Taphouse Sydney — Restaurant in Sydney

The sheer height of the burger at The Local Taphouse is worth the price of admission alone. It truly is a monster and much debate will be had about the best way to consume it. Do you man-up and go for a two-handed vulture while nonchalantly discussing the weekend footy? Or are you more “proper", opting to cut it in half before launching into a diatribe of the market activity of the day? Then there are the deconstructors amongst us, elaborately picking apart each layer while waxing lyrical with philosophical musings. The options appear endless but one thing is for sure, you will consume this monster! I had almost given up on The Local. For years it made my favourite burger then something just went wrong. The rumour was that the manager got fired by the owner (drugs apparently) and he was so liked by his staff that they all quit in solidarity. The result was a kitchen nightmare with my first return visit resulting in a poorly cooked cold burger and on the second occasion we didn’t get our food for over two hours. I had avoided the place for a few years but my recent visit showed a true return to form: the best burger is back! Where to start on this mammoth? The smoked ale beef patty is blessed with Gruyere cheese and 2 Pilsner battered onion rings for a superb crunch, topped with a simple salad and aioli. It’s spectacular. For sides you get hand-sliced roasted vegetables made up of potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potato. If you’re unsure about which of the burgers to get, you can grab a trilogy of sliders covering the smoked beef, the pulled pork and roast field mushroom. Variety is the spice of life, right? Though the best part of the burgers, of course, is the abundant selection of beer with which to wash it down. The honey-ale goodness of Birrificio San Paolo was my pick of the tap beers, of which there are numerous. Ask the friendly bar staff their current favourites and they are only too eager to divulge. There’s no denying that The Local has returned to form - I’ve been there twice in a week and each occasion has been memorable. Go there for the burgers and I promise you’ll stay...

I have been meaning to write a review for almost a year now but I had to come back because Luke and everyone else at the TapHouse deserve to have their praises sung. I had my 22nd birthday here in October 2022 and it was incredible. Luke was so kind and helpful right from my first enquiry up until the day after the party. He answered every one of my questions patiently, efficiently and graciously. He also offered good advice when I wasn't sure which direction to go on packages. Organising was such a breeze, even with the drink customisations we had. We were able to have a signature cocktail on arrival and a round of espresso martinis halfway through the night. And everything the bartenders made was delicious. The beers they offered on tap were great and they allowed us to add some premium wines to the drinks package. The venue was stunning. The lighting was perfect, the set up was perfect, the decorations were perfect. It felt like a little speakeasy. We had a projector and a microphone for speeches. We were able to play our own music and it was always plenty loud enough. The space we booked out was private enough to feel like we weren't disturbing other patrons. There was also a little nook to sit away from the main room. Even when the music cut out for a moment, Luke was right on it and was also very patient with me when I unhelpfully tried to fix it. The food was delicious and there was lots of it! It was just all around fabulous and I highly recommend having an event there. I certainly will be again if I get the chance. I honestly cannot thank everyone who was there taking care of my friends and...

Came here for a dinner with friends to try out their half price November deal. We were very excited about the food as the menu looked amazing, and also the drinks given the selection of craft beer they have on tap. Unfortunately it was quite disappointing! We ordered the BBQ platters, pulled pork burger, poutine, corn ribs & fish and chips. The BBQ platter looked quite impressive on arrival but everything seemed overcooked (especially the brisket which was so dry!) and plain. Needed to douse everything in sauce to taste better. Unfortunately, the chips turned out to be the best part of the platter! The pulled pork burger which didn't seem to be on a milk bun - looked like a squashed supermarket bun and the pulled pork seemed a little old. Fish and chips were ok but nothing amazing - when asking the staff what fish it was when we were ordering all they could say was it was "battered fish". Chips with the poutine were soft and soggy so not very enjoyable. Apart from the long queues to order (which was understandable given the specials), once ordering the imperial stout was not available (despite being on the board). Another thing to add is the Rooftop bar does not have a great selection of beers and can get extremely loud. Hoping this was only because it was a busy Friday night as this place has great potential so was a shame that we had such a bad experience.

Post 2nd visit: We revisited on a Wednesday night so the venue was not as crowded. The platter was still a little on the dry side but other items were quite tasty (we ordered a few steaks). Service and beer...