The Birdhouse — Restaurant in Sydney

Hi, this is my review and my opinion only.

Last night we decided to go to the birdhouse based on seeing so many good TikTok reviews.

We were met with friendly staff but that’s where the good night halted. After we were advised there was seating available for us, we then had to wait another 5 minutes for the waitress to confirm if this was correct. 5 minutes isn’t long by no means but when your standing infront of a whole restaurant waiting for confirmation, feels awkward. maybe we where just hangry.

Anywho…. Ordering time, asked for the lot and did not hold back.

Kids Pizza, Kids grilled chicken a chips. Which were awesome!

Buratta and labneh amazing!

Specifically asked for the marrow to be cooked a bit more than normal as I like to have it caramelised on top.

Friend ordered 60.00 bug linguini, I order 400g 90-95 dollar scotch. Again no problem ordering a grass fed steak which is on the high end for this calibre of steak, but expecting no floors at this price.

So this is where the food quality declined!

Bug linguine : for 60 bucks you’d expect to get a whole bug in your plate not just half and a few stragglers in the pasta. This kind of dish doesn’t need much, lay off the spices. Garlic, olive oil, white wine and a bit of butter. Maybe some fresh cherry tomatoes may have been a nice touch enough!

400.00 g Scotch: asked for medium, got a well done, chewy and when you serve a steak with chemoula do not smother a grilled steak with it, it was so acidic and overpowering that there was no chance to appreciate the meat.Give your guest the option to apply as much or as little as they want. For 95 bucks this was a massive disappointment.

Marrow: came out with my request not adhered, a little undercooked compared to my instruction and came out more yellow on top than traditional marrow browning, when I notified the waitress, she was cool and took it back, she did offer to not charge me for it which was nice but At this point I wanted marrow over my steak. So I removed all the chamoula off my steak and waited for marrow to return. After 5 minutes the marrow returns cooked a little too much but the smothered with the over powering chamoula which wasn’t there originally. Man was I unlucky at this point. The poor waitress could feel the tension but I said it’s ok and soldiered on.

Guys, it’s a great spot but to put something into context, last week I took a client to a very popular A grade steak house in Sydney city, the type that you can’t take your phone in if you know what I mean. In that meal, we got a 900g Tbone cooked to perfection, 4 substantial sides (octapus, charred Brussel sprouts, duck fat potatoes and 3 dips with fresh bread and a beef tallow candle that you could dip your bread into, broccolini , 4 glasses of white wine 3 coke no sugars and paid total 282.00 dollars. Last night cost us 310.00 + 40 dollars of trinkets that we purchased for the kids that they sell in the front of the restaurant.

For 310.00 buck this was way not worth it. Again I reiterate that based on the menu, I was happy to pay but the quality wasn’t there. The steak was rubbish, flavouring was off and the bug pasta was overpriced and again tasted wrong. Stick to basics guys because your kids meals were great.

Happy to give this place a second go but until some adjustments in pricing according to the cut of meat and finishes I’ll wait till then. Note: I can buy that same steak for 38.00 dollars at high end butcher, that would be softer, not chewy. So 95.00 bucks was a shocker based on how it was cooked and finished off.

Based on the Elias’s response, I’ve struck a chord, and boy it’s scary people can make up items in a defence, when I asked for salt to kill the flavour of the 1 little of vinigar in the chamoulla, I said to the waitress ‘please don’t take offence’.

Elias! Please don’t ban us, we just can’t go on in life.🥹

So if you want to get ripped off and have a full investigation on your night because you left a bad review, then be accused with lies, this is your place! Enjoy your night to who ever likes these...

It was a very disappointing time! We went for my birthday lunch with our dog, and waited for our food in the hot sun, with cover for my partner but not me. As an edit to factor in the owner/ manager’s helpful timeline, our other entree and mains still did not arrive when we left out of hunger at 1.30 (that’s an hour and 15 mins after our order was put in…)

We had ordered a pizza, tuna crudo, a burger, with some drinks and garlic toast. The garlic toast and drinks came out promptly, but we waited… and waited… and waited again for our entree and mains. We watched as everyone else around us got our food, and waited again. After checking in four times across an hour and 15 mins since ordering, and having to take our dog out to pee twice, we realised they had just kept telling us it’ll just be five minutes… for an hour 😂😂

The venue was beautiful, staff were clearly trying to manage expectations, but absolutely terrible experience.

While they wrote off the two cokes, one margarita and the garlic toast we had when we left very disappointed, we ended up leaving after a very disappointing and upsetting time.

It ruined my birthday lunch, and it’s now close to 2 hours later and I’m starving.

This place came highly recommended, and we know how rough hospitality can be, but this is really not acceptable service or treatment. If your kitchen is understaffed and packed out, set the expectations upfront and we would’ve gone elsewhere to celebrate my birthday.

You guys can do way better.

Edit to address Elias’ feedback: Thanks for your prompt reply. The lovely waiter had originally asked if we wanted all the food to come out together, and we said sure. We actually received the entree and drinks very quickly - less than 10 mins after the order was put in (12.27pm with a photo timestamp which I had posted on my social media). That was awesome.

To hear that you didn’t call for the other entree (the tuna crudo) or the two mains until 12.52 probably explains why we waited for so long…. We appreciate the busyness of the kitchen, but that doesn’t excuse the waiter who told us over the course of that hour saying the food would be out in 5-10 mins (first being at 12.51 when the car accident occurred outside). We wouldn’t have minded the wait, if we weren’t being misled and the waiter just said “hey the kitchen is busy today, and our order would be out as soon as we can clear it” instead of saying it’ll be right out…. I’m sure as a business owner/ manager, you can appreciate a customer’s frustration especially at a venue like this, and being misled?

My partner made an error with the booking by not mentioning the dog, but we had politely queried at the front, and would have happily gone elsewhere if it was not acceptable.

At the end, I was very polite to the waitress, but we were firmly very disappointed at the entire experience and I expressed that without yelling or raising my voice. I imagine you would have reacted very similarly and I respect you for defending your team. Note - we didn’t get a timeline from the waitress at the end. I asked to pay for the food and drinks, and she said not to worry.

I think from this experience, this is not a restaurant I would recommend for...

A Romantic Gem in Minchinbury –Birdhouse Café

My partner and I had the absolute pleasure of dining at Birdhouse Café in Minchinbury, and I honestly can’t say enough good things about this place.

From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with warm, friendly service that instantly made us feel at home. The atmosphere is gorgeous — romantic, cute, and thoughtfully styled. It honestly felt like we had been transported to a scenic café in the Blue Mountains. The interior and exterior have been designed so beautifully, with such care and attention to detail — it’s clear the owners have poured their heart into this place.

For food, my partner ordered the smashed avo, and I went with the white chocolate French toast — both were incredible. Every dish was presented beautifully and tasted like something made with true love and care. We also shared a wood-fired pizza, which was a total standout — perfectly cooked with a handmade crust that was a solid 10/10. You can really taste the quality in every bite.

The staff were amazing, especially with our daughter. They were so kind and thoughtful, offering her colouring-in activities and walking us through the menu in detail, explaining the dishes with genuine passion. The café is incredibly family-friendly without sacrificing its calm, romantic charm.

And I can’t forget the coffee — 10/10, rich and smooth, easily one of the best I’ve had in a long time.

Parking was easy, no hassle at all, and the location is super easy to find. All in all, Birdhouse Café is a true gem, and we’ll definitely be returning soon. Highly recommend to anyone looking for great food, beautiful vibes, and...