken salad and was very happy with it (especially because the chicken was grilled, not fried). I had the chicken parmi, and I was very happy with it (especially because of the piece of double-smoked ham on top of the chicken breast).

If you're in The Rocks and find yourself in need of a great meal and great beers, head over to Harts. You will be glad...