The Bristol — Restaurant in Sydney

The Bristol Arms needs a lesson in irony.

A group of men, roughly 30-40 of us, were eating, drinking and gambling at this pub recently.

We arrived at approximately 4pm and were served alcohol without hesitation for about 2-3 hours before abruptly being told by a manager that we all needed to leave immediately.

When we asked if there had been a problem or incident, we were told in no uncertain terms that there had not been any problem, we were simply “too intoxicated”.

When we responded that we had been in the pub drinking for 2-3 hours, and that any intoxication was a direct result of the pub’s staff serving us alcohol, we were met with “too bad you need to leave”.

This is despite the bar staff still serving some of us drinks and food (in other words taking our money) at the same time that we were being told to leave by management.

When we asked if those who were allegedly intoxicated at the hand’s of the pub’s staff could simply take a breather, we were flatly refused and again asked to leave.

Even though the manager agreed that the responsible service of alcohol was the pub’s responsibility, not ours, and that there had been no complaint of any misbehaviour, disturbance or any other issue, we were ejected anyway.

At at least $100 per head (a conservative estimate) we would have spent somewhere in the range of $4000-$5000 at the pub, without incident. Probably more.

It is incredibly confusing as to what type of patrons The Bristol Arms are looking for if drinking alcohol, eating food and gambling without causing any problems doesn’t fit the profile of a desirable patron.

There are 30-40 people who now have a bad taste in their mouths about this venue who, when asked about the pub, will only be able to share this completely unnecessary negative...

Stunning Reno, But Let Down by Eye-Watering Prices & Untrained Staff

Wow, the renovation at the Bristol Arms is genuinely stunning. It’s an amazing space, and I'm sure old regulars wouldn't even recognise it. We were so impressed when we walked in, but unfortunately, the experience didn't live up to the decor, and we left feeling concerned for its future.

The biggest shock was the pricing. At $13-$15 for a pint and wines costing $50-$90 for a bottle you can get for under $30, it feels incredibly overpriced. We paid $88 for a small mezza platter (one dip, two skewers) and two pints, which just isn't sustainable value. This pricing seems to be driving people away rather than drawing them in, creating a negative cycle of low traffic and high costs.

The service, while friendly, was chaotic and slow. We waited 15 minutes in a queue while the young staff struggled, partly because the beer taps are apparently four floors below. They couldn't answer basic questions about the beers or even what was on the platter we ordered. When a queue formed, they resorted to shouting "who's next?", which is a classic sign of undertrained staff and just adds to the frustration. An experienced bar manager is desperately needed here.

The beautiful venue felt oddly empty, a stark contrast to the pre-Covid days when the balcony was packed and standing-room-only. The combination of high prices and slow service kills the atmosphere, and being asked to leave our table by 2:30 PM when the place was quiet didn't help.

You've spent a fortune on a fantastic fit-out, but it feels like it will all go to waste again unless the basics are fixed. Please consider realigning your prices and properly training your team to give this wonderful venue the fighting chance...

Really depends what you're here for. Me personally I'm there for the happy hour pints which are fantastic value for money and a good way to start a night whether you end up going to retro just a few flights of stairs away or wherever you go. Food is standard pub fare, pretty decent but nothing outstanding. I deducted a star mainly because of my lunch time experience there. I have to say things can get pretty chaotic. There multiple levels to service and the kitchen is downstairs. I was up top with a group of friends and it took about 50 minutes for the food to arrive. By that time we had to leave and go back to our desks as our lunch time was over. Food had jst arrived but frankly we weren't interested anymore and weren't willing to cram it into our faces just to make it back on time. So that's pretty disappointing. Also disappointing was the lack of care shown by the staff, they definitely didn't fight our request for refund but I'd say they were hardly apologetic for the whole episode. I'll grant that it could just be that day and things were out of their control but I'm just going off my own experiences.

Tldr; good to go for beers after 4pm to take advantage of happy hour but probabky avoid lunch time not cos food is bad...