Mercantile Hotel — Restaurant in Sydney

Hotel Review - 4/5



During my recent stay at this antique hotel situated above a pub, I encountered several issues that made my experience less than ideal. Despite this, there were also some positives to my stay that are worth mentioning.

Firstly, one of the most frustrating aspects of my stay was the inability to check-in early. Unfortunately, the hotel does not offer early check-in, which made it challenging for me as I arrived much earlier than anticipated. Furthermore, when I attempted to call the hotel, no one ever picked up the phone, which added to my frustration.

However, I was able to get assistance from the pub staff, who also worked for the hotel. They were incredibly friendly and went above and beyond to assist me with my needs, including providing clean towels and ice for my room.

If you happen to arrive early, I would recommend going to the back door of the pub and storing your luggage there. There should be someone in the pub who can assist you, but be aware that they may not always answer you. I had to search for someone who could help me, but once I found them, they were more than happy to store my luggage.

Unfortunately, the hotel's location near the ongoing construction site made it impossible to open the windows or blinds in my room, which made my stay less comfortable. Additionally, a cockroach made an unwelcome appearance in my room, which was unsettling. I also noticed some strange guests on my floor walking around in only a towel or their underwear, which added to the overall strange ambiance of the hotel.

Despite these issues, the female staff were incredibly helpful and accommodating. They were always willing to assist me with any requests and were a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster stay. Overall, I would rate my experience a 4 out of 5 due to the affordable price and the kindness of the staff, but the hotel's shortcomings in terms of cleanliness and communication could use some...

DO NOT ORDER THE STRIPLOIN!!!!

It is not usually my want to write negative reviews, but my King's Birthday experience at a Hotel I love and have frequented since the early 90's is deserving of other's attention.

As always, the kind service of the staff at the Mercantile was impressive, the meals ordered by my wife and I arrived promptly, the drinks are expectedly priced for Sydney, yet the quality of the meal I received was utterly below the expected standard and frankly, appalling.

Being a Coeliac, the lure of many GF options had me interested in dining in. Sadly, such claims are mostly fraud, with many of the GF options subsequently passed off as not being so, after being informed that the food is cooked in the same oil as non-GF items.

Never fear, a simple steak would suffice. Sadly with no chips due to the above and a plain salad alongside a rather small piece of meat.

The attached picture shows the gristle and fat that was simply indigestible. The small mound equalled around a quarter of the total steak and the $36 charged had me feeling rather ripped off.

My wife enjoyed her vegetable salad, yet felt awful watching me eat what was well below the cheapest standard of steak one might buy at a supermarket.

Hoping to point this out to the waitress to help out future patrons, I never received the opportunity, as she passed many a time without even attempting to take away our plates.

It was absolute highway robbery and I would loved to have sat with the 'chef' as we both ate the meal and asked whether he or she would ever order it again.

I certainly would not and either would they. Thanks for ruining a rare day by serving rubbish at an inflated price Mercantile Hotel. Sadly, after 30-odd years of popping in, it is doubtful I will be doing so again.

There are plenty of places nearby doing a whole lot...

If you like a quiet night's sleep, this is not the place for you AT ALL. We stayed on a Friday and Saturday night and returned to the bar downstairs equipped with a live band and people flowing into the sidewalks. Thank god for the air conditioner because we were still rocking out on the 3rd floor late into the night. The air conditioner drowned out a portion of the music and my earplugs most of the rest.

Saturday morning, set up for the market begins around 5 am with drilling and tent erection. Saturday night the party continued but somehow got louder.

The breakfast was included and pretty good - fried eggs, Canadian bacon, toast and a roasted tomato.

Our rooms were equipped with two twin beds. The room were clean but old. The bathrooms were communal and I believe there were 4 bedrooms to 4 bathrooms on the third floor and a few more bedrooms to 4 bathrooms on the second floor. The bathrooms were very clean.

The booking process was odd and if you are booking here, call ahead the day of or day before to confirm your rooms. We had 3 rooms in our reservation and they only had 1 ready when we called to confirm we were arriving at 5. Confirm over the phone because it sounded like emails aren't checked.

We were able to leave our luggage in the bar after checkout and pick it up later in the day which was a huge perk to making the most of our time in the city.

The location was great and it was a about a 10-15 minute walk around the docks to get to the...